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Greentea
Bull in China Shop par Excellence!
Joined: Jun 15, 2007
Posts: 2528
Location: Middle East
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 Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:22 pm Post subject: The solution for AS - I'm serious |
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I believe AS people should be respected and not forced to change and adapt. We CANNOT change and adapt. We don't have the necessary intuitive capabilities for it.
I believe that what we need is an INTERPRETER. By definition from the dictionary: "Someone who mediates between speakers of different languages". Someone trained and assigned to us by Social Services whom we can call and ask for help knowing what to do, how to react in a certain social situation, in a certain conflict at work, in any situation where it's important to act as NT as possible, or at least to understand what an NT wants from us. Availability 18 hours a day - all week (interpreters can take shifts to be on call).
I know I've relied on family and friends for this in the past, but I don't have them anymore, and many people don't have this kind of support readily available.
Same as the blind get dogs, we should get interpreters.
What say you?
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anbuend
Oak-Type Autie
Joined: Jul 06, 2004
Posts: 3302
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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We can and should get interpreters (it's called cognitive interpreting or English-to-English interpreting), but we're not incapable of adapting. No, we can't change who we are, but we can learn and grow like anyone else.
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SabbraCadabra
Sea Gull
Joined: Apr 22, 2008
Posts: 1552
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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That's exactly what I use my girlfriend for...now if only it were acceptable to bring her into a job interview with me... ¬_¬
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CockneyRebel
Sid The Love Rat is a Sweet Pea :O)
Joined: Jul 18, 2004
Age: 34
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Location: Out in the evening, with me two best Rat Mates :O)
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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I think that would help me out. I think that we should each have one. 
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Greentea
Bull in China Shop par Excellence!
Joined: Jun 15, 2007
Posts: 2528
Location: Middle East
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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But it should be someone trained especially for the task. Because NTs can't explain to us why they act a certain way. It's inborn and intuitive, therefore unconscious in them. It has to be someone who was trained to become aware of their social intuitions, so much so that they could explain them to us.
Any NT on these forums volunteering for the time being?
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Sora
Love all, trust a few
Joined: Sep 16, 2006
Age: 20
Posts: 2854
Location: Europe
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:44 pm Post subject: |
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A similar idea if already in practise. Therapists who're specialist in ASDs should also act as lawyers and representatives. They should explain their client's wishes and see that they're being carried out if the client - the autistic person - cannot do this alone.
But it is usually not 18 or more hours a week, even if the need is present and urgent. Neither are there that much therapists who are capable to work in this position. The relationship of client and true representative is a reality for way too few autistic people (and probably also a rare occurrence for people with other disabilities) sadly. More are needed, alongside with more time and with a huge amount of need of training.
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Greentea
Bull in China Shop par Excellence!
Joined: Jun 15, 2007
Posts: 2528
Location: Middle East
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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I mean 18 hours availability on the phone every day, for consultation. 6 am - midnight. Two shifts of interpreters.
We'd still make blunders, no doubt, but we'd have effective explanation available quick, and we could in many cases still avoid, correct or compensate for the blunder.
I wish I knew an NT trained like that, I'd be willing to pay for their services!
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CanyonWind
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 12, 2006
Posts: 1346
Location: West of the Great Divide
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:57 pm Post subject: |
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Not disputing the underlying idea, but from my experience, Social Services would be the very last people I'd want involved.
The underlying problem is that the vast majority of people don't like aspies, don't trust aspies, think aspies are stupid, don't believe what aspies say, don't care what happens to aspies, and will always take anybody else's side against an aspie.
At best, they might take a wishy washy semi-neutral position when the person against the aspie is completely in the wrong.
Exceptions do exist, but the first problem is how to find interpreters who aren't like 98 percent of the population.
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Greentea
Bull in China Shop par Excellence!
Joined: Jun 15, 2007
Posts: 2528
Location: Middle East
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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Totally right, CanyonWind. Social Services wouldn't give us a hand, probably.
Some NT therapists may be willing to do it for money.
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Reodor_Felgen
Counting down till Castro bites the dust
Joined: Sep 29, 2007
Age: 20
Posts: 1633
Location: Aspies for Freedom
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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Social training has helped me. Immigrants who come to Norway has to learn our verbal language to fit in. I don't see what's wrong with learning the NT body language, because learning social skills is not the same as trying to be a different person.
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coded
Sea Gull
Joined: Mar 31, 2005
Age: 36
Posts: 215
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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Some of the best people I have met fall into that 'interpreter' role. In fact that's exactly what I call them.
I have only met three people in my entire life that fit that role though (one was a normal friend the other two were work colleges). When I had them around it was so useful, especially for work. I was able to talk to them and they could explain what I was thinking to other people in a way that made sense. They also would act as a buffer in social situations so I could organize what I was thinking.
I can't imagine how great it would be to have a girlfriend/wife like that. That would be beyond perfect. |
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stochastic
Blue Jay
Joined: Jun 11, 2008
Posts: 85
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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I agree that we can not change but we can adapt.
I have adapted a great deal, more than I would like to have adapted.
I issue is that an autistic can be far more happy and productive being his/herself than conforming. This is one reason that education is important, so that employers can learn how to tap our potential by allowing us to function how we do best.
Right now there is no structure to empower us to live distinct lives, we are jammed through the same system as NT's.
The little boxes theory:
"And the children go to school. And the children go to summer camp And then to the university, Where they are put in boxes And they come out all the same."
Does anyone know if there is any Autistic advocacy agency run entirely by autistics? If not I think there aught to be. |
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Greentea
Bull in China Shop par Excellence!
Joined: Jun 15, 2007
Posts: 2528
Location: Middle East
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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My father had my mother as that kind of buffer. During the time I was married, I had that in my husband.
Not that every NT is good at it, mind you. Most will tell you "I don't know how I know, I just know."
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zen_mistress
In Pursuit of a Peaceful Life
Joined: Jun 12, 2007
Age: 31
Posts: 1102
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 5:11 pm Post subject: Re: The solution for AS - I'm serious |
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| Greentea wrote: | I believe AS people should be respected and not forced to change and adapt. We CANNOT change and adapt. We don't have the necessary intuitive capabilities for it.
I believe that what we need is an INTERPRETER. By definition from the dictionary: "Someone who mediates between speakers of different languages". Someone trained and assigned to us by Social Services whom we can call and ask for help knowing what to do, how to react in a certain social situation, in a certain conflict at work, in any situation where it's important to act as NT as possible, or at least to understand what an NT wants from us. Availability 18 hours a day - all week (interpreters can take shifts to be on call).
I know I've relied on family and friends for this in the past, but I don't have them anymore, and many people don't have this kind of support readily available.
Same as the blind get dogs, we should get interpreters.
What say you? |
Ive always wanted to carry an etch-a-sketch around so I could just write instead of talk. I offend people through writing, but only a fraction of the amount as through talking. Also, I would like to wear dark sunglasses all the time so I wont have to make eye contact... sadly these things are not practical.
An interpreter would be an interesting idea.
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Glory be to God for dappled things,
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow,
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls, finches’ wings.
~ Gerard Manley Hopkins
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anbuend
Oak-Type Autie
Joined: Jul 06, 2004
Posts: 3302
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| Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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The people I've found best to work as interpreters for me, are either:
1. Autistic people who pass really, really well and who can translate between non-autistic and autistic people.
2. Autistic people who don't necessarily pass, but do have excellent communication skills when it comes to bridging this kind of gap.
3. Non-autistic people who have a particular talent at finding out who someone else is, without projecting their own cognitive style on the other person.
4. Non-autistic people who have many autistic traits, may be in the "broader autism phenotype," and at the same time as having enough autistic traits to understand many autistic people, also have enough non-autistic traits to intuitively understand many non-autistic people.
5. Non-autistic people who are different from the norm in some way other than autism, allowing them to understand that autistic perspectives exist.
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