port443

joined 1 month ago
[–] port443@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

I am sorry if I gave the impression that I thought he definitely wasn't one, I personally just think that this is one of those things that can't be 100% certain anymore, even if it may be 99%. Edit: I'd like to not discuss this any further, if you think this isn't one of those things that can't be certain I hope we could just agree to disagree.

[–] port443@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 4 hours ago

That’s phrased in such a way that it seems you think that the only reason to use “on the spectrum” is to purposely leave out the word autism.

subjective opinion vs objective fact.

“my interpretation is the only interpretation” viewpoint

I disagree with those, but I don't want to discuss them further because I think it leads nowhere. I posted this for takes from other people, people who disagree could convince me and than I wouldn't have to be annoyed by it's usage anymore and if everyone would agree I could reasonably ask from others to not talk about the spectrum. In any case I would not want to react in a hostile way, even if it annoys and offends me.

[–] port443@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

On the spectrum is technically correct as long as it can be implied from an earlier specification that it is about the meant spectrum. And even if it is technically correct, having a good reason for continuing with simply the spectrum would... make sense. If people would realize that they try to leave out the terms autism and autistic for a wrong reason (and maybe they don't) that would be a success. It's not about choosing whether something is offensive to me or not, but whether it is, be it intended or not. I am aware that people don't usually use it to purposefully be offensive, and in that sense I can understand it - but that doesn't change that (depending on the unconscious reason) it is offensive anyway.

[–] port443@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

I am happy to have a non-xenophobic reason for understanding it's usage, but I disagree that it would be possible to not be xenophobic.

If you ask people, most of them will say they aren't, because they don't want to be, but in reality I think most of them are. If a black person is trying to break a lock, people will call the police, and if a white person is trying to break one they will be offered help. The most important thing is to be aware of it and minimize acting to it, not just by compensating for the xenophobia, but by making it impossible to act xenophobic in the first place (like with blind job application processes).

Saying it natural rather sounds as excuses for xenophobic people.

It's important that you bring this up and I hope that suggesting that xenophobia is natural to humans won't be perceived as an excuse for acting xenophobic to anyone.

[–] port443@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

either Asperger’s or autism

How I see it, there is no such thing as Asperger’s or autism; Asperger’s is a historical type of autism. In research ‘autism’ was sometimes used for specifically Kanner’s/‘classical autism’ so another term had to be used for the group of both when it became seen as one bigger spectrum: ASD. Hans Asperger himself used the term ‘autism’ as well however, referring to his patients, so ASD and autism are synonymous.

I agree with autism being considered a spectrum and with the ‘official’ name being ASD, but my post wasn’t about that. Rather, it was about people just talking about the spectrum and leaving the term ‘autism’ or ‘autistic’ completely out, which I think was pretty clear, but maybe it was not?

[–] port443@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

Another reason why I dislike it: there are other spectrum disorders. It seems weird to consider autism the spectrum only because it's the most widely known and it could also could cause confusion. This disadvantage also means that (if considered) there has to be more perceived advantage from other factors (like wanting to forcibly emphasize difference), making it more insulting.

 

To me, it feels like it is some sort of desperate attempt to not say 'autistic'/'autism', but I don't fully understand why. Most people I've seen using 'on the spectrum' are either actively questioning whether they or someone they are close with are autistic, or think it but don't care all that much. Personally, I find referring to autism as 'the spectrum' a bit offensive, as the only reason I can find to use the term is to forcibly emphasize that whoever is referred to (hereafter: 'me', although sometimes I am a spectator) is not like other (higher needs, lower perceived status) autistics. They suggest that they think badly of autism this way, and ungroup me from that group so it's not insulting (but it is, to the entire group and thus to me, who is, could be argued, also insulted directly). Although I know that basically everyone perceives people unalike themselves as 'worse' (human nature sadly) and it isn't on purpose, it is still very insulting to me. I already knew I was a joke to most people, so please don't make fun of me for things I have trouble with. Am I wrong about the reason people use the term? Do you agree or disagree and most importantly: why?

 

~7 minute scene from a Survivor episode. One of the contestants, Eva Erickson, gets a meltdown and tells the public about her having autism afterwards.

 

So I only recently heard that it is an actual autism thing for the comfort zone for stimulation levels to be pretty small in general for autistic people, causing both overstimulation and understimulation to easily occur. I had noticed this previously in myself, but I just thought something like: "I guess I maybe have ADHD as well then?". The main questions (though responses not answering these are also appreciated): do you also experience feeling both simultaneously at times? Or that the comfort zone has a negative size in general?

 

I have not been professionally diagnosed as autistic, though I am awaiting the diagnostic process. I am wondering a bit about (what I think are) my autistic meltdowns, as they are almost the same as (what I think are) my panic attacks. People often call them panic attacks as well, also with no panic involved. In both cases I am shaking, hyperventilating, sweating more and some other things. As far as I remember my latest panic attack, I don't think I was really craving having as few stimuli as possible and wasn't crying either (both usually being the case with the autistic meltdowns).

So: how are your meltdowns like? How are they different from panic attacks for you?