Autism, ADHD: Should they really be classified as disorders when they're so prevalent?

OP is the ASD troll?

How many more times have we got to justify ourselves to the NTs? Why do you all even care so much?

Read the title, r1. I'm saying these conditions are the new normal and should not be called disorders.

NORMAL can be considered anything that falls within two standard deviations of the mean. Thus 95% of the sample size. So if a behavior, etc. is expressed by 95% of said sample- it's considered normal.

It is a profound disability! Op is retarded

Op is a shit stirring aspie troll

My Shih Tzu is autistic, or just stupid, what's the difference?

How do you know your shih tzu is stupid? what does it do that is stupid I need a good laugh

I don't have aspergers, nor have I ever posted about autism or ADHD before, troll at r5

But I know so many people with these conditions it seems ridiculous to call them disordered.

R3, please explain more about SD

Autism is a spectrum, you can be severe to the point of serious disability, through to highly functioning whereby you'd have to spend a lot of time with the person to realise they have a problem.

People with autism are more likely to be LGBTQ than not, therefore there is an overrepresentation in the gay world of autistics, which might be why you feel it's so prevalent. Having thought about it, I've met a lot of gay men on the spectrum, all nightmares.

I haven't met a lot of gay people who were obviously on the spectrum, or ever noticed this. Is there a real statistical link?

There definitely is a link with trans. Hence why talking about "LGBTGI+" can be misleading and unhelpful in situations like this.

Science, engineering and maths types (who I've worked extensively with) have very high rates of autism and that's very apparent when you deal with them.

I think this is an interesting question. I work in healthcare so I literally have to classify diseases into categories for a living. And other than Autism Spectrum Disorder, the only other use of the word disorder that I can think of that is commonly used is mental disorders. We may refer to things as mental disorders or medical disorders, but I can't think of any other condition that uses the word disorder. Maybe there are some, but I can't think of one off the top of my head to save my life.

But, and I am by no means an expert on autism, I really don't see how someone diagnosed with profound autism (think Rain Man) and very high functioning people like Elon Musk can be categorized under the same umbrella. I understand that the underlying issue is an inability to understand things like social interaction, social cues, and communication, but the difference between someone with profound versus extremely mild autism are so great, and there are so many dissimilarities, that I'm actually surprised they haven't divided them up into different conditions. I mean, I genuinely don't think that everyone diagnosed with autism has the same condition. And whenever we find out what actually causes it, I won't be surprised if the differences have different causes.

I've known people for 30 years, who were diagnosed with autism at 50, and I absolutely never would've thought that that was the case. I dated a guy for two years (30 years ago!) who now says he is autistic. And we're still friends, but I absolutely don't see the signs of being unable to read social cues or misunderstanding communications in him.

So, as the numbers of autism have increased dramatically over the years, I've always thought "no. There's something not right here. These folks have something, but they have to be different conditions and they're just being lumped together".

And my mother was a special education teacher that worked with students in a high school with autism and down syndrome, and possibly some behavioral disorders. And just hearing stories from her about how some of the smartest kids in the school ended up in her class with others that were profoundly autistic was stunning. Because part of her job was teaching job skills in the community. She took classrooms of kids to stores and restaurants where they learned to stock shelves and wash dishes, and while they were in the field, they would eat lunch at a fast food restaurant, and the kids had to be able to order and pay for their meals themselves (they gave them money to buy lunch, it was just to teach them how to count money and understand that they had to buy things that didn't cost more than the money they had). So some genius level kid in her class is out learning how to wash dishes and buy lunch when he can already do calculus. I just never understood what the hell.

But my mom, ever the comedian, would tell people when they asked her what she did for a living, "Oh, I stock shelves at Big Lots." 🙄

OH!! ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. There's another one. Can't believe I forgot that one.

Also, I don't know how I managed to read OP's post and miss the fact that they mentioned ADHD. It's late I'm dumb.

My orchid has ADHD and my succulents all have autism.

R13 I actually found your post interesting and insightful. I've noticed the same phenomena. I'm diagnosed with ADHD but the H has subdued with age. I was only diagnosed (maybe 12 years ago?) Because my doctor sent me testing after a decade of not being able to pin point what was wrong with me (they were leaning bipolar, but some of the classic symptoms weren't there). Guess many things overlap and with them being a spectrum, it can be tricky to nail down. You have to be careful because if you're bipolar the meds for ADHD can make it worse. Fortunately I had a good psychologist to many tests. Was 70% for ADHD whatever that means.

I figure at this point (late 30s) it's not as big of a deal. I've learned to accept my ... quirks I guess. Some have brought up autistic tendencies but what's the point of pursuing help? I don't go to school and I get by in life. I feel that way about other people too when they can function -- like what at 30, 40, or 50 is it going to change? Even with school aged kids, if they have been managing, I personally feel it's better to leave them in "normal" settings (something they'll have to deal with for a lifetime) than put them in special classes where there's severally impaired kids.

It's weird how many of my friends are being diagnosed late. They were good at school, went through college, got good jobs, have families, bought homes, etc., But in their late 30s and they suddenly need meds. That part does make me suspicious they have something else going on (rarely were they tested like I was), it's so mild it's almost inconsequential, or they thought they needed meds. In fact the meds make them act more ADHD than without, which tells me something is off with diagnostic practices.

TL;TR I think people are overthinking these conditions and too wrapped up in having a label to define them, when if you can get by, it might be better in the long run to leave it alone. Sometimes the "treatment" is worse than the cure -- like those advanced kids being stuck in a class with kids that can't even do daily tasks. I don't see how that will "help".

Sorry I meant that response for R12. It's so early still.

It's OK r17, I got it.

And I haven't looked at the rates of ADHD, but wouldn't be shocked if they were skyrocketing too. I have a lot of friends who were diagnosed with ADHD as adults, and they all say the same thing. They say they can't believe how long they were suffering and how much relief starting medication was. And I don't know. They made it through college, got married, got jobs, bought houses and had kids before they got diagnosed. So I always wonder, well, I'm glad it's brought you some relief, but what you're describing just sounds like getting older. But I will not question their diagnosis.

However, have you noticed how many ads there are online for ADHD treatment and companies that will diagnose you via televisit and then send you a prescription? I feel like I see 10 or more a day. And they all have an ADHD screening questionnaire on their websites. I have looked at a few, and even answering honestly, none of them has ever said it sounds like I may be a candidate for ADHD treatment. So to their credit, at least they aren't telling everyone they have ADHD and need to get medicated.

But they're very aggressively marketing it online and I'm sure a lot of young people may overestimate their levels of stress and anxiety and questions about their focus and then get a suggestion to talk to a doctor at the company and get on meds.

I'm not saying, I don't believe in ADHD, but there may be some overdiagnosis going on there.

Oh, and seeing someone on Ritalin stop because they either ran out or took more than they were supposed to is scary! They're way worse off stopping it than they were before starting it.

Ritalin can be addictive and abused, and it's a central nervous system stimulant and has effects similar to cocaine. It's cocaine in a pill. Kind of a scary drug.

Soon, topping will be considered a disorder

R18 I've noticed that too! I've always found the marketing of conditions and meds fked up though. It's no different than a car ad but they're selling you a medical problem. Some day it's good because it brings "awareness" but I disagree. I don't see anyone in Europe complaining they would be better off with them. Don't get me wrong, I also think it's good they're finding relief if they genuinely feel something has always been off...

Just out of the people I've known since middle school, they weren't having problems like that and it throws me off because 1) it's well known ADHD symptoms mild with age, so by 40, it's weird to suddenly *need* a med (stims are also hard on the heart as you age) 2) not a single one is pursuing the other treatments, like therapy, which is also known to greatly reduce symptoms if done correctly and 3) Ever notice how people that almost certainly have/ always had ADHD hate taking the meds? Not any different than other mental health conditions, where meds are actually not preferable to people that need them 4) why is it always the narcotic version of ADHD meds these doctors give out? They have a variety of non narcotic ones to try first but always go straight for Adderall.

Again, those meds are hard the body. I remember my doctor telling me at some point they'll be cutting off them if need be as I age. Funny enough R19, Ritalin is considered a good ADHD med for children, not for adults. I come across harsh, but I really do find it odd millions are being diagnosed and those telehealth places are contributing to that. Do you know after over a decade of being on the same low dose (10mg), I'm still subjected to drug testing and expected to jump through hoops, while telehealth places have been giving it out over a video call since covid?! Yeah it makes me a little salty, esp when there's shortages for months. I actually get suicidal if I go without more than 2 weeks.

Sorry I fell I kind of veered off topic into questioning diagnostics, instead of what OP was talking about. I always had the theory that things like ADHD/ mild autism probably are inherent personality traits that are only disorders because modern society doesn't take kindly to quirks. I could see there being benefits to having someone think/ function differently in a tribe. Sort of like how society is modeled for "morning people" even though not even half the people would have that schedule, and in a tribe setting? Yeah you would want people alert in different intervals.

Of course this isn't accounting for the end of the spectrum that's severe, to the point where the people can't take care of themselves. But it's that much different than something like depression? Where it can be from mild cases, situational cases (SADD), all the way to not bathing/ eating. Just like with ADHD, or autism, it wouldn't be appropriate to jump to treatments, such as electroshock or ketamine infusions, for seasonal depression, esp not before trying other therapies (light treatment, etc).

Guess I'm saying, even if all these people really do have it, they just fell through the cracks, our extreme reactions to treat aren't always good either. I don't see a benefit to things like putting mild cases into groups with people that can't count change. It's actually taking a risk of making it worse. Like my one sibling for example, I believe has OCD manifesting. What are they doing? Going into online "support" groups, that are making it worse by creating a feedback loop. The group is keeping them stuck in a cycle of thoughts, providing reinforcement, and nurturing their issues.

These disorders are omnipresent, only in America, as they are overdiagnosed, in order to be overprescribed. Money talks, apparently

The older I get, the more I see the value in Thomas Szasz. His ideas are worth taking seriously, I think.

^What about being a serial killer or a serial rapist?

That sounds kinda mental

What you’re not understanding about the relief expressed by the those who have been diagnosed as adults and are now being treated is that all of the tools they used to compensate for the ADD/ADHD and keep up with everyone else are no longer working. They are burnt out and it’s nowhere near as natural and easy to focus and follow through on tasks. The addition of relationships, kids, and high stress jobs are all straws that broke the camel’s back.

The stark difference in behavior and ease going into what used to be very easy tasks that now feel insurmountable were the telltale signs for these otherwise ‘normal’ people that something had to be wrong. The meds take a great deal of pressure off allowing them to go back to their same level of productivity while also dealing with the additional demands from their personal lives. It’s important to have compassion and understanding for the situation because it’s not about following a trend or attention-seeking, the struggle was always there underneath the surface, but because as children they learned to compensate and hide it, it was left alone.

These are people who are also probably brought up in environments where perfection was the only option, so when you’re being told second place is last place and anything less than an A+ is an F, you’re going to force yourself to achieve that level of success any way you know how lest you be put down and humiliated by each ‘failure.’ Parents and adults are more than happy to overlook certain signs of distress if the child is excelling academically.

What about it, r25? I am not sure I understand your question.

and then there’s anal

R27 I was diagnosed late myself, so I absolutely do understand, which is probably why I come across so tough about it. I went through hell to get help. Was on every med out there. Trust me, I know these people I'm taking about personally, and I could bet my life on it, it's likely a crock of shit. We went to one of the best schools in the state, with most common from wealthy homes. They had doting parents and a school that would've set them up for help anytime. They were perfect students -- had social lives, were into sports, had great grades, etc. There was no struggle.

Here's a good example for you -- they wouldn't be handing out their "life saving" meds at fkn parties, if they NEEDED them. They wouldn't be acting like they have ADHD after taking them. You can spot bs right away by the reaction to the meds -- genuine cases don't get hyper taking the meds and talk fast because that's the symptoms they want to treat with meds. These people are giving themselves ADHD by taking something they probably shouldn't.

Sadly, the adults I do know that absolutely seem to have it, that are even crippled by it, aren't the ones being diagnosed. Like other mental disorders, it's tough to get us to take our meds.

[quote] I understand that the underlying issue is an inability to understand things like social interaction, social cues, and communication, but the difference between someone with profound versus extremely mild autism are so great, and there are so many dissimilarities, that I'm actually surprised they haven't divided them up into different conditions. I mean, I genuinely don't think that everyone diagnosed with autism has the same condition.

R12 they were until recently different conditions. Asperger’s Syndrome once demarked what is now called functional, low-needs or Level 1 autism. Asperger’s was retired as a diagnosis, in part because clinicians & assessors felt it inappropriate to term a diagnosis after a known Naz!.

Ymmv on whether or not that was a good idea. Personally, I feel that it harms all autistics to treat them from the same pool of resources and group them as one.

[quote] What you’re not understanding about the relief expressed by the those who have been diagnosed as adults and are now being treated is that all of the tools they used to compensate for the ADD/ADHD and keep up with everyone else are no longer working. They are burnt out and it’s nowhere near as natural and easy to focus and follow through on tasks. The addition of relationships, kids, and high stress jobs are all straws that broke the camel’s back.

This is true of autism (can’t speak to ADHD as I don’t have it). After a certain age and with enough ‘adult’ pressures, it becomes simply too much stress and toil to mask on top of that. Though I’m intelligent and ostensibly ‘normal’ or well-socialised enough to pass as non-autistic, still I’ve been depressed and emotionally paralysed for half my life, because I simply can’t keep up with the neurotypical demands of adult life. Instead I burn out, or shut down, or go into recluse mode.

R27 and sorry, not sorry, I'm running short on "compassion" these days. I don't believe several MILLIONS more people, that are fkn middle aged, magically got diagnosed during covid, not correctly anyway. Why during covid? You know, when most were sitting on their asses... Oh that's right, that's when telehealth made it possible to get narcotics without testing it a single visit. Look it up, even the DEA is getting ready to treat them like opiates because they know it's BS that all these 35-55 yr old suddenly all NEED Adderall. What happened to other therapies? They aren't doing them. What happened to non narcotic meds first? They didn't want those. They are getting older and getting run down but think that's a problem instead of realizing it's a natural part of aging. You aren't supposed to feel 20 forever. It's obvious something is going on because the newly diagnosed are all being put on the same exact meds. The newly diagnosed numbers match up with the number of pills being shorted. They ALL needed Adderall though, right? Nothing else.

R33 there’s no drugs or known cure for autism, though, so how do you explain those cases? There isn’t even really an effective therapy yet, and the conventional catch-all ones like CBT don’t play well with it. There’s literally nothing you can do about it but accept it, and recalibrate your daily lifestyle or work as best you can to cope. So there really is no incentive for pill addicts or med fetishists to bother getting a diagnosis for ASD. Unless someone wants pity or sympathy for it, but speaking as someone who has it, I can say that’s not something to wish for.

R32 I understand exactly what you're saying and what the other person is saying. I get it. It's not bad people are seeking help if they are struggling. What's a problem is when it's people that shouldn't be. They take up resources. Sorry, a telehealth visit is BS. It would be different if these people were trying to help themselves but they aren't. They aren't doing anything except telling everyone about their "disability" and popping pills. If they were in a severe position, they would pursue the other things you're supposed to do. Just getting a diagnosis isn't going to fix it unless you seek help, which is why I find it weird to see so many people feel "relieved" knowing about it, but not doing a damn thing about it, or again, just popping pills.

A person that's in a bad spot doesn't do that. They make adjustments based on the diagnosis. These people aren't doing that. They aren't changing their lifestyles. They aren't seeking help with work. They aren't going to therapy. They aren't changing their diets. It would be like feeling sick, going to a doctor, finding out it's cancer, but being happy to have the diagnosis and/ or happy to take pain pills -- nothing else. That's not how people that are genuinely suffering behave. They aren't "happy/ relieved" over having just the diagnosis for disabilities/ illnesses. They might be initially happy to get an idea of what's wrong with them, but you don't just stop there.

R34 you're even saying it's not something to wish for. I'm also taking mainly ADHD, which is what the poster was talking about too. I don't have much experience with what they do for autism. These 2 conditions probably shouldn't be talked about in the same way, even though there's overlap.

R34 I'm not exaggerating when I say that out of around 20 people I know personally, that I seen recently, over half were diagnosed with ADHD recently, at almost 40 yrs old. That's mainly what I'm talking about. Not autism. Some of them I've known since elementary school. When I asked how they found out, it was (I swear on my dead dad's soul) "I read about some symptoms and told a doctor I think I have ADHD. They then gave me a script for Adderall".... Like wtf... Which FYI, stims will make anyone "feel better" so that's not really a good thing to go by. They've done studies that show people without ADHD can take them and swear they are doing better in life. There's a reason military and housewives have used stims in the past to push for more out of performance. They gave it up though because it doesn't work like that.

Thing is, they aren't "doing better" like they think. Their perspective is that they are, but they don't for example, do better on tests like they think they do. This is a contrast to people that have legit ADHD -- they do have a notable improvement with doing tasks (like taking tests). The meds work by upping dopamine. ADHD people are lacking in production of dopamine, so the meds make them more "normal". Someone already normal, has enough dopamine, so the meds cause euphoria in them. They are overstimulating their receptors. That's why they come across as hyper, high, etc. Because they are.

At the end of the day, I do feel people fell through the cracks as children. The 80s/90s were not kind to kids like that. I just question when they diagnose people without a proper follow up. It can even be dangerous (bipolar people can go into psychosis taking stims). It's not something to fk around with. I don't trust doctors that don't do anything to diagnose these people. They do they same with depression -- they'll hand out meds in one visit, few questions asked!

And as the other poster mentioned, then you'll get cases like his mom deals with, where they are throwing high functioning autistics in with kids that aren't even verbal. They'd be better off not in those classes because now they're being held back. The entire system for diagnosis and treatment needs to be revamped for everyone's safety and sanity, so there aren't mistakes, misdiagnosed people, or a waste of resources.

That's the last I'll say about it.

So many diabetic, schizoaffective people in this thread spewing long, meandering streams of consciousness, I believe people of this kind are more prevalent those than those affliected with ADHD or autism.

R37 Indeed. Can't they just take the meds they have been told they need to function properly.

R35/R36 thanks for clarifying, what you say makes perfect sense and I agree. Hopefully I didn’t come across as contrarian or like I was attacking and contradicting you personally. I only posted more about ASD (from a low-needs functioning perspective) because I didn’t want anyone stumbling across this thread and getting misinformation, thinking it’s treated or medicated in any way like ADHD is. It’s amazing how much wrongheadedness and bad faith arguments and just plain lack of understanding you see in discussions about this, as I’m sure you know.

OP is annoyed that their friends talk about ADHD and autism instead of them.

Depression: should it REALLY be classified as A THING? Sooo many people have it. Big snooze. - OP

Autism is a curse on society

MARY r42!

[quote]What you’re not understanding about the relief expressed by the those who have been diagnosed as adults and are now being treated is that all of the tools they used to compensate for the ADD/ADHD and keep up with everyone else are no longer working.

R27, I get that, but kids with ADHD often don't have those tools and can't cope and it's very obvious, whereas adults being diagnosed with ADHD obviously were able to cope as young people using all of their resources and energy, but obviously there's something different between those kids and the adults. So can we really say it's ADHD and not something else? I mentioned that I don't discount the diagnoses of ADHD among my adult friends, though.

We probably all have some type of mental health disorder that we were able to cope with when we were younger and needed help with as we grew older. But I want to know why some kids are unable to cope while others are, and can make it to adulthood wiithout needing any treatment. ADHD meds are stimulants. We could probably all benefit from them if we weren't abusing them. Life gets harder as you get older and I don't doubt that some of my friends have had ADHD their entire lives and weren't diagnosed until their 40s or 50s. But maybe we need something different for adults that suddenly find they can't cope. Because those drugs are really tough, and really, really tough to stop.

And I thought of a third disorder! Major depressive disorder. (🫣 I am the poster who said he couldn't remember any other conditions classified as disorders.)

I was diagnosed with MDD in my late 30s. Had never had a problem before. And then years later there was an awful confluence of events in my life. I had to move across the country to be closer to my elderly parent who were in very poor health and leave a good job and all of my friends behind to a strange city, where I didn't know anybody. And then the pandemic happened almost immediately. So I'm in a new city, with no friends, watching my parents die, and stuck at home because of the pandemic. That sent me into a deep spiral. My mother went into the hospital and was in there for seven months before she died, and the week before she passed away, I started IM ketamine therapy. And then, after two sessions, my mother died. So I went straight from being very depressed into major grief. And I swear, ketamine therapy probably saved my life. I don't do it anymore, but I am so glad I started it when I did, because I came out so much better on the other side than where I was coming from.

The needs of Autistic people on each different level are vastly different, as are the resources required.

Further to OP's point, I actually believe that ASD in men & women are different enough to be classified as different disorders with separate treatment plans & needs assessments. They only have a few traits in common, and even the lowest-functioning female usually functions higher than a typical high-needs male does.

It's a really weird process, realising and finding out and accepting that something you just thought was a mysterious unique personal failure of character is actually a recognised prevalent disorder. Going through it right now myself, and I have good days and bad days sitting with the change. It's interesting, feels like slowly waking up. Hopefully in the long run it will be a positive.

I know people who have been diagnosed as having "underlying" autism. In middle age. Given the stigma, I'm not sure how being told this actually helps them. It just seems to dent confidence.

R46, reminds me of a Scientologist Recruiter

'Prevalent' is a strong word. It's still quite hard to get a legit assessment; it's expensive and there are waiting lists, plus you have to get Doctors to sign off on it. It's not accessible to every kid or adult who needs it. So idk where OP is seeing this spate of those with official diagnoses. It seems more likely there's a lot of people self-dxing or just straight up lying that they have it.

Tbh many more kids & teens need to be assessed if they're showing signs of dysphoria. They're falling through the net.

underlying disorders are so hot right now

R16 is obviously cray cray and talks way too much.

I just want to clarify my statement about the high functioning kids with autism in my mom's class. They were not with her all day. They spent more time in mainstream (often honors) classes than they did with her. But they were placed with her part of the day and they only did job training like once or twice a week, so fortunately those very bright kids were getting an education besides just the special needs education that my mom taught. And some of them did have problems concentrating, so when it came time for standardized testing, often they couldn't take the test in a classroom with other students because they were either too distracted by all the people sitting around them or they would talk out loud to themselves during testing. So they'd have to take the same standardized test at the same time, but in in the library with a teacher's assistant monitoring them. So they were partially integrated into a special education program, but most of them were still college bound. But I would imagine it was at least embarrassing, and maybe even stigmatizing to have to leave a regular classroom to go out into the field to learn how to stock shelves and wash dishes, when they were definitely college-bound. But that was one of the requirements. They had no choice. And that did not really sit well with my mother. I think on a couple of occasions she tried to get students. OUT of her class, but was always overruled by a school psychologist, or even a parent that insisted that their child needed to be in the special education program. And the parents of most of the students were all over the place. Some were constantly coming to her with articles they read about different curricula and wanted her to implement it immediately, and she would have to explain to them that they had a curriculum, it was an approved curriculum, and she was not allowed to deviate from the curriculum. And then there were others who's parents just didn't care at all. Or sadder, some kids lived in group homes. I don't know if they had parents or if their parents dumped them, but my mom would bring clothes she bought to school because sometimes they would show up in clothes that were so incredibly dirty, that they needed to change their clothes. Plus among the lower functioning students, accidents did happen and they would need a change of clothes and of course their parents never sent them with extra clothes. Most of those kids needed more than a special education teacher. They needed social workers, and many (or most) of them did not have them. And my mom was a teacher, not a social worker, so a lot of what she did really fell outside of her education. That's messed up.

The underdiagnose is sad

Lol R53, wrong planet loves their delusions

There’s a real passive aggressive sinister way with higher functioning autistics. It’s hard to trust them and pretty impossible to emotionally connect with them .

R55 that comes from a place of wounding in childhood. Usually in our early lives, peers or elders sense our social naïveté or vulnerability or ineptitude, and so we get horribly ostracised, bullied, scapegoated and exploited (it’s the rare autistic who hasn’t been). That’s enough to shut down and repress anyone emotionally.

Lately I’ve been doing some work to uncover true buried wants inside myself, and I’m finding it impossible to move past internal blocks from childhood that I myself put up, because a peer or adult shamed me out of wanting anything or expressing a need. We autistics get stuck in these states out of fear and social sounding, which let us remember is a primal survival fear (to be outcast from the caveman clan spelled a lonely starvation death), and ironically it leads us to self-isolate and mistrust.

As I said upthread, the people who LARP this just baffle and offend me. Why would anyone want to be this way.

R56, that was beautifully written. I hope you can love yourself unconditionally.

Autism and ADHD - the true American epidemic.

They are genuine disorders in that they stop people from functioning fully in society. So yes, we call them disorders, you twit.

Why is the government not looking into a cure then? They sure got on covid quickly and even have treatments for HIV. Yet all these people are walking around with Asperger's ADHD and autism, what is the causing it? Why aren't they panicking? Something's very wrong.

R54 She has a monotone talking voice dahling

the weird conspiracy goes as follows:

Everyone shall be altered with the autism causing vaccine (mark of the autism beast) and then aspies will all avoid each other and spend the rest of their lives reading manga, watching porn, playing nintendo and not procreating. Similar to what Henry does. Instead of a wanting partner, they will buy dog and soon 4 billion useless eaters will be gone from planet earth so that a class of natural autists(not vaccine induced) can rule the planet alone.

Do you think this is true?

You know what should be the New Normal? Show compassion, and live and let live.

I was diagnosed with it in the early 80s, by my pediatrician and a psychiatrist. It embarrassed the hell out of me, and I did not tell anyone. My mother felt the same way.

I've spent my entire life trying to not let anyone know I have it, and I do fine now, as an adult. I don't understand why it has become something people are proud of- I am alienated from other people, and must work very hard to not put people off.

That's the point of this thread, r63.

Is this autism?

R66 no, that's just exquisite taste. Sailor Moon is sublime.

[quote] It embarrassed the hell out of me, and I did not tell anyone. My mother felt the same way. I've spent my entire life trying to not let anyone know I have it, and I do fine now, as an adult. I don't understand why it has become something people are proud of- I am alienated from other people, and must work very hard to not put people off.

R64 yes, people really don't get it when they talk about high-functioning ASD or Asperger's like it's some cute fun quirk, or a card you can use as a convenient excuse to get out of parties or blurt out rude mean things. The real thing? Hard not to feel shame and hopelessness about it, at least at first until you accept the fate, get used to it, find workarounds and learn to mask, which is always a painful and exhausting process requiring effort, like you rightly say. We often don't have the energy leftover or the wherewithal to participate fully in adulthood, because our bandwidth is used up just trying to stay afloat socially.

My diagnosis came in adulthood only recently, but I'd be mortified to let anyone but closest family know about it. After I got the confirmation from the assessment centre, I begged my Mom & sister (who were my emergency contacts and testimonials) not to tell my grandmother, our other relatives etc., because I don't want pity, or to be condescended to, or to be spoken to like I'm disabled or a child.

If it's not any trouble or too intrusive R64, could you share some workarounds that have worked for you in terms of coping? I'm always looking for extra advice or tips.

I was diagnosed with ADHD as a teenager and am perplexed by all of these successful people who suddenly have it. Meds weren't a cure-all - even with meds I didn't finish college the first time and had difficulty with work and relationships. It took years of therapy and learning how to maintain everyday habits for me to be successful, in addition to (non-stimulant) medication.

I think stimulants are overprescribed, honestly, and it's alarming. Long-term Adderall use makes you feel like shit - after about 2 or 3 years of use you *really* feel it. Halitosis, insomnia, digestive problems. But in the short-term you feel confident and capable of anything. And you lose weight! I can see how someone in their late 30s-early 40s would find that irresistible.

R69

R49, any child in America can be tested if they want to be. All a parent has to do is tell their kids school they want them tested and the school district must. There are even programs for kids that are not yet school age; birth to 3 years has a program and 3-5 years another. If the kid is deemed possibly autistic, our district refers them to Neumors hospital for evaluation from a doctor. Usually, they wait until 6 to officially classify them as autistic; it’s simply developmentally delayed. The hit the kids with massive amounts of interventions and then reevaluate them at 6 and see where they are. We’re a shitty state, Florida, so I can’t imagine more progressive states doing less or have a system that worse than this.

R71 fair enough, I understand and agree that there does seem to be an issue of fast tracking kids to be pathologised.

The perspective from which I was speaking is that of a U.K./British patient on the NHS, a system that’s very different to the U.S. healthcare model (at least, for now and at the time of writing—fucking Tories want us all dead😣)

Otis = autistic name?

R72, they want us dead as well; the route might be different, but the end result will be the same.

Am currently looking into therapy, and apparently there is no consensus yet on the types of therapies that work best for ASD. It is only beginning to be suspected and understood that CBT & mindfulness are possibly ineffectual models for ASD patients, who require more somatic or brain regulation based treatments.