"Autism Speaks" has gone to far!

[Spiderman]

So, my birthday fell this month, which is autism awareness month, and I have been accused of , or people have been suspicious that I have autism , but I have never actually been diagnosed with it. No Developmental pediatrician, Psychiatrist, or Doctor ever said they think I have autism, but people have said they think I'm autistic, so whatever, maybe...

But, autism has for some people, according to people I have talked to who have autism, and movies made about certain autistic people, it can bring forth blessings and gifts, and there are very high functioning autistic people, with happy marriages, children, and good jobs.

It is also something that many people who have autism, don't get diagnosed with it, and I would assume there are people who have been diagnosed with autism, when it was actually a misdiagnosis.

This isn't something I claim to be an expert on, but "Autism Speaks" seems to have stepped way out of line.

"Autism Speaks released a video depicting Autism Spectrum Disorder as a “stalker” that knows where you live, and suggest that the disorder is worse than cancer and/or Aids. Video retrieved via YouTube.

“I [in the POV of autism] work faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer and diabetes combined. And if you’re happily married, I will make sure that your marriage fails. Your money will fall into my hands, and I will bankrupt you for my own self-gain,” the excerpt reads. “I don’t sleep, so I make sure you don’t either. I will make it virtually impossible for your family to easily attend a temple, birthday party or public park without a struggle, without embarrassment, without pain.”


Emily Willingham, a former contributor to Forbes Magazine and the mother of an autistic son, said in a 2013 article that the depiction of autism as a threat and a condition in desperate need of curing only further stigmatizes neurodivergency and de-emphasizes acceptance and unconditional positive regard for those with ASD.
Big Brain Energy: The Problem with Autism Speaks

If you have Autism, or have a loved one with Autism, don't you find that offensive?

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Oh man...talk about stigmatizing autism. :-(

 

[Psalm23]

So, my birthday fell this month, which is autism awareness month, and I have been accused of , or people have been suspicious that I have autism , but I have never actually been diagnosed with it. No Developmental pediatrician, Psychiatrist, or Doctor ever said they think I have autism, but people have said they think I'm autistic, so whatever, maybe...

But, autism has for some people, according to people I have talked to who have autism, and movies made about certain autistic people, it can bring forth blessings and gifts, and there are very high functioning autistic people, with happy marriages, children, and good jobs.

It is also something that many people who have autism, don't get diagnosed with it, and I would assume there are people who have been diagnosed with autism, when it was actually a misdiagnosis.

This isn't something I claim to be an expert on, but "Autism Speaks" seems to have stepped way out of line.

"Autism Speaks released a video depicting Autism Spectrum Disorder as a “stalker” that knows where you live, and suggest that the disorder is worse than cancer and/or Aids. Video retrieved via YouTube.

“I [in the POV of autism] work faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer and diabetes combined. And if you’re happily married, I will make sure that your marriage fails. Your money will fall into my hands, and I will bankrupt you for my own self-gain,” the excerpt reads. “I don’t sleep, so I make sure you don’t either. I will make it virtually impossible for your family to easily attend a temple, birthday party or public park without a struggle, without embarrassment, without pain.”


Emily Willingham, a former contributor to Forbes Magazine and the mother of an autistic son, said in a 2013 article that the depiction of autism as a threat and a condition in desperate need of curing only further stigmatizes neurodivergency and de-emphasizes acceptance and unconditional positive regard for those with ASD.
Big Brain Energy: The Problem with Autism Speaks

If you have Autism, or have a loved one with Autism, don't you find that offensive?

That's an awful way to speak of autism in that video. I have a loved one with autism. Some people have thought I may have autism. I don't really know if I have it or not.

 

[JustGeorge]

If you have Autism, or have a loved one with Autism, don't you find that offensive?

Yup.

Furthermore, it implies that all autistic folks are the same. My middle son can be a real challenge to take places, but my oldest behaved better than some adults, even at a young age. (My one non-autistic kid can be a pain to take places, but that's simply because he's 3, and 3 year olds are supposed to act up in public.)

I haven't found autism to be any more expensive(granted, I have state insurance; I would be in a real pickle otherwise when it came to meds and therapy).

Throwing stuff out there like this also works to scare the mess out of people facing a diagnosis for either themselves or their children.

Autism doesn't mean your life is going to be bad, it just means its going to be different(or that you may have to go about things differently), in my view.

 

[amorphous_constellation]

I've tried posting about my experiences, and commenting here and there about this condition, that I supposedly have. I don't know. It seems like a tire-spinning experience for me in some ways, and in other ways, it is useful to talk about it, or seems to be. Some scattered thoughts:

a.) I could see how the video can be perceived as offensive, by those that may claim, possibly legitimately, to have gleaned more about what the experience is, either through raw experience or research expertise, or a combination of both. But this has been labeled a medical issue. Therefore, it seems that the common public is possibly barred from having opinions that can challenge official opinions

b.) The idea that 100 hundred years ago, and receding further into time from there, the general functionality of the individual might have come under less scrutiny. Therefore, if 'autism always was present,' then I think they may have had less mechanisms to detect it, back then. Now, it seems like individuals are geared to be highly focused on wealth building, socializing, and economic success, in an age where the price of hard assets have probably increased 300 percent. So if you are introverted and introspective, maybe things are less easy?

c.) I still lament the fact that internet searches on the topic, asking questions about it etc., mostly seem to come from the perspective of observations on autistic individuals, as opposed to from them. And this seems like it may be at a frequency of 1 of 10 articles or less, even if you try really good questions.

And so, there isn't a lot of 1st person information that seems to be presented in the forefront, despite the fact that autistic individuals seem to develop great lucidity about their internal worlds. But if that is different from the conclusions of medical professionals about what should be done, or what is being observed, then the professional opinion really can't be questioned by the public, be they autistic or non-autistic

d.) Whatever is, there also seems to be a fairly large number of people who either don't understand it very much, (referring here to people who never seem to have to think about it) or would downright deny it exists. Various people in my family for example, would deny it exists. Probably people in any american community I could think of, probably would deny it, with a large margin, and would do so even if they had to think about it.

e.) Whatever my 'problems' are, some of which are quite real, whether or not I am autistic, are things that I don't actually really like. For example, I would like to be highly social, if I 'could' be. I get sick of being alone a lot of times, mostly because I just don't connect well. And this is a problem for example, because I am a musician. Now there's nothing wrong with being a solo musician, but I have failed to connect with so many people who I otherwise would have, to play in bands

I don't really have high confidence in my driving skills, and I don't like that. I avoid busy roads, and really do stick to really routinized routes. This is real issue that could eventually prove life disrupting, and if I was thinking ahead, I probably would try to get to a stable lifestyle where I don't have to drive at all. But that would possibly entail going into the big city, and it can be hard to 'make it' in those places.

As a 'pro,' I do sense that I actually think a lot differently from most people. And if you can do that, then I guess the 'pro' is that you can start to develop novel ideas, and ways of doing things that are novel. As a musician, I tried to develop a very idiosyncratic style of playing, and understanding music theory, for example. As another example, I hope that some of internet posts have novel ideas. I hope that I can inspire people in those rare times when I do connect. I don't know, I guess that can sort of be something you can appreciate

f.) A good understanding of this, I cannot claim to really have. That because of this: I seem so file this, or fold this into, the bigger questions about what perception and consciousness even are themselves. It connects to that bigger ocean in that way, to me. Really understanding those things, is probably above my pay-grade

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I think it depends on the severity of the ASD condition they have. At the severe end, they are extremely disabled and cannot care for themselves, requiring life-long assistance. It sounds like that except was written from the POV of an exhausted caretaker. It's rude, but it sounds like it's coming from a place of stress.

 

[JustGeorge]

It's rude, but it sounds like it's coming from a place of stress.

You're probably right.

However, I think approaching things like this other than from a place of "I need to vent"(such as, a public ad), it just gathers groups to lament. I've always avoided support groups for that reason. I don't want to lament, I'd rather see the humor in all of this.