This morning I got up at 4 a.m. to take part in INSAR Autistic Researhers Committee workshop.
The committee does wonders for our community. Also, it was great to hear from fellow aspies and their perspective.
Here is a sample of an aspie reasearher’s line of thoughts:
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My comment, which was unfortunatelly dissmised or rather ingnored by the committee’s discussion, was on several but combined topics.
The discussion started on the topic of autistic researchers vs alitistic researchers. About the need, not only to coexist, but also to communicate and associate with each other in equal terms.
My rather provocative comment was, whether our voices, being autistic, can actually be heard in the allitistic research community.
My first point was, that my communication is rather different when writing up an article to be published in a peer-reviewed IF > 0 journal. My neverending obstacle for much needed publication is that my line of thought is not clear to the reader. But it is clear to me! And it’s clear to some fellow autistic researchers.
I honestly have no clue how to change that. How to change the essence of my scientific communication and my language – making my line of thought clearer to the allitistic research world.
When advocating our needs, it is not enough to be acknowleded just for our presence. We’ve come a long way since such an acknowledgement was overdue.
Our voices must actually be heard. Not dissmissed or ignored. Either from the allitistic community or our own.
A while ago I wrote up a blog about the quintiple “A cure for ASD”:
https://zavodizjemensi.wordpress.com/2019/04/02/a-triple-double-cure-for-autism-asd/
The same should be applied to the research community.
Not being clear enough should stop being my own problem.
I need and demand accomodation.
I seek approval.
I want to get my voice heard, since I have so much to say.
As I said, I got up early for this workshop.
Not to be a wiseguy (girl) but to finally get heard.
Still waiting on that one, though…
Another very good point, discussed in the workshop, was a different view on what areas of ASD should researchers be more focused on.
Specific prime-time topic being our mental health issues.
Somebody brought up that too little is researced on an expanding issue of autistic burnout.
We live it (I’ve already had three major autistic burnouts in the last 20 years, namely two in the last 18 months).
Allitistic world doesn’t differentiate between a regular and autistic burnout. Medical approach is to prescribe antidepressants, and undertake a psychological treatment (which I both have).
But in the end, my source of the burnout is different to the allitistic burnout.
As I realised just lately, it is not about how much work one can take on.
It is how one gets treated by other people when one takes a huge load of work.
It is how many sensory issues one has to have to get assimilated.
How many missunderstandings and arguments with others one has.
How one has to constantly explain oneself and one’s actions not being part of bipolar disease but simple being with ASD.
Especially being manic or having a lack of sleep due to so many great ideas one has, that need to be disseminated.
Believe me, right now I can move mountains, but I am not in a manic state, just in my regular ADHD mode.
In the end, it alwas comes back to the quintiple “A cure for ASD” – please let me be me, but also treat me with the respect I deserve!
IZJEMEN.SI 
Komentiraj