James Gauthier

@happyostrich613606

Chesterville, Canada Joined Jan 2026

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James Gauthier

@happyostrich613606 · Jan 12, 2026

CMV: Autism is inherently a disability and not just a difference

(I want to preface this post by saying that I'm not autistic myself, so my view of things might be different than an autistic person. That being said, I know autistic people aren't a monolith, just like neurotypicals.)
I've seen many people nowadays argue that autism is just a difference and that any disability is purely due to society. I don't think that this is true.
For one, this take ignores high needs autistic people and only considers low needs (high-functioning) autistic people. These people would still be disabled regardless of society. I notice that it's mostly low needs or neurotypical people saying this and never the caregivers of autistic people.
Also, some parts of autism, like sensory sensitivity or meltdowns, aren't due to differences in social communication or societal norms. These things are disabling within themselves.
Lastly, when taken to it's conclusion, the same could be said about literally any disability or condition. Things are considered a disorder because most people don't have it. Even schizophrenia would be considered normal by society if most people were schizophrenic. I don't see how autism is special in this regard.
Edit: My final point that I forgot

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James Gauthier echoed

James Gauthier

@happyostrich613606 · Jan 12, 2026

Kassem Farhat

@kassem · Jan 11, 2026 4:39 pm

LOTS AND LOTS of snow here. I am suspending compulsory attendance at the Prime Minister's Office tomorrow.

~ Kassem Farhat
- Elected President of Global Virtual Trust -

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