Friday, July 31, 2015
Autism, Neurodiversity, and Autistic Self-Advocates
This is an interview by Shannon Penrod of Autism Live, an interactive Web show, with Jonathan Mitchell, a blogger at Autism's Gadfly. Mitchell, who is himself autistic, does not share the popular belief among many autistic self-advocates in the neurodiversity movement. Neurodiversity is the belief that autism is a normal variation of human behavior and should be accepted as a social category on a par with gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability status.
As Mitchell explains in this interview, he believes that his autism is a real disability and has greatly affected his ability to work and maintain social relationships. He has been attacked, at times, by other self-advocates who accuse him of being motivated by self-hatred and in betraying the cause of the self-advocacy movement.
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1 comment:
This was a very good video. I concur with the author/guest who was being interviewed. The concept of "neurodiversity" should be nipped in the bud. It is a pseudo-science like phrenology. The concept is INVALID on so many levels. I would be glad to talk one-on-one with someone who supports this misguided initiative. Surely, this concept is a hoax to treat everyone with the same false common denominator - That is: NO ONE is truly intellectually and developmentally disabled. The folks who are advocating tis concept unknowingly hurting the truly disabled, and are supporting many malicious government positions that want to remove supports for those who are really and seriously disabled. Like, I said, I will personally discuss this topic with anyone who has an open mind, is mentally competent, and who is rational. It is hard for me to even believe I even have to address something this asinine.
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