How Autism Is Changing The World

[Da Blob]

An interesting article about Autism posted by David Brin on facebook.

...The signs of autism's reach are beginning to been seen virtually everywhere. People on the spectrum are driving the creation of alternative forms of expression, new businesses and institutions, and cutting-edge technologies. "And not only do they make these things comfortable for themselves," noted Silberman, "they're useful for all of us."

Silberman is right. A quick roster of known or suspected autistic artists who have made an impact in arts and culture includes such seminal figures as Stanley Kubrick, Andy Warhol, David Byrne, Brian Eno, Satoshi Tajiri (creator of Pokémon) and many others. Their contributions have become an indelible part of the zeitgeist.

They're also making an impact in tech media, or what Silberman refers to as the geek landscape. Geek entertainment sites such as Wired and BoingBoing "are built for neurotypicals, but serve the aesthetic of autistic people as well."

Indeed, it's hardly a secret to admit that autistic kids and adults are drawn to technology — science fiction in particular — and fascinatingly, it has almost always been that way. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, it was the fixation on rocket ships and flying to the Moon that convinced pediatricians that there was something deeply wrong with these kids — that their unworldly and impractical obsessions were signs of a deep psychological malaise.

"But fast forward to today and what do we find, but that we're actually doing it," noted Silberman....

http://io9.com/5928135/how-autism-i...utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

I believe it is relevant because many on the autistic spectrum seem to share our personality type.

Positive outlooks concerning ADD are also available if humans can ever shed the primitive perspective that "Being Different is Bad" re: Freud's Totem And Taboo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totem_and_taboo

 

[pjoa09]

I still think I am mildly autistic.

 

[Melkor]

Eh.

I don't think it's a new phenomena, I'm sure history is full of autistic individuals who influenced humanity without 'autism' ever being attached to them.

Also I'm not sure it's fair to chalk it down to 'autism'. I know plenty of autistic people who are happy to live their life in quiet solitude, dealing only with small ideas.

I have two autistic siblings and I was pronounced with autism at a young age, which was soon after changed to 'ADHD'.
If anything I think the modern approach to mental illness would be detrimental to creativity. I certainly found it so, bland and predictable hospital visits and medication, if anything it was adversity and abuse that taught me more about the world and myself!

 

[Thurlor]

A few years ago I read an article written by a researcher into Autism (Can't remember the name of the article or the author, sorry) in which it was postulated that all humans are slightly autistic. Specifically they were linking it with creativity. They thought it might prove to be the explanation for the 'Great Leap Forward'.

 

[PhoenixRising]

I have a good friend who has autism, he's one of the smartest, most mechanically skilled and hardest workers I've ever known. He has his own animation company, we're working together on several projects including a cartoon that teaches social skills to autistic kids. He leads support groups for children with learning disabilities. He's also a sci-fi author, college student and inventor (he invents innovative robotics). I don't know how he manages to get everything done.

 

[Cogwulf]

But the autistic and aspergers spectrum people have always been the ones changing the world. The only difference now is that we've started labelling these people, and we seem to be fixated on "curing" them rather than helping them do what they do best.

 

[ObliviousGenius]

Neurotypicals just don't know any better when it comes to the spectrum. That's one of the more frustrating aspects of Asperger's. It is what it is. It feels as if I have to make use of the benefits of the double-edged sword that is Asperger's to have that "label" accepted without judgment (somewhat). I don't want to call it pressure because it's not. Even though creativity is natural I don't always feel it's something that I can readily "use" on my own. Perhaps I'm just underestimating myself. The times I am in a creative mood usually yield something different and eccentric.

I don't think the label will ever come off and that's fine. The only thing that matters is what autistics contribute to society. It's always been a fact that autistics change the world. Autistics are the incognito workers in the shadows, having big impacts but never seen.

Autistics don't need recognition to still be effective.

 

[rowen]

Autism, like ADHD, seems to be a mental term that is thrown around far too often.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

Autism, like ADHD, seems to be a mental term that is thrown around far too often.

Yes. People call me Autistic quite often. :'(

 

[rowen]

Yes. People call me Autistic quite often. :'(

Maybe you should stop telling people to crawl back to their communal holes, and nobody would think that? Messing with you, mate.

 

[EnigmaticMan]

Hey, I'm going for a psychoanalysis to see if I have possible autism. Although I'm not sure I actually do have it.

 

[rattymat]

I find it really misleading to use the term autism to refer to very mildly autistic people. People are seriously ignoring how severe cases of autism which are actually debilitating to those individuals and are completely dependent upon someone to take care of them. Which is the opposite of innovating society.

 

[Hadoblado]

I find some of the trade-offs of high functioning autism extremely interesting, the strictly debilitating kind much less so. You will likely find a lot more discussion here about high functioning 'differences' than about the trials of the afflicted.

 

[Wasp]

But the autistic and aspergers spectrum people have always been the ones changing the world. [/QUOTE /]

*sigh* silly NT's aspies are the next step in human evolution. WE WILL RULE THE WORLD!!!