A.S.D & Disabled, When You get Older

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I'm not so certain that there's such a thing as a "true" disability.

There's recent research showing that a lot of autistics who test as "MR" on a regular test (provided we even have one IQ score consistently, which I certainly don't), do not test as "MR" if you give them a test that is less biased. So a lot of people who supposedly have "co-morbid MR", even if "MR" is a real thing, don't have that really, so that can't be blamed for not scoring well on those tests.

"Sensory Issues" are not "co-morbid". Perceptual differences (which manifest in a number of different ways, not just as overload or not liking the way something feels or the other things called "sensory issues", although they do manifest as "sensory issues" sometimes) are at the heart of even the good parts of being autistic.

I suspect that a lot of the differences between us are not because we are underlyingly as different as a lot of people suspect, though, nor because we just have other things tacked on. I suspect a lot of it is because some of us focus on different things than others.

I've said a lot of times before, but I'll repeat it, that I have a friend who mostly has a lot in common with me in terms of autism. Not a whole lot of difference in ability in most areas. When we are together we don't feel too different from each other. When others see us, they view her as "very high functioning and maybe even passing as NT" and they view me as "very low functioning and probably severely MR". We enjoy watching people's reaction when one of us mentions that there's only about a hair's distance between us, and most of it has to do with where our brains specialized in a few small areas, a few small differences in those areas is the only difference between the two of us.

She went to an autism conference, where she was expected to be a lot like one guy there, and not as much like another. The reason was she and the one guy could talk, and the other (like me) couldn't talk much. She had more in common overall, with the guy who couldn't talk, and the guy who could talk was almost entirely alien to both of them. But because of a few narrow traits people expected it to be the opposite.

I think there are real differences between us, but some only look big and are based on a few superficial appearances, and some can be vast differences even with similar superficial appearances. I think when there are vast differences, it is often very vast difference in what the brain has decided to deal with and not deal with in life, rather than whether there are other diagnoses tacked on. But the difference between a real difference and a merely superficial difference, is itself hard for a lot of people to see.

But I don't feel that I'm just like such-and-such a person only I have co-morbid conditions and that's why I'm considered as "disabled" as I am. I'm considered as "disabled" as I am because my brain's specializations are mostly (with a few exceptions) not valued ones (and not ones most people can see), and the things my brain has left out to follow those are mostly (with a few exceptions) valued ones.

And I don't consider disability negative. I'm physically disabled as well as autistic, so maybe it's easier in some ways, for me to see that the idea of "true disability" is a little strange considering disability is the conjunction of society and a person, never just within the person.

I am offended by AS being labeled a disability. It isn't even at the lower end of functional, it may require special accomadations, but that doesn't mean we are unable to contribute to society and our own lives. By labeling ourselves as disabled we are in short saying we are "broken" because we aren't NT. We aren't broken, we are different and therefore have different needs to make things work, that isn't a disability.

The disability rights movement has done a lot to counter the notion that "disabled=broken". Much the same as autistic people have, really.

Was showing this link to a few people recently: http://www.disabledandproud.com/

I'm disabled, and I view that as a neutral to positive term.

The disability movement also helps to advocate in general awareness for accomodations in society. Autism is a sub-group, of disabilities. So instead of autism rights, it really is disability rights movement.

Oh, and marked "Will have a hard time and will need assistance most definitely." The thing is, I don't know if I'll have a hard time, because I already have assistance. But I'll almost definitely need assistance (beyond the usual assistance everyone gets) because I already do.

It is good you have the help you have then..

I have not seen all the positivity in the parent groups - quite the opposite to the point where it is almost hypocritical of them on the one hand to say it is a spectrum and on the other hand to dispute that ANYONE who is the least bit functioning can't really be autistic. They can't have it both ways.


However - I think if someone is on the spectrum they have the personal right to decide for themselves whether they consider this a disability or different ability. And I think some may actually go back and forth about how they feel about this. I don't think it is right to invalidate people if they have managed to do reasonable well and say they aren't on the spectrum anymore though. And that seems to be the response.

A positive view is for self-esteem. Autism really is manifested in the individual in varying degrees and likely perceived primarily by how it affects the person. Autism in concept is however an impairment and is not the specific individual.

The individuals subjective reality is not gauged by how positive the concept is but the individual reality. Autism is not the person.

Those with milder forms are not affected by autism as much. It is only understandable this common logic. The attach-mental qualities to the label and the psyche are evident as well, people are not autism they are themselves, In addition to the extent autism effects the person in a debilitating sense, well in this context.

I think when perceiving autism through it’s concept into a person, they should focus more on the individual circumstance, instead of it’s concept, as the generalized concept is highly broadened. Differentiation is already made clear conceptually in its genuine form, there are sub variants diagnostically such as L.F.A (M.F.A, perhaps), H.F.A and Asperger’s syndrome.

Quite clear to me..

My Sister's Children and Grandchildren will be waiting on me, hand and foot, and treating me like the Queen that I'll be, over the Age of 75.