TIL that the Māori word for autism is "Takiwātanga" meaning "their own time and space." I also learned that it's not without controversy (see inside).
TIL that the Māori word for autism is "Takiwātanga" meaning "their own time and space." I also learned that it's not without controversy (see inside).
I thought the word and the definition sounded beautiful, but then I also learned that it was coined in 2017 and has been accused of imposing outside culture. Namely, here is a criticism I found on Twitter and Reddit but without further attribution or detail:
Just wanted to share and see what the community thought about it.
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It sure sounds nice, but man if only it felt like a gift of treasure inside my head. It's a curse more than anything.
I wondered if this would be the sentiment, at least partially. Do you feel like the autism itself is the curse or more the way society treats autistic people? Like, if you could have a neurodivergent-friendly society, would you still hate it?
I'm not autistic (well, probably - I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until my thirties because mental health was taboo in Ireland) but am ND and so is my son. It's hard to know how to thread this line with him. A world that catered for ADHD would be a nice one to live in, it might even set us up for success by giving us the roles we're good at. But this isn't that world, and NT people aren't any more to blame for growing up in a world that has been shaped for millenia by NT people. You can be educated about neurodiversity but they can't see inside an ADHD brain any more than I can see inside an autistic brain (again... Probably).
Even in a simple, small, and flexible society, there would be downsides to ADHD. Acceptance and patience isn't going to solve rejection sensitivity. New measures of success aren't going to solve dopamine deficiency. I assume there are sides of autism that all the love and acceptance in the world won't make a blessing.
Gifted the head is something like what ADHD people get patronisingly called too when someone looks for a saccharin label. I would dislike it. The newer term sounds far closer to neurodivergent which - and it's new-ish still for me at my age! - better gives a short and non-judgemental statement - brain different.
As someone that can still live a somewhat normal life, I am of course far less negative feeling about my autism. But I know many people that can't get their body to do what they want it to do in the very least. And while they have many good days and do enjoy some of the benefits of autism, overall they are certainly not as positive about theirs as I am with mine.
For me, just hanging out with other like-minded people gets rid of any negatives I have with mine. But some have much greater challenges that can't be mitigated by even a specially crafted environment and comfortable social situations.
That's well-said. Sounds like it really depends on the level of needs for support and once again on how our society treats neurodivergence.
Would hate it with a passion. I could never persue my dreams because of a fucked up brain. How lucky you'd have to be, if social acceptance is your only concern.
It also has the ring of being called "special" or something as a euphemism. It's not a title I think would be pleasant.
But it's a different language, so there's no way for a non speaker to tell what it sounds like there.