I have been diagnosed with high function autism the moment they realized I'm "too smart to be retarded" at the age of four or so. Just imagine, I was so bad off that there was a moment in time people thought I was retarded.
My youth was bad, very rocky, but I personally blame my intelligence was lacking because of the special ed programs. Those programs they forced me to be a part of ruined me academically. I actually learned to hate disabled kids because people kept comparing me to one of them. Despite growing up, I still have a strange discomfort around them.
With all that said, I was allowed to be with the "normal" kids later and my social and academic skills significantly increased. Should this be a surprise? No, when you create a "safe haven" where there is virtually no educational discipline and nobody points out what is socially weird, there is no room for growth beyond following your peers, those whom were sometimes far more confused than yourself are.
Fast forward a few years, after years of living among the "normal" herd and learning to mimic what is considered normal and suppressing what is not, I became a completely functioning individual. The 3rd grade probably was the last grade where it was obvious something was different about me, the 4th being the first where nobody held my hand and sorta just threw me to the wolves. Many will disagree, but it seemed obvious that pulling me out of class to do tests that "totally" benefited me and isn't at all more for the "experts" that want to write a book about me was not helping me.
My bother, always underestimating me because of my "disability," pulled me out of public school because she was afraid I would be bullied. Strange, considering I was quite liked throughout the 5th grade, shame I at the time didn't see it that way and used her nonsense as an excuse to later build up my self esteem issues and later depression.
As you may have guessed, home schooling was kinda a cock blocker, more so than my autism, which people at this point would have to be told (by my mother) or else they wouldn't realize I have it, simply because I wasn't around them. Worse than that, I wasn't even around people, I was socially deprived and left with nothing more than my past memories to form an opinion on myself over. This, of course, damaged me because I was obviously not the same person so things I did as a kid would naturally be cringing to myself as a teen. Regardless, I again was just a dramatic teen that needed social interaction more than ever and did not have the mind of an adult to calm myself down. The natural reaction to all of this was of course, depression. This depression lead to self shame and the self shame turned into social anxiety, social anxiety I still struggle to battle to this day (but I'm proud to say it's a battle I'm winning).
Much later, at the age of 19, it was time to get my GED. Oh, did I forget to mention that I was home this entire time, but not schooled? Yes. I was basically a hillbilly, only consisting of 5th grade education. I was basically a moron, not knowing things even a 6th grader would know. I was not only socially out of the loop with everything, but I wasn't by any means capable of having an intelligent perspective of the world.
Anyways, I had to get my GED. I was placed in a program called Pathfinder, a place for high functioning autistic individuals. I hated this place, it was the past all over again. I finally was pressured to make friends with people not of my level, people my teachers dared to call my equals. I hated myself to be basically the nazi of the crowd, looking down to everyone around me that would hold tantrums or what the fuck ever, but I also started to hate myself for technically being one of them and allowing myself to be in this situation that escalated to be placed among them.
I was obviously their best student, everyone was amazed. They constantly used me as an example to other students, using me as a beacon of hope to other parents, something so fucking wrong that I wont get into, and eventually learned everything I should have learned over a period of five or so years in around a year. I took the GED test, passed my first time, and left that place without looking back to go into college.
I learned a lot from Pathfinder though, something that I wish to share because of the article that we have read, something that made this whole story necessary to place a wall of text. Those peers at Pathfinder? Those guys that didn't understand anything and had the teachers do the work for them, hold their hand, all that shit? They're faking it. The fuckers were faking it all. I had normal conversations with them during lunch, they're capable of working jobs, but they choose to let the world give them handouts because of the programs that helped them exploit the system.
Yes. Yes, I indeed lived on SSI this entire time. I was able to work, but my mom would not allow me to get a job because I would lose my SSI and she claims I would not be able to hold one anyways. How did I get the SSI? I basically gotten help from the program I was later a part in (associated with Pathfinder) from experts that HELPED ME EXPLOIT THE SYSTEM TO CLAIM I WAS DISABLED WHEN I WAS NOT, THEN EXPLOITED THE SYSTEM TO CLAIM MORE MONEY THAN I WAS ENTITLED TO.
I was entitled to $300ish a month. With the help from experts, I lied to increase the total to $650. I was told to lie about how much rent I was paying, lie how I am unable to work because of my condition, this and that. This, this is fucking wrong. Those individuals at Pathfinder, those guys that pretend they're useless so that the teachers (probably literally, I hope not) wipe their asses for them.
The lessons learned in the program, like EVERY fucking program designed to help high function autism, were how to take advantage of the world because of its pity for your "disability." These people are able to work, but instead they will live in their mother's basements because they know they can.
The problem with how everything is designed? There actually IS autistic individuals that NEED this kind of help. However, autism is a very VERY useless diagnosis. Autism is the equivalent to saying "Houston, we have a problem" and not specifying what the problem is, but still acting upon it like you know what the fuck to do. There is a level of stereotypes here that exists to such a level I had to hide my autism from the world knowing it would cause everyone to treat me differently and heavily under estimate me. Why? Because me and anyone else being autistic suddenly means that person is disabled.
I am handicapped, but I am by no means disabled. I am able to function, I might have some quirks but I sure as hell am not disabled. I moved out of my mother's about a year ago, abandoning my social security benefits, and held a minimum wage job since March. Leaving home was more dramatic than it had to be, being my entire family, friends, and even some people I worked with through the pathfinder program saying I wont make it in the real world because the economy is too bad. Though, I did anyways and moved as far as I could to Las Vegas based on simple calculative thinking... It's cheap as fuck in Las Vegas and some good opportunities for people starting out. Though, everyone disagreed with me on that.
Nobody at work knows I'm autistic. Why? Because autism isn't always a disability, it's simply a different way of calculating your surroundings. Sometimes, because of the way I think, I don't understand things the same as normal people so I might be slow. However, because of the way I think, I learns things quicker than others. Because of the way I think, I am ahead of others in many areas. I hear at work all the time their life problems, all that could be avoided. Me? I make minimum wage, pay rent, eat like any individual, but I have nearly $2k in my bank account.
Sorry to rant/ramble, but this topic has pissed me off your years. autism is a very useless diagnosis, helps nobody, and how most people handle it all hurts most of the autistic individuals. The tests they given me did not prove what I was capable of. Believe it or not, knowing the difference between A and B, knowing which of the four doesn't belong, or guessing what is the next pattern is suppose to be doesn't mean shit. It means I'm observant, it might mean others are less observant, but I want to meet the moron that claims we should base people's efficiency based on some very alien tests. I nailed these tests all the time, yet somehow the "normal" people giving me these tests didn't understand how the shit I picked was the correct answer. Conclusion? It means I'm autistic for damn sure for being such a genius, shame I'm also autistic and that immediately means I'm not smart enough to be like everyone else.