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Are all autistics the same?No. Professionals consider autism a "spectrum disorder", which includes both midly autistic and severely autistic people. While autistics share common issues such as social difficulties, they have different personalities, hobbies and preferences like everyone else. I write from my own perspective, not necessarily that of all autistics. Are you cured of autism? How did you do it?It is misleading to use the term "cure". I have adapted well enough to life on Planet Earth so that autism is no longer an issue to me. My life was previously full of pain, frustration and loneliness. Upon developing self-consciousness, I decided that the world was bad, ugly, unfair and meaningless. Only after reading the Conversations with God series did I begin to accept the meaning, beauty and goodness of this world. I decided to connect with the people and the world around me. I confronted my fears and pain in order to get in touch with my emotions. I discovered a deeper level of individual will when I had to choose between emotional dilemmas. This allowed me to develop a more complete self-awareness, which I can use as a reference point to understand other people. I am now comfortable and confident in joining other people's social life. Do you like being autistic?Autism is a place of isolation, pain and suffering. Now that I have tasted the variety and richness of the human experience, I am not keen to experience it again. Yet, autism is also a gift because it gave me a deep appreciation of the human experience by depriving me of what other people took for granted. I also retained the creative, non-linear systems thinking I used to have, which helped a lot with my work including computer programming, advertising, planning, writing and inventing. How autistic were you?I was autistic enough to:
Do autistics have emotions?In my view, it is misleading to ask if autistics have emotions. Perhaps it is better to ask, "How do autistics experience emotions?" Much like having poor eyesight, I experienced emotions as if they are vague, dreamy and blurred. While I may be aware of very strong emotions, I had no idea what to do with it. I did not experience the emotional bonding between friends and family members. Without this, I could only build transactional relationships. Why are high functioning autistics unable to connect with non-autistics?There are many high-functioning autistics with above average intelligence, who also have great difficulty with social skills and decision making. I believe that the key lies with instincts: (1) the autistic may not be able to access his instincts or (2) his instincts are not working. Non-autistics rely on instincts to guide them in decision making, social interaction and using their physical body. Autistics have to rely on backup systems, such as using intellectual reasoning plus experience to emulate instincts. This imposes heavy mental strain on them and makes them feel that they are only pretending to be "normal". To avoid the social equivalent of solving complex calculus equations, autistics may prefer to avoid social contact even if they will remain lonely and unhappy. What do existing autism intervention programmes lack?Most of these programmes are very expensive. I believe that it is important to find cheaper alternatives that rely less on autism professionals and highly trained labor. I suspect that programmes that focus on correcting behavior may only foster an "artificial cure". In the therapy room the child may appear to behave normally and speak normally, but when he encounters a new, stressful situation... There are biomedical interventions as well as alternatives like Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). I am not sure how well they work as I have no experience with them. I can only share my experiences and hope that it will help others some day. Is the media helpful with autism awareness?Sometimes I see autism portrayed in a misleading manner in soap operas, movies and other scripted shows. I once saw so-called autistics making good eye contact, having normal body language and posture, without any nervous anxiety. I noticed a tendency to protray autistics as being low functioning but having savant abilities, which is not representative of the autistic population. I understand that TV shows are not meant for promoting autism awareness but more about drawing viewership. Perhaps it is easier to create a more accurate movie or documentary ourselves than to make them change their ways. Autistic Experience vs. PhDs studying autismMany people place much faith in certification and formal research. They would read a theory published by a renowned autism professor but ignore one created by an autistic. Someone once remarked, "Must one be blind to comprehend blindness, or be deaf to make hearing aids?" I am not keen to convince people who already have all the answers they need. But for those who are willing to listen, I will share my own understanding. What is your stand on autism politics?Just like other communities, the autism community is no strange to controversy, of which many autistics actively participate in. Among these, "curing autistics" is probably the #1 most debated topic because it seems like yet another attempt to denounce and force autistics to conform to social norms. Some autistics reacted to this by calling themselves "anti-cure" and the parents and professionals "pro-cure". Some autistics have decided to classify me as pro-cure and attacked me verbally. However, I believe that both parties have their valid points and see no purpose in contributing to this conflict. I choose to remain neutral and focus on sharing my experiences and insights with people who wish to listen to me. Do you mean that free speech is verbal abuse?Sometimes free speech is used as an excuse for people to abuse each other verbally - When I see that, I call it verbal abuse. Do you mean that autistics are not human?No. I meant that autistics are like tourists who arrive on Planet Earth. As "foreigners", they need help to learn the human body, emotions, perception, consciousness and culture. If they choose to make the effort, I believe that they can succeed and reap a rewarding and enriching experience. What do you think of the rights of autistics?I wrote this after some autistics complained about a new genetic test for autism. They say that this test will eliminate the autistic population because parents will abort autistic fetuses. Sometimes people demand rights without realizing just how much their demands will cost and what it means for those who pay the price. It is a very brave mother who is willing to have a child with any form of disability, including autism. Rearing this child will turn out to be a full-time job requiring much time, effort, money and love. It is a very brave child to choose to experience social rejection, sensory distortions and other effects that define autism as a disability. Will those who argue for rights pay the price too? Misc StuffFor those demanding equality of the sexes: The use of "he" in my work is both due to conventional English usage and that most autistics are male. I do not intend to exclude the female sex.
Last modified: Sun, 01 June 2008 Note: This may be only a minor modification (e.g. changing a spelling mistake) |
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