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Hansgrohe
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18 Dec 2014, 8:42 pm

Not sure if I'll receive flak for this, but it's worth posting and noting.

For most autistic people, we've had to go to school, and we probably didn't like it. Worse, we've probably had to deal with a little thing called "special education", and feel a bad stigma. At this point, forget Autism Speaks. My eyes are on something else.

I think the biggest enemy and issue that should be concerning the autistic community is the education system. The current-day education system was created in the 19th century, though to go really far it goes back to Medieval times, specifically Christian private schools. Along this time was when being an extroverted neurotypical was equated to being "normal", and to be normal was to be accepted.

The education system was not created for us. It was created specifically for extroverted neurotypicals. The model of forcing 30 or so people into rooms, and all next to each other (though that's of more recent vintage) isn't exactly a comfortable situation to be in if you're an aspie. Aspies and auties really by nature prefer isolation and silence, but we get very little to none of that in school, and if so, it's often in a negative way.

The social system is completely favored towards extrovert NTs. Again, often aspies and auties are just really, really bad at crowds, and naturally we're very shy as well. Not only that, but we don't socialize so easily either. To put an unprepared aspie into an environment like school is like putting a fish out of water. Ask me, how many of the "popular" kids had autism/Asperger syndrome? How many of the people who were constantly bullied had those? I think that being forced to integrate in a system that is completely hostile has created a host of issues for the community.

Another subject is the beast known as Special Education. Special education, in my opinion, is a blatant stripping of liberty. You don't choose to have it, they choose it for you, whether you like it or not. In many ways you're treated as if you lack complete competence, or an alien. Services that you may not need are forced upon you. You feel a certain stigma that you are less than who you really are. You're constantly subjected to IEPs, testing, and so that it gets frustrating. In addition, the presence of SpED legitimatizes the idea that certain people are "dumber", and should be treated that way.

With all of this, an aspie/autie is marked for death in school. MANY kids with autism/AS/etc are constantly picked on by their NT peers. Bullying can lead to so many problems, such as depression, suicidal thoughts, etc.

In my overall opinion, I think Autism Speaks doesn't come close to the educational system. To sum it all up, the conformist environment forces ALL people to behave in a certain way, and in a society in which being an extrovert NT has been equated to normality, it makes life incredibly difficult for us. Worse, the "paint" that we carry every day makes us targets for bullies, and prevents us from developing socially (regardless of who you are, all humans are naturally social creatures, and a lack of proper social development can be crippling). The education system, while not directly, teaches an idea of NT "superiority" over those on the spectrum as well.

That's just my 2 cents. Really, people on the spectrum shouldn't be forced to attend a school. There's just so much toxicity in the environment. I wouldn't be surprised if the abolishment of forced education (as well as it's "diversifying") might actually help relations between NTs and those on the spectrum.



omegatyrant
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18 Dec 2014, 9:54 pm

I like your post, OP. I am both an aspie and an extreme introvert (double whammy if you live in the Anglosphere, it seems.) Even without my Asperger's, I would still be very introverted, which leaves me feeling like I don't belong (although I felt much more comfortable socially when I was living in the Far East.) It's not just school, but most social institutions in general. School is basically just a way to prepare young people for society's expectations of the adult world. Most institutions in the West are designed to promote an extroverted ideal. Look at corporate America with all of their "team building" and "small group" projects. That kind of thing is a nightmare for most Aspies. It's just simply the way society is structured. Personally, I find that I can work well by myself, and I can also work well in front of large audiences of maybe 100 or more, but give me a small group between 5-10 people, and I literally shut down!

You should read Susan Cain's book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking." In it, she mentions how the big migrations into large cities in the early part of last century basically forced society into becoming more extrovert dominated, as selling and advertising yourself became the primary way to get ahead. It seems that as more people move into the dense cities, the more "extroverted" their societies become. I worry that the pressure to be overly extroverted will be overwhelming in the future, both with continued urbanization and also the fact that many machines are starting to take over our less "social" jobs and careers. I'm starting to think my problem was that I was simply born too late!



Orangez
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19 Dec 2014, 1:06 am

Education system is not needed unless you need to get a STEM degree. Stuff like computer science and programming can be self taught and is usually the best way to learn while making something you want to do rather then the stupid projects the assigned.



AspergersActor8693
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14 Jan 2015, 11:15 am

Every single public school I was put into was either bad the whole time or had a period of bad time. Fortunately for me, after spending a god-awful two months in public high school I was put into an alternative private high school owned by a Catholic institution (it wasn't a religious school by any means) and that was the best four years of my life. With a student body of about 160 students, classes were small, it was easier for one on one interaction with the teacher, and everyone was understanding and accepting of each other because we all had or had come from difficulties in our lives. That is where I have grown into the student I am today.

I had 'special ed' classes in Elementary and Middle school. I never thought about how that could have affected me. I was bullied in Elementary and suffered from depression in Middle. I remember one time when I was on the bus during Middle school in a conversation with the bus driver somehow out of it I said that I was in special ed classes and the kid next to me said "Oh, you mean for the dumb kids." The bus driver stood up for me then, she always looked after me, she was what kept me sane on those bus rides.

I agree that the education system does not work for us. The education system is a 'one size fits all' model with little add on's for us and other people who don't fully work in 'the norm'. If us Aspie's and other people that don't function in the public school system are to do well in school, the current education system needs to take into account the different learning speeds of everyone and either adapt schools for that or have an entirely different system for it.



Shadow Wolf
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14 Jan 2015, 12:28 pm

I have problems with the current model of education in general. The first problem is that many schools are designed by the same people who design prisons. And it doesn't matter if you're NT atypical, the school system beats conformity into the minds of children and prepares them for a long boring life of working in an industrial setting. Personally I think if you can manage to sit through it, as a child, and not have problems holding still then you are the one who needs help. School teaches us to do away with our impulses for creativity that nearly all children have, and replace those with things that will ultimately serve and benefit someone else and a mindset that coloring, doodling, writing, and other things are for kids or those with the talents for them.
The way I view school for anyone is pretty much like the meat grinder scene from the Pink Floyd movie The Wall.



ASPartOfMe
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15 Jan 2015, 3:48 am

Since Bob Wright is "one of the boys" their ideas influence the politicians who fund and prioritize the education system. Their burden model of autism influences the parents who self advocate and the taxpayers who pay the educators salaries. I think we will shortly if we have not gotten their already get to the point where the anti vaccination movement becomes the biggest current problem. A lot of people have the wrong impression then anti vaccination movement was something that peeked with Wakefield, then was discredited and now only "quacks" believe that now. The fact is it's bigger now then ever and believed to be responsible for the current measles outbreak that originated in Disneyland. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/disneyland- ... ine-trend/


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DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity

“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


SpaceAgeBushRanger
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16 Jan 2015, 11:09 pm

As bad as the anti-vaxers are, they are not guaranteed to ruin an autistic child's life. Conventional schooling seems to be inevitably traumatic for autistic people.

Another bad point of school is that most students don't want to be there, and act stupid as a result. People are more focused at Uni. I haven't been employed yet, but I'm guessing that money will motivate better behavior.

If I had to look after an Autistic kid, I'd ideally want to homeschool it. Maybe send them camps if socialization became a priority.

While anti-vaxers aren't the biggest enemy for Autistic people, they could be the biggest enemy to public health. Either them or the junk food and booze sellers.