Asperger's Syndrome/ Autism Thread

[ajmrowland]

I was wondering, for that Neurotypical site, it said that this was a sympton (and thus, actually something people are "normally" supposed to be able to do):

Pseudosimultaneous Awareness Disorder

"...subjective experience of processing multiple modes of awareness simultaneously, which may sometimes result in odd beliefs, delusions, or disorganised speech."

...if symptoms are accompanied by the belief that the Illusion of Simultaneous Awareness is a real experience, and not an illusion. This belief persists constantly despite the person being given logical and persuasive evidence to the contrary."

What does that all mean? That autistic people can't deal with all the things they sense in life...at any given time?! Or just when, maybe, there's too much going on, like a lot of people? And actually it's been scientifically proven (or they think) that nobody can simultaneously take in all sensory things anyway...?

Good question. At first it seemed like something to do with religion, but I think it's to do with managing responsibilities and obligations. too much goin on.

I'm telling you. Currently I have my job, movie rentals from a video store, my youtube videos, and chores and social stuff to take care of and that sounds like very little but it's not for me. My mom is practically forcing me to throw in banking and bills and shit like that and it becomes a bit much.

But she's a mother. it's beyond her mental capability to even comprehend the thought of *not* shoving herself up my ass.

[4th Life of Thomasina]

4th Life of Thomasina, I suggest this website.
Accepting Asperger's Syndrome

Sky Syndrome, thank you so much for the link. A lot of this is ringing true with me. I have always been prone to memorizing the minutia of any topic that interests me and I did have a lot of problems interacting with peers and making friends for a very long time. I've also always had a tendency to talk far more formally then necessary.

This is just a lot to process; when I walked in to his office today, I did not expect to leave with a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. I'm not depressed about it, but I think it'll be sometime before I've fully made my peace with it. I do kinda wish I would have received this diagnosis when I was younger; it could have made some things easier for me.

[disneyboy20022]

Sky Syndrome -

Regarding that website....I know some people who talk about autism and my mom has resources that may find it useful. My dad just spoke in Edwardsville IL on behalf of this group NAMI National Alliance of Mental Illness.

Also I think it will help my girlfriend....

Thanks for the website, from me, a fellow aspie tuned to Disney history and Titanic History and Beanie baby information which I can't get out of my head...but I quit that

[Disney Duster]

Good question. At first it seemed like something to do with religion, but I think it's to do with managing responsibilities and obligations. too much goin on.

I'm telling you. Currently I have my job, movie rentals from a video store, my youtube videos, and chores and social stuff to take care of and that sounds like very little but it's not for me. My mom is practically forcing me to throw in banking and bills and shit like that and it becomes a bit much.

But she's a mother. it's beyond her mental capability to even comprehend the thought of *not* shoving herself up my ass.

Why did you think it was religion? Anyway, that was funny about your mom but I seriously hope you can tell her "Look, I don't like to depend on my Asperger's Diagnoses, but mom, according to my Asperger's, I am already having so much difficulty, you can't add more to what I have to do! So stop making me do chores that you and dad would do anyway if I wasn't here, and just have me do the stuff I would need to when I'm out on my own!" Or whatever you think would be good to tell her.

[Goliath]

I know I'm new to the forum, but I figure it would be good for me to put it in writing so that I can process. I went to a psychiatrist this afternoon for an evaluation and he diagnosed me with Asperger's. He thinks that I went undiagnosed when I was a child and that it would explain some of my various traits such as difficulty maintaining eye-contact, having problems moving past old events/topics, problems meeting/interacting with new people, and a heightened sense of anxiety.

Well, a lot of people have troubles with those issues. I knew I had in the past. I'm not trying to belittle you and/or your 'issues', but I do wonder if we, as a society, are not over-diagnosing people. I mean, in the past, kids were just busy or over-active. Nowadays, they have ADD. This pattern is true for a lot of 'illnesses'. Some people would argue that we're now better capable of detecting 'deviations'. I would argue people are being over-diagnosed. I'm not a psychiatrist or a doctor, but seeing the symptoms you listed, I would say you're just shy. They're so general that, to me, it seems absurd to put a 'label' on it saying it's Aspergers.

Again, I don't want to belittle you or anyone here who has Aspergers, but in your case, the way you're describing it, I question your psychiatrist. Partially beacuse from your subsequent posts, it seems like you didn't think you had Aspergers or anything related to it, but you did think you do have if after a visit to the psychiatrist. It looks to me as if he has talked you into this. I'm really not into conspiracy theories, but I do think a lot of over-diagnoses is caused by the fact that the pharmaceutical industry makes a lot of profits from selling medicine for... *literally* every kind of illness or mental issues. Even issues we had never heard of until a decade ago. It seems to me the diagnosing is driven by the invention of new 'medicine', instead of the other way around.

Just my $0.02...

[4th Life of Thomasina]

I know I'm new to the forum, but I figure it would be good for me to put it in writing so that I can process. I went to a psychiatrist this afternoon for an evaluation and he diagnosed me with Asperger's. He thinks that I went undiagnosed when I was a child and that it would explain some of my various traits such as difficulty maintaining eye-contact, having problems moving past old events/topics, problems meeting/interacting with new people, and a heightened sense of anxiety.

Well, a lot of people have troubles with those issues. I knew I had in the past. I'm not trying to belittle you and/or your 'issues', but I do wonder if we, as a society, are not over-diagnosing people. I mean, in the past, kids were just busy or over-active. Nowadays, they have ADD. This pattern is true for a lot of 'illnesses'. Some people would argue that we're now better capable of detecting 'deviations'. I would argue people are being over-diagnosed. I'm not a psychiatrist or a doctor, but seeing the symptoms you listed, I would say you're just shy. They're so general that, to me, it seems absurd to put a 'label' on it saying it's Aspergers.

Again, I don't want to belittle you or anyone here who has Aspergers, but in your case, the way you're describing it, I question your psychiatrist. I'm really not into conspiracy theories, but I do think a lot of over-diagnoses is caused by the fact that the pharmaceutical industry makes a lot of profits from selling medicine for... *literally* every kind of illness or mental issues. Even issues we had never heard of until a decade ago. It seems to me the diagnosing is driven by the invention of new 'medicine', instead of the other way around.

Just my $0.02...

No problem, I can see where you're coming from. I definitely agree that, overall, the medical industry is very fond nowadays of putting clinical labels on behavioral tendencies. That being said, that isn't always a bad result if it allows people to find help (whether its for bipolar disorder. ADD, what have you). Like almost everything in the world, there's both positive and negative aspects.

The main reason I went to the session was because I've been suffering from severe anxiety and panic attacks over the last two years (although I've always been an anxious person). It was recommended to me that I should meet with a psychiatrist to discuss things and to see if being put on regular anxiety medication would help. Before the diagnosis. I had never really considered that it could be related to something else. I have another appointment with the psychiatrist in three months so I guess I'll see how that goes.

[Goliath]

I'm so glad you didn't take my post the wrong way. I hesitated to hit the 'send'-button, but I just felt I had to. Well, 'severe panic attacks' is certainly something different altogether than just shyness. See, this is why I hesitated to make my post: I had only your first message to react to and I knew I was walking on thin ice. I'm not very fond of medication, so I always hope people know what they're doing. Obviously, some people need them, but the number of people on medication seems to have exploded in the last few decades. I'm just asking some critical questions. I wish you all the best.

[Jules]

... is caused by the fact that the pharmaceutical industry makes a lot of profits from selling medicine for... *literally* every kind of illness or mental issues.

I have a small note to make, which may or may not be relevant to 4th Life of Thomasina. As a fellow Aspergian, I must admit that I've never been prescribed any medication for the condition. It's just something I have to live with. I do take pills, but mostly to minimise the effects of my OCD.

Did the psychiatrist prescribe any pills, Thomasina? Or did he just KA-BOOM you with the truth?

[4th Life of Thomasina]

The psychiatrist gave me a 6-month prescription for Xanax. I had taken Xanax before for panic attacks, but only on a sporadic, "as needed" basis. Now, I take it every morning and sometimes at night to help keep my moods more regulated. It has proven helpful, but it makes me so tired sometimes.

And yes, he did KABOOM me with the diagnosis. We had been talking for about twenty minutes or so when he went, "Do you mind if I tell you something that I've observed when talking with you?" or something like that. And then, BAM!

I've been doing further research into Asperger's Syndrome since my initial posts. I find that a lot of my personality traits line up with symptoms of AS, but not quite everything. I'm still not sure how I feel about the whole thing or if I've reconciled myself to the diagnosis. At least, not yet anyway.

[Goliath]

And yes, he did KABOOM me with the diagnosis. We had been talking for about twenty minutes or so when he went, "Do you mind if I tell you something that I've observed when talking with you?" or something like that. And then, BAM!

I've been doing further research into Asperger's Syndrome since my initial posts. I find that a lot of my personality traits line up with symptoms of AS, but not quite everything. I'm still not sure how I feel about the whole thing or if I've reconciled myself to the diagnosis. At least, not yet anyway.

I don't want to influence you, especially because I'm no doctor or psychiatrist (I want to really stress this, because I realize this is a tricky subject), but I just wanted to say this: I've read about so many illnesses and diseases in my life, and I've seen so many 'checklists' of symptoms of (mental) illnesses, and most of the time, more than half of them applied to me. That can mean two things: either I'm the sickest person in the world and I need medical treatment for over a dozen diseases... or those checklists are extremely vague and include very general and broad 'symptoms' that we can all experience from time to time, without us being sick at all. I also find it odd that the psychiatrist could make a diagnosis after talking only 20 minutes to you.

Again: don't make judgements about yourself and your health based on my post, as I obviously don't qualify to judge your situation. I just wanted to say that it is okay to question your psychiatrist's diagnosis. You are allowed to pose questions about it, criticize it and maybe even getting a second opinion. Whatever feels good to you.

[ajmrowland]

Good question. At first it seemed like something to do with religion, but I think it's to do with managing responsibilities and obligations. too much goin on.

I'm telling you. Currently I have my job, movie rentals from a video store, my youtube videos, and chores and social stuff to take care of and that sounds like very little but it's not for me. My mom is practically forcing me to throw in banking and bills and shit like that and it becomes a bit much.

But she's a mother. it's beyond her mental capability to even comprehend the thought of *not* shoving herself up my ass.

Why did you think it was religion? Anyway, that was funny about your mom but I seriously hope you can tell her "Look, I don't like to depend on my Asperger's Diagnoses, but mom, according to my Asperger's, I am already having so much difficulty, you can't add more to what I have to do! So stop making me do chores that you and dad would do anyway if I wasn't here, and just have me do the stuff I would need to when I'm out on my own!" Or whatever you think would be good to tell her.

I've tried that but they call me "selfish".

I say if i'm selfish, it's because selfless people get screwed


I'm posting this from the pet peeves thread because it was off-topic. Frank and Gollie basically challenged everything i knew about myself.

Source: http://www.aspergertechnical.org.uk/ind ... icles.html

Sorry, ajmrowland, it is a disability, and I would know, seeing as I have it (albeit rather mildly). And guess what: I'm not proud to have it.

it has social disabilities(that, i'm not proud of) but intellectual strengths. einstein ring a bell? and theres a lot of mainstream misinformation. so i guess i'm not totally proud, but looking at the glass as half-full.

there's an aspergers awareness group on fb overflowing with different personal experiences and views. you should check them out.

ps i dont know if you got my pm or not.

actually, i just realized that you may have been told growing up what you can't do and that aspergers is an all-around curse. I had a very different experience. I went to a private HS. It was a very positive learning environment, even with the occassional student with no self-confidence. rarely was i ever told i couldnt do something. The teacher taught me how to recognize my disabilities and with her help, i actually overcame a few. AS still offers problems for me and it always will. i'm realistic. BUT ican now recognize body language, and pay attention and my writing skills mor than improved. i was also constantly reminded a of the traits-strong personal interests, critical thinking skills, etc.) that she considers gifts.

also, some damn good literature classes.

so you may have "facts" but i have that rare case where personal experience disproves them and the results to prove it.

even that movie "Adam", while overly-cynical most of its runtime, backs up my point in the ending.

[Goliath]

I'm posting this from the pet peeves thread because it was off-topic. Frank and Gollie basically challenged everything i knew about myself.

Rubbish. I didn't do any such thing. You chose to be offended over a mistake I made. You chose to take it as malice from my part and make nasty comments --like you've been doing for the past several months, with absolutely no reason at all.

[Disney Duster]

I'm with you ajmrowland, some things can only be a disability if you view it as a disability. My guess is just sometimes you view it as such, or you just view parts of it as such.

At one point gay people could have viewed homosexuality as a disability because it disabled their ability to function as "normal" with the rest of society, in a way. It's not the same thing, of course it's not the same thing, I'm just using it to help explain what I mean.

Medics actually labeled homsexuality as a disorder at one point. Of course Asperger's is officially medically considered a disability, so in that medical sense it still is, just for proper terms and such.

[ajmrowland]

I'm posting this from the pet peeves thread because it was off-topic. Frank and Gollie basically challenged everything i knew about myself.

Rubbish. I didn't do any such thing. You chose to be offended over a mistake I made. You chose to take it as malice from my part and make nasty comments --like you've been doing for the past several months, with absolutely no reason at all.

well, i havent been the most pleasant person lately. not anyone's fault here. the world being full of pessimists, ignorant parents and a brief heart-health scare.

sooooo my bad.

Asperger's, while *officially* a disability, is a complete rewiring of the brain, so it's a grey area of understanding.

[Princess Leia]

· They also have trouble with overwhelming emotions and need a quiet place to go when they are feeling overwhelmed.

· Those who suffer from Asperger syndrome dislike change intensely and it can turn their world into chaos. Something as simple as rearranging furniture can send them into a major meltdown.

· Asperger sufferers are very comfortable with repetitive routines, but can be taught to cope with change if they are forewarned.

· Asperger sufferers dislike surprises. They like to know what’s coming so they can be prepared.

· Children who have Asperger syndrome do not respond, nor do they understand, body language or facial expressions. Those skills have to be taught.

· Asperger sufferers take the spoken word literally and don’t understand metaphors or sarcasm unless taught.

· Those suffering from Asperger Syndrome are often obsessed with things. As children, these things will change. As adults, they usually stick to one obsession.

A few days ago, my mom asked me to look up the syptoms of Asperger's and tell her what I thought. Upon doing so, I realized that the symptoms above, plus a few others not mentioned, fit me to a T. Some to a lesser degree than others, but they apply. So now, at the age of 22, I finally realize that I most likely have Asperger's syndrome.

I was five when Asperger's was formalized in 1994, but we never knew anything about it until my cousin, who was born in 2007, was diagnosed 2 years later at the age of 2. He displays many of the symptoms that I have.

[disneyboy20022]

· They also have trouble with overwhelming emotions and need a quiet place to go when they are feeling overwhelmed.

· Those who suffer from Asperger syndrome dislike change intensely and it can turn their world into chaos. Something as simple as rearranging furniture can send them into a major meltdown.

· Asperger sufferers are very comfortable with repetitive routines, but can be taught to cope with change if they are forewarned.

· Asperger sufferers dislike surprises. They like to know what’s coming so they can be prepared.

· Children who have Asperger syndrome do not respond, nor do they understand, body language or facial expressions. Those skills have to be taught.

· Asperger sufferers take the spoken word literally and don’t understand metaphors or sarcasm unless taught.

· Those suffering from Asperger Syndrome are often obsessed with things. As children, these things will change. As adults, they usually stick to one obsession.

A few days ago, my mom asked me to look up the syptoms of Asperger's and tell her what I thought. Upon doing so, I realized that the symptoms above, plus a few others not mentioned, fit me to a T. Some to a lesser degree than others, but they apply. So now, at the age of 22, I finally realize that I most likely have Asperger's syndrome.

I was five when Asperger's was formalized in 1994, but we never knew anything about it until my cousin, who was born in 2007, was diagnosed 2 years later at the age of 2. He displays many of the symptoms that I have.

Diagnosing any mental problem is difficult. Look up Post dramatic stress, or Bipolar Disorder. Or OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder). However Asperger's is not a cookie cutter diagnosis. Just because one person has Aspergers doesn't mean that all Aspies have all that's written down in a diagnostic when describing some generals of Asperger Syndrome.

[danielshooley]

Hi,

I have Autism.

For those unfamiliar with it, it is a Serious Brain Disease affecting 1 in 50 children and adults born in the U.S. alone, many of whom will SADLY NEVER learn to speak or communicate verbally.

Thankfully, with LOTS of intervention and individual therapy growing up, I not only talk, but also say my own name, act in plays, and write songs as a hobby.

The road there, however, was not easy.

Growing up, you could say my life was odd, yet strangely normal the moment I was born Daniel Stephen Hooley on December 9, 1984 the 2 most loving parents a son could EVER ask for.

The Autism diagnosis, so Ive been told, occurred for me at age 3, and as I stated in an earlier post, despite my diagnosis, and its grim prognosis, I remember doing as many regular-kid things I could until my severe Abuse happened, after which it all went downhill for me.

On May 7, 2003, weeks shy of graduating high school, an otherwise celebratory time was fucking ruined for me upon learning, with ZERO prior knowledge before reading it in the annual yearbook, of my hometown crush fucking me over with this guy shes since married AND has 2 young kids with.

As if THAT wasnt horrific enough, the following October, my mother lost her left foot below the knee due to a severe allergic reaction to Heparin, a Medication commonly used in Medical Surgery.

In addition, I was also diagnosed, at age 17, the Summer before graduating high school, with OCD.

Eventually, I too wound up Hospitalized the following May--in my case for Psychiatric problems in connection with the Stress caused by both situations; however, 6 weeks afterwards, on June 18, 2004, I attempted Suicide by hanging my right foot onto telephone wires at my childhood home.

I escaped physically unharmed, thank God, but the wires broke apart by accident.

Flash forward to 2 years later: April 2, 2006, a day forever etched into my memory.

That fateful afternoon, I met this terrific young girl my age who, to me, was everything my hometown crush was NOT: kind, considerate, caring, and completely honest with me, even when I didnt deserve it after an initial error in judgment on my part with her nearly ended things unhappily.

Even though I havent seen my college crush since I left without graduating on October 6, 2006, the lessons Ive had to learn through her continue to live on every day, and those lessons learned cause me to relish the friendships I have, online and in real life, to this day--especially with Candace Cameron as I stated truthfully in an earlier post.

[Disney's Divinity]

I don't know too much about autism (thankfully, nobody in my family has been diagnosed with it; not that it would have been a death sentence, but life is full of enough struggles without adding that extra hardship, of course), but I congratulate you on enduring through your illness, and your mother’s and your own sufferings. I’m also glad you survived the suicide attempt and came out better on the other side.

You might want to edit out the details about where you live though. Not that I think you’re in too much trouble with the people on this forum, but you can never be too careful with the Internet.

[disneyboy20022]

There are many people on this site that have differ kinds of Autism. Perhaps you should discuss this in this thread that already exists

http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic. ... er#p320459

Perhaps a mod could merge the two?


Myself I have Asperger Syndrome. However I know a lot of people regard it as a curse and want to be rid of the disease, I don't. Well personally for me I mean if they offered a cure I'd say heck no at least for me. If someone else wanted to take part of it that would be up to them. My Aspergers is what makes me me and I don't want to get rid of a part of me. It's taught me a lot and have met a lot of differ people and been able to share so many things. It does cause some flaws, but then again doesn't every person on Earth have flaws? In my living, there is one word that people say they want to be: Normal. However they can't be normal, no one can be Normal because there is none though there is in a way normal. Normal is in the eye of the beholder, and one persons Normal can seem un-normal to someone else and visa versa. Normal is subjective though most of society doesn't see it that way.

One disease I have that I would love to get rid of is my Inflammatory Bowel Disease/Crohn's/ Ulcerative Colitis. I hate it with a passion. Right now I'm going through a flare up and it's torture. I pray someday a cure can be made.

[Wonderlicious]

I'm not autistic, but I wouldn't label autism as a disease at all. In fact, I think that doing so would be a disgrace. The word disease has such awful connotations of dysfunction and contagion, often associated with terminal illnesses and disorders. Autism may cause one to see the world differently (and thereby react differently), but aside from serious cases of autism, it often isn't more than that, and autistic people can have a lot to bring to society. To say that they don't is discrimination; you wouldn't say that Martin Luther King did nothing for American society because he was black, or that Elton John is a bad musician because he is homosexual. As Michael mentioned, normal is a tricky term. It's banded about to mean some kind of averageness or vague expectations, and it can have quite destructive and demeaning qualities.