Just do jazz hands...!!!

By "real autism" I mean actual, full autism, rather than on the outer edges of the spectrum.

It always surprises me that when people have had no experience of something, that they are still not able to empathise with people or someone, when things have been explained well to them.

Jazz hands - cue for 'Oh Happy Day' if you are unsure what it is.

Seriously though, both DGD and I must be ' noise-sensitive' as we both dislike overwhelming cacophony in a hall and neither of us is autistic.

But surely polite clapping is not too overwhelming although whooping etc is unnecessary imo.

Yes whenim64. I do know people on the spectrum participate in ordinary life, and how difficult life can be for them. But, I don't think anyone can expect the world to turn completely in a way that would accommodate them.

thatbags. I assume that because many people on the autistic spectrum have some problems in common, that that may be a hard thing to accomplish. Especially in the near future.

soontobe, you are taking an awful lot for granted with that statement.

I mean the 09:51:13 one.

Not PC I know but it just makes me think of Al Jolson singing, Mameeeeee.

I know, *merlotgran' I shall be humming Oh happy day alternating with Mameeeee all day now and wanting to wave my hands in the shops.

jings there's no such thing as "the outer edges of autism". You're either on the spectrum or you're not. How you experience or manifest the condition depends on your cognitive ability. Hence more cognitively able people tend to develop coping strategies which can mask their difficulties. Its often easier to diagnose in childhood but many were not identified in previous decades. In our service the average age of diagnosis was 38. Eldest diagnosed was 84. All had had difficult lives but coped one way or another to a greater or lesser extent. I really respect the people I know with ASD. They do what they do despite having to deal with a lot of our (non ASD) social nonsense and expectations.

. What do you think a spectrum is?!

Exactly Jane. Conform to "normal" or be damned !

"develop[ing] coping strategies" is exactly what we should be doing, not asking people who don't find clapping or similar noises a problem not to clap. It's the more democratic approach and, I think, more ultimately useful for sufferers. I'm not talking about 'masking'. Coping is different from masking.

There is no way they can develop "coping strategies". To do that

No. I'm not getting into this. I am starting to get really angry

which being interpreted in this instance means vacuum cleaner, washing machine and bicycle.

It's not about being seen as "normal" either. It's about learning to live to the full in spite of difficulties, whatever they are.

Greenfinch often they are damned.

Still no reason to expect everything to change just for them.

I don't mean autistic people themselves should develop coping strategies, jings. I mean research into dealing with the problems autistic people experience should try to develop coping strategies than autistic people can be taught.

And benefit from, hopefully.

Or being on the spectrum (like my DH )

Mine was a reply to Jingl. I type slowly!

"Still no reason to expect everything to change just for them." Agreed. There is too much expectation of that nowadays in all sorts of ways.

[roasrchicken] Meaning I have other stuff to do too. S'later, dudes (as the saying goes).

Damn!

My dgd is also hyper sensitive to sound and she was 5 before we managed to take her to panto. Oddly enough she happily went to the ballet before then. At 8 she now performs on stage herself. I also work with adults with additional learning needs in staging performances. We have two performers with significant degrees of autism, so significant that they will always live in supported accommodation. Both of them accept their applause with great pride. The original report I read did not mention ASD speakers or attendees,
and one assumes that if there were ASD speakers/attendees they would be high functioning and able to cope with the demands.

Besides which can you imagine how scary rows and rows of people grinning inanely and waving at you could be?! I've woken up from bad dreams like that.

If everything in the world is changed to accommodate every single variation of human difference, life will grind to a halt. There needs to be a balance between patterns adapting to individuals and individuals adapting to cope with patterns.

been reading this with interest what is jazz hands, according to some answers it is hands with palm facing outward and giving a wave. This sounds pointless. I would wave anyway this way there must be more to jazz hands than this? anyway why jazz, wouldn't you wave for other occasions