Is Autism a Disability? Or a Gift?

[Derp]

"Autism is a gift or a good thing !"
No not for me its horrible especially with the overwhelmingly Brutal comorbidities
Only a tiny percent of people with autism are "Savants" and there's more "Savants" ang geniuses Without autism by far. the majority are low functioning only a tiny handful are really high functioning
Pretty severe Gastral intestinal disorders, Dysthymia, Dyphagia, Dyspraxia , ADHD, Memory problems all at the same time and much much more all make life so extremely painful

Im sick of people acting like autism turns you into superman because theres a one in a million chance that you may end up like einstien.

 

[Fino]

I've never heard that it's a gift or a good thing, but if I did keep hearing it, I'm sure I would be annoyed, as well.

 

[Gritches]

Yup, pretty sick of it. Too bad NTs generally don't understand just how radically different we are from them. Things could work out if NTs were willing to think outside the box.

 

[BraidedPony]

It would be funny if NTs had cube shaped cranial vaults as in thinking inside the box....

 

[Crossbreed]

No not for me its horrible especially with the overwhelmingly Brutal comorbidities[.]

I see Aspergers/autism and severe co-morbidities as two separate conditions. I do not desire a cure for the former and I do, indeed, see it as a good, beneficial thing.

I DO desire a cure for the latter in my children, however. If it is irreversible, at least a means of prevention (of the co-morbidities, not abortion) for other babies.

 

[Streetwise]

Autism is a gift or a good thing !
No not for me its horrible especially with the overwhelmingly Brutal comorbidities
Only a tiny percent of people with autism are "Savants" and there's more "Savants" ang geniuses Without autism by far. the majority are low functioning only a tiny handful are really high functioning
Pretty severe Gastral intestinal disorders, Dysthymia, Dyphagia, Dyspraxia , ADHD, Memory problems all at the same time and much much more all make life so extremely painful

Im sick of people acting like autism turns you into superman because theres a one in a million chance that you may end up like einstien.

in the UK it seems to be the opinion that if you have autism label low functioning it's a curse there are always grave expressions on the peoples faces , then if it's high functioning autism you must be a genius.

 

[SusanLR]

I felt it was a bad thing when I was first diagnosed.
Then I realised it is what it is and started accepting it as I learned the shoe fit.
Co-morbities are seperate, although it seems from what I've read and seen expressed by many
here, (self included), that ADHD, anxiety and depression are very prevelent amongst Aspies/autism.
I fail to see how autism is a good thing though. I'll always wish I never had it.

 

[Autistamatic]

Is your autism a gift or a curse? That's a question you and you alone can answer, nobody else's opinion really matters.
High Functioning Autism does not mean you are a genius or a savant. It simply means that you are on the autistic spectrum and have sufficient intelligence, social and communication skills to lead a partially or fully independent life. The commonly accepted dividing line is an IQ of 70 with modern research suggesting that approximately half of autistic people having an average or above average IQ (85+) whilst a third have IQs below 70. A genius has an IQ of 150 or above.
Nobody has ever told me that my Asperger's is a gift. On the contrary the knowledge has actually caused the treatment I have received to worsen more often than not.
I have health problems that may or may not be linked to autism which I would prefer not to have but I would not wish my autism away.
My autism contributes to the way I see and understand the world around me, the way I interact with people and how I process information. If I was not autistic I would not see the world the same way - in essence I would not be me. Do I wish I was somebody else? I most certainly do not!
I am personally not sick of hearing that "autism is a gift" because nobody has ever said anything remotely similar to me. I am autistic, it is a cold, hard fact, and if anything I am sick of being condescended to and misunderstood which has led me to depression - my depression was not caused by my autism but by the treatment I received from ignorant people.
I am not defined by my autism, but it is part of who I am and I am happy and proud to be the person I am today, however imperfect I may be.

 

[Progster]

Savants or highly gifted people on the spectrum are a minority rather than a majority, but the media distorts the public image by (mainly) honing in on those with special talents or savant skills, so the public only sees this aspect of the spectrum. We can't all be maths geniuses, IT wizzards, musical progidies or artistic marvels - though it is common for us to become very specialised on one particular field due to our high focus on an interest or hobby.

 

[George Newman]

I have to think there is some redeeming value to who I am or I will go crazy. Wait .... that was a quote from an NT friend of mine just last week.

 

[Tom]

...the majority are low functioning only a tiny handful are really high functioning.

I agree with your basic idea about people overusing the 'gift' statement. But I was wondering if the one I quoted was accurate. Can you provide a source for this statistic?

 

[Major Tom]

I hate how when I tell people my son is low functioning autistic, they say "sorry for your loss"..Nobody died and it pissed me off.

 

[Kirsty]

I hate how when I tell people my son is low functioning autistic, they say "sorry for your loss"..Nobody died and it pissed me off.

What the heck?

 

[clg114]

I am not a genius (I know my IQ), but I am high functioning. I believe having Asperger's Syndrome has helped me in life. I would not be able to do the things that I can do with out it. I understand that this not the case for everyone. I believe that a persons childhood has a lot to do with it. I was lucky to have been raised in a loving, family environment. I was encouraged to be all that I can be, even though I was somewhat of a weird kid. I have read many time about kids being mistreated by the general public and their own family, just because they were different. It seems to me that this would have negative effect on anyone for the rest of you life. For this reason, I think that putting a high priority on family is very important for anyone.

 

[FreeDiver]

Here's the thing. I have a genius IQ. Has it really helped me in life at all? No! It's like owning a Lamborghini on the 1800's. Yes, it's a fast car. But what good is all the performance if there arn't any paved roads to drive on and no gas stations to fill up the tank. I'd still be better off with a horse and carriage.

 

[Graphin]

I never heard this and am sick of it already.
The funny thing? The statement feels like a self fullfilling prophecy if people insist on it

 

[Mattymatt]

Autism is a gift or a good thing !
No not for me its horrible especially with the overwhelmingly Brutal comorbidities
Only a tiny percent of people with autism are "Savants" and there's more "Savants" ang geniuses Without autism by far. the majority are low functioning only a tiny handful are really high functioning
Pretty severe Gastral intestinal disorders, Dysthymia, Dyphagia, Dyspraxia , ADHD, Memory problems all at the same time and much much more all make life so extremely painful

Im sick of people acting like autism turns you into superman because theres a one in a million chance that you may end up like einstien.

I feel the same way!!

 

[SunnyDay16]

To some people their autism is a gift and that's fine. I have to appreciate their positivity towards their condition. To me, my autism is a part of me and I do accept it, but it's far from a "gift". It does negatively impact me in ways that it doesn't impact those who don't have it.

When NTs say that it's a gift, it holds absolutely no weight to it. It is a nice thing to say and is an obvious attempt to make the person receiving it feel good, but it's also meaningless and, in some cases, used as virtue signalling. People who virtue signal try to make themselves look good by telling us shallow feel-good platitudes that don't match with the reality and those people I don't have respect for.

 

[WereBear]

I suspect that a lot of the co-morbidities are due to the incredible stress we experience.

And how do we know how many are out there undiagnosed? We don’t.

 

[NicolePfisher]

Autism is a gift or a good thing !
No not for me its horrible especially with the overwhelmingly Brutal comorbidities
Only a tiny percent of people with autism are "Savants" and there's more "Savants" ang geniuses Without autism by far. the majority are low functioning only a tiny handful are really high functioning
Pretty severe Gastral intestinal disorders, Dysthymia, Dyphagia, Dyspraxia , ADHD, Memory problems all at the same time and much much more all make life so extremely painful

Im sick of people acting like autism turns you into superman because theres a one in a million chance that you may end up like einstien.

Agreed. To add to your list, I'm sick of hearing "you don't have autism", "you don't look like you have ASD", "you can't have ASD, I knew somebody on the spectrum once and you are nothing like them". Savants are something we kind of made up. An unusual knack that impresses us despite it's general uselessness.

Many people, including doctors are still unaware of what ASD is. There are a lot of us that go undiagnosed or even misdiagnosed. I know aspie women appear to be more likely diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, GAD, and eating disorders. I get why, ASD is complicated. But it doesn't make our daily life any harder. That's just part of our lot, I guess, and we have to keep raising awareness of the disorder.

But, if it makes you feel any better, basically every disorder is misunderstood and is an excuse for genius to the general NT public. Everybody has heard of OCD. Everybody has an idea of what OCD looks like. But very few actually understand what the disorder means, and the causes of this are numerous. To popular culture: Bipolar people are violent, unlikable and have a new emotional shade every minute. Hypochondriacs need a list of symptoms to think something is wrong with them. Everyone with an eating disorder is vain and hates their body. And then the definition of schizophrenia is only hallucinations or delusions and that these individuals have no place in the world.

Also, because someone who is smart or creative with any disorder accomplishes something and floats up to a point of recognition, makes it seem, for too many people, that everybody with that disorder is more smart or creative than typical people as a whole.