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Due to the complexity of autism, there are many facets of sociology that need to be considered when discussing it, such as the culture possible with it. In addition, there are several communities being formed within the autistic community, and in recent times they have become a bit polarized.
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Much like many other controversies in the world, the autistic community itself has splintered off into several groups. Essentially, these groups are those who seek a cure for autism, dubbed pro-cure, those who do not desire a cure for autism and as such resist it, dubbed anti-cure, and the many people caught in the middle of the two. In recent history, with scientists learning more about autism and possibly coming closer to a cure, some members of the "anti-cure" movement sent a letter to the United Nations demanding to be treated as a minority group rather than a group with a mental disability or disease. Web sites such as autistics.org present the view of the anti-cure group.
There are numerous resources available for autistic's from many groups. Due to the fact that many autistic's find it easier to communicate online than in person, many of these resources are available online. In addition, sometimes successful autistic adults in a local community will help out children with autism, much in the way a master would help out an apprentice, for example. |
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With the recent increases in autism rates, an autistic culture has begun to develop. Similar to deaf culture, autistic culture is based in a belief that autism is a unique way of being and not a disorder to be cured. There are some commonalities which are specific to autism in general as a culture, not just "autistic culture".
It is a common misperception that people with autism do not marry; many do get married. Often, it is to another person with autism, although this is not always the case. Many times this is due to shared interests or obsessions, but more often than not it is due to more compatibility with personality types. Autistic's who communicate have explained that companionship is as important to autistic's as it is to anyone else. Multigenerational autistic families have also recently become a bit more common.
Interests with autistic people and so-called "geek's" or "nerds" can often overlap as autistic people can sometimes become preoccupied with certain subjects much like the variant normal behavior geek's experience. However, in practice many autistic people have difficulty with working in groups, which impairs them even in the most "technical" of situations. |
Some autistic adults are able to work successfully in mainstream jobs, usually those with high-functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome. Nevertheless, communication and social programs often cause difficulties in many areas of the autistic's life. Other autistic's are capable of employment in sheltered workshops under the supervision of managers trained in working with persons with disabilities. A nurturing environment at home, at school, and later in job training and at work, helps autistic people continue to learn and to develop throughout their lives. Some argue that the internet allows autistic individuals to communicate and form online communities, in addition to being able to find occupations such as independent consulting, which does generally not require much human interaction offline.
In the United States, the public schools' responsibility for providing services ends when the autistic person is in their 20s, depending on each state. The family is then faced with the challenge of finding living arrangements and employment to match the particular needs of their adult child, as well as the programs and facilities that can provide support services to achieve these goals
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