Executive and Decision Function and the Medical Fraternity

Often Executive Function and self management can be difficult for adults on the Autistic Spectrum. The difficulty I find is how to manage my lifestyle and more importantly understand the social and day to day requirements of functioning as an adult. Sometimes there arises the issues of over contacting or borderline harassment or committing some kind of breach when you may be unaware of the convention which is in place. For instance there have been some issues with me emailing people and knowing when to carbon copy someone into an email or the use of blind carbon copying which allows a third party to see an email without their knowledge or consent. I find the use of blind carbon copying confusing because I would suspect that the great majority of people actually blind carbon copy emails and you are unaware if your email has included a third person or party to the email which is being sent to you. I am not sure if there is such a thing as email etiquette or a plausible use for blind carbon copying in emails but it seems there is no black and white explanation to clearly define its use in email sending and receiving. I find email use very unclear as I have had people having issues with me carbon copying another person into an email which includes both their interest in relation to the topic and the complainant saying I used their email without their consent and that they like their email to be private but I am confused as t their email was sent within a group email context so who is really answerable and to blame? I find the gray areas in life very confusing and more importantly I find it hard to have to think, act and make decisions when I really don't have anybody to advise me. Being an adult and spending a great deal of my time in social isolation, I find it very difficult to make decisions and not have any guidance to ensure that the action I am taking is the correct course of action. Think about it when you are not in a relationship and you don't have a network of friends or support, often you have to think over and over about whether or not the course of action you follow is correct and trying to problem solve in your head and execute a decision can be very tough. I have become exposed to what I call borderline issues or harassment. Non Autistic People follow a certain code of conduct when you contact them and if you stray outside of this not knowing the social boundaries or the conventions it can get you into hot water or into difficult situations. The violation of personal space can be a serious infringement upon someone's boundaries and they can find it to be a form of harassment. In a perfect world it would be nice if people were upfront and you knew where you stood with them and they could make you aware of their boundaries but usually you encounter a stumbling block either being warned or encountering a complaint about your actions. I find being an adult difficult at times as I don't have someone to advise or counsel me about what I should and should not be doing. When I become stressed my thought process and actions can become clumsy and I might do something not realising the outcome until I have received a complaint or criticism. Sometimes you feel like you are walking on egg shells not knowing which way to step so as to not break them. I find people who are upfront and speak directly can inform you of wrongful actions but very few people actually will take the time or it may not be in their nature to be straight talking and say things as they are and how they should be interpreted. Sometimes it can be very confusing knowing codes of conduct, privacy and confidentially unless it is clearly pointed out and explained to you in the first instance. Some people are literally like hot water as you may encounter them and then they burn you as a result with some complaint which they made about you. I recently contacted a NSW MP Office with a complaint being made about me for reason I do not understand concerning an Autism Issue. I think it would be good if adults on the Autistic Spectrum like myself were able to obtain support from a counselor or case worker to advise and provide guidance in areas and a means of assisting with anxiety and stress management by implementing certain relaxation techniques ie. Meditation, Tai Chi etc. Another issue for adults with Autism is dealing with traffic. In some cases to avoid the frustration and anxiety of dealing with traffic, I have had to venture to work much earlier so as to avoid it. If work places could stagger times or get around the issues of stress and anxiety relating to dealing with traffic and congestion, perhaps this may be one area worth considering? Last night I contacted a friend who is in the Medical Fraternity and I mentioned to him about whether or not the Medical Fraternity understand Autism and whether or not an understanding of Autism is in their training. Apparently Doctors receive very little training in the area of Autism and the little training which they receive is in mental health and the Autistic Spectrum is not really mental health. It is the secondary symptoms of anxiety and depression which can be related as mental health. Is it appalling then that Medical Practitioners receive so little training of Autism and is this the reason why there is such a huge void of ignorance on the subject of Autism? The problem and the clear distinction between Autism and Depression is what I can see is that most adults with AS exhibit a monotone voice and this can be wrongly interpreted as being down or depressed. I think currently training of practitioners may include a diagnostic criteria of diagnosing depression and a quick overview of encountering a patient with Autism may wrongly pick up the monotone voice of indicating depression when the individual with Autism is not depressed as they have interests compared to the person with depression who has no motivation or feels they have no purpose in life i.e. lack of thinking positively about life. If this is the case then are people being wrongly diagnosed with mental illness when in fact they should be treated with proper counseling and intervention which does not involve the use of prescription drugs? From what I can see medicine tends to preclude Autism because the traditional teachings of medicine fail to actually hone in on the underlying causes of Autism. It appears that the medical fraternity need to be more open minded to understanding Autism rather than dismissing it as some kind of cognitive fantasy where it is all in the mind. In the United Kingdom a brain scan is being looked into to actually scan the brain of an individual with Autism and can this brain scan determine and demonstrate that Autism does exist as a reality? If Medical Practitioners are receiving little or no training on Autism and Mental Health Issues then what chance do individuals have on the Autistic Spectrum and those undiagnosed have in obtaining adequate support and effective support and treatment where necessary? I ask you, should a review of medicine occur with inclusion of training of those in the medical fraternity to understand and be aware of Autism related issues? Why is there little or no training and what can be done to rectify the problem? Perhaps something to think about the next time you visit your GP. Ask him or her what they understand about in Autism and ask yourself whether or not you should write to a Medical Board and ask them should a review of medicine occur to incorporate Autism as a reality.