Ability to change and "get better" - opinions pls

Post Reply New Topic

Is the OP talking about getting better at faking NT? I think that you can definitely get better at faking NT, but I don't buy the idea that autistic adults will become more NT just by exposure to more social situations.

Until there is a specific neurological definition it's going to be hard to differentiate autistic from non-autistic. One could use being disabled to decide that, but that's a pragmatic, bureaucratic definition.

I wonder about developmental trajectories -- are there some autistics who are very neurologically autistic at age 5, but are neurologically NT at 25? Or maybe, a little autistic at 5 and slightly NT at 25? There was a thread a while ago where some (a minority) mentioned becoming more autistic with age (in terms of overload, sensory stuff, etc.).

As for me personally, exposure and learning to "fake it" was a a strain if taken too far and would eventually result in my functioning in other areas to decreasing so much that my overall functioning would become worse. I did learn many critical skills, but the lesson, in my case, was learning moderation and trying to accept (and manage in other ways) the stuff that I can't change without "crashing." That's part of why I'm not a fan of the "you have to do all the changing, because the world won't," view. There are real limits, sometimes, and that is independent of what the world will or won't accept.

So, I guess my answer for the OP is, "I dunno."

It's incredibly variable depending on the person and their environment. Some people are more severely affected, others will be in a less supportive environment that does not allow them to grow, and others may have both of these difficulties.

"Getting better" is such a subjective term. What is "better"? I personally believe that every person on the spectrum is capable of growth and change, but what these changes actually are will differ from person to person. This doesn't mean that each person is worth less, it just means that people are individuals and have different ways they can succeed.