The AUTISM SPECTRUM Thread (Now with extra rainbows!)

[Descriptor]

Same here Descriptor, although I am quite possibly somewhere low on the autism spectrum and was told I showed adhd symptoms as a child, I was never put on any medication because my parents didn't approve of it, and I grew up all the better for it.

Plus that kind of thing could be almost considered advantageous for us engineers.

Well, there IS a reason that it was occasionally known as the engineer's disease.
That and OCD.

[Strider]

People who deserve this diagnosis have actual problems that they can't cope with on their own.

In short, they need a Moirail.

[Anne Beeche]

I found this great book at my library called The Mis-Labeled Child or something that goes into exhaustive detail on how one disorder can mimic another, and there's even a section on how being exceptionally gifted can mimic a disorder.

I have a feeling that the latter happened to me.

In short, they need a Moirail.

Alas, humans are not trolls.

[Strider]

No, but they do still have the flushed and pale quadrants that they were built with. Of course, if everything turns out the way that it's supposed to be, your Matesprit is also your Moirail.

You guys ever heard of a book called pretending to be normal?

[Inconspicularity]

Okay, I'm gonna ramble for a bit here but...
1. I FUCKING HATE MEDICINES
They are complete shit.
Seriously.
I once sent a doctor to his own hospital after he tried to give me medicine.
2. I FORGOT ALL THE RAMBLE-Y STUFF I WAS GONNA PUT HERE

Some things with my aspergers:
1. I don't even want to have friends.
The school hired a shitton of people to try to get my "social skills" up. I DON'T WANT ANY FUCKING SOCIAL SKILLS, BITCHES.
2. I'm the only person in my class who knows how to turn a computer on.
That isn't exaggerated. I am literally the only person in my class who knows how to turn a computer on.
3. I'm the only person in my year (9) that is in top set for science, maths and english.
Bluuuuuhhh.

[kholhaus]

HAHAHAHAHA INCONSPIC THAT'S HILARIOUS The computer thing

Oh.

You were serious.

...That's unfortunate.

I think I might have aspergers but I don't know?!!?!?!

[Belonoid Anoesis]

An autistic here.

I was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3. Luckily, my case is as low as it could be. However, I'm still stuck with over-sensitivity and fits of rage and... talking to myself. I forgot what else I may still show.

Oh my.

[rysworld]

Oversensitivity/Fits of rage? That's something that resonates with me. I would fly into a near-blind rage very easily until I was given a teacher in late elementary that knew what the fuck they were doing. After that, in middle school, I had another good teacher, also capable with knowing what the fuck they were doing.

And now, in high school, I am passably normal enough to function, but still odd enough to be considered wierd.

Fantastic.

Math & science are easy for me I suppose, I don't pay much attention to it. I want to be a psychiatrist, but that's getting off topic.

oh yes fits of rage and oversensitivity

The point was I remember having those. I might have said something else but it's 4:00 here and I'm kind of loopy right now.

[Anne Beeche]

Some things with my aspergers:
1. I don't even want to have friends.
The school hired a shitton of people to try to get my "social skills" up. I DON'T WANT ANY FUCKING SOCIAL SKILLS, BITCHES.
2. I'm the only person in my class who knows how to turn a computer on.
That isn't exaggerated. I am literally the only person in my class who knows how to turn a computer on.
3. I'm the only person in my year (9) that is in top set for science, maths and english.
Bluuuuuhhh.

I'm thinking you may not even have AS, you're just surrounded by complete total idiots that make you look like you have AS by comparison.

Of course, that's only a guess, as I don't know anything about your situation.

Actually I'm going to break this list down.

1. I don't even want to have friends.
The school hired a shitton of people to try to get my "social skills" up. I DON'T WANT ANY FUCKING SOCIAL SKILLS, BITCHES.

This could be an actual AS thing, but it could also be that you just don't know anyone in real life that you want to be friends with (considering they're the same people who cannot turn on a computer). It could also be just you being a teenage rebel. =Þ (No, hear me out on this--you are in year 9, you still have a lot of psychological development and identity-finding ahead of you.)

2. I'm the only person in my class who knows how to turn a computer on.
That isn't exaggerated. I am literally the only person in my class who knows how to turn a computer on.

Ain't an AS thing, just you being the only person in your class who isn't an idiot.

3. I'm the only person in my year (9) that is in top set for science, maths and english.
Bluuuuuhhh.

Also ain't an AS thing, just means that A, you are not an idiot, and B, you have a gift for these things.

[Inconspicularity]

I'm also good at organisation.
For example I organised a boycott in my old old school (a christian one) against eating canteen food (you weren't allowed to bring in food from out of the canteen).

I got expelled since some idiots let slip that I organised it.

[Anne Beeche]

RE Organization: Also not an AS thing. Lots of people are good at organization.

...

Why yes, I am indeed psychoanalyzing people on the internet. =Þ

[Twigwise]

I was diagnosed with Aspergers as a tot, but my current doctor basically threw that out the window and told me I have severe ADHD and an introverted personality. I'm inclined to believe him. I have a lot of the signs of Aspergers, but I prefer to believe that I have them as a result of my dad being a stubborn, antisocial military man and that I inherited his jack-ass traits.

@Inconspic
I wouldn't freak out about medicines. I was vehemently opposed to them for... hm... I was diagnosed in '98, started my meds over spring break... about 13 years. I hated them and started screaming at the mention until I learned how to be sarcastic, at which point there were SICK BURNS all over the doctor's office. I thought they would suppress everything about me, destroy my artistic ability, and turn me into a drooling zombie. However, once I realized that I could stop at any time, I took a chance and began Ritalin (generic) which is the same thing a lot of kids say will turn you into a mindless zombie.
I don't think there's words for how much better I feel.
I don't hyperfocus on certain things, I don't dart from subject to subject, I don't fly off the handle on the smallest trigger, and I have taught myself how to make friends, which is something I've never had the ability to do. My art, writing, and schoolwork has improved as well. Of course, it sucks if you miss a couple dosages and you go into withdrawal as the add/autism/whatever you're taking it for comes back and you realize HOLY SHIT THIS STUFF'S CRAZY. (I chased a guy around my classroom after growling at him. He tried to take my pen.)
Anyways, I'm not saying anyone SHOULD take medication for their autism/add/whathaveyou, but I am saying it should never not be an option. It's viable and impossibly helpful.

[Strider]

All right, since you're psyco analyzing people already, would you mind psycho analyzing a dream that I had last night?

[Anne Beeche]

Sure, why not.

However, I can only help you analyze your own dream, no one knows what's going on in your head but you.

[Strider]

Right.

Okay, so it starts out with me holding this hug brown bag full of I don't know what standing next to someone I don't know, but I apparently know him in the dream because it feels like me and this other guy are supposed to be friends or something. There's also anxiety in the air not unlike what you would probably feel if you were at a meeting spot for a drug drop. I asked what we were to do now that we got there. He just reaches over, grabs the huge brown paper bag and whatever is in it (the bag was about as big as my torso, by the way, probably a little smaller then one used for yard waste) and throws it over this pile of what looks like construction stuff, and starts bolting. I immediately bolt after him, having the feeling that the police could arrive at any moment. (Also, in this dream the sun is almost completely set and there's hardly any natural light to speak of) So me and him are headed towards the freeway which is literally like right next to the place where the drop was made, and we're discussing in which direction to make our escape. Now the dream sequence skips ahead a bit and me and him are walking along the freeway, which likely means that we had decided that we would use that as a means of escape given that the section we were walking along looks to have been shut down for construction. We walk through this tunnel like are on the freeway and there's construction workers everywhere. We reach the end of it, but it's a dead end with a single exit out the side of it for construction workers. They tell us that we can't go out through that way because it's not allowed, and so we end up having to turn back. The dream sequence skips again, and now we are walking OVER the construction area, sticking to the edge of it for the most part with a feeling of we'll end up falling through it if we stand on it directly. He's just ahead of me, and we reach a point where we have to pass over a gap in the ground that leads to the construction area below. He doesn't notice it and I yell LOOK OUT!, but he only notices it, just as he steps over it. Fortunately I got his attention soon enough to where he was able to notice it and turn that fall into a jump. When I reach the area where he fell, I looked down into it to see if he was still in sight. he isn't, so I assume, or rather hope, that he was able to land in such a fashion that he wouldn't sustain a serious injury. I look behind me and see that he is just now coming out of the construction tunnel area again, and walking towards an area where he can start the journey over it afresh (either that or seeking an alternate route that is safer). The dream skips once more. I am alone, navigating my way over the man made edifice that comprises the outside of the tunnel which will become roads and such that cross over it later on. I have a high feeling of apprehension, hoping against hope that I don't fall through the structure. This feeling only increases when I am passing over a section that is nothing more then the metal gridwork on which everything else is piled, the sand, the rocks, the pavement. I can feel it sagging underneath my weight. I move as carefully as possible, trying not to go to fast while every single part of me is screaming at me to get off of the thing, lest I fall through it and sustain serious injury. Somehow, I manage to make the trip across it, and the structure remains intact, if only for the moment. I continue onwards, still with a feeling of apprehension, but also mixed with a feeling of great relief and a sense that the worst and most dangerous parts of my journey now lay behind me. I continue walking onwards and the dream sequence skips once again. I am now on a road by the freeway, and the person that was with me for all but the most dangerous parts of the journey is there once again. His mom is walking up to us, seeming to be glad that her son is safe, although whether she knew what had happened or not was anyone's guess. She turns to me and starts thanking me for a suggestion that I had made regarding a cell phone plan or service or something like that. She shows me the phone that she got for her son (which is the guy that was with me for most of the dream, in case that wasn't clear) and starts telling me how its much better a plan then others that she had heard of where she would have had to pay more money for similar perks. At first I am confused, not entirely sure what she is talking about. Then I feel as though I start to remember, and even nod my head a few times in response to some of what she said. Then everything goes dark. The dream ends, and I wake up.

Your thoughts please?

[Anne Beeche]

Huh.

Must be part of you wanting to be a hero or some such.

Again, I do not know you, so you have to do the actual analyzing yourself. Don't trust a dream dictionary because those things are stupid, and think only about what each of the elements in the dream represent to you and specifically you. If you don't know, think about how these elements appear in your waking life or in the works you read.

Here is my guess about the road construction element: there is a goal you want to make your way towards, however the standard process of achieving that goal is blocked, so you must make your own way. This way is much more risky and apt to result in failure, however you will succeed in the end.

[Varkarrus]

Ya know, I heard that it is far more likely for a guy to have aspergers than a girl. I am the only lady in my GLE class, so that furthers this thought.

Makes me think why there are so many girls with aspergers here? I guess the answer is obvious and that is that apsergers tends to equal nerd which tends to equal person who would want to go to this forum?

[Strider]

Funnily enough...there IS something that I am trying to work towards, and the usual way of getting it IS blocked. Never really thought about the correlation until now. Huh. :/

@Hamsterface: I suppose that is one way to look at it.

[Alyss]

heeeeeeey.

Wow, I feel kinda awkward posting in here

I've sorta... Suspected that I've had Aspergers for a while now, and I've started reading up on it more and more. I haven't been diagnosed for it, and I'm... not exactly sure how to tell people (mom) about it. And if I do have it... I guess I'd be kind of high-functioning, maybe? I seriously have no idea what im doing here aaaagggh this was a mistake

[Inconspicularity]

@Pen stealing
I was excluded for a week after I severely hurt someone who took my pencil and put it in a vice (crushy grippy thing) and crushed it.
@Strider
I'm sorry, but this is all I saw

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[Anne Beeche]

Alyss: oh no don't go down that road

I mean, ask yourself the question "Do I need to go down this road?" before going down it.

The only reason why I think anyone should attempt to self-diagnose themselves with something is if they have a serious problem that they can't seem to deal with on their own.

If you have the actual keystone problems/symptoms that AS defines, that's fine, but don't call yourself AS just because you match a good number of the details if you don't actually have a problem.

[InvaderGIR]

I don't think the emphasis on diagnosis or self-diagnosis should be on fixing a problem. That assumes there's a problem with the diagnosis. Just finding an explanation should be enough reasoning to want to seek out a diagnosis of something. It's like saying a genderqueer person shouldn't look for a label that fits them if they have no intention to medically transition. And speaking of gender:

Ya know, I heard that it is far more likely for a guy to have aspergers than a girl. I am the only lady in my GLE class, so that furthers this thought.

Makes me think why there are so many girls with aspergers here? I guess the answer is obvious and that is that apsergers tends to equal nerd which tends to equal person who would want to go to this forum?

FAAB people are less likely to be diagnosed with an ASD because of the myth that "girls can't have it", while that label is thrown on to MAAB people whenever they see "antisocial" behaviour. Though, that's not to say there is absolutely no correlation either. But what I have noticed, though, is a correlation between being trans* (especially non-binary) and having an ASD, along with asexuality. Has anybody else seen this?

[Nimz]

I don't think I'm on the spectrum, nor have I familiarized myself with any of the key problems/symptoms, but I do have an older relative that is a diagnosed autistic, functioning at probably about a 7 year old level. I have an interest in the subject, but little direct experience; I will probably lurk in this thread more than post. Hopefully that is not construed as creepy. >_>

[Anne Beeche]

I don't think the emphasis on diagnosis or self-diagnosis should be on fixing a problem. That assumes there's a problem with the diagnosis. Just finding an explanation should be enough reasoning to want to seek out a diagnosis of something.

I never meant to imply fixing the Problem.

And you need an explanation for something, right? Like if you have a severe difficulty focusing on things, and that interferes your daily life, you may need a diagnosis of ADD to be able to effectively tell your boss and whoever that you might get distracted and there's really nothing you can do about it. But if there's really nothing to explain, why bother?

However, some people go for a diagnosis of AS or HFA or whatever not because they're seeking an explanation for the Problem they have, but because "oh! This list of symptoms reminds me so much of myself! I obsess over things and am sensitive to certain noises, and am clumsy too!" Well, sure, AS and HFA people tend to have those things, so do normal people (though being sensitive to certain noises is the definition of Sensory Modulation Disorder, so that's a good thing to look into as it's more narrow than AS)! They are not the keystone symptoms, and in fact, most people, AS or not, tend to have these same traits! They are not the actual Problems that are the reason why the disorder names were conceived in the first place! There is, in fact, nothing to seek an explanation for, no actual Problem they have being able to socialize with any kind of person.

People who professionally diagnose others, especially kids since kids get little to no input, have a history of this too, that is, with diagnosing kids just because they fit a list of symptoms, rather than considering the key symptom of whatever it is they're trying to diagnose the kids with. I've seen it over and over--kid doesn't get along well with other kids and/or doesn't pay attention in school or having whatever other bump in the road for whatever reason (that is, if they get noticed in the first place, if you're a poor kid living in a "ghetto" town, good luck with that, I've known highschoolers with a second-grade reading level who never got diagnosed with anything at all), so they quickly slap on whatever it is that's being diagnosed these days, and it is often a hit or miss. That is, they see the list of side symptoms, or the problems that are caused by the Problem, rather than doing their job and digging down to the Problem itself. Sometimes, the kid has actual ADD or AS or whatever and the diagnosis fits, but sometimes, other diagnoses are more appropriate, or there's no actual Problem besides they're being bullied for having nerdy interests or not being a Mormon or whatever and there's no Problem at all! (In that case, the problem is extrinsic, not intrinsic. The kid still needs help, there is still a job for a school psychologist to do, it is just very different.)

It's like saying a genderqueer person shouldn't look for a label that fits them if they have no intention to medically transition.

No, it really isn't (unless you're going off that implication that I actually never intended to imply.). A genderqueer person can find a label that fits them because they have the keystone symptom of that label!

If you are confused about what is "wrong" with you (undoubtedly due to the history of having to repeatedly deal with some kind of problem such as not being able to read between the lines or understand social cues) it makes sense to go find an explanation for it!


Sorry about getting on such a long rant, especially over and over in this thread. This is just one of those things that gets me on my soapbox.

[citizenMono]

I'm not on the Autism spectrum myself, but I work as a caretaker for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (many of whom happen to be autistic) and as I was reading through the thread I noticed some people expressing confusion over what the term "high-functioning" means, so I thought maybe I would poke my head in and share the definition that we use at work?

Basically, to be "high-functioning" means that you have the intellectual and developmental ability to do certain things such as live independently, hold a steady job, things like that. To perhaps put it in less convoluted wording, if you live at an independence level that is roughly the same as your peers (people who are the same age as you), then "high-functioning" is probably attached to your diagnosis.

To put it in contrast with the alternative, the service recipients that I care for are profoundly mentally retarded*. They all function on an intellectual and developmental level that is significantly lower than their actual age and they are not able to meet all of their basic needs independently. Hopefully that actually casts some light on the subject and doesn't just make it more confusing.

On a less technical note, if anyone is interested in learning about Asperger's (either as someone with an "outside" perspective or as someone with Asperger's who is interested in the experiences of others with the same diagnosis), I highly recommend Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger's, which is the biography of John Elder Robison. He's a pretty amazing guy.

*I feel like I should note that this is the way that particular term should be used, rather than the modern popular notion of using it as an insult. The official term was changed to "intellectually and developmentally disabled" in 2009, but on paperwork the diagnosis still appears as "mentally retarded" with the "level" of retardation in front. I work at a federal institution and stuff like that gets pretty complicated. :B