For me it is definitely a disability.I am gifted in some areas but really struggle in day to day living. Sensory issues,executive functions, socializing, finances,having to deal with a complicated modern world not that much fit for anyone let alone for neuro-diverse people. It's not easy to fit in. Many of us have become very good at masking but this only works for a while before cracks start appearing.We want to fit in and some seemingly manage to do so but for many of us no matter how many self help material we go through the stark reality is that we are not equipped for the way society is at the moment. Also wanting to state the obvious here; I do not feel disabled when on my own. I am me....

@avivastudios2311

Жыл бұрын

Oh, that's really sad...

The way Autism effects me, I would classify it as a disability, in some other areas it would be a very big ab8lity. I only got diagnosed with Autism this year (in 2019) after all three of my children had been diagnosed. School was a living hell for me as a child growing up in the 90s. As for my children, I am so happy they have a school where even the mainstream students don’t bully like I was once. It’s amazing to see how much society has come in 20 years.

@Alwayslearnimg

4 жыл бұрын

Villainous One totally get it. I’m thinking of seeking official diagnosis.

It’s a disability with some benefits. Usually I feel disabled and my benefits are not used often

@avivastudios2311

Жыл бұрын

What are the benefits?

I've never considered me disabled by being autistic but I do have other conditions that I considered being disabled.

The way it affects me it’s definitely a disability for me

I wish my answer was simple. It's full of Pro's and Con's. It's complicated.

I saw the video title pop up in a notification and I was like, "holy, that's a deep question". I love hearing your thoughts on these kind of topics!

Interesting, I agree that things like stimming especially should not bother anyone. Thanks for sharing.

I feel like my autism is a disability in the context that I am expected to function fully in a neuro-typical world. That is extremely exhausting . This is super nerdy but it is probably why I relate to all the shows about AI, like “HUMANS “ or “ Better Than Us”. Maybe we perceive reality at a different level ? But we still want to play!

I got excited when I saw you had gone back to Grey color. It’s very much awesome visual input for me

I feel I'm disabled not byJust autism but it is amplified by the traumatic events in my life or sometimes just gets worse with how noticeable my tics are

I don't have a problem in interviews... I've practiced interviews alot! But the jobs never last long because 'behaviour' becomes a problem. Once I have been in the job a few weeks or a few months I either leave, am asked to leave or end up in disaplinary procedures I can't get out of because its something I can't explain. I think overall it's like the question 'if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound' the difference that comes with autism because it has to be managed i think it is a disability. Autistic people don't stop being autistic when the sensory issues aren't triggered or overwhelmed in general.

Great video! That's the first I've heard of that idea, but I'd say I agree with a lot of what you said. In my opinion, I would consider autism a disability, but I'm just starting to come to terms with that idea. I was only diagnosed about two months ago, but even once it was official, I didn't want to think of myself as having a disability. I had a mock job interview maybe two weeks ago (as required by my college) where I was told I wasn't "personable" when I thought it'd gone well, and that was the first time I thought "you know what, maybe I do have a disability." I think some of the perception of that is due to what society expects of us, but more than that, it's the fact that my brain fundamentally cannot do what a neurotypical brain can do. For example, I can teach myself the behavior of looking someone in the eye, but my brain just doesn't process what it's supposed to see there-- I can't make my brain connect with someone that way, but that's the way a neurotypical brain works. And it's not all negative; I'm sure there are things my brain can do that a neurotypical brain can't. It's just different. Everyone goes through their own journey with these ideas, like you mentioned, and I wonder if some of this debate stems from a difficulty to look at oneself and accept that we're different and that there's nothing wrong with that, because that's hard to do, especially when you're first getting diagnosed or researching it. The idea that we're disabled by society itself almost sounds like it's trying to blame someone or to find another cause rather than reflect on what's inside. Hope that makes sense the way I said it. Also this is like super petty but does your name have 2 N's in it?? The little sign in the background says "Stephannie" but the channel name says "Stephanie"?? I am confused XD

@StephanieBethany

4 жыл бұрын

Haha my actual name has two n's, but the channel name only has one, yeah

I was just diagnosed with ASD and ADHD back in the spring. I'm also an older adult. I'm a couple decades older than you I think. My thoughts are that autistic people could do just fine on their own, if society would just leave us alone to do things the way we are capable of doing them. We can do what's required of us in life, we just need to go about it in a different way. As far as your question about autistic people being disabled, the answer seems to be maybe but maybe not, it depends on the level of autism I would think. In my case, I believe my disabilities come more from my ADHD. That's not to say that the autism doesn't cause problems too. I'm also new to your channel and I hope I learn a lot from you.

You've got interesting thoughts on that topic. I don't feel disabled. The most difficult time was until my twenties: to realize that I was different, not to know why, not to know how to behave. I had to figure out everything by myself: to decide where I could meet the unwritten rules in social interaction (once I had figured them out) and stay true to myself; to figure out how to reduce the sensitory sensitivity/overstimulation; how to reduce stimming. It worked out pretty well. Of course I am autistic and will remain autistic. I still don't always greet people, make (unintentially) harsh statements, don't recognize emotions, etc. So be it. And yes, I have been told that I'm not a human being, but I still don't feel disabled. On the contrary. Autism means also to have many advantages, other people don't have. I don't need to fit in. The price would be too high!

Thank you for making videos, they are helpful!

Thank you for your insightful and differentiated videos and showing me different points of view. Whether you experience autism as a disability or not probably also depends on where you are on the spectrum and how much outside help you need. Keep up the good work ☀️

I see where you are coming from. However, some things don't logically make sense to me. For instance, NT people can also get overwhelmed on their own without outside stimuli. Their own thoughts can be overwhelming without them meeting the criteria of autism or mental illness. NT's can still struggle without any disability labels. We are all suffer from being human. (this is not to invalidate the unique struggles of autistics--I'm autistic btw--but to just state that struggle without stimuli is possible outside of disability.) Also, the problem with the DSM criteria is while it IS meant to describe autism as a disability, it lacks nuance. I could just as easily make an oversimplified list of deficits NT's have in a similar manner. But because society is wired for NT's (for the most part), these traits may not be considered a disability. The social issues in the DSM criteria, I believe is due to a different communication style. Autistics generally communicate with each other much more easily than NT's. It looks different than NT communication but it still makes more sense to me. NT's calling autistics "socially deficient" is like an English speaker from the US calling a Japanese speaker from Japan socially deficient for not understanding their language or culture. I want to do away with the idea that there is something inherently wrong with us, because no matter how positive and accepting we are about it, I feel that the medical model allows a foothold for eugenics ideology.

I definitely appreciate your views, and keep at it with your ongoing project! And Merry Christmas!

@StephanieBethany

4 жыл бұрын

Merry Christmas!

I think if the societal factors wouldn't be there it wouldn't necessarily be not a disability anymore, but I think it would be a much lesser strong and difficult disability. What also takes part in that is that (at least that is my experience) most of the negative parts grow stronger trough abuse and trauma and the positives grow lesser, and most of the abuse nearly every autistic person faces comes trough not being as society wants us to be. I think part of why this discussion exist and people don't want it to be called an disability anymore is because there is still this very dark, humiliating, negative view of disability, that one is a burden and worthless and stuff, and that is so much tied with the word that people would rather go without it if they could?

Hi Stefannie. I think you're amazing and I agree with you 99%. The 1% difference is that you're a strong realust (haha realist) while I'm actually more of a dreamer (which I sometimes find a bit disturbing). But that's why I need your "energy" even more. I love your sense of humor and I hope you'll also appreciate mine. Mind you, I'm totally joking and actually mocking those "specialists" who desperetely need more training: I enjoy your so varied hairstyle. You look great in each, but if you start changing names, I'll be worried that you're faking it and it's actually a borderline personality disorder 😉😉😉 (happens to me all the time!).

I agree with you. However, fellow autistics receive so much discrimination where we are a forgotten minority.

I like to say that autism is a curse as well as a blessing, but above all else autism simply is. There are aspects that would be nice to not have, namely the executive dysfunction, but to get rid of that, would require getting rid of not just the positives as well, but also just my entire personality. Autism affects so many different aspects of life that a version of me without it would effectively be a complete stranger. So many events over the course of my life were influenced by my neurology that I can't even begin to predict how my life would've gone had I been neurotypical. All I can say is that I am autistic, and that means living with various challenges, but also that those challenges are all I've ever known and losing them would be as jarring as losing anything else.

I believe it is a disability in many regards as it's effects can have severe life consequences if not properly addressed.

I love your unbiased, balanced opinion on things. It's very refreshing and is just different from the overly strong opinions that can sometimes exist in the autism community

Yes and no, some things society does doesn't help but yes life in general has more challenges also. I would rather it be a disability then a condition and in lots of cases I feel like it's a disability, I don't expect society to change much to accommodate me, sure a bit more understanding never hurts. Take for example the work Christmas party, that's has lots of people and it's loud and not autism friendly but I don't expect and wouldn't want everyone to change how they have a good time just because of me, I just gave a coffee in a cafe with the few work mates I work with. Yes people would say that's internalised ableism but I have problems with the whole ableism thing also. Most people live with some sort of illness or health issue that makes live that bit harder.

Well, are people with only one leg disabled by society? See, I don't think we can credit society for a disability. Sure, there are accommodations society can make for handling things easier, But people who are different typically have a disability or a superpower. Is autism a superpower? Sure, in some contexts, But overall it seems that it's less than perfect. Yet all humans are less than perfect, so I think society Should try not to make it harder on anyone than it has to be. I hope you and yours had a Merry Christmas, Stephannie! :) When you finish the ABA video, I'll invite you to see A couple of vids that I've released relatively recently, As well as their descriptions and comments, naturally. However, they aren't very urgent in terms of priority, So it's fine if you don't get to them before 2020. I just want to make sure you can see them eventually, For I think you'll enjoy them, but I know that you're busy.

for me its not as much as its is for my friends brother. hes geting way better and its awesome but he could never really talk in a way most people understand. I could get ideas across with him and I knew HE understood. he graduated high chool and was apparently good at math. what im saying is that hes smart and can do things but it gets in the way of interacting with others and navigating the world

Autism is a way of looking at life. And God made us that way, so there would be more or of the box thinkers.

@flyingfalcon8999

4 жыл бұрын

Amen!

@garyfrancis5015

4 жыл бұрын

Out of box thinkers. But there is that joke. People with Aspergers like to think out side of the box. They'll say, what box?

@maikeruasmr8591

4 жыл бұрын

God doesn't give you disorders and conditions. He helps you overcome them.

Think of it this way: every neurotypical person has things they cannot do, or cannot stand. But because society is *mostly* set up for them, those things are less noticeable/affect them less. If society was not suited for them but *was* suited for autistic people, neurotypical would be considered disabled, and we would not be. This entire argument literally comes down to perspective and context. I'll use an example. Neurotypical people prefer to speak using their vocal cords, but for autistics this can be exhausting at best or impossible at worst. But what if we lived in a world in which autistic people were in the majority, and therefore vocalizing was stigmatized and looked down on? What if we lived in a world where vocalizing was seen as an inferior form of communication, and using devices, typing, texting, and sign language were the superior forms of communication? If that were the case, speaking with your vocal cords would be viewed as a disorder or a deficit. People would think, "Wow, why are they talking with their vocal cords? That's so weird and difficult. They must be stupid...they clearly don't understand normal communication. Wouldn't it be easier to just type?" What makes something a disability is the *environment* - and therefore, if our social environment is not accommodating to us, then of course it is disabling to us. Our social environment is currently accommodating to neurotypical people, but it has the potential to be accommodating to neurodivergent people as well. And if our social environment stopped being accommodating to neurotypical people, then they would start to be considered disabled. I like thinking about this in terms of animals; we talk about adaptations and environment in biology. If we compared fish to people, fish on land would be considered disabled, and all of the land animals - let's say cows - would be considered "normal." But put the cows and fish back in the water, and now the fish are considered "normal" and the cows are considered disabled. It's the same thing with neurotypicals and neurodivergent people. Make the environment accommodating, and the disability disappears. This is purely a matter of perspective.

@autolycuse2554

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly!

I think you missed the mark on this one. The social model of disability isn't claiming that there are no disabilities or hardships that aren't caused by our societies. Instead it states that society has a large effect on disabilities and hardships through how it views and accepts/rejects and accommodates or not those with disabilities. Take, for example, your needing glasses. That is a disability in the strict sense, but does wearing glasses make you socially disabled? By and large, no. People who need glasses are not viewed as broken, inferior, or morally suspect because of that need. Other disabilities do carry that stigma and that's what the social model is attempting to redress. ASD does contain difficulties. Being looked down on by society doesn't have to be one of those difficulties.

On this topic of the social model of disability. At first: I know why this was established and this was done with good intentions. Ofcourse. And while I personally do not like this idea (I will say why later), I know there are obviously some truths in it. For example, I can say that there were some medieval or ancient societies, were I would not have faced certain troubles, which I had to face in my life. And 2 years ago, I was in Tokio, and this is more comfortable for people with autism than most european cities. This has one reason. Some behaviors which are common for drivers in europe make traffic very noisy. (Especially involving the horn of the car.) Japanese people do not do these behaviors in the same way as europeans do, because they consider this to be impolite. Because of this, streets in tokio are far less noisy than streets in germany. Ofcourse, in a huge amount of cases, autism is not the terrible tragedy some people claim it to be. You are completely right in that regard. On topic of the cure debate. I think, sometimes, people just advocate for a cure because nothing else seems to help. Many people do not start the process of autism diagnosis just for curiosity. Often, there are other problems and they get the autism diagnosis while trying to solve these. (I was the best example. At first, I thought wanting to cure autism is ableist, intolerant etc. Then, I was sent to several psychotherapists and I always thought they completely ignored my problems and did not even listen to me. Then, I started wishing to have my autism get cured, because I imagined that this would be the only way to help me to improve my terrible situation. ) If people do not want that people wish to cure autism, then, these people need to be provided with solutions to the problems, which do not need to involve a cure for autism. The problem I have with this theory , is the issue of social constructionism. One problem is at first, social constructionism means that everything about the human condition can be changed and re arranged. This theory has a high potential for abuse, because in the end, if everything can be socially constructed, your free will can also be reconstructed. This implies, that the people in control can "brainwash" people into anything they want and even the consent of the people does not matter, because consent is also changeable. Then, this can lead to conspiratorial thinking. ( I have read some texts from disability advocates which really sounded like they would claim that there is an evil, secret conspiracy just to torture autistic persons.) And it can result in giving up responsibility for your own life by claiming "its not my fault that I was not able to achieve it. Its just the discrimination of the evil society." I personally definitely consider my autism a disability.

I think everyone has strengths and weaknesses, except that some weaknesses are more socially acceptable than others. We may be ‘disabled’ in that we struggle to keep up with a society that people like us did not create. But if we were part of a society that was created by us, then current neurotypical people would be perceived as the ‘disabled’ ones.

If there was a cure or procedure for your version of autism would you take advantage of it?

It's not a "either-or". I think a good analogy would be achondroplasia: it causes various somatic problems, some of which may even require surgical intervention, that are disableing regardless of the environment in which one lives. However, short stature is not inherently disableing: it becomes so in a world tailored for people of average hight, a construed world. The fact that some neurological architectures and some genetic makeups are inherently more failproof than others is a fact of nature: we cannot judge its laws by some standard external to its laws. This does not extend to human-created world: the laws by which our societies are governed and the material culture of those societies. We have established those laws and we have built this culture - it can be different. We can judge them against the needs of those who are shortchanged by the current shape of things.

i think it is very much a disability but in Hypothetical Situations some aspects of autism Could be an advantage like maybe when humans were still at the huntergathererstage like heightened senses could come in useful, whereas in the world we exist in right now it is an issue.

IDK if it is true for everyone on the spectrum, but i feel like a large amount of my 'disability' is because of having to interact with the NT society. Like daily life would be easier if our society was focused on ASD needs instead of NT needs. Although I guess that could be true with any group that is outside the norm of the dominant society? Yes I always did great in school, so it was just assumed that i should be able to do everything in life on my own and be successful, and i bought into that and for decades thought that the reason why I wasn't doing well in various aspects of my life was either just cause i didn't know enough, or was lazy or unmotivated or lacked willpower. Now knowing I am autistic has actually taken some of the burden off of me and i notice I have less full-blown depressive episodes since I found out i am autistic.

Two words, one term: autistic burnout. How you decipher that as a medical or social disability I'll leave as an exercise for all the readers. That burnout (which can have permanent even more disabling effects) can literally rewire your brain to where you lose capacity to function. There is no allistic form of burnout that can do that, and so completely. You can literally lose knowledge, skills from this, because of some combination of stress of various types over a period of time. Before I learned of that, I could reason around the thought "I'm a cat in a dog's world, it can be problematic to not be understood I am a proper cat instead of a malfunctioning dog." I can't currently think how autistic burnout could have a positive value to someone to make it an advantage: if anyone can, I'd find it interesting to read that explanation.

The disability that we experience is because of how society is designed. If society were designed in accordance to how we are designed, we would not experience the negative effects that we do.

I am a man with autism and sometimes it is hard to meet women I was wondering if you had any videos on romantic relationships.

@StephanieBethany

4 жыл бұрын

The best I have are the one I did asd-nt relationships and my video with my husband where we answer questions together.

@flyingfalcon8999

4 жыл бұрын

@@StephanieBethany There's your next video idea.

The word autistic describes the characteristics of an individual that is not disabled. The autistic part of the brain appears not only to be working, but working overtime to compensate for another part of the brain that usually handles things associated with social interaction. I want to call this part of the brain 'The herd' brain. It seems effect NTs by working to help them conform to each other. Sometimes that conformity is at the expense of not following there own reason because conformity sometimes overrides reason. That same part of the brain handles a broad array of social functions it seems. It is in that part of the brain where there appears to be a disability.

Hello Stephanie! I'm not autistic I'm dyspraxic but I think in society we are seen as having a disability because we are both neurodiverse. I know people with autism, dyspraxia and other neurological conditions, that wouldn't label themselves as disabled, unlike someone who is deaf, someone with cerebral palsy, or down syndrome. Maybe because it's harder to tell. Our disabilities are hidden.

Hi! What you are describing is the Social Model of Disability and it applies to all disabilities. It's not that autism isn't a disability, it's that it disables us because the world that we live in wasn't built for us or even with us in mind at all. Take sensory overload: why couldn't we make shirts without tags? why do offices have to be so bright? etc. And the same goes for other disabilities: needing a wheelchair is only a disability because the world wasn't built for people with wheelchairs and so on. The social model was created in opposition to the medical model that says the problem lies in the individual, and they should conform and adapt to what is normal, instead of expecting society to accommodate them. I don't think we should simply accept the way the world is and try to fit ourselves in it, I think we should fight for a better world and that necessitates we imagine what a better world would look like. I know it's been a couple of years since you made this video, but those are my thoughts on it.

@avivastudios2311

Жыл бұрын

What the hell are you saying? Needing a wheelchair is a disability on its own. Not being able to use your legs is a problem. Its a hindrance.

This is an insightful query. I think it all depends on whether or not you have the nonverbal variety or if you are just a person with autism who processes life differently than NTs. The first is an actual disability imho because it hinders you in daily living and keeps you from performing basic task that enable you to take care of yourself. The second is simply different and that would be society making life hard or impossible for people with autism.

Hi Steph I remember I said on another channel. If it was the other way round and 99% of the worlds population had autism. NT people all be masking autistic behaviours to fit in. There be Nero typicial yes that would easier. People with autism do the makes the world seem simpler. It's us (non autistic) that confuse and over complicate everything.

🙏❤🙏

I did a podcast episode about this--very important discussion. Can I interview you? It's called NeuroMarvelous and is very new.

@StephanieBethany

4 жыл бұрын

Hey! Sorry I just saw this comment (my notifications have been really messed up recently) Feel free to email me at stephanie_bethany@yahoo.com more details!

One of the first descriptions of autism defined it as "an extreme variant of male intelligence." The minority of female autists are likely the same types that have been referred to as "tomboys" or being "just like one of the guys". They are probably also not as stigmatized & are more accepted, merely as a result of being female & tend to be encouraged to simply be themselves, whereas the males end up getting put down more for being too different & "individualized", unless they find a way to massively monetize their talents.

great youtube!

I have High Functioning Autism but I’ve found that having a relationship with Jesus I can get through everyday. It’s tuff sometimes but I am also married to a wonderful woman who loves me for me and supports me and accepts me. It’s taken 20 years to find the right woman but they are out there. I love hearing from others just like us.

Autism is not a disability. It is a cognative ability. If you can manage, then you're not dis-ordered. Why is it so hard for some people to get diagnosed? Because people are able to suffer in silence, hide their abuse, learn to fake an excuse, rationalize the inequity of their circumstances, believe the Truths of their failures. A person isn't a failure unless they beleive what they've been mandated to. If you are smart enough to understand your genetic inferiority, then you've been Darwin'd. Smart people are unwittingly prone to fail. Failure is a genetic psycho-social advantage to 4 example, the Auskenazi Jews. The paradigns of Eugenics thimking never died with Hitler. If can't cure Death then you can't outwit The House, who will always have the advantage. Entropy has the advantage over human evilution (sic). History repeats itself in a cquagmired confligration of inevitable stupid that constantly needs to be obeduenced with every generation, over and over and under and infinity lasts longer than a KZread channel. Don't think too hard; you'll end up being intelligent like me. Midus got what Midus wished. You can eat gold. And cyanide. It's what choose that fates your inevitabletude. Don't think too much. A disabilty is mot what a person has or is. People are forced to be diabled. A classic example: completely blind people can live almost normal lives if they were not trained to be disabled. The classic example is the totally blind to ride bicycles in public without supervision. Blind children who are HELPED! to be dependent on white canes and social workers, personal support workers and all the other fields where the able get to have authority over the disabled; the ablist economy that attracts sexual predators, psycholigical sadists (psychuatriats are over-reptd in the prison eco-system 4 example). I'm not dissing; just informing. I wont spoon feed; that aint teaching, it's preeching. Learn how blind people don't need your help, and r better off without Charity. I am against charity, and as a military veterin, I know what giving your life for some abstract notion as a country, or nation, or civilization.... I never beleive what I'm taught; I beleive what I learn.