How Many People Here Are actually Autistic or have Aspergers

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You would put "Autism DAR" on the same footing as "A DAR"?

Was it that hard? Do you dislike the term as a matter of principle or alliteration?

There are many detection systems, by the way... "LADAR" (laser detection and ranging), "LIDAR" (light detection and ranging) and so on.

You made a statement that was untrue, in several ways, so I said so.

I made no mention of putting anything on a footing.

It wasn't hard to read what you said you were coining the term as. I dislike only the lack of communication that occurs, when people invent words and promptly expect everyone to get the joke.

Non-verbal learning disorder.

Oh yeah, I remember now, I put it out there as a tease, to see if people would correctly infer what it was supposed to mean or challenge me on it.

It's disturbing what a short memory span I have in my conscious memory buffer. Stuff slips under my consciousness into my subconsciousness so quickly... I have a very short "memory span" when it comes to my own behavior...

Just did a quick search and found this: Autobiographical Memory and Social Problem-solving in Asperger Syndrome

"Abstract Difficulties in social interaction are a central feature of Asperger syndrome. Effective social interaction involves the ability to solve interpersonal problems as and when they occur. Here we examined social problem-solving in a group of adults with Asperger syndrome and control group matched for age, gender and IQ. We also assessed autobiographical memory, on a cueing task and during social problem-solving, and examined the relationship between access to specific past experiences and social problem-solving ability. Results demonstrated a social problem-solving impairment in the Asperger group. Their solutions were less detailed, less effective and less extended in time. Autobiographical memory performance was also impaired with significantly longer latencies to retrieve specific memories and fewer specific memories retrieved in comparison to controls."

Maybe a dim "autobiographical memory" is part of my lack of self-awareness in social behavior.

Officially diagnosed as a child

I'm diagnosed with AS. I know for sure I'm autistic; I have so many unfakeable traits, it's so obvious, and sites on the internet on AS were like a description of me. There's no possibility I'm not AS.

I think I have it quite strongly.

I'm wondering whether you can actually recognize the non-AS people on WP. It never occured to me people may be pretending; it seems weird to do, pretending to be autistic on a site for autists.

I think it would be hard if not impossible.

Because we have the parents (who might have traits too), lovers, people just being interested, people with just a few traits of AS, people with other ASDs or NVLD, ADHD, PDs, mood disorders, neurological disorders, TS even or SID, langauge disorders and more things I probably don't know or can't recall right now. And probably pretenders too. A few who have uncommon forms of autism. And then the mass of people who're unsure. (The 'not sure if I have it or not' option in the profiles.)

And, I apologise if I sounded harsh. Just me, being me, as usual. Total perseveration. I can't let an un-crossed "t" or and un-dotted "i" go unpunished. I tend to go straight for the thumbscrews.



Can you forgive me?

I always have known that I was different from everyone else in the world. My childhood was a very solitary one but I never felt lonely as a child since I had my own special interests. I was in a way similar to Mr. toad from Wind in the Willows, where I was going through phases of differing interests. But I always had main interests that I would indulge my mind with.

At the age of 11 I was diagnosed with a "mild" form of Asperger's Syndrome.

It did make a lot of sense to me since I knew I was always an outsider. The diagnosis helped me understand myself in the respect of my disability. Tpo see through the artifices of life since I was viewing and experciencing the world through the bras of my own self constructed cage that I only have one foot outside of.

I feel more at comfort with myself, as my life has progressed through puberty and early adulthood, when life would make certain expectations of me. And since I was aware of my diagnosis I was able to negotiate the obstacles of my life as I went. I never really had any kind of grand scheme about what plans I may have, or tactics for dealing with life, but instead made a promise to myself that I would always strive to be the best person I can be.

I wouldn't always succeed in acting like the well adjusted person of society that would be expected of me, since I live in this world with everyone else, or at least in part. There ae major mistakes I made throughout my life. For example when I was a schoolchild I was very badly behaved and was suspended multiple times for certain misdemeanours. I have learned the hard way since all I had to teach me about myself, was in fact myself. Its only until late in puberty that I acquired literature concerning Asperger's.

Of course I feel fortunate and thankful for having the compassion and support of my mother, since my father wasn't the most restrained man. He was and still is very strict given the background that he comes from, but my mother was always a role model to me. At the age of 18 I discovered the comic Bill Hicks who gave me new things to think about the world. His words and actions reflected upon my own life and I realised I wasn't the only person in existance that has ever strived to be better than they were in a way that touched other people's lives. He helped me evolve and learn that the world isn't always the way it seems.

Now at the age of 24, I'm gonna be 25 in 6 days. I feel like I have faced undefeatable odds. Not just with Asperger's but also with the minefield of romance and even cancer. I have grown into a well adjusted person and someone who is worthy of being loved just like my girlfriend does. We recently had our 6 month anniversary where on that day we visited Her Majesty's Theatre to see Phantom of the Opera. I have found my niche in life since I have begun the wheels turning again.

As Bill hicks once said:

"The world, is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it, you think its real, coz that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down, round and round, it has it's thrills, and chills and its very brightly coloured, and its very loud. And it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride, for a long time, and they begin to question "Is this real? Or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and they say "Hey, don't worry, don't be afraid, ever, because, it's just a ride." And we......KILL THOSE PEOPLE. "Shut him up! We have a lot invested in this ride, shut him up! Look at my furrows of worry. Look at my big bank account, and my family! This HAS to be real." It's just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever noticed that? And let the demons run amok. But it doesn't matter, because, its just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money, a choice right now. Between Fear and Love. The eyes of Fear, that make you wanna put bigger locks on your door, buy guns, close yourselves off, the eyes of Love, instead see all of us as one. Here's what we can do to change the world right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on nuclear weapons and defence each year TRILLIONS of dollers. INSTEAD if we spent that money FEEDING AND CLOTHING AND EDUCATING THE POOR OF THE WORLD and it would pay for it many times over not one human being excluded NOT ONE, we would then be able to explore space together, both inner, and outer. In peace forever. You've been great, thankyou."

Official diagnosis... but I act a lot better online and typing than I talk... LOL. I don't talk so well... I get very, very quiet. THat is why I like the internet because can talk a lot!

Gary, I've thought and thought about this post of yours since a few minutes after it was up. My feeling now is unchanged. Who gives a spit if we are "just a little weird or strange" or aren't whatever. You want to pigeonhole us? That's fine. Dim, narrow view of the broad spectrum of "autism?" Great. I figure your ability to diagnose "autism" or who may or may not be AS is similar to your ability to build a high-grade nuclear weapon using what is available in the middle drawer on the right side of your bedroom dresser.

You are Lucy. We are Charlie Brown. Charles Schulz never said it, but I think Charlie Brown's general feeling was that Lucy could kiss his arse.

i agree, Exile. Nicely put

So garyww, I think you hit the nail on the head, the people here do not have Asperger's and are not autistic, in the traditional sense of the word.

The 50% female do not fit the traditional, five times as common in boys.

Autistics are not supposed to be able to communicate.

Autistics are not supposed to have jobs, families, own businesses, because tradition says so.

Tradition says adults are all locked up, and that they can never improve.

I agree, tradition can be very wrong, tradition and the professions have no idea of the actual range, and a limited view.

Being the first large gathering, I think it is proving the traditional view is obsolete.

What suprised me, and many others have commented on, is everyone seems so normal here, but not normal, very polite and intelligent.

Many do miss the question, speak before they think, exhibit a seeming hostility, but people do that everywhere. Personality overrules neurology.

The truth seems to be that most people here are some ASD, and most can communicate, are intelligent, and do not fit the traditional myth at all.

We need a better Press Agent.

Last edited by millie on 15 Dec 2008, 7:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Ummm...is this a pseudonym for the person who started this thread? Do you folks not get it???