Past Despiration
Active Member
This is a topic most autistic people (and I am one, basically) seem to really disagree on, but I am going to try to present it respectfully and hope nobody will get angry.
Right now we have two groups we divide people up into: Autistic and non-autistic or neurotypical.
The neurotypical group is larger. The autistic group is given a lot of terrible labels like "disorder" and usually portrayed with sweeping generalizations. As far as I can tell, autistics have all kinds of problems, but none of them seem to have 100% of the problems 100% of the time. That's an issue, because it seems like they are treated that way. For example, I was always treated like I had a lot of intellectual disabilities and could not make decisions for myself. Some autistics may have intellectual disability, but I don't. So it's bad to generalize.
Also, people start to hurt each other as soon as you put them in groups. You could call them "gay and straight" or "Jew and German" or "Black and White" You see where this is going... it always makes the smaller group suffer a lot.
So what about this idea? What if we just say "Okay, no autism anymore. Now we're all just people. We're all going to be treated like people and nobody deserves to be disrespected or treated like less."
I KNOW WHAT YOU WILL START SAYING:
But we then don't help the autistics, because they need help.
OH BUT WE STILL CAN! EVEN BETTER!
Now, everyone is a person. So, now we have equality! But if someone has a problem, we just address that problem. If they have a social fear, we address that social fear. If they have no social fear, no social fear therapy. If they have trouble communication we give them communication therapy, but if they do not, we do not give them. We just look at every person, each and every single one and say "Does this person have any problems?"
See, here's the thing: Don't neurotypical people sometimes have all kinds of problems too? Don't some of them get problems that are sometimes similar to autistics? I know plenty of neurotypicals who had issues like anxiety or substance abuse or even ones you'd normally see in autism, like with adhd or something. Lets help them too. Lets help everyone without any second and first class citizens.
100% help. Nobody hurt. Nobody ever treated like they're unable to kow how to live their own life
I think this way doesn't actually leave anyone out. Now, no more expectations. Now Dave can be Dave and Mark can be Mark and Sara can be Sara. We don't have to say "Well Dave is someone we call autistic, and that means he is not allowed in our regular classes"
That's not necessary. The only people who won't be in regular classes are those who are unable to deal with it and need help, but we do it one at a time, looking for any problems and never telling people "Okay, you're autistic, so that means here's a list of problems you need to have" Well... what if we don't preexpect anything?
I think this really is the better way because nobody feels inferior and nobody is ganged up into a group to be harmed. I think this is a way that could have avoided me being told I was not any good for higher education or having friends. It could have allowed my family to still treat me well and allow me to make my own decisions. All my rights could have been kept and nobody would need to be cruel.
And if you say "I'm autistic and I would need help and support" well then the thing is you still get it, but now you're just human and need help and support. Now, your help and support does not need to be 100% the same as every autistic and we can stop forcing people to take help they don't want to get help they do want.
I think this is the better way, because, if for no reason than it would have stopped me from being treated with extreme cruelty and dismissed as not competent to say. It would have avoided a ton of trauma. I'd have no ptsd. I bet a lot of other people would not do so either.
So I think it is a thing to consider.
I am sure other people out there have found that they are worse off because it is a condition that is recognized.
Think this way: What if there were a way we could switch off everyone's ability to see race in other people. Then, no racism. So that is basically the same thing.
Right now we have two groups we divide people up into: Autistic and non-autistic or neurotypical.
The neurotypical group is larger. The autistic group is given a lot of terrible labels like "disorder" and usually portrayed with sweeping generalizations. As far as I can tell, autistics have all kinds of problems, but none of them seem to have 100% of the problems 100% of the time. That's an issue, because it seems like they are treated that way. For example, I was always treated like I had a lot of intellectual disabilities and could not make decisions for myself. Some autistics may have intellectual disability, but I don't. So it's bad to generalize.
Also, people start to hurt each other as soon as you put them in groups. You could call them "gay and straight" or "Jew and German" or "Black and White" You see where this is going... it always makes the smaller group suffer a lot.
So what about this idea? What if we just say "Okay, no autism anymore. Now we're all just people. We're all going to be treated like people and nobody deserves to be disrespected or treated like less."
I KNOW WHAT YOU WILL START SAYING:
But we then don't help the autistics, because they need help.
OH BUT WE STILL CAN! EVEN BETTER!
Now, everyone is a person. So, now we have equality! But if someone has a problem, we just address that problem. If they have a social fear, we address that social fear. If they have no social fear, no social fear therapy. If they have trouble communication we give them communication therapy, but if they do not, we do not give them. We just look at every person, each and every single one and say "Does this person have any problems?"
See, here's the thing: Don't neurotypical people sometimes have all kinds of problems too? Don't some of them get problems that are sometimes similar to autistics? I know plenty of neurotypicals who had issues like anxiety or substance abuse or even ones you'd normally see in autism, like with adhd or something. Lets help them too. Lets help everyone without any second and first class citizens.
100% help. Nobody hurt. Nobody ever treated like they're unable to kow how to live their own life
I think this way doesn't actually leave anyone out. Now, no more expectations. Now Dave can be Dave and Mark can be Mark and Sara can be Sara. We don't have to say "Well Dave is someone we call autistic, and that means he is not allowed in our regular classes"
That's not necessary. The only people who won't be in regular classes are those who are unable to deal with it and need help, but we do it one at a time, looking for any problems and never telling people "Okay, you're autistic, so that means here's a list of problems you need to have" Well... what if we don't preexpect anything?
I think this really is the better way because nobody feels inferior and nobody is ganged up into a group to be harmed. I think this is a way that could have avoided me being told I was not any good for higher education or having friends. It could have allowed my family to still treat me well and allow me to make my own decisions. All my rights could have been kept and nobody would need to be cruel.
And if you say "I'm autistic and I would need help and support" well then the thing is you still get it, but now you're just human and need help and support. Now, your help and support does not need to be 100% the same as every autistic and we can stop forcing people to take help they don't want to get help they do want.
I think this is the better way, because, if for no reason than it would have stopped me from being treated with extreme cruelty and dismissed as not competent to say. It would have avoided a ton of trauma. I'd have no ptsd. I bet a lot of other people would not do so either.
So I think it is a thing to consider.
I am sure other people out there have found that they are worse off because it is a condition that is recognized.
Think this way: What if there were a way we could switch off everyone's ability to see race in other people. Then, no racism. So that is basically the same thing.