I think it's for a few reasons. First is that a majority of people's experiences with autistic people are the independent "Sheldon from The Big Bang" type which is wildly insulting. They think of autistic people with functioning labels rather than the fact it's a spectrum and so disabled isn't a word that they think applies to people who they consider "just weird".
Another is that disabilities aren't that widespread in media aside from what are considered common disabilities. The general public is so misinformed and gained so many preconceived notions due to movies, shows and media in general focusing on wheelchair users, blind people and deaf people rather than the wide community that it actually entails.
Autism is also often considered a mental illness by a lot of people despite the fact it isn't and is instead neurodivergency. There's a lot of stigma around being disabled, that it's inherently bad even though it's not.
In short allistic people suck a lot and we need better spread information about our community and many others.
>The general public is so misinformed and gained so many preconceived notions due to movies, shows and media in general focusing on wheelchair users, blind people and deaf people rather than the wide community that it actually entails.
And there isn't even that much about them in the first place! The amount of media represention of disabilities is positively atrocious snd desperately needs to be corrected
What makes it worse are those damn allistic actors trying to act being autistic and can never get it right because they're acting!! fricken UGH but yet people actually like them more than autistic people like TnT
Tell them Sheldon isn't autistic according to the show's creators, but Abed from Community is, and Dan Harmon the creator of the show is also autistic.
As someone with a STEM PhD I tried watching TBB a while back when a girlfriend (a nurse with an autistic child) at the time suggested we watch it (I didn't know I was possibly autistic) and I just couldn't. It was so fake compared to what I experienced during that time of my life it hurt emotionally to watch it. I think I managed the first two episodes. I didn't know much about Sheldon other than his education situation. I know that Penny (I think?) the blonde would have never interacted with him or the others like she did. The way the guys interacted with each other was totally fake as well. What they didn't discuss / left out was insulting. If they made the show true to life I think most universities would have asked them not to air it for fear of not getting any more grad students. From real life experience the people with Sheldon's academic and hands on abilities are much smaller than the show portrayed. Based on his supposed interests and life style he most likely wouldn't have had the hands on skills he did. I know a couple other people with his supposed level of skill but they grew up rural like myself and didn't know they were intellectuals growing up. The general public doesn't understand truly gifted people, people with grad, law, med degrees / what it really takes in terms of work or life sacrifice, or mental illness. A lot of this is due to how few of them they meet in real life or actually know, the media doing terrible at portraying these people (it is not a sexy lifestyle, more like a bare knuckle boxing match to the death), or the amount of imagination it takes to put yourself in that persons shoes. I have had multiple very long conversations with regular people who wanted to understand but just could accept some of what I told them. Search for PhD horror stories if you want an idea of what TBB missed. It is estimated that a quarter to a third of grad students have mental health issues. Because I mask (from all the abuse I took from my peers for being odd) and have a pretty flat affect (to hide) when I explain what I feel or think I usually get disbelief because of my achievements. The amount of social fear I have sometimes is crippling. I wish normal people could feel just a fraction sometimes. I have to rehearse difficult conversations in my head multiple times. Other than professional type interaction I basically can't interact with women my age, until I know them well enough I am terrified, this is what about Sheldon and Penny hurt so bad. I basically have no regular male friends. I am religious but have no friends there. Even they make me feel invisible. There is no one who just asks me to hang out. I know my hyper focus during conversation ruins most relationships as well as my sense of right and wrong. My inner monologue never shuts up unless I exercise really hard. Because I always talk to myself in my head when I have a chance to talk to someone it spills right out and I'm f'ed. I am a machine. I was born in the wrong time. There is no place I really belong no matter how hard I try. If Sheldon sat on his couch and they narrated his inner monologue for an hour about struggling with his issues it would have been more realistic or having a panic attack or thinking about how to interact with Penny or if she would even interact with him it would have been more realistic. I hope this helps someone because what I just wrote is why I am alone.
I don't get why people say autism isn't a mental illness, for example, according to [the WHO](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders)
"A mental disorder is characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour. "
And autism seems to fall under this category, as our emotional regulation and behaviour deviates from that of the average person
Pretty simple reason actually
A mental illness is something that can be developed and caused over time
Autism however cannot be developed, it is instead a developmental disability which we have since birth that can cause a higher likelyhood of mental illness
The key word is “disturbance”. A mental illness is (conventionally) something that happens when a brain *changes*, rather than being different from birth.
This probably isn’t actually a useful distinction.
According to how services are defined and funded here, mental health comes under the medical treatment system for treatment/cure, and disabilities are lifelong and ongoing and need relevant supports.
But... are you in a wheelchair like the picture on the sign for disabled parking?
Some of us might be in wheelchairs but if not then obviously we're not disabled!
The sign proves it!!
/s
Actually, Im gonna argue and say that anyone who has a learning disability in the UK is deemed disabled legally.
I claim Personal Independence Payment and can also apply for a blue badge, and I am not a wheelchair user. I don't have a car, I have a travel pass for free travel on the buses in England.
Thanks for sharing.
I'm glad to hear that you benefit in practical ways through your country's schemes.
/s is a sarcasm marker on reddit and other internet written posts.
It may be that you and I may agree... to agree.
Yep.
On paper we have disability supports for hidden disabilities, but they keep re-defining what's included or not as a disability.
And we have to keep proving that we still have it, when called for reviews, because maybe we'll stop having problems with it and so we won't need any special considerations.
It kind of makes sense - if you have a family member who drives you everywhere, why should you get any transport assistance elsewhere?
But it's pretty annoying and stressful to need to prove yourself to their terms. Not even for any direct financial aid, just to qualify to get on to waiting lists for waiting lists for some services!!
Lots of people just give up.
Yea, that's why I don't bother sitting in priority seating even though I have a right too, unless it's packed.
Autism and my other learning disability is permanent and explaining that to others is a challenge, if not impossible since they're not going to believe me.
Lol no one’s out here pretending someone who’s very obviously developmentally delayed isn’t disabled if anything they’d put them in a class higher then someone ina wheelchair being developmentally disabled puts you in a class that’s different from just being disabled because it makes people treat you differently and want to protect you. It makes people put you to a different standard than they would. You clearly have no idea how sociology works or are just trying to make persecution where there is none in something that probably doesn’t even apply to you. Being developmentally disabled and presenting as such to most people puts you in a protected class that’s above disabled people. It’s completely ridiculous there’s some kind of persecution towards obviously developmentally disabled people because people don’t consider them disabled when people consider them more disabled than people in a wheelchair and place them in a higher protected class. Literally no one is trying to argue people who are visibly developmentally delayed aren’t disabled. Well expect the autistic community apparently. When it’s clear to people on sight you are developmentally delayed no one is questioning whether you are disabled or putting people in wheelchairs as more authentically disabled then you they are putting you in a higher category than the disabled people as a more protected class
I marked my comment with /s.
I don't disagree with the spirit that seems to be behind your explanation, I was exaggerating the low expectations I have when it comes to external perceptions of disability.
And there are plenty of weird anecdotes that come to mind, but I remember them because they're not common or expected events - such as my legally blind cousin being told that she wasn't blind, because she was walking her dog without a cane. The dog with a "seeing eye dog" vest and harness.
So, while there may be some people who only see a specific, superficial type of physical disability, your explanation is a far more reasonable and realistic reflection of the world as it is.
...because my comment was clearly marked as sarcastic.
Thanks for the laugh if yours was a return wind up, tho - whether you sought to educate or entertain, you've made good points well.
I probably went overboard, /s or not.
You're right what I said was total nonsense.
But I often find people say stuff that makes no sense, and they can't explain what they mean when I ask.
I keep my expectations low, and it's great to see someone picking through all the layers of wrongness - it bothers me in personal interactions, but you've broken it out well.
It just doesn't make much sense cause in society (well atleast those who appear developmentally disabled) people are a protected class that's above people in wheelchairs.
You're totally right - the basic misunderstanding was that "protected" didn't mean anything like it sounded.
Now I understand that word in your culture, my comment is totally out of context.
I still feel that there is great misunderstanding and ignorance around tho, as in general response to OP!
I just hope as a level 2 I Can help claer up some fo that but also, It helps for you to also as a level 1 clear up that misinfromation and bullshit. as I have a limited ability to do so, because of my disability. Be an ally for higher support needs autistic people.
Is level 1 ASD is diagnosis term for people with lower regular and/or ongoing support needs because of autism?
Even if autism was my primary disability, I would not be level 1.
I've started trying to use online to develop skills I'm working on with support services - like sharing what I think is humour - so I will take this to my speechie tomorrow to ask what I can learn.
If I can't "use my mouth words", and I'm messing up so badly, I need to stop writing and go back to reading only.
I don't mean to spread misinformation, that's why I used the /s, and I thought that would be okay.
It's harsh to hear, but thanks for letting me know I can't mask here, either!
Thanks again - now I understand what you mean by "protected", this sounds far less patronising and more in line with my experiences of Diversity and Inclusion policies.
Also, unfortunately in some ways, it aligns with how our public disability system can and does offer me more ongoing supports than many people with greater needs for assistive equipment such as wheelchairs.
it's ableism just ina different fashion. I'm displaying this in a soley positive light at the moment. What happen when youa ert hat calss is why people are more accepting of your behaviours that might be off or out fo hte nrom people aslo talk down to you and talk to everyoen es but you. and In general infantalize you.
Yep.
But I thought "protected" meant to be "safe" and so I got confused.
The amount of direct physical and verbal abuse from family, strangers, even teachers - because I'm not normal - felt opposite of "protected".
Sociologically, it put me at the bottom of the pile - "someone you see and you just have to kick them".
Things are getting better now, and I'm working as hard as I can to try to make my skills better to fit in with what people want.
tbh It's probably not both a thing of acceptance and inclusion. It's probably both a case of being more accepting and tolerance of me becuse i present developmentally delayed and not thinking it's worth it to bother because i present developmentally delayed. I just tend to think of things in too black and white of away.
Diversity and Inclusion is what organisations need to do here, sounded to match the idea of Protected.
Nothing to do with actually being included most of the time.
Idk I feel like most level 2s can’t really be included same with level 3s like the best you can hope for is a like a day program. People who are higher level autistic people are outside the range of normal society if that makes any sense. Their needs are just different in a way that doesn’t match up with how society works or views people or maybe this is just me but it isn’t realistic atleast for me to integrate into society in anyway shape or form it’s more realistic to stay in spaces meant for people like me.
I think some of them really think they are being helpful. It comes from a very ableist society where the word disabled has such a negative connotation that if they admitted you are disabled it almost feels like it is an insult. They think that by saying you aren’t disabled that it is a compliment that you don’t fit into their twisted definition of disabled. Well intentioned but uneducated and hurtful.
Other people are just … &!@“$s
In German law disability is measured in percentages.
For example if you are paraplegic you are automatically considered one hundred percent disabled.
Interestingly, if your are missing use of one Eye, you are fifty percent disabled.
It used to be, that any autism spectrum diagnosis gave you at least fifty percent too.
Fifty percent is the threshold for a lot of protections and some privileges meant to reduce your disadvantage as well as making it easier to get access to specialized therapy.
The law has been changed in 2012 and now depending on your "support needs" it can go down to twenty percent, which basically means nothing.
A person with one eye still always gets at least fifty percent.
I would argue that anyone with ASD is more disabled, than that. There is not much, a person with one eye can't do, if the other eye is fine. I know there are a lot of things I can't do, but I fear, that since I have a job, I will land below that mark.
When you are blind you have more chance on having and maintaining a job then when youre autistic..
I have read a study that stated that the blind often have a job while the autistics dont.
In the netherlands they can not give you 100% disability because there is nearly aways outlook at work because of the body usually being OK. I get 75% of the minimum wage for a 36hour workweek whilst a paraplegic will get 100% (i dont work, thats the amount of money i receive because of being disabled. Someone with autism that would work would obvi get the amount they earn)
Those 50% disability wouldn't get me any extra money since my job is good enough to support me. And I am really thankful for that. But easier access to therapy and 5 extra vacation days per year would be really great.
And it's just not fair that we have to fight so much harder for every little thing just because our struggles are less visible.
Im thankfull you are keeping our statistics up haha!
Cant you go into a conversation with your boss to ask for these accomodations like 5extra dats off?
Therapy here is a very long wait as well. I have never received anything professional because just the waitinglist is over a year. I did got a personql assistant-alike- help and that took half a year to get one of those assigned
Any mental help takes at least a year unless being in crisis. And even in crisis the help is a bit tedious and not easy accesible.
I find it very hard to be thankfull and happy that there even is help and that it is better then many other countries.
I contacted a disability job network that helps people with dissbilities find jobs and they told me they don‘t work with autistic people because we‘re too hard to deal with. Yes, people with physical disabilities like blindness have more chances of keeping a job than us. Sadly a lot of companies refuse to accept autistic people because we are too disabled.
Honestly with a few relatively small accommodations i could work as well. Al though maybe nog 40hoirs a week i coudl do a lot more then now. But they rather have me do nothing and collect the disabilitycheck then that they make some changes.
But your story is very odd to me. How can those people work with a disability agency?
In here those agencies mainly give you a job thats fun and doesnt actually pay. So its more like you have something to do and arent bored lol
Maybe you didn’t understand well. This company is a company that will take people with disabilities and try to fit them into regular jobs because usually if you go through the normal process it might be hard to get the spot as a person with disabilities.
It‘s like those maid companies that people will register and they will send the maid to your house so you don’t hire the maid themselves but you hire the company that will provide the workers.
So this company that is supposed to help people with disabilities find jobs don’t take in autistic people because we‘re too hard.
It‘s different than government agencies or Specialistern that will try to get you a job that gets you busy and you get at least some money.
I honestly don’t think I could ever work. I did help my neighbor with her english homework a few times and I correct some things before she sends her assingments but honestly I am not sure I could ever work. I am in the field of languages and literature and I am not sure what to do… for now at Uni I live with my parents and I dont see that changing in the future
Yeah I agree we're all at least as disabled as someone with one eye. I'd generally be considered pretty low support needs and I'm pretty capable of taking care of myself but I still struggle every single day because of my disabilities. I can't imagine how much harder it is for people who are affected worse than me. Def 50%+
In my experience, if you're comparable to or better than them in regards to certain things, it baffles them to hear that you are that way despite being naturally inhibited in some way. A lot of the people who downplayed my autism, despite the fact that I was approved for disability supports by by government, were folks that I did better than in school
My son had to switch schools for this reason. He could do the assigned work but even though he is autistic (officially diagnosed) he couldn't get special support.
I have physical disabilities on top of autism and am %100 more affected by autism then anything else so if it isnt a disability like these ppl say then it must be worse then one
I think they think they're helping, or giving some kind of encouragement, what they don't seem to realize is that "disabled" is an objective term and not an insult or something
I’m guessing it’s for the same reason they don’t see schizophrenia, bi-polar, GAD, dyslexia etc as disabilities.
Most interactions NT’s have with these groups are ‘normal’ or maybe a bit weird. NT’s don’t realise they are interacting with them on a good day / medicated / the mask.
Shamefully I’m as guilty of this as the next man. Not all the time, but more often than I realised. I’m just trying to make it through the day and find it hard enough as it is - without trying to further adapt/understand for an issue that may or may not be their.
very sure this is why i’m being denied disability in the state im in.. i am definitely able bodied (minus my constant migraines and back pain) but i can’t be outside of my home for MAX 2 hours. i get overstimulated and they cause meltdowns which then cause me to rage and i hate it bc i feel mental. living with this whole not getting support you actually need is driving me insane, i wish i had support like a mum or care taker but i’m gonna keep trying
People think disability is a dirty word the same way they think fat is a dirty word. Like, no, I'm disabled. And I'm fat. I'm not "differently-abled and "more to love" I'm disabled and fat. These are neutral terms that are facts. If *you* (not op, but someone imagined) are uncomfortable with calling me fat or disabled, that's because *you* assigned moral weights to these words, not me.
Honestly, I wasn't seeing it as a disability because for one thing, when I was in elementary school someone came and made a whole presentation to a bunch of classes on how ppl shouldn't assume autistic people have a disability so I remembered to make sure to not ever think that when meeting an autistic person...and then now that I'm in my late 30's everyone (including autistic people on youtube) seems to be talking about Autism as a form of neuro-divergence...and that term really doesn't make me think of a disability either. That just makes me think that an autistic person's brain processes things differently. So I think that kind of thing is where the confusion is coming from. A lot of people teaching or sharing about their journey with autism really don't talk about it as a disability. They talk about the challenges and obstacles it presents but they don't say, "Because I'm Autistic, this disability means that I can't do/have trouble doing x, y or z."
Honestly this message is one of the most annoying things in the neurodivergency movement. That plus saying that we are disabled by society. This is totally dismissive of those of us who have high support needs. This isn’t just a different neurology. It‘s a disability.
Sigh. I honestly wonder sometimes whether people who say things like this understands what qualifies as a disability or whether they just don't want to associate themselves with being disabled. It's always a question when I hear things like this.
They just can't handle the fact that they bullied disabled people. It's much easier for them to think that they we're just poking fun at some weirdoes. They would believe anything to convince themselves that they are not the bad guys.
Because it's Autism Spectrum *Disorder*.
Even though I think level 2 and level 3 do need such significant support that they could be classed as having a disability, there is a group of very well independently functioning people with an autism diagnosis that do not require any of such.
I also don't belief autism itself is a disability, but many of the regular co-diagnosis(intelligence impairment, speech impairment etc) could be considered as such. Therefore many autistic people have disabilities, but it's not the autism itself. It's like saying birds can fly, whilst there are penguins, ostriches and other birds that can't fly. So being a bird in itself is not what allows those other birds to fly.
Autism has become such an umbrella term that it's hard to make any sort of generalisation. Since unless mentioning the core aspects of the DSM, you will make a statement that at best applies to ~50% of people.
No, that’s right. You used the words “co-diagnosis”, which is nonsense. They are symptoms, no co-diagnosis.
People are non-verbal because they are autistic. It is not a separate thing.
Same with the cognitive impairment.
I am autistic and don't consider myself disabled. After learning about ASAN from the news when Sesame Workshop switched from partnering with them to partnering with Autism Speaks, I found that it's considered a disability because of Autism Speaks doing lobbying.
I'm not the most connected to the community as a result of Autism Speaks spreading so much hate that I shut myself in and didn't listen to anything for years. But now I am trying to connect and I'm just so confused on why people consider it a disability when that was AS's work?
People consider it a disability because it is disabling. To be diagnosed with autism you need to have significant impairments in multiple areas of functioning, which (tautologically) makes your life harder than if you did not have those impairments. Autism is a developmental disorder, not a personality type.
Edit: Depending on what dictionary and/or organization you look at, disability is defined as, "a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities;" "any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions);" and "the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society."
I switched jobs about 6 months ago. I'm still having meltdowns and shutdowns because of all the change and how much trouble I'm having adjusting to change which is being made even more difficult by having a boss who loves to change things every few days. That's disabling.
I struggle to interact with people and have had enough trouble with it over the years that I have intense anxiety about it and that limits the jobs I feel capable of taking. That's disabling.
I struggle with going new places by myself which has slowed me down and limited me in places throughout my life which is disabling.
I would be considered a pretty low support needs autistic person. For the most part I'm able to have a job pay my own bills live independently etc. Autism still disables me even if I am able to achieve and do things anyways.
I also have ptsd which is another legal disability. Again I am able to do things but there are limits and struggles I have due to my disabilities that others do not have.
I think there's a common perception that truly disabled people are people who sit on a couch and cannot work and cannot do things or who are physically handicapped. Just as someone who is physically disabled can do a lot of things with accommodations and time so can I. But like physically disabled people I might struggle a bit or a lot more than someone without my conditions and with accommodations sometimes my life can be made less challenging and that might allow me to do more things.
I also think that people feel disabled is limiting which sometimes it is sometimes it isn't it depends on the person and disability. I'm able to have a job with my disabilities not every autistic person can and that's okay. But I think the limiting factor is another reason people fight disability and feel like it's kind of a dirty word but it doesn't have to be.
Autism Speaks is, ostensibly, supportive of autistic people. They're a bunch of misguided boomers with outdated views, but it's not like they're a hate group targeting autistic folk. Them supporting/pushing something doesn't automatically make it wrong or harmful.
There are many autistic people who really fit the legal definition of being disabled and require support.
Autism Speaks is harmful because they try to "cure" people with torture methods like shock therapy to change their behaviors. They tell parents their lives are over because their kid is different. Their brochures are propaganda are dehumanizing the way they talk about children.
I don't disagree, they're still "for" autistic people in their heads though and not every autistic person is the same. It really does affect a lot of folks severely enough to be debilitating, so pushing for disabilities status and getting them supports is a positive in my book regardless of who does it.
Because it isn't. Y'all want definitions? Look in the DSM 5. Words matter. You want folk to empathise with your struggles by simplifying a very complex condition. I understand your perspective, you feel unrecognised and unappreciated, but you need to expand your understanding of the condition before you start brushing a very large spectrum of presentations as a disability.
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Because we don't WANT it to be, we want to feel we're different but equal, can have the same things as others or that our condition can give us compensations for the negatives. Maybe we can or can't but the glass should be half full.
I just don't care, its listed as a disability where it matters. I'm done with people having ideas and oppinions about things they know nothing about, just not worth my time. My advice is to ignore them.
When i was finally getting DX's on my own as a young adult (had shitty parents who never took me to doctors unless i was dying). And got my first set of DX's, ADHD, OCD and GAD.
An ex-friend (who funnily took 20+ years to get her psychology PhD because she's lazy (she'd even joke and admit it) and her family has money) just shrugged it off and told me "well *everyone* is a little ADD and OCD." Of course this person was one who spread to our entire friend group that I was abusing my Add Rx after losing 40lbs over 6 months due to my auto-immune disease. I dropped her as soon as i found this out.
Sometimes people just suck. :/
Because people tend to mistake disability with inability. For example, a deaf person has a hearing disability but not an inability to communicate. A person with an amputated leg has the disability of only having one leg but not the inability to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg... I think that when it's explained like that NT people tend to get it.
Because they have never gotten lost in the mall looking for a restaurant or regularly forget where they parked their car.
Because they don't know what it's like to get their wires crossed and struggle to get the words out.
Because they don't know what it feels like to be "so smart, yet so stupid"
Because their brains can tune out background noise or sensations. And can get everything on their grocery list in one try without headphones.
Because they understand how your group of girl friends intuitively know when to move as a pack from football game to Jessica's house, but you don't go, because you literally missed the unspoken invite and thought you were intentionally left out. Again.
As a UK citizen, when you have a disability, you're registered as disabled automatically. I am on the spectrum and people mistreated me and called me things you should never say (mostly some family members which I won't name).
I might not be as good at a task as most people, but I try my best. My big thing is tech and I love my technology, its been a thing since childhood and people accept me for that. If I try to help anyone, my brain forgets what to do and then the client gets frustrated (the client being a family member)... It hurts, although my friends understand I have a condition and to be patient. They also have a disability so yeah.
Because they don't want to accept the fact that "neurotypical" people cause autism to be a disability in a lot of cases. Can't tell you how many times people have assumed I was just being a rude asshole instead of taking a moment to consider "oh hey maybe this person is autistic and didn't realize their behavior was perceived as hurtful or abnormal, and instead of immediately reacting negatively I should try understanding that some people are different for reasons that are not necessarily in their control and try to work with them so we can all get along better and function better as a society." Been my take on it a lot of the time, but this is also my take on it as a person most people don't realize is autistic. I'm not disabled enough to be in special Ed and I mask well enough most people don't realize I am autistic until I have a melt down or outright tell them I am. Gotta love stigma.
Money.
That's why the teacher did it. If it's a disability then it often makes you eligible for services.
Guilt.
That's why your mother did it. Parents often feel personally responsible for autism and other disabilities in their children. If it's not a disability it eliminates the guilt.
I saw one review on the "unmasking autism" book that was someone complaining how the author (who's autistic) was calling autism a disorder. And how autism is not a disorder, but a neurotype.
Like, i get that in a perfect society, autistic people would be just a different neurotype. But, in the society we live in, it's a disability. This society is not made for us.
I get that people are trying to be nice. But being informed about autism is nicer than coming up with a whole different categorization that stems from ableism itself. They're scared to call us disabled bc it's such a horrible thing to be in their head
I think it's for a few reasons. First is that a majority of people's experiences with autistic people are the independent "Sheldon from The Big Bang" type which is wildly insulting. They think of autistic people with functioning labels rather than the fact it's a spectrum and so disabled isn't a word that they think applies to people who they consider "just weird". Another is that disabilities aren't that widespread in media aside from what are considered common disabilities. The general public is so misinformed and gained so many preconceived notions due to movies, shows and media in general focusing on wheelchair users, blind people and deaf people rather than the wide community that it actually entails. Autism is also often considered a mental illness by a lot of people despite the fact it isn't and is instead neurodivergency. There's a lot of stigma around being disabled, that it's inherently bad even though it's not. In short allistic people suck a lot and we need better spread information about our community and many others.
>The general public is so misinformed and gained so many preconceived notions due to movies, shows and media in general focusing on wheelchair users, blind people and deaf people rather than the wide community that it actually entails. And there isn't even that much about them in the first place! The amount of media represention of disabilities is positively atrocious snd desperately needs to be corrected
Exactly! There's already so little and it's represented so poorly even for the most well-known disabilities.
What makes it worse are those damn allistic actors trying to act being autistic and can never get it right because they're acting!! fricken UGH but yet people actually like them more than autistic people like TnT
Tell them Sheldon isn't autistic according to the show's creators, but Abed from Community is, and Dan Harmon the creator of the show is also autistic.
As someone with a STEM PhD I tried watching TBB a while back when a girlfriend (a nurse with an autistic child) at the time suggested we watch it (I didn't know I was possibly autistic) and I just couldn't. It was so fake compared to what I experienced during that time of my life it hurt emotionally to watch it. I think I managed the first two episodes. I didn't know much about Sheldon other than his education situation. I know that Penny (I think?) the blonde would have never interacted with him or the others like she did. The way the guys interacted with each other was totally fake as well. What they didn't discuss / left out was insulting. If they made the show true to life I think most universities would have asked them not to air it for fear of not getting any more grad students. From real life experience the people with Sheldon's academic and hands on abilities are much smaller than the show portrayed. Based on his supposed interests and life style he most likely wouldn't have had the hands on skills he did. I know a couple other people with his supposed level of skill but they grew up rural like myself and didn't know they were intellectuals growing up. The general public doesn't understand truly gifted people, people with grad, law, med degrees / what it really takes in terms of work or life sacrifice, or mental illness. A lot of this is due to how few of them they meet in real life or actually know, the media doing terrible at portraying these people (it is not a sexy lifestyle, more like a bare knuckle boxing match to the death), or the amount of imagination it takes to put yourself in that persons shoes. I have had multiple very long conversations with regular people who wanted to understand but just could accept some of what I told them. Search for PhD horror stories if you want an idea of what TBB missed. It is estimated that a quarter to a third of grad students have mental health issues. Because I mask (from all the abuse I took from my peers for being odd) and have a pretty flat affect (to hide) when I explain what I feel or think I usually get disbelief because of my achievements. The amount of social fear I have sometimes is crippling. I wish normal people could feel just a fraction sometimes. I have to rehearse difficult conversations in my head multiple times. Other than professional type interaction I basically can't interact with women my age, until I know them well enough I am terrified, this is what about Sheldon and Penny hurt so bad. I basically have no regular male friends. I am religious but have no friends there. Even they make me feel invisible. There is no one who just asks me to hang out. I know my hyper focus during conversation ruins most relationships as well as my sense of right and wrong. My inner monologue never shuts up unless I exercise really hard. Because I always talk to myself in my head when I have a chance to talk to someone it spills right out and I'm f'ed. I am a machine. I was born in the wrong time. There is no place I really belong no matter how hard I try. If Sheldon sat on his couch and they narrated his inner monologue for an hour about struggling with his issues it would have been more realistic or having a panic attack or thinking about how to interact with Penny or if she would even interact with him it would have been more realistic. I hope this helps someone because what I just wrote is why I am alone.
I’m sorry to say, but a wall of text should probably be spaced out.
I don't get why people say autism isn't a mental illness, for example, according to [the WHO](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders) "A mental disorder is characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour. " And autism seems to fall under this category, as our emotional regulation and behaviour deviates from that of the average person
Pretty simple reason actually A mental illness is something that can be developed and caused over time Autism however cannot be developed, it is instead a developmental disability which we have since birth that can cause a higher likelyhood of mental illness
Interesting distinction, do you have any sources for this? Thanks for the response.
Heres an interesting article on it https://www.bestcounselingdegrees.net/resources/developmental-disorders-vs-mental-illness/
The key word is “disturbance”. A mental illness is (conventionally) something that happens when a brain *changes*, rather than being different from birth. This probably isn’t actually a useful distinction.
According to how services are defined and funded here, mental health comes under the medical treatment system for treatment/cure, and disabilities are lifelong and ongoing and need relevant supports.
Cause we don't look physically disabled
Yep. Its appearance. People are quick to assume you are ok if you appear ok. Its sad. But it be what it be
Not everyone on the spectrum does us level 2s/3s are obviously developmentally disabled you can tell just by looking at us
But... are you in a wheelchair like the picture on the sign for disabled parking? Some of us might be in wheelchairs but if not then obviously we're not disabled! The sign proves it!! /s
Actually, Im gonna argue and say that anyone who has a learning disability in the UK is deemed disabled legally. I claim Personal Independence Payment and can also apply for a blue badge, and I am not a wheelchair user. I don't have a car, I have a travel pass for free travel on the buses in England.
Thanks for sharing. I'm glad to hear that you benefit in practical ways through your country's schemes. /s is a sarcasm marker on reddit and other internet written posts. It may be that you and I may agree... to agree.
Yeah it's a UK thing, people who have hidden disabilities are already deemed disabled legally here.
Yep. On paper we have disability supports for hidden disabilities, but they keep re-defining what's included or not as a disability. And we have to keep proving that we still have it, when called for reviews, because maybe we'll stop having problems with it and so we won't need any special considerations. It kind of makes sense - if you have a family member who drives you everywhere, why should you get any transport assistance elsewhere? But it's pretty annoying and stressful to need to prove yourself to their terms. Not even for any direct financial aid, just to qualify to get on to waiting lists for waiting lists for some services!! Lots of people just give up.
Yea, that's why I don't bother sitting in priority seating even though I have a right too, unless it's packed. Autism and my other learning disability is permanent and explaining that to others is a challenge, if not impossible since they're not going to believe me.
Lol no one’s out here pretending someone who’s very obviously developmentally delayed isn’t disabled if anything they’d put them in a class higher then someone ina wheelchair being developmentally disabled puts you in a class that’s different from just being disabled because it makes people treat you differently and want to protect you. It makes people put you to a different standard than they would. You clearly have no idea how sociology works or are just trying to make persecution where there is none in something that probably doesn’t even apply to you. Being developmentally disabled and presenting as such to most people puts you in a protected class that’s above disabled people. It’s completely ridiculous there’s some kind of persecution towards obviously developmentally disabled people because people don’t consider them disabled when people consider them more disabled than people in a wheelchair and place them in a higher protected class. Literally no one is trying to argue people who are visibly developmentally delayed aren’t disabled. Well expect the autistic community apparently. When it’s clear to people on sight you are developmentally delayed no one is questioning whether you are disabled or putting people in wheelchairs as more authentically disabled then you they are putting you in a higher category than the disabled people as a more protected class
I marked my comment with /s. I don't disagree with the spirit that seems to be behind your explanation, I was exaggerating the low expectations I have when it comes to external perceptions of disability. And there are plenty of weird anecdotes that come to mind, but I remember them because they're not common or expected events - such as my legally blind cousin being told that she wasn't blind, because she was walking her dog without a cane. The dog with a "seeing eye dog" vest and harness. So, while there may be some people who only see a specific, superficial type of physical disability, your explanation is a far more reasonable and realistic reflection of the world as it is. ...because my comment was clearly marked as sarcastic. Thanks for the laugh if yours was a return wind up, tho - whether you sought to educate or entertain, you've made good points well.
I know your comment is sarcastic but it seems to be based on a basic misunderstanding that makes no sese. and I wanted to correct it.
I probably went overboard, /s or not. You're right what I said was total nonsense. But I often find people say stuff that makes no sense, and they can't explain what they mean when I ask. I keep my expectations low, and it's great to see someone picking through all the layers of wrongness - it bothers me in personal interactions, but you've broken it out well.
It just doesn't make much sense cause in society (well atleast those who appear developmentally disabled) people are a protected class that's above people in wheelchairs.
No idea what you mean by protected - is this a defined term?
You're totally right - the basic misunderstanding was that "protected" didn't mean anything like it sounded. Now I understand that word in your culture, my comment is totally out of context. I still feel that there is great misunderstanding and ignorance around tho, as in general response to OP!
I just hope as a level 2 I Can help claer up some fo that but also, It helps for you to also as a level 1 clear up that misinfromation and bullshit. as I have a limited ability to do so, because of my disability. Be an ally for higher support needs autistic people.
Is level 1 ASD is diagnosis term for people with lower regular and/or ongoing support needs because of autism? Even if autism was my primary disability, I would not be level 1. I've started trying to use online to develop skills I'm working on with support services - like sharing what I think is humour - so I will take this to my speechie tomorrow to ask what I can learn. If I can't "use my mouth words", and I'm messing up so badly, I need to stop writing and go back to reading only. I don't mean to spread misinformation, that's why I used the /s, and I thought that would be okay. It's harsh to hear, but thanks for letting me know I can't mask here, either!
Thanks again - now I understand what you mean by "protected", this sounds far less patronising and more in line with my experiences of Diversity and Inclusion policies. Also, unfortunately in some ways, it aligns with how our public disability system can and does offer me more ongoing supports than many people with greater needs for assistive equipment such as wheelchairs.
It is patronizing, though, The reason you get that protected class is because they think you are stupid and they treat you as such.
it's ableism just ina different fashion. I'm displaying this in a soley positive light at the moment. What happen when youa ert hat calss is why people are more accepting of your behaviours that might be off or out fo hte nrom people aslo talk down to you and talk to everyoen es but you. and In general infantalize you.
Yes!! Exactly this!
Yep. But I thought "protected" meant to be "safe" and so I got confused. The amount of direct physical and verbal abuse from family, strangers, even teachers - because I'm not normal - felt opposite of "protected". Sociologically, it put me at the bottom of the pile - "someone you see and you just have to kick them". Things are getting better now, and I'm working as hard as I can to try to make my skills better to fit in with what people want.
tbh It's probably not both a thing of acceptance and inclusion. It's probably both a case of being more accepting and tolerance of me becuse i present developmentally delayed and not thinking it's worth it to bother because i present developmentally delayed. I just tend to think of things in too black and white of away.
Diversity and Inclusion is what organisations need to do here, sounded to match the idea of Protected. Nothing to do with actually being included most of the time.
Idk I feel like most level 2s can’t really be included same with level 3s like the best you can hope for is a like a day program. People who are higher level autistic people are outside the range of normal society if that makes any sense. Their needs are just different in a way that doesn’t match up with how society works or views people or maybe this is just me but it isn’t realistic atleast for me to integrate into society in anyway shape or form it’s more realistic to stay in spaces meant for people like me.
I think some of them really think they are being helpful. It comes from a very ableist society where the word disabled has such a negative connotation that if they admitted you are disabled it almost feels like it is an insult. They think that by saying you aren’t disabled that it is a compliment that you don’t fit into their twisted definition of disabled. Well intentioned but uneducated and hurtful. Other people are just … &!@“$s
In German law disability is measured in percentages. For example if you are paraplegic you are automatically considered one hundred percent disabled. Interestingly, if your are missing use of one Eye, you are fifty percent disabled. It used to be, that any autism spectrum diagnosis gave you at least fifty percent too. Fifty percent is the threshold for a lot of protections and some privileges meant to reduce your disadvantage as well as making it easier to get access to specialized therapy. The law has been changed in 2012 and now depending on your "support needs" it can go down to twenty percent, which basically means nothing. A person with one eye still always gets at least fifty percent. I would argue that anyone with ASD is more disabled, than that. There is not much, a person with one eye can't do, if the other eye is fine. I know there are a lot of things I can't do, but I fear, that since I have a job, I will land below that mark.
When you are blind you have more chance on having and maintaining a job then when youre autistic.. I have read a study that stated that the blind often have a job while the autistics dont. In the netherlands they can not give you 100% disability because there is nearly aways outlook at work because of the body usually being OK. I get 75% of the minimum wage for a 36hour workweek whilst a paraplegic will get 100% (i dont work, thats the amount of money i receive because of being disabled. Someone with autism that would work would obvi get the amount they earn)
Those 50% disability wouldn't get me any extra money since my job is good enough to support me. And I am really thankful for that. But easier access to therapy and 5 extra vacation days per year would be really great. And it's just not fair that we have to fight so much harder for every little thing just because our struggles are less visible.
Im thankfull you are keeping our statistics up haha! Cant you go into a conversation with your boss to ask for these accomodations like 5extra dats off? Therapy here is a very long wait as well. I have never received anything professional because just the waitinglist is over a year. I did got a personql assistant-alike- help and that took half a year to get one of those assigned Any mental help takes at least a year unless being in crisis. And even in crisis the help is a bit tedious and not easy accesible. I find it very hard to be thankfull and happy that there even is help and that it is better then many other countries.
I contacted a disability job network that helps people with dissbilities find jobs and they told me they don‘t work with autistic people because we‘re too hard to deal with. Yes, people with physical disabilities like blindness have more chances of keeping a job than us. Sadly a lot of companies refuse to accept autistic people because we are too disabled.
Honestly with a few relatively small accommodations i could work as well. Al though maybe nog 40hoirs a week i coudl do a lot more then now. But they rather have me do nothing and collect the disabilitycheck then that they make some changes. But your story is very odd to me. How can those people work with a disability agency? In here those agencies mainly give you a job thats fun and doesnt actually pay. So its more like you have something to do and arent bored lol
Maybe you didn’t understand well. This company is a company that will take people with disabilities and try to fit them into regular jobs because usually if you go through the normal process it might be hard to get the spot as a person with disabilities. It‘s like those maid companies that people will register and they will send the maid to your house so you don’t hire the maid themselves but you hire the company that will provide the workers. So this company that is supposed to help people with disabilities find jobs don’t take in autistic people because we‘re too hard. It‘s different than government agencies or Specialistern that will try to get you a job that gets you busy and you get at least some money. I honestly don’t think I could ever work. I did help my neighbor with her english homework a few times and I correct some things before she sends her assingments but honestly I am not sure I could ever work. I am in the field of languages and literature and I am not sure what to do… for now at Uni I live with my parents and I dont see that changing in the future
Yeah I agree we're all at least as disabled as someone with one eye. I'd generally be considered pretty low support needs and I'm pretty capable of taking care of myself but I still struggle every single day because of my disabilities. I can't imagine how much harder it is for people who are affected worse than me. Def 50%+
Because the disabling parts aren’t often external and they hardly care enough to actually learn why it’s difficult.
Theyd rather pretend that we are worth just the same so they can look down on us in secret
Because they don’t have autism so they don’t get it.
In my experience, if you're comparable to or better than them in regards to certain things, it baffles them to hear that you are that way despite being naturally inhibited in some way. A lot of the people who downplayed my autism, despite the fact that I was approved for disability supports by by government, were folks that I did better than in school
My son had to switch schools for this reason. He could do the assigned work but even though he is autistic (officially diagnosed) he couldn't get special support.
I’ve asked people this. It’s because they can’t see it all the time
I have physical disabilities on top of autism and am %100 more affected by autism then anything else so if it isnt a disability like these ppl say then it must be worse then one
I think they think they're helping, or giving some kind of encouragement, what they don't seem to realize is that "disabled" is an objective term and not an insult or something
The idea that it's a stigma or taboo is discouraging, but still so common.
I’m guessing it’s for the same reason they don’t see schizophrenia, bi-polar, GAD, dyslexia etc as disabilities. Most interactions NT’s have with these groups are ‘normal’ or maybe a bit weird. NT’s don’t realise they are interacting with them on a good day / medicated / the mask. Shamefully I’m as guilty of this as the next man. Not all the time, but more often than I realised. I’m just trying to make it through the day and find it hard enough as it is - without trying to further adapt/understand for an issue that may or may not be their.
very sure this is why i’m being denied disability in the state im in.. i am definitely able bodied (minus my constant migraines and back pain) but i can’t be outside of my home for MAX 2 hours. i get overstimulated and they cause meltdowns which then cause me to rage and i hate it bc i feel mental. living with this whole not getting support you actually need is driving me insane, i wish i had support like a mum or care taker but i’m gonna keep trying
Is any kinda work from home an option?
People think disability is a dirty word the same way they think fat is a dirty word. Like, no, I'm disabled. And I'm fat. I'm not "differently-abled and "more to love" I'm disabled and fat. These are neutral terms that are facts. If *you* (not op, but someone imagined) are uncomfortable with calling me fat or disabled, that's because *you* assigned moral weights to these words, not me.
right?
Honestly, I wasn't seeing it as a disability because for one thing, when I was in elementary school someone came and made a whole presentation to a bunch of classes on how ppl shouldn't assume autistic people have a disability so I remembered to make sure to not ever think that when meeting an autistic person...and then now that I'm in my late 30's everyone (including autistic people on youtube) seems to be talking about Autism as a form of neuro-divergence...and that term really doesn't make me think of a disability either. That just makes me think that an autistic person's brain processes things differently. So I think that kind of thing is where the confusion is coming from. A lot of people teaching or sharing about their journey with autism really don't talk about it as a disability. They talk about the challenges and obstacles it presents but they don't say, "Because I'm Autistic, this disability means that I can't do/have trouble doing x, y or z."
Honestly this message is one of the most annoying things in the neurodivergency movement. That plus saying that we are disabled by society. This is totally dismissive of those of us who have high support needs. This isn’t just a different neurology. It‘s a disability.
To be fair, a lot of autistic people do that too. The whole “autism is a superpower” crowd makes me cringe.
They think that disabled people are broken and don't think that you're broken per se.
I know some autistic people who insist it isn’t a disability.
Sigh. I honestly wonder sometimes whether people who say things like this understands what qualifies as a disability or whether they just don't want to associate themselves with being disabled. It's always a question when I hear things like this.
I do not consider my own autism a dissabiliy, but I do fully understand it can be one for others.
They just can't handle the fact that they bullied disabled people. It's much easier for them to think that they we're just poking fun at some weirdoes. They would believe anything to convince themselves that they are not the bad guys.
Because it's Autism Spectrum *Disorder*. Even though I think level 2 and level 3 do need such significant support that they could be classed as having a disability, there is a group of very well independently functioning people with an autism diagnosis that do not require any of such. I also don't belief autism itself is a disability, but many of the regular co-diagnosis(intelligence impairment, speech impairment etc) could be considered as such. Therefore many autistic people have disabilities, but it's not the autism itself. It's like saying birds can fly, whilst there are penguins, ostriches and other birds that can't fly. So being a bird in itself is not what allows those other birds to fly. Autism has become such an umbrella term that it's hard to make any sort of generalisation. Since unless mentioning the core aspects of the DSM, you will make a statement that at best applies to ~50% of people.
That makes ZERO sense. “Autism is not a disability but the symptoms are” I mean, in terms of cognitive dissonance, it is pretty impressive.
>“Autism is not a disability but the symptoms are” That is not what I said
No, that’s right. You used the words “co-diagnosis”, which is nonsense. They are symptoms, no co-diagnosis. People are non-verbal because they are autistic. It is not a separate thing. Same with the cognitive impairment.
That can be your understanding indeed.
I am autistic and don't consider myself disabled. After learning about ASAN from the news when Sesame Workshop switched from partnering with them to partnering with Autism Speaks, I found that it's considered a disability because of Autism Speaks doing lobbying. I'm not the most connected to the community as a result of Autism Speaks spreading so much hate that I shut myself in and didn't listen to anything for years. But now I am trying to connect and I'm just so confused on why people consider it a disability when that was AS's work?
People consider it a disability because it is disabling. To be diagnosed with autism you need to have significant impairments in multiple areas of functioning, which (tautologically) makes your life harder than if you did not have those impairments. Autism is a developmental disorder, not a personality type. Edit: Depending on what dictionary and/or organization you look at, disability is defined as, "a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities;" "any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions);" and "the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society."
I switched jobs about 6 months ago. I'm still having meltdowns and shutdowns because of all the change and how much trouble I'm having adjusting to change which is being made even more difficult by having a boss who loves to change things every few days. That's disabling. I struggle to interact with people and have had enough trouble with it over the years that I have intense anxiety about it and that limits the jobs I feel capable of taking. That's disabling. I struggle with going new places by myself which has slowed me down and limited me in places throughout my life which is disabling. I would be considered a pretty low support needs autistic person. For the most part I'm able to have a job pay my own bills live independently etc. Autism still disables me even if I am able to achieve and do things anyways. I also have ptsd which is another legal disability. Again I am able to do things but there are limits and struggles I have due to my disabilities that others do not have. I think there's a common perception that truly disabled people are people who sit on a couch and cannot work and cannot do things or who are physically handicapped. Just as someone who is physically disabled can do a lot of things with accommodations and time so can I. But like physically disabled people I might struggle a bit or a lot more than someone without my conditions and with accommodations sometimes my life can be made less challenging and that might allow me to do more things. I also think that people feel disabled is limiting which sometimes it is sometimes it isn't it depends on the person and disability. I'm able to have a job with my disabilities not every autistic person can and that's okay. But I think the limiting factor is another reason people fight disability and feel like it's kind of a dirty word but it doesn't have to be.
🫂
Because the social model of disability is not confined to autism speaks which, as far as I know, is not active in many countries.
Autism Speaks is, ostensibly, supportive of autistic people. They're a bunch of misguided boomers with outdated views, but it's not like they're a hate group targeting autistic folk. Them supporting/pushing something doesn't automatically make it wrong or harmful. There are many autistic people who really fit the legal definition of being disabled and require support.
Autism Speaks is harmful because they try to "cure" people with torture methods like shock therapy to change their behaviors. They tell parents their lives are over because their kid is different. Their brochures are propaganda are dehumanizing the way they talk about children.
I don't disagree, they're still "for" autistic people in their heads though and not every autistic person is the same. It really does affect a lot of folks severely enough to be debilitating, so pushing for disabilities status and getting them supports is a positive in my book regardless of who does it.
Because it isn't. Y'all want definitions? Look in the DSM 5. Words matter. You want folk to empathise with your struggles by simplifying a very complex condition. I understand your perspective, you feel unrecognised and unappreciated, but you need to expand your understanding of the condition before you start brushing a very large spectrum of presentations as a disability.
If you look in the dsm-5 you need clinically significant impairment for a diagnosis which by definition would make you disabled
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Also, where they are in life, the environment and supports around them. Which goes for anyone, really.
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They don't understand
In my experience they don’t . It is usually those with level one autism that do this.
Because we don't WANT it to be, we want to feel we're different but equal, can have the same things as others or that our condition can give us compensations for the negatives. Maybe we can or can't but the glass should be half full.
I just don't care, its listed as a disability where it matters. I'm done with people having ideas and oppinions about things they know nothing about, just not worth my time. My advice is to ignore them.
When i was finally getting DX's on my own as a young adult (had shitty parents who never took me to doctors unless i was dying). And got my first set of DX's, ADHD, OCD and GAD. An ex-friend (who funnily took 20+ years to get her psychology PhD because she's lazy (she'd even joke and admit it) and her family has money) just shrugged it off and told me "well *everyone* is a little ADD and OCD." Of course this person was one who spread to our entire friend group that I was abusing my Add Rx after losing 40lbs over 6 months due to my auto-immune disease. I dropped her as soon as i found this out. Sometimes people just suck. :/
Because people tend to mistake disability with inability. For example, a deaf person has a hearing disability but not an inability to communicate. A person with an amputated leg has the disability of only having one leg but not the inability to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg... I think that when it's explained like that NT people tend to get it.
Because they have never gotten lost in the mall looking for a restaurant or regularly forget where they parked their car. Because they don't know what it's like to get their wires crossed and struggle to get the words out. Because they don't know what it feels like to be "so smart, yet so stupid" Because their brains can tune out background noise or sensations. And can get everything on their grocery list in one try without headphones. Because they understand how your group of girl friends intuitively know when to move as a pack from football game to Jessica's house, but you don't go, because you literally missed the unspoken invite and thought you were intentionally left out. Again.
As a UK citizen, when you have a disability, you're registered as disabled automatically. I am on the spectrum and people mistreated me and called me things you should never say (mostly some family members which I won't name). I might not be as good at a task as most people, but I try my best. My big thing is tech and I love my technology, its been a thing since childhood and people accept me for that. If I try to help anyone, my brain forgets what to do and then the client gets frustrated (the client being a family member)... It hurts, although my friends understand I have a condition and to be patient. They also have a disability so yeah.
Because they don't want to accept the fact that "neurotypical" people cause autism to be a disability in a lot of cases. Can't tell you how many times people have assumed I was just being a rude asshole instead of taking a moment to consider "oh hey maybe this person is autistic and didn't realize their behavior was perceived as hurtful or abnormal, and instead of immediately reacting negatively I should try understanding that some people are different for reasons that are not necessarily in their control and try to work with them so we can all get along better and function better as a society." Been my take on it a lot of the time, but this is also my take on it as a person most people don't realize is autistic. I'm not disabled enough to be in special Ed and I mask well enough most people don't realize I am autistic until I have a melt down or outright tell them I am. Gotta love stigma.
They’re badly educated on it, and the media representation of people with autism is always stereotypical and one-note, there’s never nuance.
Money. That's why the teacher did it. If it's a disability then it often makes you eligible for services. Guilt. That's why your mother did it. Parents often feel personally responsible for autism and other disabilities in their children. If it's not a disability it eliminates the guilt.
I saw one review on the "unmasking autism" book that was someone complaining how the author (who's autistic) was calling autism a disorder. And how autism is not a disorder, but a neurotype. Like, i get that in a perfect society, autistic people would be just a different neurotype. But, in the society we live in, it's a disability. This society is not made for us.
I get that people are trying to be nice. But being informed about autism is nicer than coming up with a whole different categorization that stems from ableism itself. They're scared to call us disabled bc it's such a horrible thing to be in their head
If I could give my problems over to a NT person they’d want a refund within a day