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What Is Autism To The Layman

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https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326841

 I have little direct knowledge of this subject but it does interest me.

There is a current tragic case in The Star of an autistic lad who was basically rescued from his mother and stepfather having been locked up in disgusting conditions.

It would seem that at one end of the spectrum there are sad cases of those unable to live an independent life,whilst others function apparently normally in society but are then diagnosed later in life as autistic .

I am sure that many people are never formally diagnosed at all but differences from the so called norm are accepted as just being of a particular personality.

The above article lists a whole host of signs of autism and I would think that many could pick one or two traits that they recognise in themselves.

It must be beneficial to recognise autism in others but  I am not at all sure that I would be able to unless there was overtly odd behaviour.

 

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My own limited experiences. My mates have an autistic son who I have known from him being a baby to a teenager. They struggled with him as a child but were fortunate to get an early diagnosis so could understand his needs. In his case certain routines and foods. He had an unusual aptitude for numbers from a very early age. He’s doing fine now and in a steady relationship. Another mate who is a skilled smith and hand forger had an autistic lad working with him for a while via youth services. The lad took a real shine to the job. So much so that he went for an interview with a well known Sheffield firm. They let him have a go at all their manufacturing processes and promptly gave him a job on the spot. Six months later he had his own set of keys to the firm. So from my experience I would say that autistic people do have their idiosyncrasies but are still capable of being productive given a bit of understanding and help to find their niche. I’m not claiming to be an expert on the subject obviously but that’s my experience for what it’s worth.

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Autism is a 'Spectrum' disorder, which means it can be anything from very mild to very severe.

It's also different from one person to the next, so there are nearly as many different types of autism as there are people suffering from it which makes it difficult to assess, diagnose and treat. It's also an umbrella term for a number of conditions which affect people who have it, like Aspergers, which  is a form of Autism.

 

It's believed to be an illness where the brain is wired differently from the norm, but as with all things neurological, not a lot is actually known about it or what causes it, but it can cause difficulties with all sorts of things like ability, behaviour, speech and personality. It is usually present from birth, and some children may grow out of it, or find ways to cope with it like masking it, but then struggle instead with excessive anxiety. 

 

High functioning autistic people may be exceptionally gifted in a certain area, but unable to function adequately in any other area. For instance they may not be able to understand normal rules of behaviour which we all take for granted, or have strange obsessions, focussing exclusively on one thing to the detriment of everything else. They might struggle with relationships, being unable to judge the tone of social interactions, or struggle with excessive anxiety that inhibits them from functioning.  

 

Only about 30% of people diagnosed with autism are in employment for a variety of reasons. A lot depends on the way the disablity affects them, and how well they can cope with it. You are right to assume that autistic people need understanding and a certain amount of leeway in their behaviour, which is why diagnosis (especially from an early age) is so important.

Unfortunately those who aren't able to get a diagnosis or help, are often written off as 'weird' difficult, incompetent or troublesome which makes them unemployable.

 

However if they are lucky enough to find a particular square hole for their particular square peg they can do very well. Some well known people are known to have some degree of autism or Aspergers, including Albert Einstein, Elon Musk, and Susan Boyle.

And perhaps the best example is Sheldon, in 'The big bang theory' who is written as a high functioning Aspergers character.  

 

Edited by Anna B

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While Anna B's description is to be commended overall it is out of date and does need tweaking.

The comment that "... some children may grow out of it..." is wrong and dangerous and latched onto by quacks who offer cures and remedies.

The misdiagnosis  of Autism has led to instances of apparent of "cure" for this permanent condition.

 

The public perception that Autism is associated with 'normal' or 'clever' people with odd behaviour is wrong.

The public does not see the majority of Autistic people who have complex needs, who are stuck at home, in homes or bused around from one inadequate care facility to another. 

 

A minority will develop improving social skills, coping mechanisms and learning abilities but will be often significantly delayed.

Having savant skills is very, very rare.

'Trains spotting' (my lazy term) abilities are a symptom, not a skill and can be problematic.

 

The vast majority of Autistic people have other learning or physical disabilities which leads to education and work problems.

Special schools or units are not always the best place for Autistic children to learn social skills through observation and parents should accept that academic learning can wait until their child goes to College and even then progress will be delayed. 

Mainstream schools can be reluctant to accept Autistic children for a variety of reasons and it is often the "pushiness" of parents that results in the best placement and support for their Autistic child.

 

With apologies to Autistic people for not understanding and to parents and carers with different experiences.

With thanks to all those people who in their day to day activities have gone out of their way to do something small or big.

To the woefully underpaid and overworked support workers-thanks-the difference you make is lifelong. 

 

 

Edited by Annie Bynnol

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The most high profile and open conversation about Autism lately was from Paddy & Christine McGuinness  https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/proginfo/2021/48/paddy-and-christine-mcguinness-our-family-and-autism

Some people get diagnosed but many do not and although they do not carry the diagnosis they are still on the spectrum.

The main tell tale sign is global development delay which, as said, leads to other complications later in life, like education and developing relationships with people.

I have a few traits which I can relate to and my wife is very similar so it works for us.

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5 hours ago, Annie Bynnol said:

While Anna B's description is to be commended overall it is out of date and does need tweaking.

The comment that "... some children may grow out of it..." is wrong and dangerous and latched onto by quacks who offer cures and remedies.

The misdiagnosis  of Autism has led to instances of apparent of "cure" for this permanent condition.

 

The public perception that Autism is associated with 'normal' or 'clever' people with odd behaviour is wrong.

The public does not see the majority of Autistic people who have complex needs, who are stuck at home, in homes or bused around from one inadequate care facility to another. 

 

A minority will develop improving social skills, coping mechanisms and learning abilities but will be often significantly delayed.

Having savant skills is very, very rare.

'Trains spotting' (my lazy term) abilities are a symptom, not a skill and can be problematic.

 

The vast majority of Autistic people have other learning or physical disabilities which leads to education and work problems.

Special schools or units are not always the best place for Autistic children to learn social skills through observation and parents should accept that academic learning can wait until their child goes to College and even then progress will be delayed. 

Mainstream schools can be reluctant to accept Autistic children for a variety of reasons and it is often the "pushiness" of parents that results in the best placement and support for their Autistic child.

 

With apologies to Autistic people for not understanding and to parents and carers with different experiences.

With thanks to all those people who in their day to day activities have gone out of their way to do something small or big.

To the woefully underpaid and overworked support workers-thanks-the difference you make is lifelong. 

 

 

Thankyou Annie, I fully agree with all that. 

I think it's because we are dealing with a very complex spectrum disorder that is difficult to describe briefly and adequately.

You make a very good point that the more severe cases are  often not seen publicly.

 

Can I also add that I know from experience that the provision for people with complex neurological needs is very  poor in this country, in spite of it being extremely expensive, and therefore needs a thorough review.

 

Edited by Anna B

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7 hours ago, Annie Bynnol said:

Mainstream schools can be reluctant to accept Autistic children for a variety of reasons and it is often the "pushiness" of parents that results in the best placement and support for their Autistic child.

Mainstream schools tend not to want any child that does not perform well and get good grades. What tends to happen more these days is co-operation between mainstream schools and SEN schools and a school within a school set up.

Special needs children in separate classrooms but in the same grounds as the mainstream school.

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1 hour ago, El Cid said:

Mainstream schools tend not to want any child that does not perform well and get good grades. What tends to happen more these days is co-operation between mainstream schools and SEN schools and a school within a school set up.

Special needs children in separate classrooms but in the same grounds as the mainstream school.

In my experience support for many SEN children is mixed, but often poor.

These children often need a lot of 1 to 1 support which is simply not available. They may have beautifully written  individual care plans, but they are impossible to implement in a busy classroom. 

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14 minutes ago, Anna B said:

In my experience support for many SEN children is mixed, but often poor.

These children often need a lot of 1 to 1 support which is simply not available. They may have beautifully written  individual care plans, but they are impossible to implement in a busy classroom. 

That is not what I was saying. The children with more special needs do have separate classrooms and are supported by the local SEN school, but they are both in the same school grounds.

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Your various comments are appreciated and illuminating.

I am not sure when the various conditions were recognised but in recent years autism,ADD ,ADHD seem to be commonly used and perhaps are simplistic terms for very complex issues.

As mentioned above people are “wired” differently,but this could be applied to the multiplicity of character traits present in the population.

We may have many things in common ,but also characteristics that set us apart.

Casting my mind back many years to my junior school days,and long before such terms were in any common usage,I can think of children who were different in some essential respects.

Badly behaved or not very bright pretty much covered the ground.I never heard of dyslexia and I doubt that my teachers had back in  The 50s.

Whereas a few years ago my wife became a classroom assistant,which essentially meant that she tried to help the kids described as autistic or who were troublesome or had learning difficulties.She had no formal training for such a role,but just tried to help them along.

What seems to be the case is that now certain traits can be identified,but there is no”treatment” or “cure”.

So I can see why those who have more knowledge than me comment on the importance of specialised people to help those who need it as well as the families who have the constant stress and worry that may be involved.

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4 hours ago, El Cid said:

That is not what I was saying. The children with more special needs do have separate classrooms and are supported by the local SEN school, but they are both in the same school grounds.

There was a move back in the 80's I think, to close down the special schools and integrate the childreninto mainstream, with support. A very laudable ambition that looks terribly good on paper, but turned out to be disastrous as the all- important 'support' simply wasn't there or wasn't good enough. It requires highly trained specialist teachers to do the job properly, but they are expensive and in short supply, so it simply doesn't happen.

As far as I know it's been like that ever since in most schools. 

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My job involved visiting special schools and units within schools, the most severely autistic (little to no communication) had staff working pretty much 1-1 with them.

 

I have a friend who has struggled all their life with social things such as the demands of a job, I recommended they ought to get checked out through their doctor when they were in their 50s, they were diagnosed autistic and it has made life so much easier for them. I'm sure I have other friends who well on the spectrum.

 

There's also the problem of over diagnosis, a Psychologist once told me I must be autistic because I like using computers! I said I'd taken the Autism-Spectrum Quotient Test and scored very low, and they said I must have done it wrong! I scored 7 ten years ago and the same just now.

 

https://psychology-tools.com/test/autism-spectrum-quotient

Edited by Norbert
Added my AQ score

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