When you google “Can autistic”, you get a lot of proposals for questions. In this blog post I want to try to answer those questions. I know a lot about my autism. But autism is a wide spectrum, so I can’t answer on behalf of every autistic person. That’s why I mostly answer from my own perspective.
Can autistic people drive?
I have a driver’s license and I can drive. But I got my license, before I got diagnosed. So, I actually don’t know if you’re required to tell about your diagnosis, when you’re getting your license. Also, there’s different rules in each country. Maybe you should Google this question, too, if you’re curious about the rules in your country.
Can autistic people love?
I can definitely love and fall in love. For example, I’ve been together with my boyfriend for 1.5 years and we’re really happy together. I don’t think you can generalize, that autistic people can’t feel a specific emotion, just because they are autistic. I do, however, sometimes have a hard time finding out, what I feel. Once in a while it takes me a bit to understand my feelings. But, as I said, that’s not always the case.
Can autistic people get married?
I don’t see, why we shouldn’t get married. Personally, I definitely want to get married at some point. And I don’t see why my diagnosis should stop me from it. I can take my own legal decisions, so I can also choose, if I want to get married or not.
Can autistic people work?
I’ve read some studies at some point, that the rate of unemployment amongst autistic people is much higher than the one amongst neurotypical (non-autistic) people. I could imagine that there’s several reasons. One of them might be, that some working areas aren’t autism friendly. So, we can’t cope with being there. Another reason could be, that a lot of autistic people lose their energy quite quickly. I recently started an internship and I only work 20 hours per week, but I’m already really exhausted by that. To come to a conclusion: Some autistic people can work, some can’t.
Can autistic child speak?
Yes and no. There are autistic people, who speak, and there are autistic people, who don’t. But that doesn’t mean, that the ones, who don’t speak, don’t communicate. Even if they don’t communicate using their voice, they could for example use hand gestures, sign language or computer aids. Personally, I can speak in most situations. But when I get a shutdown , it feels impossible for me to speak. So instead, I write in those situations.
Can autistic people be doctors?
After I got my diagnosis, I read a book by a German doctor. She’s autistic. So, at least in Germany it should be possible for autistic people to become a doctor. Of course, I don’t know how difficult it is first to study and then to practice medicine. I also don’t know, how many autistic doctors there are. But this German doctor definitely proves, that it’s not impossible.
By the way, I’ve also heard about a Danish psychologist, who’s autistic. So being autistic and a psychologist isn’t impossible either.
Can autistic child go to normal school?
Aren’t most countries working on inclusion these days? I’m pretty sure, that I’ve heard, that at least Denmark and Germany are trying to close special education schools and integrate all children into “normal” schools. I guess, the important thing is, that each child has to get the support, they need. I went to a regular school, but I also really struggled during the last years of high school. Some support would definitely been helpful.
“Can autistic…”?
I think, it was really interesting to go through those questions and try to answer them. It definitely shows, how different autistic people can be, and that one single answer mostly isn’t enough. But in general, you can probably see, that autism doesn’t mean, that every autistic people is bad at one specific thing, but instead, everyone has their own individual challenges.