Aspies For Freedom

OK, I do know this was covered here somewhere, but I have looked for some time now and can't find it. Besides, I wanted to touch on a few aspects of the film that weren't mentioned the first time around.

I don't watch T.V. much, so I didn't get to see  it when it aired- I just saw it last night, from the library. Here are my thoughts on it:

Firstly, she is awfully short, and the thing with her tongue sticking out sort of makes her looks a little Down's at first, especially in combination with the shortness.

But, she obviously is intelligent.

It made me sad to hear how much she dislikes herself for being autistic. I feel like she has internalized other people's negative attitudes towards her.  :cry: I wish I could tell her that even if you are verbal and autistic, or not autistic at all (just unpopular) there are always jerks in the world who find a reason to put you down.

I don't think her carrying spoons around makes her looks retarded, in fact, I found her variety pretty interesting- she seems to have quite a collection of them! Hey, if spoons make her feel secure, fine, why not?

I don't think it's bad or deleterious that she spends time playing with water and spoons...I haven't gone to college yet, but I think it would be incredibly stressful. People like us (and even NTs) need to unwind and relax from stress. I zone out on my blanket, and I woudl hate for anyone to see or film that. It isn't any of their business how I relax or whether or not I stim.

I LOVED the way her family treats her as an intelligent person with opinion. This was one of the best parts of the movie.

Most of all, I hate the way her therapists, workers, and so-called friends (Sue, you need to get real friends who treat you as an equal   ) treated her. If you're able to and didn't notice this the first time around, watch it again. They are SO condescending! This is the way I was expected to act when I was working with handicapped people, and it was why I quit.  :evil: I don't care if someone is profoundly retarded, they shouldn't be treated like that, and that girl is not her friend! They are so impatient and bossy and curt with her, it really made me sad. No wonder she's depressed about being autistic, I would be too, if people constantly treated me that way!

She has Noonan's syndrome apparently, which affects her stature and facial features. It may also be affecting her as far as how much she feels she 'suffers'.

Do we ever hear from any women who have Rett's, Amy?

Stella

I have never met any online Stella.

I wonder what becomes of them. Perhaps we should try to find out.

I sometimes worry that the self-selecting nature of web forums may lead us to forget those who are not online, for whatever reason.

I think the same self-selecting bias also impacts on parents'/curebies' attitudes towards us.

By way of illustration only, a hypthothetical example: "If our girl could talk and write as well as that Amy and that Stella in so-called Aspies for Freedom we'd have no problems."

But the fact is that I have difficulties staying on even the bottom rung of NT society as a cleaning lady, no matter how hard I work at it. According to the NAS view and statistics, I am one of the 10% who manage to survive outside institutional care, and one of the only 5% who do so without support of social workers (though I do live in semi-sheltered accomodation)

Can you blame me for enjoying a fantasy life in Planet Aspergia with Joe (TheASman) Amy and Gareth where we could be ourselves as we are without having to bare the draining burden of pretending to be NTs?  Even at the level of being a cleaning lady, the effort of trying to "fit in" as an NT leaves me emotionaly exhausted - but what matter? According to the NT view, I don't have any feelings.  :roll:

Stella

i posted on the main board  about sue. i too was sadden that she hates bening autistic but i belive it because she was treated a retared foe so many years if she was treated better she might has a better outlook on hersekf abd autism.