Quote · Modern Wisdom
“My Autism Keeps Upsetting People” - Vittorio Angelone - #1119
Where this was said
How Big Is the Autism Spectrum?
At 37:45 · chapter starts 31:12
The conversation goes deeper into what autism really is as a spectrum. Vittorio explains the three levels: level 1 (what he has, formerly Asperger's) requires no outside assistance; level 2 may need some support; level 3 means full-time care and possible non-verbal status. He finds it strange to share a diagnosis with someone on the opposite end. He explains why Asperger's was retired as a term — Hans Asperger was a Nazi — and why the ADHD diagnosis is more suspect to him, since pharmaceutical companies profit from ADHD medication but not from autism diagnosis. He finishes with a curious aside: there's a high comorbidity between autism and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hypermobility), which he has, and a theory that they may share a soft-tissue origin.
Vittorio has autism level 1 (formerly Asperger's). Autism level 3 means full-time care and being nonverbal. He finds it strange they share the same diagnosis — like stage 1 and stage 4 cancer being called 'cancer'. The Asperger's category helped, but it's been retired because Asperger was a Nazi.
Vittorio was diagnosed with autism level 1 — what was previously called Asperger's — which requires no outside assistance to navigate everyday neurotypical life.
Vittorio was diagnosed with both autism and ADHD — a common comorbidity he describes as a 'buy one get one free' package deal.
Vittorio was told the NHS waiting list for an autism assessment was 4 years long.
After doing stand-up bits about his autism journey, Vittorio received 5 offers from autism practitioners to assess him for free.
Vittorio's autism assessment showed he scored incredibly high on masking — suppressing autistic traits — which explained why other markers weren't more elevated.
