Thu'um Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 @Ajc3000Fx. It is a big deal, but can also be dealt with, with help and the childs efforts. It makes a concentration of talent in one area of study, and a deficiency of talent in another. In my case science and math ( my weaknesses) and english and history ( my strong suits.) some kids may have a hard time knowing what to say, or thining of good topics of conversation. Sometimes just making close friendships is hard, for whatever reason. It has been a little bit depressing in my case or has been. When people learn about my condition I am complimented by people saying " you don't seem liek you have it" or " your the king of aspergers" and then have the stigma and embarassment of not having many close friends in high school ( though plenty of friendly aquaintances....for waht thats worth.) Anyhow I am in college and having a much better time of it. Basically aspergers is a very loose and flexible disability with its symptoms changing in time, sometimes quickly. Things are just harder, that is all. alright i'm starting to get you, but i still have the question as to why aspergers makes these things harder? I my self and just about everyone has weaknesses. I am rather brilliant in history, speaking and social subjects, but i am not a genius in language or grammer. Does this mean i have a disorder? certinaly not. I simply have , like all people,weaknesses and strengths. I am good at making friends and a rather social person, but i can be a little shy. So does Aspergers just classify people who are a little one sided with talents and less social ,or is there a signifgant reason such as a chemical unbalance that is abnormal and results in these symptoms? and then you responded before i did D: main question, could aspergers just be a classification for people who have these traits, or are the traits directly cordinated to this disorder :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ala1n-J Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 main question, could aspergers just be a classification for people who have these traits, or are the traits directly cordinated to this disorder To answer this, I'll say that Asperger syndrome is part of Autism Spectrum Disorders, which regroup all disorders with autistic behaviours. Asperger is set in the highest rankings of Autism, meaning that Aspies, althought having difficulties, can socialize better than autists. To make the thing even more confusing, some talk about another disorder called High-Functioning Autism (HFA). Whether or not HFA and Asperger are the same is still to be determined. So it can be both, as Asperger in an autistic disorder and Autism induces typical traits like impairment in social interaction, but Asperger is different from classical autism (Kanner's Autism) so it come with traits on its own like huge interest in a specific subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarita Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 To make the thing even more confusing, some talk about another disorder called High-Functioning Autism (HFA). Whether or not HFA and Asperger are the same is still to be determined I was actually going to mention this if someone else didn't do it soon. Adding to this, the reason they're often compared is because, unlike classic autists, we actually are "higher functioning". We have many of the same traits as autists, they just aren't nearly as severe. We are able to "function" Also, AJC, I don't take offense to your comment earlier. I as actually diagnosed by a real doctor, and have nothing to be ashamed of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCPeppyTc Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 In response to your question Ajcfox it can make them either very shy or sort of verbose and obnoxious, but they simply do not mean to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faisul Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 i still have the question as to why aspergers makes these things harder? I my self and just about everyone has weaknesses. I just want to preface this with saying that I don't have Aspergers or am in the high functioning autistic spectrum, but I have friends who do, and have done a bit of reading. I won't pretend to be an authority in the field, and whatever I say below may be plain wrong, and that nothing I say is meant to be offensive or that I am trying to cast people with these disorders as being weird subhumans or faking it or anything. Part of the difficulty in explaining this to people without autism spectrum disorders or Aspergers is, from what I've heard, because people with these disorders perceive sensory stimuli quite differently from us, and like others have said, spend a lot of time conforming to schedules and are uncomfortable about change. It's not like they have superman or daredevil-style hearing or anything silly like that, but I have heard that in many cases that they have trouble blanking out 'the white noise' that us others do automatically. So if you could imagine for a second that you're in your room, but not only can you hear your computer humming and clicking, you also hear the whine of the TV set, the birds outside, the traffic, a phone going off, basically every little thing you'd normally just blank out. It can be very distressing, I've heard, like sensory overload where you're unable to shut it out and it can make you irritable and sensitive to sudden noises. As for other difficulties, as I've heard mentioned in this thread and by friends who have Aspergers, common social interaction can be quite confusing, as in, reading what is essentially universal body language (and in serious cases not recognizing facial expressions that mean, for example, 'I'm listening' or 'I'm pissed off at you') and can lead to a whole lot of uncomfortable misunderstandings. In other cases, being knocked out of your daily schedule (again, depending on the severity of the disorder) can make you irritable as you feel like you're losing control of what's going on around you, whereas people without the disorder would just shrug it off and change their schedule without further ado. There's a whole slew of other symptoms or quirks that I could go on about but there you have a small slice of what I've heard about. Unfortunately there has been a bit of a trend where people that simply aren't all that well socially adjusted or feeling like they need to be *~special snowflakes~* to self-diagnose with Aspergers, or any other high functioning autistic spectrum disorder. When this is the case there really isn't any developmental disorder holding them back, just their own unwillingness to take responsibility for their own actions, blaming being an asshole or having really, really weird habits for example on 'my autism.' This has lead quite a few people to not acknowledge genuine cases of autism and Aspergers and simply dismiss what is a genuine disorder as people just being weird assholes. As with pretty much any neurological diagnosis there are degrees of severity, misdiagnosis, doctors not recognizing the disorder and diagnosing it as something else, and our general understanding of autism isn't that well advanced - but I can attest from personal experience with diagnosed (and self-diagnosed) people that the disorders do exist and do present significant challenges to those who have them which 'normal' people simply don't need to deal with. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ala1n-J Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 ^ Yep, you sum it up very well. I like it when a non-asperger explains the disorder, as we usually know it and explain it like it's "normal" and we tend to think others will understand. Which in not always the case. So it's good to have both points of view, aspie and non-aspie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thu'um Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Exactly the answer i was looking for Failsul 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faisul Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Exactly the answer i was looking for Failsul Failsul Ahahaha! Thank you for giving me a forums signature, AJC! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thu'um Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Ahahaha! Thank you for giving me a forums signature, AJC! ahahah sorry about that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I have Aspergers also, and i never use it as an excuse. I also think i have Bipolar, seeing i have all the symptoms but yes, it makes things hard but just keep trying and you can get through anything :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faisul Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Thinking that you have a disorder really isn't enough to actually have one, but if you suspect that you do I would recommend you see a professional. If you have manic depressive disorder, it is very important that you get treated for it as it can make your life (and that of others around you) pretty difficult at times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myu Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 The following is just personal experience and I in no way mean to make light of the people who have said that they have Aspergers. As far as I know, I don't think I know anyone IRL who has Aspergers, however, I have run into a few people online who have it (or at the very least say they do) and my mom is a special education teacher so I'm sure I've run into some of her students who have some form of it. Unfortunately, I've gotten to the point where I generally don't take it seriously online because everyone I've run into that "has" it has used it as an excuse for everything. One person in particular throws the term out every time he can. I really regret that as soon as I hear the term I just think, "Ugh, this again?" It seems like a lot of people self-diagnose when it comes to this (and everything else). Go on WebMD, become professional in diagnosing everything and freak out that you might have cancer. That said, I don't baby people who have it. Doesn't seem like there's any reason to I guess. I was told once that I should treat someone with Aspergers like they have Aspergers, but I wouldn't want to be treated like I had some kind of disability - especially if no one noticed unless attention was brought to it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
someguy63- Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Honestly, I do not know anyone in my life who has this condition. However, to all who have truly have it, they have my sympathaties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCPeppyTc Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Myu you are exactly right. Could it be that the online aspies say dumb or offensive things and then say they have aspergers as excuse? Because they have aspergers they need to be shown and corrected all the more. Perhaps they did not self diagnose, but just are somewhat lazy and disinterested in caring about other people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drasiana Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I think it's a mix of both, TCPeppy. There are TONS of kids that self-diagnose on the internet...not just Asperger's, but OCD, schizophrenia, DID and...mostly anything else. They see or hear about a couple symptoms out of context and go "omg lol I wash my hands ALL the time I'm TOTALLY OCD!" and don't even get me started on the DID-fakers. They're just being special snowflakes about it, thinking having a mental disorder is a label they can slap on to make them ~unique~. There are people who do legitimately have the disorders, and while some exception and consideration can be made given the way they are influenced by said disorder, frequently there seems to be those who've learned that they can get away with absolutely anything as long as they bring up the fact that they have some sort of issue. I went to school with someone like this, and it was incredibly frustrating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCPeppyTc Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Dras, you went to School with an aspie? I doubt many kids would self diagnose as aspergers..... It doesnt seem like a "cool " disorder to have, what with having a hard time with friendships and all..... However it is more likely they are legit aspies who may have been conditioned to use aspergers as an excuse for any sort of failure. It may have caused it, but an aspie does not use as shield, just is suppossed to learn and try to be nice and normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drasiana Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Oh, no, I went to school with someone who had something else that they used as an excuse not to do the same amount of work as the rest of us. Keep in mind, this was post-secondary, and for a degree. I wouldn't think any disorders are "cool" to have, which makes self-diagnosers even dumber. They don't have any idea what they actually entail and just want to be edgy, and makes it harder for people who legitimately are afraid of having something (but haven't been able to see a professional) to be taken seriously for saying so. I have depressive tendencies thanks to some vitamin deficiencies and even that sucks major monkey ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCPeppyTc Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Depresive tendencies? I have them too. Some things that help that are a healthy diet adn plenty of exercize! Up until recently I was sort of scared/ uncomfortable with my peers finding out about aspergers. I just seemed sort of awkward to say I had something, and feared I mgiht be somewaht stigmatized for saying it.Maybe the last part is reflective of a subconcsious 1950s attitude... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire Yoshi Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 In all honesty, I've never known anyone that has the syndrome until I started listening to Mr K's podcasts. lol I do find the effects and whatnot interesting...but I don't think I have it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ala1n-J Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 When I mentioned my asperger Syndrome when I made the usual welcome message here (making it clear I wouldn't use it as an excuse), I didn't intend to look "unique", I just thought it was an iformation I could share with others. Other than that, I don't usually speak about it when I talk to friends, because they don't actually have to know it to befriend with me, unless the subject is brought upon by someone else, or if some work I show them is related to said disorder. I want my frineds to know me with more than just being an aspie. When the subject is brought on the table, I don't wait for my friends to ask questions, I already know they don't know about Asperger, for most of them. You're right saying that some people "baby" those with disorders, mainly because they don't know anything about it so they act like its really bad or contagious and they don't take us seriously. I admit it granted me some help for my high school exams and I used it (I had additional time for challenges), but that was the only help I was "given". When I had some commissions for card game illustrations, I didn't say "Could you give me more time? I have Asperger." I sticked to the deadline like any other artist! I don't want some special treatment, I can show now I am capable of doing the job in normal conditions. I do ask my family for help however when it comes to writing letters and texts, because I do have problems making things clear when I write (like on this post). One thing that made it difficult to me though : in France, Asperger is not officially recognized. Neurologic disorders are taboo matters here. My parents had a hard time finding a doctor who would help them, until they found a child psychiatrist who knew about the disorder and recognized it. French doctors (and french people in general) are caught into the psychoanalyst way, thinking they can cure autism and Asperger (and anything!) with psychoanalysis. Cure?! Autism and Asperger are disorders, not diseases! Psychoanalysis may help us live with this disorder (and by that I mean "help us not feel down about it"), but in no way it can help us get the necessary skills to interact with others. By defenition, psychoanalysis focuses on understanding oneself, whereas the main problem with Asperger is understanding others. I'm not saying psychoanalysis is bad (or else I wouldn't speak about that child psychiatrist), but the overuse of it is bad. Another thing about that "all-psychoanalysis" trend is that psychoalnalytic treatments are paid, behavioural treatments (that help us with communication and living skills) are not. So doctors misdiagnose autists and aspies either by greed or by misunderstanding. A medical report about autism and asperger diagnosis will soon be published, criticizing psychoanalysis-only treatments in favor of the more effective behavioural treatments. Again, treatments differ as autist and aspie levels differ, but behavioural treatments usually can be complemented with a psychiatric treatment, for reasons I mentioned above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCPeppyTc Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 I myself feel somewhat lonely. I mean I am an aspie, but feel I am one of the few "normal" ones I know. I know it's mean to call people not normal, but it is just true sometimes. It isn't normal to talk loud and obnoxiously, or play world of warcraft all day or not attempt to reach out to other people and understand the way other people think. Living with Aspergers, I have come to be aware of a truth that simply isnt voiced enough: Aspies and neurotypicals are very similar. It just takes a little longer for Aspies to figure stuff out thats all. It can be somewhat disheartening, being a nice person thats had a harder time making close friendships. I dont know for me exactly whether it is a lack of certain awareness, of finding the right clubs/activities, or just plain bad luck. But it's rare to find aspies like me, who are trying to play by the rules. I used to go to this therapist for aspergers kids, and more than half of them were obnoxious, not fun to be around. I mean I know aspergers makes it harder to read what others are thinking, but could you at least attempt it? What made it worse, and what made me sad, is that the sugaroating, nursemaid therapist we were in a room with, didn't once correct them or draw attention to what they did i.e " Now this is what we call annoying." I think the NT and Aspie labels are a BIG mistake. Aspergers is the functioning form of autism. Just because you have it, doensn't mean your destined to be some basement dwelling recluse who has no meaningful friendships. Most human beings are NT. Aspies just need more help to be that way. Can ANYONE identify with my frustrations in this regard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sroberson Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Hi everyone, I would like to bring up a topic called aspergers syndrome. As a person who has it, I find it sometimes hard to think or talk about. Partly I don't like talking about it because I fear the unwarranted pity I might get... What is your perception of it? I don't really like it when people think of us just as just disabled, ( which in my opinion sometimes does happen.) Any thoughts? I used to have a girlfriend that has Aspergers...did a heck of a lot of research on the matter myself just so I could understand it better. I didn't see it as a disability for the most part although she did have problems with things like schedule changes and would sometimes just become an emotional wreck due to other problems, also had slight obsessive nature with things when she learned about them. I understand those are all relatively common issues. I guess actually it should be mentioned I have in the past worked with a youth group that contained several kids with Aspergers too with varying severity (one girl will barely talk to anyone unless she knows them and has a tendency to wander off if she feels uncomfortable being around people). While I can understand the argument that Aspergers shouldn't always be treated as a disability and something as completely 'wrong', I am all for helping those who have it since I have seen the emotional pain they go through just trying to fit in with the rest of the world but for some reason still be pushed away. Another thought on the matter is my concern over the "apparent" increase in autism and high functioning autism cases in the United States. Supposedly 1 in 88 youth will have it, up by 78% from 10 years ago or so. As has been mentioned earlier in the thread, its very possible that its an overdiagnosis (heck they might think I have it, but I won't get tested simply for the fact that its not keeping me from enjoying life the way I want), but I am more afraid of it being a very real and increasing issue. http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/31/opinion/lord-autism-rate/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ala1n-J Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 (edited) @ TC : I understand your frustration, I had a boy in kindergarden that had behavioral troubles, he was agressive and annoying as hell, and all his mother had to say was : "It's up to the other kids to adapt themselves to my son". No. Everyone has to be educated in order to be tolerant and socializable. It might take longer with Aspies, since we usually don't see and feel the world like the NTs, but it's worth the effort so anyone, Aspie or NT, can accept and befriend each other. However, I don't agree with you saying that NT and Aspie labels are a mistake. Things have to be named. When explaining some disorder to someone who doesn't have a clue about the matter, it's usually a good thing if that disorder has a name, so that person can easily remember it. Sure Asperger is the functioning form of Autism, but it still is Autism and it comes with its own specificities that NTs might find difficult to understand. The real mistake is to think that NTs are superior to Aspies as if superiority had anything to do with that. Asperger is not a handicap, it's just a way of life. @ Sroberson : Indeed, but like I said to TC, everyone should be educated to accept each other (this can be enlarged to everything in society). Sure Aspies should be helped so they can be socializable (what my parents have done all my life) and seeing those aspie kids left alone with no one telling them to behave well is sad and infurating. But it's useless if people can't accept them. So yeah, I agree that Aspies should be helped to socialize better and they also should make efforts in that path, but all the others should learn to accept differences. About that apparent increase of autism, maybe it's due to the increasing awareness about autism or maybe because medical techniques have evolved or a bit of both, don't you think? But there are still so many undiagnosed autistics and many misdiagnosed people and also idiots who call themselves "autistic" to justify all the shit they do. Another thing, I made a mistake in my previous post saying that in France behavioural treatments are not paid for. Yes they are, it's just that the money won't go to the psychoanalysts and they don't want to lose that money. Edit : for those who wonder or don't know the troubles of autism in France, that is to say the psychoanalysts claiming autism is a psychose to cure, there is a movie called "The Wall : Psychoanalysis put to the test for Autism" by Sophie Robert showing all the absurd and horrible things that french psychoanalysts say about autism. Some of them took legal action and the movie was censored. So the only way to find it is to make a long seach on the web. Still, I found a translated article from a french weekly newspaper quoting some of what these people have said in front of the camera. And to think these same people are directing pedopsychiatric departments in hospitals! So get a good laugh or be afraid : http://autisteenfrance.over-blog.com/article-autism-article-about-the-film-90873536.html Edited April 6, 2012 by Ala1n-J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCPeppyTc Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 @ Alan Of course I agree that Aspergers and non aspergers ( NTS) are different, but im saying we arent like two seperate species, the ways some on aspergers websites say. It seems a flexible boundary, between NT and aspie or at least can be. Idk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ala1n-J Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 @ Alan Of course I agree that Aspergers and non aspergers ( NTS) are different, but im saying we arent like two seperate species, the ways some on aspergers websites say. It seems a flexible boundary, between NT and aspie or at least can be. Idk You're perfctly right, anybody could be a little Aspie sometimes and it would be nice to be appreciated for what we are and do without any categorization. The boundaries are flexible and we should speak about Aspie degree or traits that are more or less important. I feel as human as the next guy! But maybe I was lucky enough not to be left out of the real life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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