An Autistic's thoughts on Autism
- Thread starter CrazyGirl17
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I have a sneaking suspicion that I have some sort of minor autism or Asperger's. Now I'm not going to go strutting around saying I do because its sort of like a self diagnosis(never been formally diagnosed). I've looked it up and am sure that I've shown a lot of the symptoms of it. Its probably just Medical students' disease acting up on me though.
Anyways, autism and aspergers have always intrigued me. Its sad that people will go around stating that they do, in fact, have autism/aspergers without a true diagnosis and are using it as an excuse as to why they can't get jobs or are socially awkward.
Anyways, autism and aspergers have always intrigued me. Its sad that people will go around stating that they do, in fact, have autism/aspergers without a true diagnosis and are using it as an excuse as to why they can't get jobs or are socially awkward.
Due to it being considered the trend for nerds to take up the label of aspergers to excuse any social shortcomings, I'm always hesitant to about my experience growing up. I was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, because I had some traits of autism but not all. I didn't learn to talk till I was six years old. I had to see specialists at least once every couple of weeks because my motor skills were so bad (coordination, etc etc). Part of that might have also been due to one of my eyes starting to not work requiring two eye surgeries (the muscle behind one eye was so frail it was going to result in me being blind at age 10). I had to learn how to look people in the eye among other things.
But I did manage to learn to talk (my first word was a swear word). I read at a very advanced level early on and now I am a teacher who is having her novel considered for publication which is pretty good considering doctors were thinking I was going to end up being in special ed class.
I have a friend who has aspergers. It tends to annoy me when people who are just genuinely shy take that term up, because if they met my friend, they would know how someone with true aspergers is like. He is a genius who is working on his doctorates in bioengineering but yeah.. there is no mistaking the asperger label.
But I did manage to learn to talk (my first word was a swear word). I read at a very advanced level early on and now I am a teacher who is having her novel considered for publication which is pretty good considering doctors were thinking I was going to end up being in special ed class.
I have a friend who has aspergers. It tends to annoy me when people who are just genuinely shy take that term up, because if they met my friend, they would know how someone with true aspergers is like. He is a genius who is working on his doctorates in bioengineering but yeah.. there is no mistaking the asperger label.
Generally speaking, if you say you don't want to be cured of your autism because "you like to be different" then I'm inclined to think you're one of those self-diagnosed people who are social fuckwits and say they're autistic as an excuse. It's an awful condition caused by parts of the brain being messed up, don't fucking trivialise it.
You can not give a damn about social conventions and act eccentric without a condition forcing that lifestyle on you too, you know.
You can not give a damn about social conventions and act eccentric without a condition forcing that lifestyle on you too, you know.
Now correct me if I am wrong. But I thought those high functioning autistic people could get laser focused to a fault when something interest them. Like if they wanted to, they could sit down for 12 hours straight and copy the dictionary or design something or whatever they wanted to do and not even mind half a day has passed.Rekrul said:
Now, are the kids you work with the high level functional autistic kids or what is the polite way to say the other kind?Rekrul said:I'm sure there are, just not in the school where I work
To be fair, some of them would happily watch youtube, dvd's books or whatever for hours, but they also have no real functional knowledge of time, so it means nothing to them.
My autism is fairly light, and someone I know at one point questioned if I was misdiagnosed, which may indicate progress. At any rate, I try my best not to use it as an excuse, and just a hurdle to get over. It's just frustrating that at times, that hurdle seems very, very high.
The main issue is all the subtleties to social contact that non-autistic people don't know about. You make a facial expression without thinking about it, recognize someone's feelings from a small shift in tone, and know exactly how to respond. For autistic people like me, it's not so automatic, and it all has to be thought through in a very front-of-your-mind logical process, often taking longer than is allowed for the pace of conversation. I sometimes wish people could recognize this while participating in a conversation, but even if I were to come out and explain all this to every person I try to meet, it wouldn't make me any easier to talk to.
The main issue is all the subtleties to social contact that non-autistic people don't know about. You make a facial expression without thinking about it, recognize someone's feelings from a small shift in tone, and know exactly how to respond. For autistic people like me, it's not so automatic, and it all has to be thought through in a very front-of-your-mind logical process, often taking longer than is allowed for the pace of conversation. I sometimes wish people could recognize this while participating in a conversation, but even if I were to come out and explain all this to every person I try to meet, it wouldn't make me any easier to talk to.
I am diagnosed with both Asperger's Syndrome and Autism.
I wonder at times what it would be like if I were more socially inclined, or otherwise without them, but I like myself the way I am, and the different way of thinking than most people.
Though i would like to know how much of my exceptional skills are due to autism/asbergers, or if it's just how I am.
I wonder at times what it would be like if I were more socially inclined, or otherwise without them, but I like myself the way I am, and the different way of thinking than most people.
Though i would like to know how much of my exceptional skills are due to autism/asbergers, or if it's just how I am.
My daughter is autism range, and we've really been on a journey together. For the longest time she had no words, then for quite allot longer she had no nouns. She first started calling me "Waterhorse" from the movie because I would take her on piggy back rides, even at age five, still doing it at age seven come to think of it. We did a wealth of early therapies, sound, motion, de sensitizing, equestrian. She's a smart, talented, funny, person and is my hero in so many ways. Running in the circles we do, i find her very different from the asperger's kids. But what the hell do i know? I'm really not focused on finding a cure for autism, or crafting societies proper response to it, im just trying to guide, mentor, and cherish a one little girl with a set of circumstances that some other people share that we call autism out of convienience. The label is use full to the extent any label is: not as a source really of understanding but a hook, to help collect the experineces of others with similar challenges, to see what theyve done to lead richer, fuller lives, and take a chance on that and see if it works for us.
In kinship
In kinship
The big problem for me in understanding autism is that when I see things talking about it, it makes autism seem like some sort of retardation that makes people with it never fully grow or something. But then I meet people with autism and they are quite smart and capable. Though I only ever met them online, and it may be more apparent in person. People make autism seem like it makes people like Hellen Keller, which is how I viewd it initially.
The diagnosticians that tested my daughter gave her a "severe autism" label, I've heard people say low functioning, I honestly think low-verbal or non-verbal are better because they give you a clue on how to start interacting with an individual. None of their projections account for a hill of beans, Some autism kids grow learn thrive some united states senators get caught with their wang out in airport restrooms. Diagnosis is not Destiny!
I have PDDNOS which is kinda a blend of ADD and Asperger. I was diagnosed with it when I was still in pre school. Good luck to people trying to find a 'Cure' 'cause they'll never find it 'cause it don't exists. As I you see most of the time it is about the quality of friendships and not the amount of friends. I always try to take advantage of it in any way I can, I mean I have a pretty darn good eye for detail and that is useful for my job as sound engineer, Weaknesses are as with anyone with autism dealing with figurative speech which is a pain in the but for me.
I see some people here that doubt the quantity of people with it here, I think that's mostly because gaming is a great mindset just clear out all those thoughts and observations that people like me just can't stop making nor can ignore ANYTHING that goes on around you. Just like a big amount listen to like a very specific kind of music like metal or hardcore for what I could only see as a sense of belonging to something very different but still not as common.
I can pretty much guarantee that I have it 'cause I have some medicine for it that would let most people see pink elephants fly before them singing queen. And for me they relax and put me in a less observant and impulsive mindset.
I see some people here that doubt the quantity of people with it here, I think that's mostly because gaming is a great mindset just clear out all those thoughts and observations that people like me just can't stop making nor can ignore ANYTHING that goes on around you. Just like a big amount listen to like a very specific kind of music like metal or hardcore for what I could only see as a sense of belonging to something very different but still not as common.
I can pretty much guarantee that I have it 'cause I have some medicine for it that would let most people see pink elephants fly before them singing queen. And for me they relax and put me in a less observant and impulsive mindset.
It's good advice, but it's a little circular. See, if you're an adult (and especially if you don't work), opportunities for practising social skills are pretty difficult to find.JoJoDeathunter said:
Especially if arranging to take part in such activities requires a fairly decent grasp of social skills to begin with, and you're suffering some degree of anxiety about it.
Suffice to say, unless you have some kind of social support network to begin with that can help get past the initial hurdles, this advice becomes a little difficult to do anything with.
To practice social skills, you need other people. And, you need to be able to keep interacting with those people long enough to be able to make some progress.
If you're particularly bad at social interaction, that's a bigger hurdle than it may appear to be.
That aside though, you are of course, correct. if you can find a way to practice this stuff, it'll help a lot.
Some have that yes, but that's really kinda rare. A guy I went to school with which also had asperger had that, he knew all decimals behind PI up to a thousand out of his head. As I said it's kinda rare though. Most of the times if we aren't really interested it's not going to be possible to get more than a half hour focus on it.bdcjacko said: