Has anyone but RMS diagnosed RMS as having an autism spectrum disorder?
Re:At Home with Down Syndrome (2008)
by tablespoon on Friday March 26, 2021 @09:13AM
(#26591713)
> Has anyone but RMS diagnosed RMS as having an autism spectrum disorder?
IIRC, he actually claims he doesn't have ASD, but his reasoning suggests that he doesn't know what he's talking about: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537802
Regardless of which classifications he fits or does not fit into, it's pretty obvious he's not neurotypical.
No, that's bullshit. Don't play armchair neurologist and diagnose people's conditions from a distance as a way of explaining their behavior.
I clearly stated I'm not diagnosing any conditions, so the accusation is uncalled for.
Neurotypical is hardly a scientific word, but to the extent it applies to anyone, you'd have a hard time convincing me it applies to RMS.
The term neurotypical doesn't have to be scientific to have meaning. The term is very strongly associated with autism and ASD, and that's the context in which the term was used here. Using an existing, loaded term in reference to a person's behavior, prefixed with a "I'm not diagnosing any conditions," fig leaf is disingenuous.
Personally I am inclined to avoid the term "neurotypical". Although the term is popular, it is unclear what exactly it means, and the scientific basis behind the term is questionable.
That said, RMS clearly displays traits consistent with the broad autism phenotype (BAP). That's not a diagnosis because BAP is by definition not a diagnosis – it is defined as a subclinical condition, and by definition you don't diagnose subclinical conditions.
It's unfortunate that in today's society, people condemn people like RMS who are not neurotypical for not behaving neurotypically and try to cancel him while at the same time, those same people claim to celebrate diversity.