Challenging Stereotypes

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I'm all for functioning labels and I feel sad that they had to take those away and lump us all together with "just autism". Yes autism can be complex and a non-verbal person can be really intelligent, but usually people like that fall into the moderate-functioning category, where it's a bit of both (high-functioning and low-functioning). People like me are definitely high-functioning, too high-functioning, enough to make me question my diagnosis. Even with this depression and anxiety I'm struggling through, I'm still naturally able to verbally communicate and express my feelings effectively to people. So even a professional would think I'm just an NT with stress and anxiety issues.

Functioning labels aren't really down to IQ, they're more down to the person's social awareness and understanding and how well we can mask, or even be "normal" without having to mask much (like some of us don't have many obvious symptoms to hide). I'm one of those people. The only reason I dislike crowds is because I get impatient with people standing or walking in my way, and the only noise I dislike is the sound of small children because it's very distracting. If I am stressed or overwhelmed the only thing I might do is roll my eyes or sigh, to express that I'm frustrated, although people don't like it. I don't go into meltdown mode.

Some autistics can't hide their symptoms so much, or if they do they can only do it in short doses before they need time to recharge, and if they do get too overwhelmed they might have a public meltdown or start stimming visibly without worrying about being judged. Also they usually need support, sometimes unable to work or hold down a job but can do other things like drive a car. This is moderate-functioning, or "average autism". Severe autism usually comes with intellectual disabilities too, where the person needs to be cared for all the time.

can you not consider the subjective diagnostic process like someone making up racial stereotypes to support their world view? I mean there is no objective evidence that Autism is a disability?

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Dr. Kanner discovered the continent of Asia in 1960.

But according to his criteria you could only get the diagnosis if you were a hard core low functioning Asian.

You had to be diagnosed as being from the Asian heartland of Mongolia, northern China, Japan, or Korea, to be diagnosed as Asian. What would today be considered "Asian level three, and needing maximum support". That's of course because all folks from Mongolia, North China, and the Japan area, have speech delays, no executive skills, can barely dress themselves, and some cant even go to the bathroom by themselves. Confucius, Mao, Admiral Yamamoto, actress Lucy Lui, and Bruce Lee, all them were just basket cases worse off than the Rain Man.

But recently they have discovered that "Asian-ness" is on a "spectrum". Many folks, even those who outwardly blend into society, can be afflicted with varying degrees of Asian-ness.

A few years ago I was diagnosed as being "Phillipino ". Not as severely Asian as a Mongol, or a Chinese, but definitely mildly Asian!

Meanwhile, while Kanner was voyaging to East Asia, Dr. Hans Asperger and landed in India. He discovered a population who were also heavy into learning, as well into running family businesses. And in the Nineties and early 2000s there was a seperate diagnoses of "South Asian". But nowadays they just merge South Asian in with the above East Asian syndrome into one "Asian" diagnosis.

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I was diagnosed as profoundly Phillipino at birth. Which is messed up to say the least.

Mildly Asian indeed -- Phillipinos are like social charmeleons and excel at masking, at a cost of their authentic identity and mental health.

Many are a recipient to a Westernization intervention program from the US to makes them indistinguishable from their peers.