People on the autism spectrum live an average of 18 fewer years than everyone else, study finds - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Kenneth;49970810]It doesnt help that when looking for resources online or otherwise, the vast majority is aimed towards the family, not the person themselves. "How to cope with your autistic child" etc. It makes the afflicted person completely invisible, or at best painted as "the problem". [URL="http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/06/pushing-autism-cure-messed-up/"]This article[/URL] summed up my feelings on the subject pretty well: "We Don’t Need a Cure for Autism – And Pushing One Is Really Messed Up" The fact remains that so many of the programs and treatments for autism are designed for the benefit of others, not the autistic person, and that's just pretty shitty.[/QUOTE] As much as I like the main message, it's a tad extreme to simply say everyone who looks for a cure is bad and should feel bad.

[QUOTE=Kenneth;49970810]It doesnt help that when looking for resources online or otherwise, the vast majority is aimed towards the family, not the person themselves. "How to cope with your autistic child" etc. It makes the afflicted person completely invisible, or at best painted as "the problem". [URL="http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/06/pushing-autism-cure-messed-up/"]This article[/URL] summed up my feelings on the subject pretty well: "We Don’t Need a Cure for Autism – And Pushing One Is Really Messed Up" The fact remains that so many of the programs and treatments for autism are designed for the benefit of others, not the autistic person, and that's just pretty shitty.[/QUOTE] Well, that entire site just gave me a fucking headache. There's a massive diference between a low and high functioning autistic person and if you have a child that can't communicate and needs special care for the rest of their lives that is absolutely a problem and a massive strain on the family dealing with them. A high-functioning person might just be a little weird and might not even know they're autistic, there's no reason to treat them any differently and that's what the average joe doesn't get, they just assume that "autistic" means retarded. You can see that in the first reply to this thread.

There's a difference between forcing an autistic person to assimilate in an environment not conducive to them and adapting the environment to be more inclusive for both low and high functioning autistic people. It has to start with primary education honestly, and parents/schools being educated about autism in general and how it effects the child or student. Having more resources available to parents via schools who know what they're doing would likely be very beneficial. It always rubs me the wrong way when I hear a teacher at work bitching and moaning about how "hard" it is to deal with an autistic kid in their classroom. Makes me wish that training on how to be all inclusive would be mandatory with all educators. Also yeah, I'm not fond of shit like "how to cope" advice. Kids can get really fucked up perceptions of themselves when they're being labeled as something or someone who needs to be "coped with".

I don't recall any class discussion on autism in school, but I do remember for Mental Disability awareness month, they showed us videos of kids with Down's Syndrome on how they coped with people treating them differently. Then whoever it was, some dingus showed us Oscar films like "Sam I Am" which featured "Hollywood Mental Illness," which was how Hollywood thought people with mental disabilities acted like. They didn't even show "Forrest Gump" for crying out loud! If your gonna have a bunch of teens who know jack about Autism, at least show a film that gets it somewhat right.

[QUOTE=Chopstick;49970949]...[/QUOTE] That makes a lot of sense, thanks for your perspective

Sucks even more that men statistically pursue fatal methods of suicide, and men are more likely to develop autism.

[QUOTE=Tetsmega;49971581]Sucks even more that men statistically pursue fatal methods of suicide, and men are more likely to develop autism.[/QUOTE] That's because despite what some say, being a man is a lot of pressure. Combine that with depression and lack of support for males, you get vastly increased suicide rates. It's also why there are a lot more homeless men than women. A woman can get support, both professional and from other people easily, she just has to ask. For a man, not so much, all you get is told to man up or called a pussy. This is why we need feminism. Sadly it's too busy doing fuck knows what.

[QUOTE=rndgenerator;49971607]That's because despite what some say, being a man is a lot of pressure. Combine that with depression and lack of support for males, you get vastly increased suicide rates. It's also why there are a lot more homeless men than women. A woman can get support, both professional and from other people easily, she just has to ask. For a man, not so much, all you get is told to man up or called a pussy. This is why we need feminism. Sadly it's too busy doing fuck knows what.[/QUOTE] There's womens shelters. there's no such thing as a mans shelter Having seen a few dead homeless people in some of our more severe winters a few years back, I gotta feel some sympathy for them being kept out in the cold.

Seeing this thread made me feel a little better about myself. I've always wished that I could live a disability free life and be able to think more clearly.

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;49971615]There's womens shelters. there's no such thing as a mans shelter Having seen a few dead homeless people in some of our more severe winters a few years back, I gotta feel some sympathy for them being kept out in the cold.[/QUOTE] I don't understand how most people turn a blind eye towards mens issues but go apeshit if someone says a bad word to a woman. There are actual men in 1st world who are dying because they can't get support they need because of their gender. Be it mental illness or homelessness or both. Fucking come on.

As a person with Autism, I hope I don't kill myself.

[QUOTE=Kenneth;49970810] [URL="http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/06/pushing-autism-cure-messed-up/"]This article[/URL] summed up my feelings on the subject pretty well: "We Don’t Need a Cure for Autism – And Pushing One Is Really Messed Up"[/QUOTE] Maybe it's me but this train of thought that we don't need a cure for autism [I]infuriates[/I] me. If I grabbed my newspaper tomorrow and I read they were taking registrations for an autism cure, I'd almost be camping overnight to get it asap. Yes, I'm high-functioning but I would fucking jump at the chance to get rid of this shit. There's so much more to it than just 'he sucks at social situations', so much more that I'd love to fuck off.

[QUOTE=Sir Whoopsalot;49972538]Maybe it's me but this train of thought that we don't need a cure for autism [I]infuriates[/I] me. If I grabbed my newspaper tomorrow and I read they were taking registrations for an autism cure, I'd almost be camping overnight to get it asap. Yes, I'm high-functioning but I would fucking jump at the chance to get rid of this shit. There's so much more to it than just 'he sucks at social situations', so much more that I'd love to fuck off.[/QUOTE] That article mentions eugenics as if that's a bad thing. Because according to some curing/attempting to cure illness is bad now. I agree that autism and other mental disorders need to be educated about to people and made not to be a stigma, but at the same time we should be looking into curing anything we can cure. It smells a bit like anti vaxxer article but towards a vaccine that doesn't exist.

[QUOTE=Sir Whoopsalot;49972538]Maybe it's me but this train of thought that we don't need a cure for autism [I]infuriates[/I] me. If I grabbed my newspaper tomorrow and I read they were taking registrations for an autism cure, I'd almost be camping overnight to get it asap. Yes, I'm high-functioning but I would fucking jump at the chance to get rid of this shit. There's so much more to it than just 'he sucks at social situations', so much more that I'd love to fuck off.[/QUOTE] I feel the exact same way. Looking back at how I acted back then really pisses me off. All that shit that could have been avoided, and that could be evaded if there were a magic pill, fuuuck man [editline]20th March 2016[/editline] And those people that try to glorify it needs to shut it too. Their intentions are pretty good I suppose, but their stance are sooo counter-productive

honestly the thing I want more than being able to go on a single day without having to feel doubtful about being myself is being talked to as if you were talking to any other person. thats why I tried not telling the players in the airsoft team that I wanted to be part of that I have aspergers. That just bit me in the ass. got rejected and found myself talking to them about it anyway. I still think they didn't really understand. perhaps it didn't help that I told them after it and not before because that way it just comes off as an excuse and while I always do my damnest to explain myself, how and why I act and why my brain receives signals differently, most of the time I just get the feeling its pointless to try that. its taught me some rather valuable lessons however. there's only so much there social interaction training programs can do for you because unless you turn that switch and make sure you realise it yourself it ain't gonna get better, you'll just keep going round and round in circles. some people need more help than others, of course. but I believe everyone can overcome the hardships it brings. all we need is for others to believe that too. but you can't change the public view on autism by yourself. people have been trying that for decades now and while it certainly has improved, compared to just being called fully incapable and put in some insane institution, there's still a long way to go. I guess society just needs to advance with little steps, going two steps ahead and one step back. just like we do. [editline]20th March 2016[/editline] I really could use someone to talk about it though. help me get an idea where in life I'm at right now, and all that. I just need guidance. I feel like a loose projectile without a target. Needless to say my mind can and will go anywhere to extreme depths if I let it to the point that it detriments my functioning in school because I just can't focus. Maybe its also due to the lack of any significant structure. In fact I'm 99% sure it is.

Sorry in advance for the long post. I'm a mental illness nightmare. I was diagnosed with ADHD and Bipolar disorder when I was 6, and was suspected of having Asperger's as well. Some bastards get just one of these disorders, I got the full package. My early years of education saw me reading advanced reading material and absorbing any facts I found interesting allowing me to memorize the presidents in third grade. I was in the gifted program before my math grades started to fall behind. Elementary school was trial and error trying to get my mood under control. Middle school was hell as I suffered from social isolation most of the time while I had a social specialist with me to correct my nervous habits and help the teacher explain concepts to me more literally (mostly in math class where I was in special education for that class only.) that didn't win me many friends and I was left out of conversations if not bullied outright. High school was better as some kids matured and I continued to excel in history and English classes. All the while, I've been going to a well known university affiliated medical hospital trying to achieve the right balance of medication and being monitore by some of the best Doctors in the area for over a decade. (So good at their job that they would be sought after for other jobs and leave.) I went through 5 doctors in that time and before I left for college we decided to see a doctor closer to campus. That guy was a quack and I went back to the clinic under the same institution and things are sort of back to the way they were before I left. I am not the most social guy around in my opinion, but I've definitley been more outgoing than I've ever been before now that I'm a sophomore in college. Despite learning some social skills from practice and watching films and inheriting my dad's sarcastic sense of humor that I use too often, I still don't pick up social clues, especially recognizing that those two people who sit together often are dating. Putting myself out of my comfort zone so much takes a toll on me, and since I only had like two friends I high school who both graduated before me, and my best friend on campus last year dropped out because of financial problems, I've been more isolated than I've been in a long time. I worry about never being loved by someone often and even if I do enter a lasting relationship I wonder would my kids suffer like I have? So when I read the article title, I was almost relieved because I thought that maybe I won't have to suffer for as long as other people. I've never attempted suicide but I occasionally think about it as a last resort should life fail me completely. I did research and I know that there's no easy way to kill yourself without spending money or leaving a mess, so I don't. I would have been surprised to hear people with Asperger's die earlier but seeing as these are from suicide, I'm not surprised to hear it. It's quite possibly the loneliest life imaginable.

[QUOTE=gokiyono;49972658]I feel the exact same way. Looking back at how I acted back then really pisses me off. All that shit that could have been avoided, and that could be evaded if there were a magic pill, fuuuck man [editline]20th March 2016[/editline] And those people that try to glorify it needs to shut it too. Their intentions are pretty good I suppose, but their stance are sooo counter-productive[/QUOTE] Having a cure would be great, we can i'm guessing try and give them a cure at an early age so they develop as you might expect in a normal child. However, I still remain highly skeptical because it's probably going to take something like eugenics to prevent it from happening 99.9% and given that doctors can misdiagnose it might mean more people get treated as subhuman seeing as the goal would be to eventually reach "perfect" humans. I still have memories of my poor development throughout school so can see how a cure might be very useful but right now? Pfff... may as well wipe my memory and throw me back into school or give me a time machine to try again.

[QUOTE=Chopstick;49973055]Having a cure would be great, we can i'm guessing try and give them a cure at an early age so they develop as you might expect in a normal child. However, I still remain highly skeptical because it's probably going to take something like eugenics to prevent it from happening 99.9% and given that doctors can misdiagnose it might mean more people get treated as subhuman seeing as the goal would be to eventually reach "perfect" humans. I still have memories of my poor development throughout school so can see how a cure might be very useful but right now? Pfff... may as well wipe my memory and throw me back into school or give me a time machine to try again.[/QUOTE] I was mess mentally until just a few years ago, still have nightmares about highschool. On top of aspergers my brain is behind several years developmentally so yeah, highschool was not fun, wish I would forget everything about it.

[QUOTE=Sir Whoopsalot;49972538]Maybe it's me but this train of thought that we don't need a cure for autism [I]infuriates[/I] me. If I grabbed my newspaper tomorrow and I read they were taking registrations for an autism cure, I'd almost be camping overnight to get it asap. Yes, I'm high-functioning but I would fucking jump at the chance to get rid of this shit. There's so much more to it than just 'he sucks at social situations', so much more that I'd love to fuck off.[/QUOTE] If that comes out, bring me a placebo version Despite my gigantic list of problems these days, I don't believe my Asperger's to be causing anything more than a couple of inconveniences. But my family bringing it up every god damn time I have an aspiration to do something is pretty high up there on my list of problems, since they keep talking like that and it's like they're talking me down from everything whether they mean to or not. If I make them think I've cured it, that will stop, and then since it's a placebo, I don't have to tread into unknown mental territory, which I'd honestly prefer at the moment.

Wow, I didn't realize how many people on Facepunch are on the autism spectrum. Interesting to see now.

When I was in the second grade I was diagnosed with Asperger's. I didn't pick up on social cues, had tantrums, took everything literally, got bullied quite often, and had very few friends and one very narrow interest (video games). I went to three different quacks until I found the right psychiatrist and therapist and got a lot of social skills training and therapy. Right now I don't think I even fit the diagnosis anymore, instead it seems like I just have social anxiety and depression. I get social cues, I understand metaphors, jokes, euphemisms, etc. and it's incredibly rare that I ever get angry and the worst I get is yelling in an argument. Video games are still a big part of my life but I have other interests too. I'm still awkward, shy, really self aware to a fault, and I guess intelligent, and I still have the same fears of never finding love or a good job because I'm too awkward or shy, but I've come leaps and bounds progress wise since grammar school. Honestly I think the diagnosis fucked with my perception of my self worth. I felt inferior to others, my teachers treated me like I was a basket case and kids bullied me for having "ass burgers". I felt like I was completely fucked forever and would never have friends, find love or have a career. I was suicidal a few times but thankfully I'm still here today. I think I might have grown out of the diagnosis, because I fit it exactly as a kid but not anymore. Maybe the meds helped shape my brain correctly, maybe my brain just needed some time to grow. Either way I'm lucky that I got through school and college with that diagnosis weighing me down, and it's easy to see why some autistic people wouldn't be able to go on living.

[QUOTE=Kyle902;49970843]Honestly from my experience a lot of people get misdiagnosed as being on the autism spectrum as well. Back in middle school they diagnosed me with aspergers syndrome based solely on the fact that I isolated myself and had problems with social interaction. The diagnosis got removed in high school after I got reevaluated. It seems to me that some doctors are far too quick to diagnose someone. [/QUOTE] Yeah that's pretty much why I don't care to have anyone look into my rather strong desire to avoid social interaction. I'm sure if I bounced around enough shrinks I'd find one that'd slap the label on my forehead. Seems if you don't conform to the social norm you have some sort of illness. There's no room for 'Oh that guy's just wired slightly differently, no big deal'. I'd much rather be known as the 'wierdo that lives out in the sticks and avoids social situations' than 'that wierdo with asperger's/HFA'. I can hold a job down fine, the few friends I do have I get along with great, I'm fine being a hermit.

No suprise that the stress eventuelly takes them off the edge.