this post was submitted on 22 May 2026
352 points (94.7% liked)

Autism

9940 readers
261 users here now

A community for respectful discussion and memes related to autism acceptance. All neurotypes are welcome.

Community:

Values

  • Acceptance
  • Openness
  • Understanding
  • Equality
  • Reciprocity
  • Mutuality
  • Love

Rules

  1. No abusive, derogatory, or offensive post/comments e.g: racism, sexism, religious hatred, homophobia, gatekeeping, trolling.
  2. Posts do not need be related to autism, off-topic discussions are allowed. This is a safe space where people with autism can feel comfortable discussing whatever they feel like discussing, as long as it does not violate the standing rules.
  3. Your posts must include a text body. It doesn't have to be long, it just needs to be descriptive.
  4. Do not request donations.
  5. Be respectful in discussions.
  6. Do not post misinformation.
  7. Mark NSFW content accordingly.
  8. Do not promote Autism Speaks.
  9. General Lemmy World rules.
  10. No bots. Humans only.

Encouraged

  1. Open acceptance of all autism levels as a respectable neurotype.
  2. Funny memes.
  3. Respectful venting.
  4. Describe posts of pictures/memes using text in the body for our visually impaired users.
  5. Welcoming and accepting attitudes.
  6. Questions regarding autism.
  7. Questions on confusing situations.
  8. Seeking and sharing support.
  9. Engagement in our community's values.
  10. Expressing a difference of opinion without directly insulting another user.
  11. Please report questionable posts and let the mods deal with it.

.

Helpful Resources

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
Lexam@lemmy.world
352
Fair point (piefed.cdn.blahaj.zone)
submitted 1 day ago by LadyButterfly@piefed.blahaj.zone to c/autism@lemmy.world
27 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] wheezy@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I feel like autism for most people is would be just considered as a beneficial character trait for a lot of human history. In the same way that some people are extremely charismatic.

It would essentially be seen as just a beneficial role in a tribal society. We likely filled roles of tradesman very well. Blacksmiths, leatherworkers, tailors, etc. I'm just speaking from personal experience. But, there is a reason I loved rebuilding the same Lego set each day when I was 5 years old.

Modern modes of capitalist production don't allow for this type of labor. At least not for the masses. Some of us are able to thrive doing a form of labor like this; but most of us are put into jobs that are completely outside of the whole of the production. Something that is extremely alienating and frustrating for my brain that needs to understand "the whole" before I can master "the steps". At least to a level of enjoyment or satisfaction. I can definitely work on steps before understanding everything. But, if I am never allowed to expand beyond that step, I lose interest. Probably why I can't keep a job for more than a few years.

I think it's why autism is seen as a negative trait by modern society. We don't do well in most jobs unless we are able produce similar levels of satisfaction to this type of "tradesman" form of labor. A labor where you know the source of the materials you are using, the production steps as a whole, and are able to form relationships with the people that are receiving the products of your work.

For me personally. I'm not good at expressing my relationships with others through feelings, conversation, or really just "normie" type ways. I form relationships with people (or show appreciation for others) through material actions. Its likely a compensation for the scientific definitions of autism. The "problems" with it. But, honestly, I feel like it wouldn't be such a downside if I could form those human connections in the way that I am capable of doing.

Edit: sorry, rant. But I'm in the right sub to not have to explain.

[–] Nouvellalia@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

As someone who has spent a great deal of time studying my ancestors and how they lived their days, their mannerisms and preferences, my current family's mannerisms and preferences, and then thousands of pages written by colonized people about uncolonized people, this is the exact conclusion I came to as well.

  • The outside world is constantly "stimming" for you. Take that away and you need to fill the gap
  • you are supposed to be chewing on a root all fing day
  • you are supposed to have coveted items for daily use that are passed down or that you keep for decades
  • you need an encyclopedic knowledge of minutia, plant leaves, root shapes, the difference between the sound of a fly's wings and a biting fly's wings
  • you should be sensitive enough to changes in your environment that you can tell just on instinct, when a predator has walked over your trail two days ago, or when there is lightning in the air from 300 miles away
  • your trusted food flavors are solidified as a toddler and are VERY hard to change. These have been determined safe by very dangerous trial and error and shouldn't be tested much at all
  • you should be simultaneously impervious to the elements and very sensitive to minor fluctuations in them
  • friendships are unbreakable, until they aren't, and then they are broken forever
  • you need to be able to spend hours on a hyper-focus, and your instincts and feelings should lead you to which one you need to be doing right now

I mean, just off the top of my head.

[–] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Wow, that makes so much freaking sense!