12-07-2006, 08:57 AM
Impact of a Dysfunctional World
by Dinah KC Murray
Autism is a condition which was first identified as dysfunctional in the Twentieth Century. Two out of three of the main diagnostic criteria for autism involve social relating: society is the other side of the equation in each of those. Therefore, rather than focussing on the idea of autism as a dysfunction located within individuals, this chapter examines the possible impact of society and social changes on autistic capacities to cope well and contribute to the common good in the Twenty First Century.
Most of those changes have had a negative impact but one area of growth has created a flourishing new autism-friendly environment: information technology and the Internet.
Focussing on correcting dysfunction is counterproductive. Effective communication is a key need for all human beings. Wide ranging research findings and personal accounts of autism both suggest many reasons why speech tends to be a particular challenge for autistic communicators. Computers circumvent most of those problems. In spite of this, at present the odds are stacked against autistic adults having access to computers or the Internet. In the UK new disability rights legislation establishes a right to technological help for everyone who has a communication disability
Autism is currently identified solely by its dysfunctionality (see the diagnostic criteriai). This focus on what is wrong means that autistic strengths are systematically ignored. This essay does not deny that autism can be hard to live with, but it focuses on the benefits of the autistic disposition rather than the problems it may cause all concerned. The emphasis on dysfunction and the label of illness have primed public expectations of “a cure”. The idea that this is a fundamental misunderstanding of autism underpins this essay.
full article is here:
http://autismandcomputing.org.uk/dysfunc...ld.en.html
by Dinah KC Murray
Autism is a condition which was first identified as dysfunctional in the Twentieth Century. Two out of three of the main diagnostic criteria for autism involve social relating: society is the other side of the equation in each of those. Therefore, rather than focussing on the idea of autism as a dysfunction located within individuals, this chapter examines the possible impact of society and social changes on autistic capacities to cope well and contribute to the common good in the Twenty First Century.
Most of those changes have had a negative impact but one area of growth has created a flourishing new autism-friendly environment: information technology and the Internet.
Focussing on correcting dysfunction is counterproductive. Effective communication is a key need for all human beings. Wide ranging research findings and personal accounts of autism both suggest many reasons why speech tends to be a particular challenge for autistic communicators. Computers circumvent most of those problems. In spite of this, at present the odds are stacked against autistic adults having access to computers or the Internet. In the UK new disability rights legislation establishes a right to technological help for everyone who has a communication disability
Autism is currently identified solely by its dysfunctionality (see the diagnostic criteriai). This focus on what is wrong means that autistic strengths are systematically ignored. This essay does not deny that autism can be hard to live with, but it focuses on the benefits of the autistic disposition rather than the problems it may cause all concerned. The emphasis on dysfunction and the label of illness have primed public expectations of “a cure”. The idea that this is a fundamental misunderstanding of autism underpins this essay.
full article is here:
http://autismandcomputing.org.uk/dysfunc...ld.en.html