[ SECRET POST #264 ]

[shahni.livejournal.com]

⌈ Secret Post #264 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:
- With luck, I'll be here when this gets posted, otherwise, first comment goes to name that fandom!

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 82 secrets from Secret Submission Post #038.
Secrets Not Posted: 0 broken links, [1] not!secrets, 0 not!fandom, [1] repeat
Next Secret Post: Tomorrow, Thursday, September 27th, 2007.
Current Secret Submission Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[aishiteru.livejournal.com]

noooooo, no no no no. I'm really sorry it came off that way, that's not what I'm saying at all. ):

Trust me, I know the ranges of autism. I've studied it, I've had first hand experience with it, I've worked with autistic kids before. I know that with some cases (and good treatment, early intervention, sometimes a bit of luck) autistic kids can function like totally normal people, to the point where you wouldn't even be able to tell they were autistic at first. and then there's the whole range of cases in between, going to the severely incapacitated ones. it's not an absolute, it's a spectrum, like you said.

but that's kind of what I'm saying. high functioning cases have usually already had some treatment to help them get to that point. even mild autism can be incapacitating to the point where you can notice something is going on.

my point was kind of that, if you are out and out saying that kind of thing, 1) you're probably at least in your pre- or mid-teens. if you were noticeably autistic in any way, your parents or teachers probably (hopefully!) would have caught wind. 2) reading symptoms on wikipedia should NOT be your first tip-off that you may have autism, so that just seems like it would be kind of bogus to me.

what really just bothers me is the fannish and bandwagon tendencies going on there, without really knowing what the disorder CAN be like, in EITHER extreme, and saying you think you might be autistic. it's certainly possible - I just can't help but think the normal warning signs of autism would have spoken to that kind of thing a little sooner.

[annwyd.livejournal.com]

Okay, I apologize if I was unnecessarily harsh--it's a bit of a sore spot for me.

I think it probably depends on the circumstances. There are cases where, for instance, depression and AD(H)D could obscure Asperger's or another high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (as it did for me until my therapist when I was a teenager finally suggested it) for quite some time. Or someone can develop somewhat dysfunctional coping strategies that simply get them labeled as a "problem child" instead of helped. But that's a whole 'nother rant, and I'll just say that I generally agree with you. I've been pretty bothered myself when I've seen posts crop up on my flists declaring, "I read about Asperger's and this totally explains why I got confused during kindergarten twelve years ago, omg, I'm so special now!" or some shit. Your wording just reminded me of some of the unpleasant attitudes I've seen about autism.

[aishiteru.livejournal.com]

No, it's fine! I can definitely understand where you're coming from, as that's a pretty unfortunate misconception to have - I should have realized it would come off that way, honestly. =/

The whole "problem child" thing. It IS a problem, because diagnoses really can be tricky, and even doctors make mistakes, since there aren't definitive tests for these kinds of things. But I agree it depends on the circumstances, and that you could definitely have high-functioning autistics whose disorder(s) mask each other, leading to a lot of confusion and later realization by the person in question.

... but .. seriously, people have posted things like that? that's ... wow.

D: gah, I'm sorry about that, honestly. I've met people with those attitudes, and it's just really ... sad, that they think that way.

[iamadoughnut.livejournal.com]

if you were noticeably autistic in any way, your parents or teachers probably (hopefully!) would have caught wind.

Lawl. Not if you have mildly autistic parents (and there's certainly evidence of a genetic component). As for teachers, well, they have a lot of kids to look after and may not know the early warning signs. Or they may recognize a kid as different but not be able to come up with a reason why.

Is it really so hard to imagine? There are people in their twenties, thirties, forties, etc. who only learned that they weren't insane or mildly retarded when information about high-functioning autism became more widespread in recent years. Autistics of normal or above intelligence can sometimes find ways to adapt, but that doesn't mean they aren't autistic.

[aishiteru.livejournal.com]

....... I'm not talking about specific cases here. I'm talking about a general, broader sense. In many, many cases, autism is fairly recognizable for exactly what it is thanks to warning signs that show up as early as 2 or 3 years old. And I did say probably - not definitely. Especially teachers, for the exact reason you stated. But chances are high SOMEONE in a child's network of adults - teachers, parents, doctors, nurses, tutors, school counselors, aides, etc etc - will notice, if typical warning signs are present.

And I'm not saying those warning signs always WILL be present. Believe me, I acknowledge your point, and I'm really, really not saying it doesn't exist. =/ I am well aware of the possibility. What I'm saying is, that is not the norm of autistic cases. It's just not.

Also, getting back on topic, with KIDS IN FANDOM TALKING ABOUT DISORDERS, that whole thing.. I'm not saying it isn't possible for kids to realize themselves they have a disorder. My complaint is against a tendency towards bandwagoning. Reading lists of symptoms and saying "oh hay!" while there may be a few kids out there who are the real deal, HARDLY all of them will be, and it's those who AREN'T the real deal - who want a given disorder just to have it, because they think it's interesting or will make them a special snowflake - THAT bothers me, because they don't seem to understand what it is they're asking for, and it's extremely disrespectful to people who DO have those disorders, who have to look at those kinds of kids and go ".... what?"