I am slightly annoyed after reading this statement in an Autism group: - Begin statement: It upsets me to hear these parents who express embarrassment at the behavior of their child. Seeking advice on how to make their child behave normal here is some advice for anyone hoping to do just that: Autists are the ultimate square peg, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole, is not that the hammering is hard work, its that you are destroying the peg. - End Statement- This is MY view on this subject: Now, I am of the mind that we on the spectrum SHOULD be held to the same standard you would hold anyone else... but with patience and understanding that we wont get it right away... possibly even ever. What matters is the attempt, not the success or failure. It doesnt destroy the peg if you try to take off the rough edges without pounding... maybe it will never be a perfect fit but it can at least be a comfortably partial fit for all sides. What can destroy a life is accepting blindly behavior that is attributed to autism and cripples a person for life in the workplace and socially. I have worked my entire life on being more socially acceptable.. I am at about 50/50 which is enough to make me satisfied that I give a good effort. With the effort I put in, I have no problem at all expecting a little lee way when I get it wrong. If a blind person wants to read... they learn brail. If a deaf person wants to enjoy music, they learn to enjoy vibrations... if an autistic wants to enjoy life in society... they have to learn to cope just a little. That is life, life is adapting to your environment as best you are able. This is what annoys me about many autism activists, there seems to be a thought process of we dont need to change, we are great as we are! The fallacy with that logic is that we arent great as we are or there would be no need for a diagnosis or support. People like me, with autism can and do learn to do things that are comparable. Brail, for instance is an adaptation that allows a blind person to read. What I seem to hear from a lot of angsty people on the spectrum is more along the lines of... I am autistic so I never need to learn to read, rather than I am autistic, I need to learn to read brail. Yes, this is a mixed analogy referring to the blind... but we are after all socially blind so it fits. Life without social skills is a life spent alone. No one deserves to be by themselves forever. No one deserves to be unemployed forever. You have to work on your weaknesses and learn to read social situations... no one has to make exceptions for you... but they should be patient with you as you try and when you make mistakes In answer to the question of who benefits... everyone benefits when a person on the spectrum works on their weaknesses and does everything they can to be self sufficient. I would only get frustrated with an autistic person who was refusing to bother learning to read braille since they couldnt learn to read like everyone else does. That attitude is one of self pity and self indulgence. It has no honor to it. Not everyone is just another armchair commentator on online forums. Some of us have actually rolled up our sleeves to change things for all our people. I have done my part, and it was far more than complaining from my desktop. This is my #ASDCHALLENGE to every other person on the spectrum... Find a way to accept who you are, while still being willing to see that there is work to be done in order to be successful in life. Changing your reactions to the symptoms of Autism does not and will not change who you are as a person. It just might improve your life though! billingsgazette/news/local/guardian-spirit-designed-to-teach-vocational-social-life-skills-to/article_c462846c-d63a-56d3-a0a3-eff48fcafba1.html
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 22:26:23 +0000
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