On the subject of media misrepresentation, there was a news item last night regarding a new magnetic brain scanning technique which can tell if children are developmentally delayed in things such as speech or reading.  Nothing else, just another diagnostic technique.  It shows, in real time, which areas of the brain are being used during cognitive tasks, and children with developmental delays apparently have less areas light up. So I was amazed when the reporter ended the segment by saying: "So there's more hope now for the parents of autistic children".  

Why, I was thinking?  I really couldn't see how another new diagnostic tool is a "treatment".  And anyway, the doctor who was demonstrating the scanner never mentioned autistic children, only those with speech or other developmental delay.  It was the reporter who made the jump to Autistics.  

Plus the story was *introduced* as a: "new treatment for developmental delays in children, including autism" which is why I began to watch it in the first place, thinking that it would be yet another snake oil treatment like chelation.  

All this only makes me more certain that places like this forum are a good idea, so that other autistics realize that they are not alone, and hopefully will have the strength (if they are comfortable with it, of course!) in "coming out".  The more of us there are in the community, showing that we're people with human frailties and strengths just like everybody else, and not some poor sickly wretches rocking in a corner, the better, at least in my opinion.  

Alison

I'll probably be doing research on creation of an organometallic compound that its ultimate use will be for MRI phase contrast over vacation period. Provided the UNI is accepting of me and the supervisor is happy with me. There are a lot of conditions attached. References etc. One gets paid a lowly salary but one pays that price to be able to do research.

I don't get this NT normal thing.  I am an NT and my son is an aspie, but I have many social challenges as well.  The main difference between my son and I is that he does not just "get" empathy.  Empathy has to be explicity explained to him and reinforced.  He has difficulty assimilating into main stream society which only means he has a hard time getting the rules and their significance.  He is only 5 soon to be 6, but he cannot engage in peer relationships in a healthy way or consistently abide by rules that are abstract safety standards.

I have trouble making friends, relating to coworkers, issues with "approach" to conflict situations.  Some of these are normal curves in social relations and establishing boundaries.

There is no strict boundary separating aspies and NT. An NT may have some aspie traits (social problems)  as you are surely aware of but will not be able to be offically dxed as such. And some aspies may have some NT traits. Relating socially and such.

It just goes down to the degree and number of accepted aspie traits.

I just want to clear up a quick point because it seems I was misunderstood slightly. I love all the forums on here excluding this one. I think crusading for minority status is a bad idea, the rest of the forums that help people cope and deal with their day to day lives as well as give hope that they are not the only people like them in the world are excellent.

Minority status is not only unnecessary for those who do not fall into the deep end of the autistic spectrum it is potentially dangerous to us. It's a label, a perceived handicap, and a reason for people to treat us differently and feel justified about it. Granted some people will be able to see past the status this forum wishes to achieve but a decent percentage of people will not and what if these people happen to fall into a position of power over us. I am good at what I do and in a very competitive field where people would not hesitate to complain that having AS gives me an unfair advantage and then follow up with the negative points about as like being mind-blind or the other typical social weaknesses.

In short my argument is minority status would not help those who do not need it, it would only hamper us.

I believe that in some countries, the minority group status would give rights (legal??) not take them away. However, since we are all different I am not sure who would be suitable as spokespersons.

The reason for minority status is, as Zed wrote, to make discrimination against  people on the spectrum illegal under existing legislation.

As for suggesting separating Aspies and HFA from LFA into a kind of 'elite'; that suggestion itself is specifically against the rules of AFF.

As a wise man once wrote here, as everyone on the spectrum make up less than one percent of the population, do you really believe that the majority 'normal' population care about internal divisions? All that will do is make discrimination more likely and perfectly legal, as it would not be discriminating against members of a declared minority but a reasonable decision against an individual.

Why would we not divide HFA from LFA? It has nothing to do with elitisim it's just common sense. A HFA can learn enough of the social skills needed to lead normal lives and the vast majority of people we encounter will never be able to tell we are HFA. We do not need special treatment whereas a LFA is in actual need of assistance.

(changed my username to reflect a more current interest)

I completely agree, thats what I did my research paper on. Thats why I am told not to tell people that I am Aspie, even teachers/professors.

Anyway, its also true that those who dont accept you for who you are, are no good for you anyway!

Cisc,I am HFA. My cousin was LFA. He worked everyday from when he was 12 years old until the day he died at 56 years old. He kept his own place and did well. Fact is I considered him more of a success in life than myself. So I hope you can see where I dont care for your comment about LFA`s

I am considered Aspie (no language delay) but there are times when I would definitely be considered LFA.

There have been plenty of LFA posters here; they are indistinguishable from Aspie/HFA.

The dichotomy is a false one, based on external views of people rather than what is going on internally. It would make more sense to subdivide the NTs than to subdivide the spectrum.

I have friends and family with all the various labels - which person gets which label seems to depend more on the particular diagnostician than the person themselves.

I agree with that

More than that; Amanda Baggs (anbuend) insight and wisdom terrifies me; she's scary with it, it's just.... she takes things that I am thinking but don't know how to say, and just...says them with utmost clarity and precision.

Amanda has been a constant reminder that preconceptions and prejudice work within the bounds of the spectrum, as well as from outside it.

I'll admit that, even after reading her posts, I still allow that notion that HFA/AS is somehow "superior" to LFA taint my....vision. just like newly diagnosed people tend to go on the "AS Supremacy" bent, (which, incidentally, I did for a time.) even after getting past that, a lot of people, myself (to a degree) included, still have the unfounded...(hm, the only words I can think of are along the lines of bigotry, which I suppose is about right.anyway.) that LFA people are stupid, or dumb (unless they mean "unable to talk", which I believe is one of the critera for the seperation of LFA/HFA?), or are not completely self aware, or not entirely sapient, and so on and so forth.

the notion is inherently false, and inherently...twisted, I guess. Immoral. ergo, it is something that I do not like about myself, and that I am attempting to remove from my persona.

I should never let a label judge a person for me ( I still do, but I try not to; a lifetime of cultural and social imprinting and programming is hard to overcome); Amanda is, I think, more intelligent than me, even if that is not "officially" recognised. I may be verbal, but...holy *** she's just...incredible...she blows me away, almost every time she posts!

Ghetto edit; Newly (self)(officially)Diagnosed or recently (self)identified people, who are otherwise completely rational, tend to go....

I think that is what uninformed NTs tell us about AS/HFA.  When I got the AS dx, my clinician told me there was no academic or speech delay with Asperger-- he strongly emphasized my graduate work.  But he did tell me that there was a greater limitation with LFA.  Perhaps on average...... and maybe because they cannot or will not tell us what they know or how they see the world.  

Other than that, who is to say how often LFA is correlated with mental retardation?  I think the psychometricians did draw some line in the IQ sand.  But I am sure LFA does not equal mental retardation and there is room for variation, as there is room for every person to vary.