One concept that keeps coming up again and again,
and that is the concept that there must be something
"common" to autistics--that they must have an area
of concern, idea, perspective, outlook, or basis of
thought that is common to all of them.

Nothing could be further from autistics.

In all the groups that I have encountered, the most 
flagrant opposition to my ideas and descriptions have
come from (you probably guessed it): persons on the
autistic spectrum.

Each one is so unique, so different in outlook, wants,
needs, emotional attachments, communication methods, timing,
interests, etc., etc., etc....

That is why, so far, I have had no oppotunity to enter a
group of autistics (even in the online forums) and find any
type of comraderie anywhere. When I describe things that are
important to my life, the sparks begin, as others say that 
they find something completely unrelated to be of importance
to them, and many of these autistics have used disparaging
language (such as "you sound like you are 'superior' to 
others") to downplay anything that I have posted.

While I try to respect the personal views of each of these
autistics, I am still lost as to why they feel that I am 
"out to get them"? Why do they feel that, by describing how,
my life, as an autistic, has developed over the years, that
I am, in any way, trying to hurt them or damage their 
reputation, as an autistic? 

For example,when I described using sleep to help alleviate
feelings of depression at times, another autistic claimed 
that I was using sleep to escape from challenges, and that
it is not advisable to hide from these challenges--it is 
manditory to face up to one's challenges. I tried to say that
sleep was not one of ignoring the challenge of depression,
but allowing the processes within me to help lead me through
the depression, processes that take time (hours of sleep) to
formulate, but once these processes have formulated the means
of handling the depression, the processes, themselves take 
over, and the depression is handled without conscious effort
the following day. To that, this autistic responded that I
was displaying a "superiority complex" in my replies, which
I had no idea of what this autistic was referring to--as I
was only describing my own means of handling depression. I 
was not stating or implying that this would work for others.

Why do other adult autistics take such offense at any ideas
that are "different" than their own? That is the puzzle that
I would like discussed more openly. Is it their upbringing,
the way their parents and teachers made them feel as though
their own methods of detailing their three "R's" where far 
more important than anyone else's methods? Could it have 
been the constant support their received during their 
adolescent years about their educational needs (while 
ignoring their social needs)? This is just a few questions
that might be brought forward to try to figure out why 
autistics are so adamant, at times, that anyone who 
perceives any concept in life differently than they do is
just "patently wrong" in their way of seeing these aspects
of life.

Does anyone on AUTISMLIST have any ideas or hints????