The Dino-Aspie Ex-Café (for Those 40+... or feeling creaky)

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siXe7bKt1q0[/youtube]

Loreena McKennitt - Beneath a Phrygian Sky

Love Loreena McKennit's music and now it's time for 11 hours of Echoes

Enjoy, Richie! I'll have to subscribe at some point. We don't get a station here that has Echoes.

Nannarob,

You're right about a lot of decent people in the world who don't know what AS is. I have a friend who is an educator who thinks she knows what AS and Kanner's is, and she really has no idea. She didn't even know it was neurological.

Part of the problem is the lack of research. Another is that it's the diagnosis du jour, and I suspect it's being over diagnosed as ADD and ADHD. It's a part of our pathologizing everything, and then what happens is many people don't take it seriously or think it's something completely different because they are exposed to people who really aren't what they are diagnosed. That wanting a quick fix for less than satisfying experiences, either on the part of the parent or the child.

Curebies--I dunno. They do seem to be part of a cult. If someone tomorrow invented a drug that would ameliorate the negative symtoms of AS, I would still wait and see what the fall-out would be. But I would be open to it, because I wonder what it would be like to pick up on social cues, and things like that. I have a sneaking suspicion that such a thing would not be possible, but a curebie would probably latch onto that drug like a life saver, and proclaim it the new panacea.

Curebies are often the same people who think nothing of chelating their kids with dangerous drugs, yet won't eat anything that isn't organic...which seems ironic.

Oh, sigh. As long as they don't start going door to door peddlin' their wares.

Is it hot where you're at, Nanna? I know that's out of the blue, but I'm getting snow here by the border, and I'm dreamin' of warm climes....

Metta, Rjaye.

I am hot, hot hot. I am dripping perspiration.

Throughout your summer I felt sympathy for BlessedMom in her tree trying to get cool, and now I can't imagine being so cold that it hurts.

Robyn! You're still up! Tried to catch you on Skype earlier, not sure if my messages are getting thru instantaneously the way they're supposed to.

*yawns*

I should call it a night, got an early start tomorrow....

At a guess, you are different enough to make them feel uncomfortable, and ASD being in a list of mental disorders gives them an excuse for attributing the responsibility for their discomfort to you. If there is something objectively wrong with you, you should want to change that, and if you don't, that is just so much more evidence for how deluded you are. Logical, isn't it?

To be fair to the curebies, there are cases where that sort of reasoning applies. People with Narcissistic personality disorder never see a problem with themselves, because it's a major part of the disorder that they think they are wonderful and any problem must lie with someone else. The curebies just don't know the difference between the two cases.

As for a cure, it's unlikely there will be a single one, because it's unlikely that there is a single cause. The October 2006 Neuropod podcast of the scientific journal Nature has a report that three different sets of genes each contribute to one of the three groups of characteristics of autism. The item is about halfway into the podcast.

It's also interesting that (if I remember correctly) the three groups of characteristics are each normally distributed. There is no hump in any of the statistical distributions that would indicate a really separate population. Each ASD characteristic is just the extreme end of it's distribution. That sort of thing usually means there are lots of separate factors each making a small contribution, so a treatment couldn't just remove the cause and move you into the normal range in one step. I think a treatment could only move you along the continuum, and probably there would be a choice how far you go. And it's likely that each set of characteristics would have to be tackled separately. If there ever will be treatments, I think there would be a choice what you treat and how much. If I'm right, that will be a disappointment to the people hoping for a magic pill that makes the bad things just go away, but I prefer my scenario. More choices.

Lau and I met today at The Natural History Museum. He is magnificent! He should change his name to Lau the Magnificent!

We met out the front at 10am. There was a long queue. I was looking in the queue and saw his long hair and recognised him immediately.

We spent 5 hours in the museum - loved the dinosaurs.

We then dined in fine style at a very intimitate establishment .... 2 chairs and 1 table in the place. A burger, chips and softdrink for 2 pounds each.

Lau then drove me around the London sites .... Tower of London, London Bridge, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. We also drove down a street with all the 'big' fashion stores .... Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chistian Dior, Chanel etc etc. We had fun laughing at the ridiculous fashions.

I will have to bring the rest of the family to London. I know UbbyUbbyUbby would love the dinosaurs.

Lau is brilliant and witty. My poor Neurotypical brain had to extend itself to keep up with his jokes. He could start a career as a stand-up comedian.

Helen

Last edited by Smelena on 27 Jan 2008, 2:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thought I'd provide an update...




The Phoenix Stargate is coming along nicely!

So now I'm embarrassed?

Nah... can't be bothered with that.

Well, Postie threatened us with otters, but being Alaskan, you would probably know about this sort of thing:

How do you cope with cycling among all this dangerous wildlife?

Last edited by Gromit on 27 Jan 2008, 5:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Okay everyone, get into line. Hey! Attention! That's it.

Now when he walks by, get down on your knees... I know your knees hurt Merle but do it anyway. Now raise your arms in the air and when we have his attention, bow to the ground and chant "Oh Magnificant One!" Chant, Blessed Mom, not sing. Some of us are tone deaf you know!

Ready. He's coming this way!

Ohhh! He's wandered off again!.

I know your knees hurt. My knees hurt! All our knees hurt. Help me up someone.

*roaring with laughter*

Robyn is channeling her inner schoolmarm again!

Too bloody right about the knee thing. Where's me walkin' stick?

Do I have to wear the white robes?

I think he went to sleep for the night....