Aspies For Freedom

Im looking for some possible cohesion in the aspie communities beliefs. (is it a respectable term? aspies communities? how about the autistic communities?)
I'm trying to gain understanding of your community. I feel if I gain an understanding I will be able to avoid inulting and treating it in a disrespectful way.
What are the FIVE (do as many as ya want!) things you would love to be able to pound into our heads?
Thanks for taking the time.
Phil

I believe there is another thread on this

Ill agree with Monastic those are pretty much the 5 things

Another is, if you want us to change, give us time to get used to the idea and expect some protests in the meantime.

Also, you can having varying levels of functioning in the one autistic person. They might indeed be generally high-functioning, but very low functioning in one or two areas, average in others and very high in others still.

I also think it is so important for those who wish to help us to really listen. It is very common even when people try to do this that they let their preconceptions colour their views and so do not listen to our needs and preferences. The solutions they devise might work for people like them but not people such as us.

Fair enough.

1. I am not like the Rainman. There are different and varifying levels of severity on the autistic spectrum, and I am pretty mild.

2. There is no autistic epidemic. It has always been around, it's just becoming more common as we learn more about it and diagnosis becomes easier.

3. Asperger's syndrom does sound wierd, but it does not equale mental retardation.

4. I do not need a cure. Asperger's is not life-threating, and my prognosis is good enough that I can cope with society. I'm just a little more unique then most other people. I mean, besides the religious right, no one is calling for a gay cure.

5. Just because I'm drawing dosn't mean I'm not listing to you. Also, I get sarcasm.

if i ask you a question please answer honestlyor to as much honestity as you postition allows.

rossco Wrote:

"I am and will always be Autistic. I make no excuses for it.
1. I am autistic and will always be autistic."

I might add, "So why are YOU behaving badly/being such a ***?"

oh yeah if i don't luagh when i say something it's not meant to be funny.being mimiced is not amusing.(there one who are doing the mimicing have no idea i'm an aspie.)

if i dont say i love you or i miss you it doesn't mean i dont.

rossco Wrote:

PhilCommander firstly thanks for posing the question in such a way as not to offend. I read monastic's reply and was thinking "Yeah right on...what next...yeah very good point...what else....yep!", etc
Basically they have nailed some very good policies for dealing/understanding austitic people.
I have mentioned this in another thread but I will mention it here.
My closest friends know about my Autism. I am 36 and high-functioning, which in effect means that I have had 36 years to develop useful strategies to hide or mask my Autism. I also compete in the "Neuro-typical world" quite well. What this means is unlike my childhood, teenage years or even young adult years, I respond better from learnt experience to certain situations better than I used to. I am and will always be Autistic. I make no excuses for it.
1. I am autistic and will always be autistic. There will be times that my behaviour will be not "normal". This will not be through lack of effort on my part - I assure you.
2. I am not looking for sympathy or even empathy of my condition - understanding is nice but tolerance is appreciated.
3. I am not stupid if I don't get an abstract concept. I studied at university level, creative writing - I excelled in the art, but not in the appreciation of the finer concepts of subtlety. I know what sarcasm, irony, analogy, similies and the like are, I just don't get them in practical application.
4. Understand that an awful lot of communication is through either body language, inflection of the voice, recognition of social cues or conventions or visual cues (doubly important for courtship!) - Autistics get barely any of this. I personally get very little of this if any of it.
5. We feel the world differently to non-autistics (very literally). We are more than not hypo or hyposensitive to various stimulous that a non-autistic person is not. Personally tactically I am weak (Hypo sensitive). I require a lot more stimulous to feel the same as what a non-autistic person. Example - pain. I have a high pain threshold. In fact I think to equate hyposensitivity to pain as having a high pain threshold is probably a little incorrect. I do not really register most incidental pain. I do in no way, and have never, viewed this as a positive - macho, blokey, tough thing, but rather as a weakness - in a kind of clumsy, brutish and oafish way. Kind of too stupid to realise that you are bleeding from a wound you ought to have been smart enough to realise you had sustained. (Not fair - its not my fault I know - but grow up in ridicule and the self-talk...)
6. OK you said 5 but this is important. No two autistic people are alike.
you have:
1 - different clusters of different traits (and some of these traits may even be hypo- or hyper- <as above> Wink

2 - different levels of intelligence, from mental retardation to genius
3 - Different forms of autism
4 - Different levels of functioning (eg. high or low)
5 - You can also be severally autistic, moderately autistic or midly autistic
6 - Autistics quite often have co-morbids (Dyslexia, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety Disorder or other disorders)
7 - Different life experiences and Cultures.

Hope this helps!

I think it's important not to assume that all "strange" behaviours are the result of the autism. They could be part of the co-morbids or just part of being human. Also, don't forget that Aspie women are just as likely to be subject to "women's troubles" such as PMS as other women, and that influences their moods and behaviours.

In summary, treat each Aspie person on their own merits and not assume they are all the same as each other.

Pakrat Wrote:

I think it's important not to assume that all "strange" behaviours are the result of the autism. They could be part of the co-morbids or just part of being human. Also, don't forget that Aspie women are just as likely to be subject to "women's troubles" such as PMS as other women, and that influences their moods and behaviours.

In summary, treat each Aspie person on their own merits and not assume they are all the same as each other.

my disliking luaghter is part of my depression.

guardian001 Wrote:

Pakrat Wrote:

I think it's important not to assume that all "strange" behaviours are the result of the autism. They could be part of the co-morbids or just part of being human. Also, don't forget that Aspie women are just as likely to be subject to "women's troubles" such as PMS as other women, and that influences their moods and behaviours.

In summary, treat each Aspie person on their own merits and not assume they are all the same as each other.

my disliking luaghter is part of my depression.

clarfiction: i think people are luaghing at me.

I've really enjoyed reading this thread.

philcommander

Arandomsum1

green0horse

Pakrat

Pakrat

OsirisLord

guardian001

Zed

guardian001

guardian001

bestfriend

Pakrat

guardian001

guardian001

goingnorthwest