I asked this once here: http://www.frihost.com/forums/vt-90127.html
But I really want to know... This is something really important to me.
What do you know about Asperger's Syndrome? What if you have it and met another person that has it....? Would your own traits annoy you? Do your traits annoy you anyway? Would you, a person having Asperger's Syndrome, be able to fall in love with a Nuerotypical person? Would you marry them? What kind of adjustments do you think you would have to make?
For people that do not have AS... Would the traits of a person with AS annoy you? Would you be able to put up with them? What would you do if you met somebody that had it? Would you be able to fall in love with a person that was diagnosed as having Asperger Syndrome? Would you be able to fall in love with someone that you suspected as having it, but was not diagnosed?
I think that this is the link you can follow to see a video on YouTube about Asperger's Syndrome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbgUjmeC-4o
Another link to follow to find out more about Asperger's Syndrome...
http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/
Please feel free to say anything. This is a subject I am really interested in....
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To add more to this... I have Asperger's Syndrome. Two of my children have Asperger's Syndrome. One child is nuerotypical. One of the children that has AS lives with his dad not me. The two kids that live with me are both female. So one child at home has AS, and one is an NT.
I am a writer. I make a decent living. I also do other things. My husband is a nuerotypical with an attitude problem, which works out good for me, because if he tried to be subtle with me I wouldn't get it. lol
I can be funny....I am just funnier when writing than I am in person... I have to rehearse to be funny in person, it isn't really natural for me and it is like being a full time stand up comic (except with my kids...we are naturally goofy and funny with each other, but when my husband sees us, he doesn't think we are funny, he doesn't get it, but he puts up with us. **smiling**).
There is an empty space here.... I am reminded of the movie "I Am Legend" where Wil Smith broadcasts on the radio that everyday at Noon he will be at a certain point in New York waiting to meet them. I am here waiting to talk to someone.... lol I decided to post this in a new spot, hoping to snag a person or two to gather opinions from.
I associate a LOT of everyday things with what I see in movies. I learned to quote them in my head though...it is disturbing to people if I go around quoting movies every other second something happens. 
) THAT does make my husband laugh though, so I do that for him. Sometimes I feel like I have trained myself to be for others...but most of the time, I just enjoying being...Existing.
I am also a learning JUNKIE. I am addicted to learning. I have to know things. One of my latest interests is Aspergers itself. It is ITS turn to be picked apart and put under a microscope and examined.
Alright...I am typed out for the moment. I await your response. Perhaps you should explain what the term neurotypical* (NT) means? (OK I will do it for you). It means someone non-autistic (with a typical neurological* development). It is a phrase coined by the community of Aspergers Syndrome (AS) to describe the 'rest of us'.
It might also be helpful to describe what AS actually is. It is generally regarded as a condition on the 'autistic spectrum' which is manfest as difficulty in social interaction and restricted, stereotyped, interests and activities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome#Diagnosis
* Note the spelling - not that I'm trying to nitpick, but you did say you were a learning junkie | Miriah wrote: |
But I really want to know... This is something really important to me.
What do you know about Asperger's Syndrome?
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All i know about it, is what i've learnt from a child with asperger's syndrome in an episode of the US television drama "House".
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What if you have it and met another person that has it....? Would your own traits annoy you? Do your traits annoy you anyway?
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I wouldn't mind befriending someone with aspereger's syndrome. I would treat them like i treat everyone else, if they had the ability to communicate well.
Nice meeting you!
Peace.I have a gradson who has mild aspergers. He's very bright, incredibly articulate can be obsessive, but unlike most youngsters is happy to occupy himself, although when he wants your attention it's really hard for him to understand it may not be convienent. It can get tiresome when you're telling him something for the umpteenth time and before he was diagnosed it was annoying, your thinking to yourself, I've told him this time and time again, I've explained why he can't/should do this, why doesn't it sink in!! And you are so right about not doing subtle. My grandson comes out wtih some very strange things and silly jokes.
As for the annoying traits, you don't have to have aspergers to have them. I think it's easier to have the diagnosise because it helps people understand you. As for not being friends because of it, that's just plain shallow, and your better off without those sort of people
From my understanding of the syndrome, Aspergers is separate from autism (although there are similarities). It seems to be a particular combination (or lack) of abilities (ie. they tend to have an excellent memory) and character traits (ie. obsessiveness), though these can occur on their own in "neurotypical" people. I have never met someone who would fit into the Aspergers category and so I am curious as to how exactly they view the world and understand things.
I suspect that both groups (the neurotypical and Aspergers categories) probably consider each other in a range from just different to odd or possibly quite eccentric (and to anyone out there who fits in either category - no offense intended - I am merely stating what I presume occurs).
Regardless of whether one has these traits or not, though, they are still a person with feelings, hopes, dreams and fears. Certainly, they may express them or understand things in a different manner, but they are human none-the-less.
Edited to clarify statement about memory.
Last edited by MeddlingMonk on Sun Apr 27, 2008 2:18 am; edited 2 times in total
I know people with autism find it hard to connect with other people but do form deep connections with dogs. People with aspergers don't have this problem. My grandson is extremely affectionate. His brain is wired differently to most people. Most children would be upset to be refered to as weird, but he takes it as a complement. He'll go up to people and call them a fruit a vegetable like "you're a banana" One day he was overjoyed when he said this to a little girl and she replied "you're a tomato". Although autistic people also can be explained as having their brain wired differently.
MeddlingMonk if understand you properly you're saying people with autism and aspergers have poor memories. I would say the reverse is true.
I've always associated Asperger's syndrome as a mild form of autism. I've only had to work with someone with Asperger's once (he was one of my students). He was socially awkward but a very nice and truthful person. There are some jokes that he didn't get because he didn't understand the subtlety of it that made it humorous.
In general, when dealing with someone with AS, it's important to be understanding that they're not like you in that they think different, but they ARE like you because they're human too. I don't suggest pitying them, but it's important to emphasize with their situation.
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| MeddlingMonk if understand you properly you're saying people with autism and aspergers have poor memories. I would say the reverse is true. |
My apologies for not being clear enough. What I had meant to imply was that people with autism or Aspergers had better memories than most people, but were lacking in other skills (usually some form of social skill).Miriah, I want to thank you for posting this. Until I read your post, and this thread, I had never heard of Ausperger's syndrome. Your description of yourself, and the youtube clip you linked to rang a lot of bells for me. I've been reading further, and the more I read the more I think that Ausperger's may be part of my own problems with social interaction. I have never been comfortable interacting with people because I always have a hard time... telling what they are thinking? reading facial expressions? telling if they are laughing with me or at me? I can't quite put my finger on what it is that I'm missing, but it has always just been easier to avoid dealing with people face to face. It's much easier over the computer.
I've also got an incredible memory, and I tend to get obsessed with certain subjects, and will practically live and breath that subject for months (like a particular TV show, or learning everything I can about photography, or reading everything by a particular author, or whatever.)
Several of the other symptoms, like clumsiness and a tendency to watch and enjoy children's cartoons (SpongBob rocks!), also apply to me, and I'm wondering if I should see a (who would I go see for a diagnosis? A psychiatrist?) an expert and find out if maybe Ausperger's has been my problem all along?
But then again, maybe I'm just jumping on a likely excuse to explain away the fact that I'm just a nerd with poor social skills...
But still, I'm going to do some more reading about the subject.
| Jinx wrote: |
Miriah, I want to thank you for posting this. Until I read your post, and this thread, I had never heard of Ausperger's syndrome. Your description of yourself, and the youtube clip you linked to rang a lot of bells for me. I've been reading further, and the more I read the more I think that Ausperger's may be part of my own problems with social interaction. I have never been comfortable interacting with people because I always have a hard time... telling what they are thinking? reading facial expressions? telling if they are laughing with me or at me? I can't quite put my finger on what it is that I'm missing, but it has always just been easier to avoid dealing with people face to face. It's much easier over the computer.
I've also got an incredible memory, and I tend to get obsessed with certain subjects, and will practically live and breath that subject for months (like a particular TV show, or learning everything I can about photography, or reading everything by a particular author, or whatever.)
Several of the other symptoms, like clumsiness and a tendency to watch and enjoy children's cartoons (SpongBob rocks!), also apply to me, and I'm wondering if I should see a (who would I go see for a diagnosis? A psychiatrist?) an expert and find out if maybe Ausperger's has been my problem all along?
But then again, maybe I'm just jumping on a likely excuse to explain away the fact that I'm just a nerd with poor social skills...But still, I'm going to do some more reading about the subject. |
Although it's not imposible you have AS, there are other reasons for the things you experience. The ability to read facial expressions and body language is called emotional inteligence. People who find it easy to "read" other people have a high emotional intelligence and conversely an inability to read people is low emotional intelligence. Some people have an addictive personality and will obsesse a certain subject until they get bored with it and turn to something else. Some people are just unable to focus on more than one thing at a time. As for cartoons - that is not at all unusual.
If you really are concerned about have AS, you could see your doctor and tell him/her that someone has suggested you have AS, that way you won't feel an idiot if you haven't got it.
Of course, if you have got it and are told you haven't, you won't feel like an idiot anyway. Just one thought, If you do have AS, will you make sense of that last bit!!I can't still decide if Asperger compared to Autism is a blessing or not.It's like being trapped between two worlds.Don't get me wrong, I don't think of Autism like something bad, actually I appreciate autistic people for their in depth thinking.Still i believe that being half autistic and half nt is pretty hard.
I can see the fun in Aspergers persons too although I never met one in persons ( just saw Videoposts on youtube) and I wouldn't treat someone with this syndrome differently.
| hiquality wrote: |
I can't still decide if Asperger compared to Autism is a blessing or not.It's like being trapped between two worlds.Don't get me wrong, I don't think of Autism like something bad, actually I appreciate autistic people for their in depth thinking.Still i believe that being half autistic and half nt is pretty hard.
I can see the fun in Aspergers persons too although I never met one in persons ( just saw Videoposts on youtube) and I wouldn't treat someone with this syndrome differently. |
As far as I can see, autistic people don't see autism as a dis-ability. It bad for the family. I can't begin too imagine what it must be like to be a parent of an autistic child. Hugs and smiles and kisses are so important to a parent and to not get that must be heart breaking. Then there's the need for total order and routine in the childs life. Change in this can lead to huge tantrums, not out of naughtiness but because the child can't cope with change. The child itself is content in it's own little world.
On the other hand, children with aspergers syndrome are very loving. Like autistic children, they do still need routine, but at least you can explain things to them with an expectation of them listening and understanding what you're saying. They may not like what you're saying, but that's not so different to so called normal children.
