SUMMARY-
Autistic Culture Online by Joyce Davidson gives non-autistic people a better idea of how people on the Autistic Spectrum (AS) communicate and how the Internet has benefited its members. She uses autobiographies as examples to help the reader understand the life of an AS person. Davidson uses these examples to defend her idea that being autistic is a way of life that can be compared to any other minority group, rather than a disability (795). Like any other minority group, AS people often receive discrimination as a result of being commonly misunderstood (799). However, the AS has great diversity because it is composed of a wide spectrum of culture (800). AS people live with social norms and unwritten rules, as any other culture has. Davidson stresses how the Internet has changed the relationships amongst the people in the AS. One of the main characteristics of autistic people is a difficulty with communicating face-to-face. The Internet has given members of the AS not only a way to communicate naturally, but also a way in which they can meet new people, and function on “a level playing field with almost everyone else” (801). Because “autistic culture today is largely where deaf culture was a century ago,” it will take time before people on the AS are culturally accepted and new media is used on a larger scale in order to aid the AS.
INQUIRY-
I have never thought about the AS or what it would be like to live being autistic. I found this article to be very interesting and insightful on how our society views AS people. I agree with Davidson that the people in the AS do not have a disability, but are rather a part of a minority group. This article helped me better understand the AS community and the challenges that autistic people face; also, how they overcome these challenges. This article shows how new media is being used to help improve AS people’s lives. The Internet has given the world a fast way to communicate with others without direct contact. I believe that this new medium has not only benefited its users, but it has also created a new world for AS people in which the can communicate better; this has improve their lifestyle and have given them confidence to identify with being autistic.
1. Do you think that the communication acquired through the Internet for AS people would help them gain social skills/confidence to succeed or hinder their ability to communicate face-to-face as they rely to heavily on the Internet for communication?
2. Davidson states that “autistic culture today is largely where deaf culture was a century ago” (801) With this in mind, where do you think online autistic communities/new media will lead to in the future to improve the lives’ of AS people?
3. What was your response to this article? Did you have a bias against AS people and how did this article change (or not change) that? If you know someone that is autistic, what is it like communicating with him or her; and do you believe that the Internet is a better form of communication for an autistic person?
5 comments
I feel that the internet will hinder the ability of AS people to communicate, just as I feel it hinders the ability of what we consider normative people. The Daily Wildcat, on Tuesday March 23, 2010, had an article about "sexting". Now it may seem like I'm way off topic here, but I assure you it ties in. For in this article, a psychologist explained that new media like texting, Facebook, and Myspace, have created a digital world, a sort of simulacra if you will. This world gives us the opportunity to communicate, but without the benefits of face-to-face interaction that shapes and defines humans as physical beings. WIth that, I don't think it's the ideal form of communication for anyone, especially not those that already struggle at socializing in person. With regard to the "stance" of the AS culture improving, I think it will as awareness is raised through many different mediums. I then think autistic people will begin to fit in, culturally speaking, as deaf people have the ability to do now. In many cases, it's already been done through objects like the Autistic school in Salt Lake City, UT.
This article, and quite frankly this entire discussion, really hit home from me. My cousin, whom I went to high school with, was diagnosed with Autism at a very young age. He struggled a great deal in high school, and had a hard time socially. As a result, I look at these "improvements" that the autistic culture is making in how they are viewed by the rest of the world, and I am happy for him. He is a very high function individual, with regard to the autism spectrum, but for him to be able to live in a world comfortably where he is accepted and assisted would mean a great deal not only to myself, but obviously to him. I hope that one day he is able to have the community and resources he needs to be able to live while feeling as "normal" as I do myself.
I believe that the internet has provided a digital platform through which individuals on the AS can communicate with others who understand their trials and triumphs. Many times, people with disabilities or those in minority groups feel alone, that they are not able to unite with others who are like them. Discussion boards like wrongplanet allow people to come together and discuss their experiences without the shadow of society's judgmental stance or doctors hovering by. To be able to grant a voice to those who otherwise feel that they cannot effectively communicate with others is a gift that I think is priceless for those in the AS community.
My younger brother was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome when he was 2, and while he struggles with face to face interaction, digital platforms like video games provide him with another avenue through which he can socialize with others. While many of us may simply use the internet as a procrastination or research tool, others rely on it as their way to communicate with the "outside" world in ways that we take for granted.
I believe that the Internet is a great tool for individuals with Autism or Asperger's. It allows them to communicate with others on their own terms. They can say what they want, when they want, without the fear of face-to-face confrontation. After reading the WrongPlanet.net website, it was clear that many of the community members were just seeking advice on how to be successful or "normal" in traditional social situations. I was particularly interested in a thread that discussed the action of shaking hands. One individual mentioned that if he would initiate a hand shake, the situation was more comfortable than if someone else was to initiate the handshake. A different member admitted to trying out that method, reporting that it seemed to work for him. In general, these communities give a voice to those who are not comfortable using that voice in the traditional sense.
I think the communication AS people have online will help them build their confidence at first because they are able to pause and think about what they want to say so it reduces their chances for error but I also believe that is only helpful in the beginning because after a certain point the Internet, in my opinion, hinders communication. It is a great start off point but I do not think there is any substitute for face-to-face communication. Eventually, it could even lead to them become dependent on those pauses and that extra time they have to formulate ideas so in the end it could cause them to lose the communication skills they had originally gained so while I think it can be a benefit, it should not substitute other forms of communication such as face-to-face or telephonic conversations.
I think there will be even more support systems online and just as there are all these options for the deaf such as sound-activated lights connected to the doorbell, I believe a variety of forms of new media will come out to help AS people. It may be gadgets that help them communicate quicker or more effectively or it may be as simple as having more pages online dedicated to teaching what autism is and how others have lived with it.
I know someone who has asperger's syndrome. He is an incredibly high functioning kid, and if you were to talk with him, you probably would not know that there is anything wrong with him. One might even think that he is exceptionally intelligent for someone his age, as he knows so much about random facts. However, if you try to tell him a joke, he doesn't understand. He sees things as black and white, and no in between. If you asked him to cheat while playing a game, he would not even be able to comprehend the idea. For highly functional children like him, I do not think that the internet would be any more useful for him than just talking with the children in school. Maybe when he gets older, and the differences between the other kids and him become more visible, becoming a member of some kind of support group would be beneficial, but right now, I don't think that he sees himself as any different, any weirder, cooler, or better than those that he goes to school with every day.
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