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Subb · 10-18-2013 03:08 PM

As you may know, I have Asperger's Syndrome, which is a form of higher funtioning autism. And guess what; I get along fine. Sure, I may forget to say "Goodbye" or "Thank you", and I will most likely never be able to go to a Rush concert, but I have a good life.

But, that's not what the public sees. They see me as someone who has a sad life. Someone who will never leave the house, cutting himself off from his own species. Who will never experience the joy of a bar or a club, or having friends. Unless we develop a cure for him. Then, he will be free.

Autism isn't a fucking disease. You don't get it and die afterwords. It isn't a mental disability, either, because we can still lead happy, independent lives. It's a mental disorder. We just think differently. The problem is that we live in a society suited to a different brain than us.

I have Aspergers. That makes me who I am. And I wouldn't change that for the world. So don't come to me with this "epidemic" and "cure" bullshit. I'm not a victim. I'm me. Sometimes, I just need a little help. I may need more specific instructions on how to do something, but I'll do it amazingly after that. If I say something offensive, tell me. I problably didn't think it was, and apologize. I can fly, but sometimes you need to give me a little push.

This is from a high functioning autisic's perspective though. I don't know about lower funtioning autism. I can tell you that they are some of the happiest kids I know.

Before I go, it's also okay to say "retard". Me, and most of the kids I've come with autism and various other mental disorders don't mind. Before you become an ally, make sure the people who you're trying to help agree with you.

Gwedin · 10-18-2013 03:14 PM

I also have Asperger's Syndrome. Personally I don't even think it's a mental disorder; moreso a way to classify a bunch of people who think differently to the norm. Actually, same goes for every other mental disorder. It's just a way of classifying those who think differently. And if people have a problem with us, well...

10-18-2013 04:24 PM

Thank my parents and nature that I can think differently without having any mentals. At least none that I am aware of.

I agree with last sentence.

(´・ω・`) · 10-18-2013 04:31 PM

Yeah, especially since I have what might be considered Aspergers, although before I had severely high-level autism. My father was one of the main people to testify to the Washington State Senate to get them to outlaw thimerasol in vaccines. So yeah, if you live on the West Coast, you have my father mostly to thank for you getting less shots every year. Biggrin

UnschoolShqiponjë · 10-19-2013 12:55 AM

It is a mental disability to varying degrees. I've worked with kids who were very low functioning on the autism spectrum. They were like animals. I have a cousin who, like you, is very high functioning. Perfectly normal if a little socially lacking but he works through it. Just because you can live fine and happily doesn't mean it isn't a mental disability though. That being said who cares if it is?

James Comey · 10-19-2013 09:48 AM

This needs to be pinned. There's a really strong sentiment against people with autism, Asperger's, etc and it's really sad. People with Asperger syndrome in general are perfectly fine. I hate it when we "have to find a cure". How about find a way to treat it and help these people cope with it better?

Subb · 10-19-2013 09:54 AM

By the way, I don't like Autism Speaks. They preach all about "We're not stupid, we're different", and then all of that money goes into research for a cure and PSAs calling for making it an "epidemic" so the government can research for a cure. No. Stop it.

UnschoolShqiponjë · 10-19-2013 11:15 AM

(10-19-2013 09:54 AM)SubCulture Wrote: By the way, I don't like Autism Speaks. They preach all about "We're not stupid, we're different", and then all of that money goes into research for a cure and PSAs calling for making it an "epidemic" so the government can research for a cure. No. Stop it.

For low functioning autism it would be amazing if they could reverse it. However a "cure" is a poor word to use. Some autistic people are "stupid" some are just different. It isn't so simple. People with high functioning autism seem to forget about low functioners.

Subb · 10-19-2013 11:39 AM

(10-19-2013 11:15 AM)UnschoolShqiponjë Wrote: For low functioning autism it would be amazing if they could reverse it. However a "cure" is a poor word to use. Some autistic people are "stupid" some are just different. It isn't so simple. People with high functioning autism seem to forget about low functioners.

Yeah, that's true. But higher functioning people tend to be put into that group too.

UnschoolShqiponjë · 10-19-2013 12:40 PM

(10-19-2013 11:39 AM)SubCulture Wrote:
(10-19-2013 11:15 AM)UnschoolShqiponjë Wrote: For low functioning autism it would be amazing if they could reverse it. However a "cure" is a poor word to use. Some autistic people are "stupid" some are just different. It isn't so simple. People with high functioning autism seem to forget about low functioners.
Yeah, that's true. But higher functioning people tend to be put into that group too.

I agree 100000%

In the class i worked in they put high functioning with... Incredibly low functioning. I became good friends with the kid who was high functioning he liked me he said because i treated him like i treated anyone. This was high school level. The low functioner barely spoke, would masturbate to barney in the middle of class, made noises and screams to communicate. I was astonished they had them together.

Ky · 10-19-2013 01:03 PM

It's annoying how the people running the show seem to think that anyone who is different is the same kind of different.

People are unique. One size does not fit all. This is perhaps the greatest reason I have to oppose the current system; the educational system must be freed for great thinkers, future workers, and potatoes alike so that we don't all have to fit in the same mold.

(´・ω・`) · 10-19-2013 01:16 PM

Quote:It's annoying how the people running the show seem to think that anyone who is different is the same kind of different.

Perhaps I should don a trenchcoat and monocle, and act like a lunatic to prove his point.

xcriteria · 10-19-2013 01:44 PM

There's a similar discussion whether it's ADHD, autistic spectrum, or schizotypy (another "spectrum") I think I have some of all of these, but then again, what's what? And, what's better described by Myers-Briggs or other frameworks for thinking about people?

All of these diagnostic spectrums can involve extreme dysfunction, or just various kinds of differences, or outright gifts. Part of it depends on the situation... part of it depends on how people learn and grow.. and part is just a matter of who people are.

Here are's a recent TED talk on autism and different kinds of minds:

Watch on YouTube

Ky · 10-19-2013 02:13 PM

I know that this little theory of mine might enrage some members of related sciences, but...

What if autism is not only not a disease, but also not so much as a condition? Perhaps the imbalance is whatever separates the high-end from the low-end rather than simply having a differently-wired brain? Perhaps things like ADD or ADHD are myths created by a worried bureaucracy to justify the factory-like school system?

I lack knowledge on this subject, however, so do feel free to correct me if my thoughts don't hold water.

xcriteria · 10-19-2013 04:02 PM

Yeah, I think the starting point for thinking about these things should be "individual differences" in a neutral sense of the word. That doesn't get enough discussion. Everyone's brain is wired differently, though there are all kinds of ways to classify patterns and types.

Beyond brain differences, people's brains develop differently, and grow and change, based in part on what a person chooses to do, and what those around them choose to impose, suggest, or offer to them.

Things like meditation, studying music, learning languages, and practicing writing all affect the brain. These are some of many examples. It's not possible to completely re-architect one's brain though. That line between how brain architecture can change, vs. how its fixed, is one that's much more flexible when you give people a good mix of stimulation, freedom, novelty, and challenges.

Of course, all of those things are foreign to many people's experience of school. (Insert diatribe against factory-model schools.)

Maybe various types of learning and self-development could restore some of the imbalances that exist in people's brains, or lead to new kinds of imbalances... and therefore new challenges.

I don't think these disorders are "myths" though, nor are they made to perpetuate the factory model. They may function that way, but it's not an overall conspiracy. By definition, disorders involve "clinically significant impairment" in one or more areas of life. But, what people often neglect to ask is, "are there better ways to address that perceived impairment?"

(10-19-2013 02:13 PM)DoA Wrote: I lack knowledge on this subject, however, so do feel free to correct me if my thoughts don't hold water.

How much do you want to read, watch, and/or interact to expand your knowledge of various related topics?

I can try generating an entire customized dynamic course for you. This is what I'm trying already to do with various walls of content, but I'm thinking I need to add some interactivity and see how people's minds work and what they're up for processing along the way.

Ky · 10-20-2013 12:44 AM

In order for me to process a wall of text, I'd probably respond best to a summary followed by the information expanding upon what was said in the summary.

mpoole · 10-20-2013 01:29 AM

(10-20-2013 12:44 AM)DoA Wrote: In order for me to process a wall of text, I'd probably respond best to a summary followed by the information expanding upon what was said in the summary.

Opposite of Wall O Text

xcriteria · 10-20-2013 01:45 AM

(10-20-2013 01:29 AM)mpoole Wrote:
(10-20-2013 12:44 AM)DoA Wrote: In order for me to process a wall of text, I'd probably respond best to a summary followed by the information expanding upon what was said in the summary.

Opposite of Wall O Text

Audio broadcast/podcast... that's another way to do it. (Or video...)

DoA, what kind of summary do you have in mind?

Can you link to, or describe examples of content presented in the way you like it?

(Or is this something we need to invent from scratch?)

Ky · 10-20-2013 03:10 AM

(10-20-2013 01:45 AM)xcriteria Wrote:
(10-20-2013 01:29 AM)mpoole Wrote:
(10-20-2013 12:44 AM)DoA Wrote: In order for me to process a wall of text, I'd probably respond best to a summary followed by the information expanding upon what was said in the summary.

Opposite of Wall O Text

Audio broadcast/podcast... that's another way to do it. (Or video...)

DoA, what kind of summary do you have in mind?

Can you link to, or describe examples of content presented in the way you like it?

(Or is this something we need to invent from scratch?)

It would sort of follow the essay sort of format.

Basically:

Summary (thesis of what you want to say, condensed point A, condensed point B, condensed point C, etc.)
Expanded Point A
Expanded Point B
Expanded Point C
Etc.

154bmag · 10-20-2013 05:29 AM

A someone with Asperger's Syndrome, when my mother first found out, she treated me more like a thing then a person. It was usually was not a very significant part of what make me...me. only until recently, a big part of how people treat me was based solely on my Asperger's Syndrome. Now people look at me like a person, but it always was kind of odd how people looked at me so strange. And it gets worse when you have friends that buy that whole vaccination-autism thing.

xcriteria · 10-20-2013 05:53 AM

(10-20-2013 05:29 AM)154bmag Wrote: A someone with Asperger's Syndrome, when my mother first found out, she treated me more like a thing then a person. It was usually was not a very significant part of what make me...me. only until recently, a big part of how people treat me was based solely on my Asperger's Syndrome. Now people look at me like a person, but it always was kind of odd how people looked at me so strangle. And it gets worse when you have friends that buy that whole vaccination-autism thing.

It's unfortunate how labels and overly-simplistic mental categories can blind people in their interactions with each other. They can also impact how people look at themselves.

One solution is for people to develop better vocabularies and mental schemas for understanding each other. Everyone has differences, but a lot of times people aren't able to see or appreciate these things in positive or neutral terms.

Even Asperger's syndrome is not necessarily one coherent diagnostic category. What do you think? How much might its diagnostic criteria overlap with other labels like introversion, or various other disorders and personality differences?

(10-20-2013 03:10 AM)DoA Wrote: It would sort of follow the essay sort of format.

Basically:

Summary (thesis of what you want to say, condensed point A, condensed point B, condensed point C, etc.)
Expanded Point A
Expanded Point B
Expanded Point C
Etc.

I wrote long comment in response to this... sort of an essay about writing as a means of changing things, and my struggle to do so... which I posted into I'm Writing For NaNoWriMo since it was more on-topic there.

UnschoolShqiponjë · 10-20-2013 03:34 PM

(10-20-2013 12:44 AM)DoA Wrote: In order for me to process a wall of text, I'd probably respond best to a summary followed by the information expanding upon what was said in the summary.

That.... Wasn't a wall of text.

l1qu1d · 11-11-2013 05:53 AM

It feels that anyone with different thoughts has a 'disease'.

brainiac3397 · 11-11-2013 10:51 AM

(11-11-2013 05:53 AM)l1qu1d Wrote: It feels that anyone with different thoughts has a 'disease'.

If different thoughts makes you "diseased", I must be dead.

James Comey · 11-11-2013 02:51 PM

I have Asperger syndrome yet I'm smarter than most of my non-Aspie classmates, and yet they call us retards....

Gwedin · 11-11-2013 04:30 PM

I hate the disorder's name. I mean, you didn't HAVE to name it after yourself... You could've named it something that wouldn't be made into a theme for a Southpark episode. Razz

Same goes for Aspie. Looks like asspie.

Anyway, I totally agree with what l1qu1d said.

EDIT: And nearly everyone else who's posted in this thread.

brainiac3397 · 11-12-2013 02:52 AM

Great. You agree with the fact that I must be dead? How evil of you...

Gwedin · 11-12-2013 10:48 AM

I swear that's the second time you've called me evil. Coming from you, that's quite a compliment.

brainiac3397 · 11-12-2013 12:18 PM

No need to swear because its true. I believe this is the 2nd time.

Potato · 01-24-2014 05:54 PM

people with aspergers are those introverted anti-social techie/scientist types according to stereotype, which is about right. autism is another story because it includes the whole spectrum, not just the high-functioning part. it's a problem if you can barely communicate.

Did you know that if you counted up all the pies bought at football matches every weekend in the UK, the chances are...

You're autistic.

*laugh track*

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