Hacker News Reader

Comment by digi_owl | Hacker News Reader

> austin

Spellchecker strikes again?

> (almost to the point of not being a useful label)

Likely didn't help that now Aspergers is lumped in with the label, though the reason it was not there for the longest time was that people lacked some of the classic markers (language development in particular).

As for rising rates, i have a pin on the world turning more "social". Where before you could always retreat to a back room job or such, now a days most of those jobs are automated away. What is left is those that involve some amount of social interaction, thats far from a functional environment when dealing with autism.

View on HN

Thanks! Typo fixed. And very interesting thoughts on the world becoming more social. I wonder if that's bringing not only more attention to autism, but also creating a more challenging dynamic. Though I also know people with autism who are absolutely thriving in technical roles, which were not available just a few years ago. And, for example, does a move from conferences and calls to more online tools (Slack, IRC) help, or does it make the social cues harder?

As best i can tell someone with autism may find things like Slack and IRC more comfortable, while those without may not. This because the removal of non-verbal cues is no issue to the former (less noise to deal with) while hindering the latter.

That's an excellent point. Add to that a lack of historical diagnosis and you have difficulty in assessing historical trends. As Aspergers get older, they can more effectively mimic behaviour and are more likely to slip under the radar. My wife (an undiagnosed Aspergers candidate) is often described by my friends as a bit odd. When my child was assessed as an Aspergers, the penny dropped for everyone (ie. My wife's slight eccentricity had a label).

Female "aspies" are more likely to slip by as they do not "violate" gender expectations as much as male ones do.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com