Noone has aspergers, because there IS no aspergers. There is Asperger. . . .
swbluto said:
Maybe this picture exactly embodies the idea, lol.
. . . . this guys face definitely suggests he knows what it feels like to be alien. And look at those hunched shoulders - hell yeah, he's got the low self esteem to go with it.
This MONKEY'S face, you mean. As this is William Holbrook Beard's 'The Jester,' I'd say it's his typical animal in a human role effort, meant to be comic as always, the monkey looks content to me. Reminds of 'History of the World Part I,' as though the monkey is thinking 'It is GOOD being jester.' Better if he was grabbing the cats' tail with his own PREMORDIAL tail. (Did I spell that right? I really hate to get the spelling wrong, don't mean to bug you that way.) Ironically I think you've hit the nail on the head, ACCIDENTALLY. That was some marvelous EMPATHY with the character of the painting, regardless if it was a misunderstanding. Oops. Inappropriate hand gestures can be a stronger indicator of such things as Catatonic Schizophrenia.
Ah, but this thread leaves me feeling as the old man in an episode of the original 'Twilight Zone.' He's travelling with an old woman, obviously they're on the way to see this preteen girl who isn't speaking to anyone, but in her mind are the downright delirious thoughts to go with the evil in her eyes as she's delighted in contemplating being taken away to what she seems to think is a glamorous place - the place where they take those who don't talk. She is in a constant state of confrontation, which is making her happy, the sooner they will send her away. But this is the shadowy world of television, those who act out in outrageous fashion can expect their next stop to be in. . . .
swbluto said:
I keep thinking to myself, "I hope I'm lying to myself about all of this",
heathyoung »
You will find a lot of engineers who have varying degrees of AS.
The fingers
I took the test and I have it.
neptronix
What i find interesting in political circles is that libertarians, anarchists, and constitutionalists tend to be somewhere high up there on the autistic scale, 9 times out of 10.
Ben Wilson
I just took the test and wound up with a borderline score, I'm sure 10-15 years ago I would have far more extreme.
Submitted for your approval. A certain irrepressible teenager meets a future novelist in high school. The novelist longs to run away from high school and follow a rock band cross country while he writes about the tour, much like his idol Cameron Crowe did as a teenager. The novelist isn't just quiet, he's withdrawn, can't even handle being at concerts no matter how much he wants to be there. He decides he wants this other guy he met to do go with him. Since this other guy is, er, DAUNTLESS, the other guy can do all the talking and meeting people and living while the novelist hides in the shadows and writes about it. The other guy didn't want to make the trip.
Wasn't it a surprise to college classmates when the withdrawn novelist proved so anxious to discuss ideas with this other guy. Not only did his whole voice change, he even stopped blinking and twisting his head in every other direction. He forgot to be anxious, anxiety being the theme of all his novels. Even with a masters degree he struggled to hold a job for even a short time, until eventually his wife was working and he was at least selling enough novels to have an excuse to stay home. He has refused all interviews, even though they might help him to make a name for himself. (I doubt you know his name.)
The problem I have with this whole thread is that you are probably delighted in in assuming he's autistic, even though I really haven't said anything about him that's particularly uncommon. A test on a website that tells if your have asperger syndrome! How IRRESPONSIBLE! It's that kind of thinking that has perhaps 6 million Americans pretending to be what maybe 100,000 really are.
Prior to the movie 'Girl Interrupted' the big thing was 'Bi Polar.' But then they wanted what Winona Ryder had, so they rushed off to get a diagnosis of 'Borderline Personality Disorder.' Oh, so SEXXXYYYYY! Somehow in recent years it came to be the same with Asperger Syndrome. Hip. Trendy. 'IN.' And terribly disrespectful of those who are really dealing with this. Calling yourself an "Aspie" all cutsie. Taking historical figures and transforming them in your mind. Outrageousness.
I had this welding class. A classmate was a dead ringer for the brother of a guy I used to work with, so I was talking to him right off as though we knew each other until he finally acknowledged he realized I'd mistaken him for someone else. But now we're already talking. His father was in the class too, insisting his son was suffering from Asperger Syndrome, this is why he didn't graduate from high school and can't hold a steady job. Oh, he's suffering alright, but I'd call it drug addict syndrome. (He told me he was a busboy at that restaurant but he was actually the one managing the place.) Oh no, the son NEVER used drugs. Hey, why don't you go watch your son when he sneaks off with those other guys. Once they've passed it around a little bit they'll be giddy and tell you just WHAT they're smoking. The son was never shy about asking for help filling out his paperwork, or behaving as though he was near tears, one day I made a big gag out of "Yer cheetang, CHEETANG! (Pigsnort)" He about fell out of his chair he was laughing so hard, admitting he needed to lighten up. Asperger Syndrome, this one. Riiiiiight! Need I go on?
But here one of the big father/son activities with those two was shooting. I could see the father telling everyone at the range that the son was Asperger, when the son would probably never have gone near the range nor fired a weapon if he was. The father seemed to want it to be about the son being Asperger more than the son even wanted it.
Oh, I could probably go on for hours about this, but I won't. I'll just paraphrase the Firesign Theatre: "I think we're pretty well ALL 'Neurotypical' on this bus."
The novelist grew up with a domineering father and a sheltering mother, what a shock to the system any time he found himself having to deal with matters on his own. There were times when he needed me going along on routine matters because he'd become so stressed. How he managed to go on his first date without me on guard is beyond me. He has made a life for himself, but the struggle continues. Funny how the father of the novelist and the father of the welding classmate are so alike.
swbluto said:
I keep thinking to myself, "I hope I'm lying to myself about all of this",
The good news is: YOU ARE! The bad news is: To feign a disorder is to be disordered, but not disordered in the way that so pleased you that you faked it. When they start checking you against all those disorders in the DSM, they're looking for the 5 traits you exhibit in one of the disorders that ALL CAUSE YOU TROUBLE! Not merely that you have these personality traits, but that they cause you problems.
swbluto said:
Well, let's say I've always known there was something about me that I didn't have that everybody else had - for example, everybody would be in a clique in class or have some friend and I never did. I thought I was just the "lucky person" in that regard, but then I noticed it seemed to happen that way in just about every class, every year... which seemed statistically improbable to be "luck".
Very romantic. Meanwhile, is there some far away place that's missing a prince? Again I'm reminded of that girl in the 'Twilight Zone' episode: Thrilled at the arrival of the couple she assumes will be taking her to that very special place she dreams of. But we all know this is the TV show that tries men's souls. Little girls ' souls too. In an age of no special effects on television, this old man enters the room and locks eyes on the girl as a predator would. You can almost see him transforming into a foul creature as he crosses the room, none of this is lost on this girl with nowhere to run. I can't remember exactly how it unfolded, I haven't seen it since I was a little kid, but it could be summed with the old man grabbing her and commanding "SPEAK!"
And with fear overwhelming her plans as it overwhelms her mind, she does the only thing she can think of to escape. She obeys. When she realizes she has spoken, she is howling in pain. Wordlessly, she conveys 'You horrible little man. What have you done to me? You've ruined EVERYTHING!'
But the old man has reverted to his more kindly being. He knows what he has done, he has cared enough to save her from herself. (Just like I've cared enough to keep falling asleep at the computer all night to write this.) Yes, she'll have to deal with life again. No, she'll probably never again have a malady, real or imagined, that she can view with starry eyes. But she'll be better off, because the old man cared enough to save her from herself. Have you ever seen one of these people who have succeeded in growing up faking speech impairment. Sometimes in their 30's they decide they've had enough, so they speak. Too late, they'll never had the normal life they now wish they'd sought all along.
Be glad you're lying to yourself. Be glad you prove you're kidding yourself every time you post on this board. And stop making a joke out of autism, which is mostly accompanied by mental retardation. The few higher functioning autistic mostly still suffer a dysfunctional life without accomplishment, wishing they could be more like, oh, maybe that nonautistic painter William Holbrook Beard.
And be glad the beauty of life is still there for you to experience, should you ever decide to quit your romantic pretense that you can never experience it and start trying. Oh, I think everyone on this board can figure out which of us was "Different " somehow from the other kids, even if he didn't view that as some romantic fantasy come true.
swbluto said:
Well, let's say I've always known there was something about me that I didn't have that everybody else had - for example, everybody would be in a clique in class or have some friend and I never did. I thought I was just the "lucky person" in that regard, but then I noticed it seemed to happen that way in just about every class, every year... which seemed statistically improbable to be "luck".
Pretty to think so.
-Earnest Hemingway, summing up 'The Sun Also Rises'
Now I'm going to bed. Feel free to use the information at the bottom to enlighten yourself as to your "NeuroTypicality.'
Individuals must meet the criteria in sections A, B, C, and D to receive a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.[34]
A. Deficits in social communication and interaction not caused by general developmental delays. Must have all 3 areas of symptoms present.
1) Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity; failure to have a back and forth conversation.
2) Deficits in nonverbal communication such as abnormal eye contact and body language or difficulty using and understanding nonverbal communication, and lack of facial expressions or gestures.
3) Deficits in creating and maintaining relationships appropriate to developmental level (apart from relationships with caregivers). This may include trouble adjusting behavior to suit different social contexts, difficulties with imaginative play and making friends, and a lack of interest in other people.
B. Demonstration of restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interest or activities. Must present two of the following.
1) Repetitive speech, repetitive motor movements or repetitive use of objects (echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).
2) Adherence to routines, ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior, or strong resistance to change (insists on eating the same food, repetitive questioning, or great distress at small changes).
3) Fixated interests that are abnormally intense of focus (strong attachment to unusual objects, restricted interests).
4) Over or under reactivity to sensory input or abnormal interest in sensory aspects of environment (such as indifference to pain, heat or cold, negative response to certain sounds or textures, extreme smelling or touching of objects, fascination with lights or spinning objects).
C. Symptoms must be present in early childhood (May not become apparent until social demand exceeds limited capacity).
D. Symptoms collectively limit and hinder everyday functioning.
