How to diagnose Autism when the internet and other resources aren’t available?

[Greatshield17]

I want to present a scenario to you,

imagine something apocalyptic happens, a nuclear war breaks out, a super-volcano or two go off, or cats & dogs start living together. Your community is reduced to a primitive survivalist state and it turns out that it’ll be quite some time before civilization is restored. As the time passes, people start having kids, and on top of that, there may be people in your community who actually are Autistic but have never been diagnosed. As an Autistic person, you have the ability to build a smaller community within your larger one, where your fellow-Autistic folk can stick together, help each other out, better integrate into the larger community as well as have a place to retreat to if/when they need to.

But how will you be able to diagnose those people without the internet or other resources available? What are some methods and practices when can employ to diagnose Autism in such a scenario?

 

[Kalinychta]

Well, only doctors and analysts are qualified to diagnose someone with autism, so I suppose in the post-apocalyptic scenario you describe, in which presumably there would be no qualified analysts available, people who felt that they met some or all of the diagnostic criteria would maybe just have to ask to be included? I suspect that in such a world, though, people would be focusing every day on not dying rather than on building communities within communities.

 

[Kalinychta]

Also I suspect that in a world like that, very few autistic people would be able to survive for long. The chaos, unrelenting physical discomfort, constant emotional stress, lack of predictability…most of us wouldn’t stand a chance.

 

[Suzette]

Also I suspect that in a world like that, very few autistic people would be able to survive for long. The chaos, unrelenting physical discomfort, constant emotional stress, lack of predictability…most of us wouldn’t stand a chance.

I think you are correct that most autistic folk would not survive long. However, it has been proven from less global natural disaster that this thing we call "society" is very quick to re-establish its self in response to disasters that scatter former leadership. This is because cooperative efforts improve chances for long term survival. So I don't think autistics would nessisarily be at a greater disadvantage than they are now.

But how a new form of society deals with autisim is probably laregly dependant on how the former version of that society handled such matters. Pacific Islanders have often shown more tollerance and acceptance of others differences. This can be seen in the designation of "third gender" for those how do not fit a binary gender stereotype. While other societies have vivilfied such people.

As there are many great autistic minds it maybe that one steps forward to guide and educate others that they feel need guidance, without handing out labels. Then again, such a mind may be preoccupied solving other issues such as water supply, power and other engineering tasks. In any case I don't know that anyone will be concerned with labels to define others role in society in thevshort term. If we are lucky bad research and ideas will be lost forever.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Also I suspect that in a world like that, very few autistic people would be able to survive for long. The chaos, unrelenting physical discomfort, constant emotional stress, lack of predictability…most of us wouldn’t stand a chance.

Unlike some, my ability to make connections has allowed me to understand opportunities in change. I just look at it as a normal occurrence, something new to solve.

 

[Crossbreed]

But how will you be able to diagnose those people without the internet or other resources available? What are some methods and practices when can employ to diagnose Autism in such a scenario?

I can think of a negative way and a positive way.

Negative:

1. Create random groups of eleven people.
2. Have two NTs pick five-person teams for a "friendly" game of basketball.
   
3. Induct whoever is left...

Positive:
As your local community is reformed, watch for who steps up to meet niche needs.

 

[Suzanne]

We live in a world of neurotypicals ( nts) and because of this, to survive in this world, we have to adapt to a certain point, for their critera and thus, being formally diagnosed certainly does sort of bring a kind of piece of mind, however, if in your scenerio if the world was dominated by us, I am pretty sure, the opposite would apply lol there would be more us than them, so to speak and they would have to adapt to our world hehehe.

By the way, we have a cat and dog and they love each other.

 

[Greatshield17]

I strongly believe that one of the healthiest things for an Autistic person, is to be diagnosed and get connected with other Autistic people. In this scenario, once things settle and the larger community develops into a stable but isolated society, an Autistic person will have no online community to talk to, and no idea of why he or she cannot get through to others. If you were there, and you knew a way to diagnose these people, you’d greatly improve their mental health and your entire community would gain a talented work force to help greatly improve things (assuming of course some of the, weren’t already performing some of those things)

 

[Greatshield17]

By the way, we have a cat and dog and they love each other.

 

[Kalinychta]

Unlike some, my ability to make connections has allowed me to understand opportunities in change. I just look at it as a normal occurrence, something new to solve.

Certainly. I’m thinking of sensory issues and executive dysfunction. Too often, our abilities are stifled by the more disabling traits of autism.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Scientific method should repeat itself the longer humanity is alive. So even if the knowledge was lost, there would be scientists and engineers who re-create the methods and technologies etc in the future.

As such I'd imagine there would eventually be a rediscovery of autism.

Ed

 

[Crossbreed]

As such I'd imagine there would eventually be a rediscovery of autism.

But we'd be forced to wear a lot of wool in the summer, before that happens...!

 

[Raggamuffin]

I think any summer after a supervolcanic eruption, nuclear holocaust or asteroid impact would be fairly chilly.

Ed

 

[Suzette]

But we'd be forced to wear a lot of wool in the summer, before that happens...!

Na...I can show you how to prepare flax to spin into linen for clothing. It is stiff at first but you can wash the heck out of it to make very soft and fine cloth. I can also show you how to make lovely, non-drying soap from olive oil and wood ash. We will be fine!

 

[Greatshield17]

Scientific method should repeat itself the longer humanity is alive. So even if the knowledge was lost, there would be scientists and engineers who re-create the methods and technologies etc in the future.

As such I'd imagine there would eventually be a rediscovery of autism.

Ed

But of course, in said scenario, it would be better if we went to work first and immediately diagnosed our fellow-Autistic peoples in our communities first, and formed Autistic sub-communities. In the short-term as mentioned above, it would be great improve the well-being of both ourselves and our communities; in the long term, it greatly move things forward for Autism Awareness and Autism Acceptance to take a hold of humanity as a whole.

But of course this is all just a scenario.

 

[Greatshield17]

I think any summer after a supervolcanic eruption, nuclear holocaust or asteroid impact would be fairly chilly.

Ed

And if it were cats & dogs?

 

[Alexej]

Also I suspect that in a world like that, very few autistic people would be able to survive for long. The chaos, unrelenting physical discomfort, constant emotional stress, lack of predictability…most of us wouldn’t stand a chance.

interesting idea.
Don't tell me that autism has not been around since the beginning! I recognise that it has not been named and identified until recently. Was Adam autistic, what about Noah? (Only mentioning names of people from way back). I expect that autism has always been there, and autistic people have coped (or not) but we have contributed to the developments which we now see around us.

 

[Crossbreed]

Was Adam autistic, what about Noah?

Many early engineers [inventors/innovators] were likely ASD1.
Before there were such college degrees, most were self-taught.

George Washington Carver springs to mind.

My dad was a farm boy who taught himself how to develop photographs. (I don't know how he acquired the chemicals to do so.)

My mom taught herself to play piano, though neither her parents nor sisters played before her. (She received further instruction, later.)

 

[Suzette]

@Crossbreed. Good call on G.W.Carver.