INTELLECT-DRIVEN AUTISM:
aiming for independence

 I am currently working on: practical solutions for a specific group of autistic people: with normal/high intellect, independent and proactive, in need to survive and provide for themselves (and possibly family members). My scope of interest includes several autism comorbidities, including ADHD, depression, anxiety, cPTSD, chronic pain, sleep problems.

I am not a medical doctor and my interest is strictly personal. My competence is based on (1) personal experience, (2) analysis of scientific literature (research books and peer-reviewed academic publications), (3) private communication with people of similar nature, (4) experimenting with hypotheses and solutions.

I am interested in (1) building a concept that makes autism understandable and (2) inventing practical solutions that work well and are sustainable in a long run. That ambitious goal can only be achieved for a narrow subgroup of autistic people. 

I do not really believe it is possible to explain all the aspects of all autistic people in one book (or even a series of books). Autistic people are of very different health status, intellectual ability, capacity for independence,  family situation, citizenship, social standing, vulnerability, support opportunities, comorbidities and many other factors. I also consider impossible to create a uniform practical approach that would be helpful for all autistic people, and would not bear risks for some of them. 

Literature about autism does not represent all the existing groups of autism equally. It is very much focused on most privileged autistic people: those, who have good social protection and a family motivated to support and protect. Therefore, the solutions are mostly focusing on emotional comfort, but not practical survival. It is silently assumed that, in case that things turn out really bad for you, (1) there is some stable financial support, (2) there are some people who will take care of you. Well, if we think globally, it is very far from reality. 

I did not find much of advice for myself, though I think that the authors have done amazing work and have accomplished something very important. I was motivated, therefore, to fill in (as best as I can) this obvious blank space in recent understanding of autism, though I am just a private person. I am not a medical doctor,  not a social worker and do not have life-long professional experience of working with autistic people (my research work was in a very different area). I could only base my developments on my own experience, supplemented by knowledge of academic works and communication with people of similar situation.

As I also have ADHD as comorbidty, I am prone to making mistakes in what I write. It takes several rounds of proofreading to make things right. Also, you can see that the way I express myself, is old-fashioned; I guess, it is due to autism.