Is the definition of NT changing?

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The fact that some people want to cure people with autism is rather scary. Its like their enforcing some standard on people who are already "normal" (and as has been repeated, normal isn't necessarily "normal" except when you want it to be).

Yes it looks as though life would be easier.

Who said that life was supposed to be easy

Everyone is given skills by nurture or nature at birth and by chance or design we are thrown into a life and told to "deal with it".

If you think its any easier for a neurotypical person to go through life than someone with AS or AT, your mistaken.

And thats the other side of the coin, As/At people who want to be cured.

Its like this: You think that by having more money, you would be less stressed about money.

You think that if you have more power, you would be less stressed by everyday life. You would have every whim met.

Those only simply mean you have more responsibility. It doesn't change the stress, it only changes the reasons for the stress over the power, money.

Being NT wouldn't change the fact that life is hard, or that you are actually different from everyone else.

So no, I wouldn't change being AS.

Just like I don't think anyone should try to change us.

They think that being NT would make things easier for us, or them. In reality, it woudn't change anything except the reasons.

And so people saying that NT means perfect are as mistaken as the people who believe it. And are as mistaken as the people who want to change people who are inferior simply because we're different.

Last edited by nomnom_hamster on 12 Dec 2007, 12:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

sorry for all the posting in a row, i was trying to keep from editing a post if someone had added something

i wasn't trying to hijack this thread either. My apologies, Spokane.

My post wasn't intended as a knock on you in any way, I just wanted to point out to aeroz that he would probably like the quote in my signature.

I didn't think you were replying to me belle, and I also like your siggy. I wasn't trying to offend anyone, but aeroz asked what I meant and I was trying to reply to brian also and then i just decided to post what I thought on the subject at hand and attempt to explain what I meant.

I first saw "NT" used to mean "a person who is not on the autistic spectrum". Since I've been here, I've noticed that more and more people are using it to mean a "normal" person- one without any mental problems or differences.

I realize I am waking up an old thread, but I've been mulling this over for the past few weeks. Rather than start a new thread, I did a search on the subject to see what had been written. That's when I came across this thread from 2007, which I was eager to read. But it doesn't seem to answer my question: What does NT mean?

I hope you don't mind a short story:

I don't have AS and don't suspect that I do. I have TS and OCD. Back in the day I was on the TS Usenet group and the MGH TS chat room. The terms "Normal" and "NT" were tossed around in both places. From what I could tell the term was taken to mean someone who did not meet the diagnostic criteria of anything out of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. By that definition, someone with TS was not considered NT. Likewise with OCD, BP, ADHD, or the acronym of your choice including AS.

When I joined Wrong Planet I was surprised to see how the term NT was being used. From what I could see I was considered neurologically typical here because I am not on the autism spectrum. I was surprised by this, so I did some reading to see if I was mis-reading how the term was being used here. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything that answered the question in any concrete way. I was interested to see that both definitions were posted on Wikipedia:

To get a better understanding, I'm asking: When someone on Wrong Planet uses the term NT, what does it mean? Considering that I tic non-stop all day and occasionally have bouts of intrusive thoughts that would make even an R-rated horror film director wince, am I considered neurotypical? I am not asking this to be inflamatory or to put anyone on the spot. I'm trying to understand. Thanks.