propaganda and lies about the NHS

[odeon]

Quite a leap to claim that self dx is more reliable, though.

[The Member Formerly Known As Sophist]

In some ways it's getting harder to dx ASCs because as time goes on, the clinical and research communities are starting to realize just how BROAD the spectrum is and that it really isn't a discrete entity where one person is definitively autistic and the next person isn't. It's more like one end of a human bell curve, which is a continuum with no clear line of delineation between "is" and "isn't".

Nowadays when people starting debating what is and isn't particular to autism, what defines the conditions, I tend not to take part since behaviorally there's no all-or-nothing-at-all difference.

I do know I tend to get along better with people who are more towards the autistic side of the bell curve.

[Christopher McCandless]

Quite a leap to claim that self dx is more reliable, though.

I think at an older age it might be - I am usually pretty quick to tell if someone is on the spectrum. Mind I may not catch everyone, but I have never been wrong when I say yes. The reason being is I have 20 years of experience, I know most of the ways people try to hide it and their reasons for doing so.

[Phlexor]

2 Sessions and $500AUD later and I had a DX.

And that was only 5 years ago.

Tell me again how all your paranoia is true?

If you think you are so good at spotting people on the spectrum, then why don't you get your qualifications and open your own practice. You'd be rich by now with your 20 years experience. 

[Christopher McCandless]

Because I could make a lot more money by framing my diagnosis papers, renting a small office and then selling a cure for Autism. Very lucrative

Actually I would rather go into academia and do something useful - could look at technological aids research, which no one has bothered to do whilst they are all busy looking at curing us. As for paranoid - I prefer to be called a realist.

[TheoK]

Quite a leap to claim that self dx is more reliable, though.

If I put it like this: The Cuckoo's Nest and the Millennium Trilogy are fictions, but what happens in them is reality, except that thing with Russian agents in the latter.

[Phlexor]

You both are living in a fantasy world of your own. I just hope it's one that makes you happy, unless you like being miserable.

[TheoK]

AS exists alright, but at the same time 90% of "psychiatry" is a fraud and a ruler technique.

[Christopher McCandless]

You both are living in a fantasy world of your own. I just hope it's one that makes you happy, unless you like being miserable.

Why don't you pick up a psychology journal and see how rigorous it is. Then look at the studies and compare to what they declare to be scientific fact. It is an absolute joke really - although there are some good studies, there are more awful ones.

[Phlexor]

But self DX and amateur DX are worse. I think it only hurts our cause and/or public image.

[Christopher McCandless]

But self DX and amateur DX are worse. I think it only hurts our cause and/or public image.

Not at all - the problem at the minute is that nearly all decisions on Autism et al (and hence ourselves) are being made by relatives of those on the spectrum and the psychiatric "profession", along with the odd crank here and there.

However I don't suggest we offer to test each other, that would be brazen. Instead we set up an organisation which fights for causes which happen to benefit us, whilst deliberately recruiting those likely to be on the spectrum (obviously not making it explicit what we are doing, merely setting up the criteria and promotional material in a manner which nets us those people).

[TheoK]

But self DX and amateur DX are worse. I think it only hurts our cause and/or public image.

Not at all - the problem at the minute is that nearly all decisions on Autism et al (and hence ourselves) are being made by relatives of those on the spectrum and the psychiatric "profession", along with the odd crank here and there.

However I don't suggest we offer to test each other, that would be brazen. Instead we set up an organisation which fights for causes which happen to benefit us, whilst deliberately recruiting those likely to be on the spectrum (obviously not making it explicit what we are doing, merely setting up the criteria and promotional material in a manner which nets us those people).

Totally agree. Blacks, Jews, gay people, etc have their own organisations for many things, so we should have it as well.  

[Phlexor]

Isn't there already ASAN? I know over here we have our own chapter, ASAN_AU.

Although in those groups, you always get the crackpots of like that hang out at WP etc.

[Adam]

there are plenty of aspie groups and organisations

and i agree about relatives of people with ASDs having too much of an impact. whenever I read about AS or autism in the media, it's always parents of autistic kids, about autistic kids, about how many kids get autistm etc. what do they think autistic kids grow up to be?

also a lot of parents of AS kids seem to come up with a load of crap a lot of the time imo

obviously kids are important, i'm not disputing that. but it would make more sense to listen to people who actually have AS than to parents who have some weird ideas about their kids

[Christopher McCandless]

Isn't there already ASAN? I know over here we have our own chapter, ASAN_AU.

Although in those groups, you always get the crackpots of like that hang out at WP etc.

Yeah, they are busy running around warning of the non-existent danger of a cure for Autism. As for having a useful impact on our lives though, they have done nothing at all.