Fucking idiots abound. Autism rant time.
- Autism exists.
- Autism isn't caused by the flu, or caused by childhood vaccinations. I can't prove it, but I'm 99% convinced it's genetic - and your genes are set at the moment you're conceived.
- Autism isn't caused by lazy parents. Parents who don't understand the different requirements of an autistic child and aren't willing to put in the work can delay their development, however.
- Autism isn't this horrible terrible disease that turns your kid into some kind of "retarded monster" and should be cured at all costs.
I was diagnosed with autism when I was a kid. I was hyperactive, antisocial, uncommunicative, obsessive over things, completely ignorant in school towards subjects I didn't care about. I'd flip out if people touched me. Of all the typical symptoms of childhood autism, you could check a box next to every one of them. As time went on I was "re-diagnosed" with high functioning autism, ADD/ADHD, aspergers and other things, but I don't really care what I've got anymore - pinpointing where a person lies on the autistic spectrum is a highly subjective science, and at the end of the day it's just a descriptive word, not a specific diagnosis that can put me on a better path in life or anything.
Ultimately I turned out fine. I had smart parents who realized what was going on, let me do what I wanted (within reason) and guided me in good directions. I became an engineer, a career where having the ability to think visually and work with a lot of information at once makes me better at my job. And somehow I found a woman that puts up with it - it probably helps that she has an autistic nephew and knows some of the challenges involved in living with someone like me, taking me out in public etc. I'm still a complete social dumbass, 90% of my social contact with others is behind a keyboard. But overall I'm content.
If I had different parents, I have no clue where I'd be - probably working dead end jobs and getting fired for sperging out.
It fucking pisses me off when I encounter autistic children whose parents think they're some sort of hyperactive hell spawn, and do little else other than yell at them when they're doing something they shouldn't be. Most of the effort their parents spend on the subject is reading up on the latest suspected "autism cure", and they feel victimized by the situation they're in - meanwhile the kid's pretty much bored to death, feeling alone/rejected and not going anywhere in their life. And I fear where that kid will ultimately end up.
Anyway I've got relatives with autism, I've worked with a number of autistic children, and I'm fairly well read on the subject. Feel free to ask any questions.
