Complicated subject done well

July 3, 2011 10:13 AM

I just wanted to give a shout-out to everyone who's been participating in the Autism/Aspergers/Empathy thread and say that I really appreciate the wealth of personal perspectives, good advice, and non-judgmental discussion. I made some comments early on that I realized (after posting) could be perceived as antagonistic, but the thread has been really cool, and a great eye-opener for me. Thanks, Metafilter!
posted by verb to MetaFilter-Related at 10:13 AM (8 comments total)

Agreed. It is really an eye-opening thread for me, too. The willingness of everyone to come forward and candidly discuss concerns and frustrations, and to share their experiences and perspectives is great.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:25 AM on July 3, 2011

Same. I knew it was a really wide spectrum but the personal stories really make a difference. And it never hurts to be reminded to give a little more benefit of the doubt, to be less defensive (speaking for myself), and be kinder in general because we don't know everyone's (anyone's?) circumstances.
posted by Glinn at 1:38 PM on July 3, 2011

I found that thread fascinating. I've just met up with an old boyfriend (25 years after our torrid high school romance) who has an autistic child and, while he spoke freely about his son, I didn't feel comfortable asking questions to understand more about autism. I've never (knowingly) known anyone with autism or Aspergers so it was great to hear from so many different perspectives. I now have a much better idea of what this kid and his family are dealing with.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 2:36 PM on July 3, 2011

I agree, that was some really good Metafilter.
posted by snsranch at 3:52 PM on July 3, 2011

I actually feel better about myself because of that thread. :)
posted by luckynerd at 4:06 PM on July 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

very good thread. I personally know very little about autism, and generally what I know comes from media -- tv and books, where the "no empathy" claim does come in a fair amount. I think it's good when people acknowledge that there are some things everyone genuinely does not know.
posted by sweetkid at 4:14 PM on July 3, 2011

I've been following that thread a bit and it's been very informative.
posted by NoraReed at 9:01 PM on July 4, 2011

ooh ooh me too, I have this crazy quirky thing I do when something crazy happens that most likely makes me autistic even though I've never been diagnosed.
posted by TheBones at 11:21 PM on July 4, 2011