Chris Russell
The Talentless Liar
IMO I suspect the dynamics of any hierarchy. Where those in control must fundamentally remain in control. Whether they actually know- or not what they're doing.
Or as others more simplistically comment on in terms of what "rolls downhill".
That said, how many of us unequivocally believe that the best of what psychiatry, neurology and psychology have to offer is presently adequate or superior in the treatment of Neurodiversity? In a system where politics and economics seems all too often to drive such considerations. A far cry from the concerns of Hippocrates.
Well said. They don't have the answers and the only things that therapists should be trying to treat are the co-morbidities associated with ASCs, not the ASC itself. I didn't know any better before my diagnosis, and did what many of us do, which is try to fit in... I ended up with a raft of different diagnoses, an no happier or better off for any of them. (I think this is what they refer to as the Asperger's Pedigree.)
However, I do believe things can change.... I think the biggest obstacle for Autistic people in getting what they need from therapy is the lack of common language and understanding between Aspie and Therapist (often NT, often highly Empathising). For the last year or two, I have been heavily involved with a working group of mixed NTs (Psychotherapists and partners of Aspies) and Aspies (mainly engineers - but not by design - and partners of NTs), who have been developing models that can be used to explain the differences in psychology and learning transactional analysis based on this, to help both parties articulate their experience to the other. We've had tremendous success, and are currently rolling it out in the form of workshops, here in the UK, having formed a charitable organisation to help us: "The Different Engine" (www.thedifferentengine.net). This part of the reason for my absence from this forum for the last few months - the other being Chronic Migraine (What joy that is!).
Our aim, apart from teaching this to Aspies, is to train Psychotherapists here, so that they can appear in professional listings as' Aspie Competent', and the good news is, they are queuing up for the training.
There will always be those, as Judge said, who 'must fundamentally remain in control', but I think even they will get the message, eventually. Until then, we'll just have to vote with our feet.