Do you think autism and other neurological illnesses basically mean "game over"?

[Drkinferno72]

I'd say being rich is more useful.

That also falls under be attractive

 

[PipTheAlchemist]

Autists can at least get more gibs, while also at the same time not technically being mentally retarded

 

[H3LLH4MM3R666]

Couple of questions, were you diagnosed as being on the spectrum by an in-person doctor? And are you still in school now?

Autism as a disability wildly fluctuates. For many people it amounts to a personality quirk, for others it's profoundly crippling to the point where they're non-verbal an unable to independently function. Most autists have an IQ well below average, the "autistic savant" is a rare stereotype. And even then, having a high IQ doesn't denote success in life. There's plenty of high IQ people that are homeless, unemployed, or completely dysfunctional substance abusers

From the sounds of it OP, you describe yourself as thriving up until high school when your grades started to sink. No public meltdowns or tantrums due to hyper-sensitivity? How exactly does autism effect you?

For most people, Yes. Not really because of the diagnosis itself, but rather the mindset that comes with it. I know a lot of people who has received the diagnosis as an adult and almost instantly everything goes to shit. Not because of them being autistic but because they now have an excuse for every single fault. So they stop trying to better themselves or stop doing things that they don't like.

Honestly I think that a lot of them would be better off without the diagnosis. They were much better off when they actually had to face consequences for their actions, but after receiving their diagnosis they're getting away scott free.

Identity should never be a shield for responsibility, and a diagnoses alone is useless without a plan for treatment. Like the OP, my grades were practically perfect until I hit a wall in high school. The real reason was because I never bothered learning actual study skills, I could just skim the material and memorize whatever was asked of me. But that became less feasible as the coursework got harder. My parents took me to a doctor when one summer I got a slightly too-short haircut that I wrongly assumed my friend would hate and had a meltdown, sat in my closet for a week, and refused to leave the house for the next month. At the time, these seemed like perfectly rational reactions because I was told I was smart. I was diagnosed with aspergers at the age of 14.

Anyway, I refused to accept anything was wrong with me. I could BS my way into a full-scholarship at a top engineering school, flunked out within a year, then flunked out of two more schools before eventually getting a CS degree. I was only able to secure a career for myself when I accepted I had a disability that prevented me from socializing past the age of 14, so in college I sought out therapy, two years of medication and tons of reading on social IQ. So, I made it, people now mistake me for a normie.

To the OP, I can't make specific recommendations because I don't know what your needs are. Unless you're going to a four-year college then your high school grades are irrelevant. But if you can pass IT certification courses as a teen (so did I) then you're more than capable of holding most jobs. But I would suggest getting an entry-level job first, it's a pretty important part of personal development even if it's miserable. It can help you figure out what you like and dislike as a career, if working in a kitchen is miserable then it will make a desk job all the more appealing. Food work is the most obvious choice, which is why the pay is the lowest and the labor is intensive. There's less obvious jobs you can waltz into, like night shift watchman, security guard, or hotel clerk.

 

[NoonmanR]

No, but it becomes exponentially harder, and if you either don't figure it out in time or have the proper support to figure it out, you'll probably never make it.

 

[NevskyProspekt]

It depends on the type of autism, and also what they're fixated on.

To quote another disability sufferer that turned it into a career:

Everybody stutters one way or the other,
So check out my message to you.
As a matter of fact, I don't let nothing hold you back.,
If the Scatman can do it, then so can you.
- I'm the Scatman.

Man if I could give you a winner rating I would. R.I.P Scatman John, you genius.

 

[Chaos Theorist]

@Cupronickel You should try and find a support group or a counsellor specialising in autism to try and work through your problems. I wish you the best of luck.

​

 

[Anasûrimbor Kellhus]

I think it depends on the severity of the autism. Even high functioning autism can be on a spectrum. Some are entirely insufferable because they don't take any time to read the room or consider other's feelings, but this can be mitigated if they are a savant in something that can make them money as a lot of places will suffer obnoxiousness to an extent if you can bring the magic in.

Then there's people like myself I guess where my touch of the spergery just makes me seem like I'm a very quiet and reserved individual when in reality I'm usually keeping my mouth shut because either I don't know how to respond to small talk or because I can sometimes get too fixated on a topic in a conversation and don't want to sperg out and annoy someone. Funny enough I'm generally well liked by most people for this because I don't take it to the point where I'm cold or distant. Generally people just want to jabber at you about some thing or the other most of the time and feel like they're being heard.

I don't know what your 'tism is at but I would go ahead with that pizzaria job, or something else that can let you ease into the job market, get some practice in. There are a lot of jobs that are not intelligence based but simply need you to be structured and willing to put in the work.

 

[Picnic_Boy]

thank you fags so much. i apologize for coming off as a bit of an attention whore. like a few of you have been saying, i think it really is tied to a lack of motivation. believe it or not i do have some accomplishments (some IT cert I earned in high school, don't think it means anything but hey at least when i was 15 i could somewhat use microsoft access and write basic html lol) but those are overshadowed by the amount of things i am absolutely garbage at. i believe one of you mentioned getting a wagie-tier job? funny that you say that, i'm actually considering working at a pizza restaurant or something just so i can afford a new thinkpad. i really do just fucking hate the fact that i'm stuck for life with a brain defect, but on the positive side i'm just intelligent enough to be able to use a computer. anyways try not to completely make this dumb ass thread about me, be sure to talk about spergs in general. sorry if i type like a discord tranny i just do that sometimes.

By the way you speak, I don't think autism should hold you back. You're very self-aware and seem more than capable of not drifting into pointless tangents.

 

[Sweetpeaa]

I think the media tends to play down the severity of Autism. It may be in part so parents don't feel hopeless. As entirely stupid as it it, many parents think that their child will improve enough to join society and the workforce.

These people spends thousands of dollars on therapy that amounts to almost nothing approaching their expectations. Their child isn't going to be cured as nd they will never be normal.

 

[Aero the Alcoholic Bat]

No, it's not.

That's what make's Chris Chan's story especially tragic, for example. He COULD have been a somewhat functioning member of society, even if he was still somewhat exceptional or retarded. But he did not.

 

[H3LLH4MM3R666]

No, but it becomes exponentially harder, and if you either don't figure it out in time or have the proper support to figure it out, you'll probably never make it.

Not always, in some cases symptoms of autism dissipate with age in high-functioning people.

 

[thebananaonion]

depends how good their support network is early on in life.
Parents like chris chan set him up for failure early on by pretty much ignoring the autism. There are plenty of successful autistic people out there but we never hear about them because it was regulated and dealt with at a young age.

 

[Skookum Jim]

OP, I understand hitting that 9th grade wall, and the worry about the future that comes with it. The modern environment for those with Autism or Aspergers is fucking awful, i sympathize with that too. My advice is that the only way things can turn out chris-chan level bad for you is if you do absolutely nothing. Even if you work a service job until you die, you will have done infinitely better than chris-chan. maybe try finding something that really captures your interest and making a hobby out of it? I don't mean internet shit either (unless your a wizard who can code,) find something that brings you actual joy, and really dive into it. Everybody needs something outside of themselves that they truly give a fuck about, it really does help.

 

[Sweetpeaa]

Thinking Autistic people can ''make it'' on their own is just an example of inappropriately extended hyper-individualism. Yes, we know, society doesn't give a fuck about people but to suggest autistic people have a chance to survive our individualist society on their own is laughable.

I mean 90% of deaths for people with autism involve drowning. That's because Autistic people are naturally attracted to large bodies of water. Does that sound like the sort of people who can make it in the workforce? come on.

In terms of people like Chris Chan. He could have benefited from living in a group home for adults like himself. The problem is, these places are few and far between.

 

[Secret Asshole]

It isn't, but it is a lot harder since independence is restricted. For me, I had depression so severe it was akin to a coma. For five years. I stared at a wall, felt nothing, did nothing, and waited to die. My family was actually ready to put me in an inpatient crazy house.

Then, I don't know, it's hard to describe but I 'woke up' and started to try to put my life together. Maybe it was my family or my brain repairing itself, I don't know. Before that period I had it rough and was completely lost. I burned through 20-30k worth of savings on loans and other payments for those five years.

Let me tell you, waking up from that slumber and trying to reintegrate into society was like crawling through nails and glass. It was a whole lot of suffering and even more mistakes before I found my path. And I had to do it on my own. Learning re-socialization was incredibly difficult as I wasn't autistic but I hadn't interacted with pretty much anyone except my bed to sleep in five years. It was more social skill atrophy than autism. Even now I still view most social cues as negative and have a hard time accepting positive ones. And am extraordinarily suspicious of compliments. Comas like that do cause permanent damage.

My advice is that no matter how hard it is, no matter how painful, you find something that fits you. I would reccomend a grocery store job where you stock shelves, bag and do light manual labor. This is because you have union protection, it's not hard and generally pays ok if you have no real expenses. It allows you to grow your social skills slowly and moving around helps keep you focused rather than distracted. There's also less urgency than a pizza delivery job.

Alternatively, if you have a Costco near you, try to get a job there. They treat their employees like family and from everything I read they promote from within and pay higher than minimum wage. Plus 25 cents for bottled water and a really cheap lunch that's fucking amazing.

These are good jobs for those with social challenges because they don't force you into direct exposure to social situations and you can get used to things gradually.

I would not recommend throwing yourself into education right away, since there is a lot of complicated politics and socialization in academia with very little patience for those who don't get it.

Another thing is don't worry about what other people have. Don't get jealous or discouraged. You have your own challenges that others don't and will never understand without effort on their part, which is why finding a strong social support network is important. And not one that reinforces a victim mentality. You are a survivor, and the group should push each other to succeed. As long as you're not wallowing in despair forever, there's progress.


And there will be some days where you will wonder what the point is. You will fuck up and make mistakes. That's ok. The hardest part is learning to forgive yourself. And in the end, the struggle and suffering you endured will make you resilient and stronger than most people ever dream up.

The most important thing is not to fall into complete despair and lose all hope. There's no reason to, because you can do it. It will hurt, it will be awkward, it will be painful, but you will overcome deficits normal people never could. And that will give you a large amount of confidence. Not to mention you get to throw it in the face of people who never thought you'd amount anything which is such a wonderful fucking feeling.

 

[Otterly]

No, it’s not game over. The rules are a bit different and it’s hard mode but it isn’t the end. It can even be an advantage sometimes.
PL: from a family of autists and have Asperger’s. Never thought I’d get married, or have kids (which I really wanted) but I have amd there’s someone for everyone (really, just go look at the threads in here. If they can breed, you can.)
Hitting the academic wall like you say is common in people who are smart, and it’s to do with not dealing with failure well. Learning to deal with not being good at stuff has been extremely hard for me, and I’m still learning. My advice is to learn this as fast as you can. Don’t be out of doing stuff becasue you’ll fail or be shit at it. Fail, try again, fail better. There’s a slightly cheesy book by Matt syed called bounce that’s a short and easy read on this, but look up the idea of grit/resilience/failure tolerance and take it to heart.
Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Be open to trying and failing. I’m absolutely shit socially, I have other strengths. Work has been a slog, but I’m ok now. Family, never thought that would happen but it did.
Could I have done better ? Yeah. But then if I’d been richer, more connected and fabulously good looking I would have as well. And I’m not and I didn’t.
Answer honestly: do you not do stuff becasue you’re put off by failure ? ‘No point trying, I’ll be crap at it’ ? What holds you back, honestly?

 

[H3LLH4MM3R666]

Thinking Autistic people can ''make it'' on their own is just an example of inappropriately extended hyper-individualism. Yes, we know, society doesn't give a fuck about people but to suggest autistic people have a chance to survive our individualist society on their own is laughable.

I mean 90% of deaths for people with autism involve drowning. That's because Autistic people are naturally attracted to large bodies of water. Does that sound like the sort of people who can make it in the workforce? come on.

In terms of people like Chris Chan. He could have benefited from living in a group home for adults like himself. The problem is, these places are few and far between.

Where on earth did you get that statistic?

 

[Sweetpeaa]

Where on earth did you get that statistic?

 

[Darksy DePhil]

Even if you manage to pass off as normal just enough to be able to get a job and reach material success, Lack of social skills combined with missing the ability to understand and connect with normal people will make you feel alienated from the vast majority of them. And eventually, like most self aware autists, you will end up with the unshakeable feeling of being either a cold soulless meat calculator born to wageslave, some sort of psychopath with no human connection trying to fit in, or a lolcow weirdo waiting to be found out and laughed at.

 

[Roast Chicken]

I have two relatives who are pretty autistic; not to the point of being nonverbal and flailing but with good programming jobs; they have a mortgage and a cat. One is an aspie and is crazy good at math and engineering.

Whenever we see eachother we sperg about video games, anime and how the new Lightyear movie might actually be good (reviews don't seem too promising, though) despite being grown ass adults.

So no, being an autist doesn't automatically mean you're doomed.