I am a 28 year old male just recently self-diagnosed with Asperger's (working on a formal evaluation.) I can say firsthand that this is mostly pretty solid advice, however, there is an all-too-common error in the beginning of the article that contributes to misunderstanding and misinformation. Autism is not a mental disorder or illness. It is categorized most broadly as a pervasive developmental disorder. The difference here is subtle, but key. Mislabeling autistic people as having a mental illness contributes to misperceptions that they are irrational and unstable, or that it can be cured. This is nonsense, as our inherent brain differences are permanent and present from an early age, and generally make us more straightforward and rational than neurotypical or allistic people. To use an analogy, NT people calling autism a mental illness is like a human calling Spock crazy for being consistently logical and honest.
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I am a 28 year old male just recently self-diagnosed with Asperger's (working on a formal evaluation.) I can say firsthand that this is mostly pretty solid advice, however, there is an all-too-common error in the beginning of the article that contributes to misunderstanding and misinformation. Autism is not a mental disorder or illness. It is categorized most broadly as a pervasive developmental disorder. The difference here is subtle, but key. Mislabeling autistic people as having a mental illness contributes to misperceptions that they are irrational and unstable, or that it can be cured. This is nonsense, as our inherent brain differences are permanent and present from an early age, and generally make us more straightforward and rational than neurotypical or allistic people. To use an analogy, NT people calling autism a mental illness is like a human calling Spock crazy for being consistently logical and honest.
May 14, 2017 - 8:33amThis Comment
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