Autism: Why It No Longer Makes Sense to Consider The Condition A Disability

(Originally posted for The Voice of Heard on January 9, 2012)

Is autism really a mental disability? That is a question that I have occasionally asked myself ever since I wrote my entries on the myths of autism and my review of the book Autism’s False Prophets. It is true that there are many forms of autism out there ranging from mild ones that cause some people born with it to have difficulty in social environments to much more severe cases in which severely autistic people cannot talk at all. The truth is the word “disability” is generally defined as an illness, injury, or physical handicap that restricts/limits one or more functions in people affected by it, leaving them in a disadvantage. To apply that term to people with broken or missing limbs and the elderly is one thing. But applying it to one of the most complex mental conditions in the world is an entirely different matter. And when it comes with defining autism as a disability, most people seem to see it as a defection or, as some advocacy groups like Autism Speaks seem to portray it, a disease which devastates children and calls for a cure. While autism does limit social communication to various degrees, it should be noted that this disadvantage is made up for by abilities that sometimes surpass most normal people, including but not limited to writing, math, mechanics, and computer technology. Sometimes, some autistic people gained public attention via their talents. Temple Grandin, for instance, used her Ph. D. in animal science and her unique perspective on animals to promote humane treatment of animals. John Elder Robinson attracted the public with his ability to “visualize” machines in order to make them, take them apart, put them together, and repair them. Yet the publicized talents of autistic people like Grandin and Robinson did not end the debate of what autism generally is as a condition. Even though such people sometimes serve as role models for some autistic people, their experiences with autism do not add any new information about autism in general. What I mean by that is that they fail to answer the following questions: how can autistic people get the best quality education possible? How will the social injustices they experience, such as bullying and discrimination, be addressed? How can they find employment in society, make a living for themselves, and move upwards? What can be done to help autistic people have happy, healthy, and independent lives they can call their own?

The conventional portrayals of autistic people in the media, mainly in movies such as Rain Man, as either superhuman savants or emotionally unstable loners, do not help matters in the issue either. Armed with the Internet, some autistic people are not only speaking out against these media portrayals as well as the labeling of autism itself as a disease to be cure; they are expressing how they are just fed up with the conventional wisdom and popular beliefs of autism. The autistic YouTube user known as aspie182 is just one example. Ari Ne’eman, the first autistic presidential appointee who heads the National Council on Disability (NCD), and Amanda Baggs, a nonverbal autistic woman who issued a political statement on autism with her YouTube video, “In My Language,” are also speaking out against the conventional wisdom of autism in general; both autistic individuals have received extensive coverage from Wired Magazine.

In my experience, autism makes me who I am and I don’t find any part of me to be defective despite my few character flaws. Having said that, I kind of regret putting the word ‘autism’ under the “Disability Issues” category of blog posts. If you have something to say on this matter and would like to contribute to the topic, you are free, as always, to do so in the comments section (as long as the comments are not just sayings like “thanks for posting” or “I like your blog,” are something constructive, and are not spam).

Original Comments

Ken
January 9th, 2012 at 8:33 pm 

I think it is good to examine these issues, but keep in mind that disability is defined not by arbitrary categories but based on functional capacities. People with autistic spectrum diagnosis who write on the internet are likely to be identified with Asperger’s Syndrome which is a whole other circumstance. People with moderate to severe autism are generally unable to support themselves or handle the tasks of daily living; they don’t have much in common with you.

• Timothy Heard

          January 9th, 2012 at 9:29 pm 

          You’re right. I should have mentioned the fact that the autism the people who write on the Internet have is likely to be Asperger’s Syndrome. I have also been aware of the fact that there are severely autistic people who cannot support themselves or even handle the basic tasks of daily living by themselves; they are truly disabled. I feel bad for not mentioning that as well now that I think about it. Since none of the autistic people I mentioned have much in common with me as you mentioned, I don’t have much in common with them, either. That makes individuals with autism even more unique because there is a wide spectrum of autism that affects them differently, for better or for worse. Perhaps next time I’ll do an entry on people who are severely autistic, though I don’t know if I even should.

Alesia
May 11th, 2012 at 3:23 am

I have a 28 month old daughter dx’d with motreade autism, global delays, non-verbal and will be dx’d with dyspraxia when she turns 3. She started mild SIB about 9 months ago and so far we do the chewy tube and vibrating toothbrush to redirect her. I have watched some of your videos since I first suspected autism and you have shown so much courage and strength. I think you are the most awesome mom and you are so beyond calm, Jamey is such a handsome young man.I truly thank you for sharing.VA:F [1.9.14_1148]please wait…VA:F [1.9.14_1148](from 0 votes)