Something I dislike about autism sites

Post Reply New Topic

I notice this in L&D & reading other sites about Aspies & relationships. People go on about how Aspies are withdrawn & want a lot of space & alone time in relationships. Then others go on about how Aspies get obsessed & clingy with their partners because their partner is their special interest.

Another odd and confusing thing I've noticed here is some members say that most Aspies are in menial jobs, while most NTs are in higher-paid jobs. But then also members say that most Aspies are in high-paid jobs because we are more intelligent, while most NTs are stuck in menial jobs all their lives because they are too 'dumb' to succeed career-wise. I hate when Aspies imply that NTs are dumb.

Or I've read that Aspies are better at drawing than NTs because we are detail-orientated and like perfection, and NTs just draw stick-men. Then I read that Aspies are the ones more likely to draw stick-men because of our 'lack of imagination' and 'poor hand-eye co-ordination', and NTs are more likely to be the experts at art. I don't think either is true. Some Aspies are brilliant at art because they like it, some NTs are brilliant at art because they like art. Some 21-year-old NTs would rather be in on a Saturday night working on a brilliant painting than be out partying, but it doesn't mean they are unsociable or even an introvert.

One thing that really annoys me is when someone talks about something that profoundly upsets or stresses out an autistic person, and then someone always posts, "It's the same for NTs as well". Even if it may be true, I find it incredibly annoying.

Well, some autistic traits are contradictory. For example, being emotionally expressive (having meltdowns, stimming when excited or stressed, etc.) can be an autistic trait, but so is being unexpressive and having a flat affect. Same with being talkative and infodumping about your special interest vs. being nonverbal or just being quiet. But I don't think that everything an autistic person does or likes should necessarily be tied to their autism.

Actually I noticed that a lot of people with Autism are emotionally expressive and pretty verbal and then due to social conditioning become nonverbal and quiet. It's actually rare for one to start nonverbal or quiet. All the ones I have met were quiet only due to being socially inept and then when they get comfortable enough and trust you they start talking just fine.

I was very emotionally expressive when I was young(in my own way of course), but as I grew older and people started misunderstanding me or calling me weird, ret*d, slow, etc, that's when I became totally quiet(some actually thought I couldn't speak).

So is hyper and hypo sensitivity

People say stupid stuff. But I simply don't believe you when you say that you have seen it written that "most NTs are stuck in menial jobs while autistics are high paid". No one would ever say anything THAT stupid. That's more idiocy than even idiots are capable of.


But in the larger society (not just on austistic websites) you DO hear contradictory things like: autistics have no imagination...and....autistics are too wrapped up in their inner world of imagination.

And unfortunately in the above case there is some truth to both statements. There are folks diagnosed as low functioning autistic who simply do not have the ablity to think abstractly (cant even grasp the concept of money), while others on the spectrum are wrapped in inner imagination an get accused of "day dreaming too much" (like moi).

People make stuff up and others go along with it.

Daydreaming too much does not necessarily mean more of an imagination. I lack imagination & I daydream alot due to ADD but I keep thinking about the same exact thing or same couple things nonstop instead of focusing on the real-world.

You mean like the news on TV?

If only there was a qualification in daydreaming... I'd have a masters degree with distinctions by now...

I have read that in a post on here once, but it was ages ago and I don't remember which thread it was in. Somebody said something along the lines of "I'm glad I have Asperger's because my high IQ has helped me succeed and get [enter good-paying job here], while NTs are mostly just in boring menial jobs" or something like that.

Yet another thing I hate, when people associate Asperger's with having a high IQ. Your IQ and Aspergers/Autism have no correlation to each other. Then you put others down and start wondering why you don't have any friends.

I'm almost always quiet, no matter how much I trust the person. I suppose fear of judgment or of too much attention being placed on me played a role in my quietness. Plus, there's the element of having to communicate in a way that's understandable to others, which might keep me from being entirely open around others. But sometimes I simply don't want to socialize with others. And I know there are people who are completely nonverbal and have never spoken.

A)That's just one post.
B)He was talking about one subset of autistics (aspies) and not autism in general. And the high functioning end of the spectrum at that. Aspies are type of HFA.
C)Its his high IQ he is bragging about, and not about his autism anyway.
D)Aspergers doesn't cause you to have a high IQ. You have to be average to above average in IQ to be classified as having aspergers. But aspergers doesn't cause you to have a high IQ.
E) Many NTs are geniuses too.
F) By "menial" he probably means "jobs I personally find boring". Managing a Walmart takes executive skills he probably doesn't have, but he probably is an engineer or scientists. Which probably interests him more. So to HIM running a Walmart is "menial", but most folks think of it as high status.
G) Despite his supposed high IQ he makes many flaws in reasoning. Most autistics are either unemployable, or do have jobs, but only menial jobs, and take orders from NTs higher on the corporate ladder from them.
H) The above all adds up to a silly post that you shouldn't have taken seriously, and thus shouldn't be bothered by how it "contradicts" anything.

I suppose you're right.