A Strength Based Approach to Aspergers

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Unremitting negativity profits no-one in my view, and even those who interpret ASDs as difference lost sight of the positives sometimes. Seemed timely to re-present Attwood's view of the value of a more strengths-based conceputalisation:

http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/index.php ... e-criteria

Yes, this is one of my favourite pages on Tony Attwood's Web site.

The number of writers and autism advocates promoting a strength based approach is growing.

Here are two great blog posts:
http://neurocosmopolitanism.com/neuroty ... t-clients/
http://neurocosmopolitanism.com/neuroqu ... roduction/

This interview is also worthwhile watching:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRSazCQQNnA

I particularly liked this piece, which was embedded in the 2nd link you posted

FIVE STEPS TOWARD AUTISM ACCEPTANCE

1. De-pathologize autism and Autistic people.
Autism is a natural form of human neurodiversity. Labeling it as a “mental disorder” or a “disease” has no scientific basis, has no benefit for Autistic people or their families, and leads inevitably to stigmatization, shame, and marginalization. Blind people, Deaf people, and many other disabled people get the services and accommodations they need without being labeled as having mental disorders. We don’t have to call autism a disorder or a disease to acknowledge that Autistic people are disabled and can require accommodations. Stop worrying about the latest changes to the DSM’s diagnostic criteria, and just remove autism from the DSM entirely, just like homosexuality was rightly removed years ago.

2. Use the language of diversity, not the language of pathology.
Language matters. The language that is used in talking about autism and Autistic people affects how Autistic people are perceived — by themselves, by others, by society – and thus how they are treated. In an Autistic-friendly world, anyone speaking of autistics would observe the same linguistic conventions that civilized, non-bigoted people observe when speaking of any other social minority group (e.g., African-Americans or gays). You wouldn’t say that an African-American “has negroism” or “suffers from blackness,” so don’t speak of an Autistic person as “having” or “suffering from” autism. (For a more in-depth discussion of this topic, see my essay, Throw Away the Master’s Tools: Liberating Ourselves from the Pathology Paradigm.)

3. Forget “normal.”
Recognize that when it comes to human diversity — including the diversity of minds — “normal” is a highly subjective, culturally-constructed fiction. Recognize that there is no “normal” mind, and that conformity to the local conception of “normal” is in no way synonymous with health, well-being, or personal fulfillment – and is, in fact, often in direct conflict with those things. A healthy, thriving Autistic person looks very different from a healthy, thriving non-autistic person. In nurturing the development of Autistic individuals, the goal of parents, educators, therapists, etc., should be to produce healthy, thriving, Autistic people, rather than Autistic people trained to stifle their true selves in order to pass as “normal.”

4. Equal protection under the law, broadly interpreted and strongly enforced.
Recognize Autistic people as a social minority group, grant them the same legal protections that are (or should be) extended to ethnic minorities. Interpret those legal protections as broadly as possible, and rigorously enforce them. When an Autistic person is abused for acting Autistic, prosecute it as a hate crime. Anytime an ABA “therapist” grabs an Autistic child’s hands to stop her from moving like an Autistic person, prosecute it as criminal assault and as a hate crime. Individuals and organizations that speak of autism as a “disease” or “tragedy,” and that talk of “curing” it, should be prosecuted for hate speech and incitement to violence, just as if they were advocating a “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem.” Anyone involved in seeking or implementing prenatal tests for autism or any other sort of prenatal prevention of autism should be prosecuted in international court under the Genocide Convention, which classifies as genocide any attempt to prevent births within a targeted group.

5. Work for global peace and economic justice.
Many non-autistic parents worry that if they don’t subject their Autistic kids to extensive (and expensive) “treatments” to bring them closer to “normal,” the kids will never be able to take care of their own basic survival needs, and will end up in awful institutions or on the streets. This is an entirely legitimate concern. But the reason it’s a concern is that we live in a world in which the forces of global capitalism have replaced the true spirit of community with an artificial sense of competition, isolation, and “every man for himself,” and in which all but the most wealthy are kept in a constant condition of anxiety and fear of scarcity. This is not the natural state of humanity, and not the way the world has to be. Every disabled person in the U.S. could be supported for life on a fraction of the money that our government spends killing people in the Middle East each year – to say nothing of the funds that would be available if we made giant corporations and the wealthiest 1% of Americans pay their fair share of taxes. Instead of working so hard to change Autistic people in the name of helping them survive in a cruel world, why not work to make the world less cruel?

When I saw the title of this thread, my immediate reaction was "Thats it!" I haven't read all the information in the links in the first few posts but will do after posting.

I find it very difficult to have a sensible discussion with people about my Aspergers. It generally gravitates into them saying something about "you don't appear to have anything wrong with you". This is really frustrating because I don't see myself as having said I had anything wrong with me. My diagnosis for Aspergers Syndrome does not mean I am defective. If I then respond by describing all the benefits of my particular mental makeup this is usually just more reason for the other person to reiterate that they see me as quite normal.Then, if I start describing the strange, quirky, weird, oddball traits that I have I (and some of them are truly and absolutely odd) then the listeners takes my claim more seriously.

What I'm describing is the dilemna of being taken seriously as a person with Aspergers; it seems we are compelled to provide the deeply odd aspects of our being to have our diagnosis accepted. The question may be; why bother telling anyone? I generally don't tell people but there are times when it is important and worthwhile for others to know and understand and that is where the trouble comes. In my case, telling my wife, mother, children, boss and certain work colleagues was essential so they understood why I behaved in certain ways. Now that they understand my nature, things are a lot better. Over time they have observed me and I think they all now accept my Aspie status. It has been a hard won acceptance.

If I was assessed according to strengths and not defecits, I'd have no problem being "discovered" to be an Aspie.

I especially like Tony Attwood's description of a "qualitative advantage in social interaction".

Aspies are "free of sexist biases"?! Tony obviously hasn't read L&D

It is a very good document.

^^^


It is refreshing spin on things, but I think B19's follow-up is over optimistic. NT social functioning is highly intuitive, and the idea of complete autistic acceptance requires a more logical process. It strikes me that because their "social summaries" are so intuitive, that even the most well meaning people will have an unconscious negative bias towards autism due to misinterpreted body language/nonverbal signals.

A tad unrealistic.

It's a "disorder" because the vast majority of the world operates in a contrary way.

Hell, all the "artistic" types I know who are held up as a good thing wouldn't last a month if they were making the rules. That's because the way they operate won't work in reality for very long. They can be that way because a large number of "normal" (sic) people ensure the daily operation of the world keeps on going.

Most people don't have a use for you if you can't prove your use to them. That's reality...for better or for worse.

Which is why I really don't have the slightest bit of a problem with genociding the allists.

I am not interested in all-positive representations of autism.
I also don't agree that autism should be viewed as social minority group.

While I do view us as a social minority group and I want acceptance, acceptance, acceptance, I view the all-positive representations as just as incorrect as the medical model/all negative view. It is not different from the Autism Speaks approach in that it is telling an autistic person what they should be experiencing and feeling. As counter to the all negative/ all the time messages we receive it is is the lesser of two evils and a first step for some.

I think Attwood may be trying to gain favor with autistic people and some parents of HFA/AS children to buy his books and attend his seminars.

Most of his list of AS traits seems like fantasy and unlike any real person with AS I ever met.

I consider all-positive views to be delusional and all-negative views predatory.

I usually present a view that favours the negative but that doesn't mean I ignore positives. I lack the desire to prove my worth in terms of neurology. Despite how much I hate my disorders I'd rather have my life than starve in Africa or have existed during World War 2. It's all about perspective.

I cannot really relate to a lot of those traits entirely...I do actually kind of care about social context, I don't want to come off as an ass in trying to be straight forward and sometimes it is hard for me to be direct about some things. Of course its not all negative, I think the sensory issues maybe do come with more actual sensitivity to sound which can be a good thing.

Also of those who graduate high school and attend college, how many graduate college? The article doesn't say but that would be interesting to know.

Lets have a look at this.



Lol, this comes across as trying to state people on the spectrum are the most pc-people on the planet. And if I remember correctly this is more a characteristic for people with Williams syndrome (except for maybe sexism), then for those one the spectrum.



Which depending on the context can be a good thing, or a bad thing. And would also depend on how it is being said.



If I understand this correctly this would mean that we are more likely to be either delusional or visionary.



I think this comes with being interested in certain subjects. In the course of researching said subjects you come across others with the same interests. This would also be true for non-autistics who have such intersts.



Primary interest to who?



He should study the PPR-forum on wrongplanet then.



Or to convince others about what we think the truth is. This would be better defined as seeking a greater understanding in fields of interest.



Presuming we have an inability for Byzantine plotting.



Part C is the only one that seems to be accurate according to my opinion, except by the last one. I would think that someone on the spectrum who holds certain political persuasions to take them into consideration. At the very least more consequentially then NT's. And decisions being unaltered by financial factors is not really a strength, considering that it could lead gaining large debts.



Depending on the context that can be either a strength or a weakness.



I thought rowing was more a team sport. But this could a good thing to say to parents/care takers who care about their children ability when it comes to sports.

Now for focusing on the strengths, instead of the weaknesses. That would not make the problems go away. However on a person-to-person basis, since it would lead how can we use the pro's to compensate the cons.