Hello,

I am autistic, and I am always a bit divided about this kind of attention. Because although there are definitely things that you could say we suffer from, the biggest issue is generally a lack of being accepted for who and what we are. That is also the reason why DSM is planning to completely get it out of the book in order to consider Neurodiversity, the bigger picture of Autism, as one of the many ways we simply are different as people, just like LGBT.

Of course that doesn't mean we don't have a lot to fight for. It also doesn't mean you cannot do anything to help or deal with autism. But it does mean that it's not really an illness, and the word pathology you use also kinda irks me. I feel I am completely fine as I am. Not all people with autism may feel the same way, but generally it is seen that many forms of therapy are focused on fitting in the way the world wants it, and while they may accomplish the desired behavior they also result in a lot of stress e.g. about not being the way the world wants them to be.

I would always recommend getting the POV of one of us involved when speaking about autism. A world where only parents of people with autism have a say is a terrible world to live in.

Thanks for having the patience to read my response!

Best regards,

Joop Kiefte