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Most people on this forum don't have Asperger's Syndrome

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02 Feb 2008, 4:12 pm

Absolutely none. Even if there was, it would be almost impossible to enforce currently.


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02 Feb 2008, 4:22 pm

Sedaka wrote:

but there's also an aspect of practice.

when i started teaching... my evals were full of these "Random" comments on my demeanor... no facial expression... not looking at people when i talk to them... sounding tired... the whole gambit of these catch-phrase AS-symptoms... and i have 60 of those per term for 3 yrs... which was the main thrust of why i started looking into this AS stuff...

being aware of it... and my issues has helped me improve A LOT! i can stand/sit still for hours and talk at people without OBVIOUSLY looking AS (no, im not DXed btw)... but i can look at people's faces enough to not be so obvious... not that you even get that from watching interviews... but it's cause i HAVE to do these kinds of things every day... yeah it sucks often and im tired, but it can also be really fun to just get up and talk about your area of interest ect...

that being said, i havent seen all these footages of her or even most of the show........ but ill wager she's HAD to get pretty good at interviews and the like.

i don't know what you seem to classify AS as... but as i'm meeting DXed aspies... i am realizing there is no way you would gleen it from just having a nice sit-down conversation with them.... yes people do vary in degree and some you can tell...

but it is interesting to wonder at that variance... maybe they will recategorize things.

w/e it's called... i seem to share similar problems with a large range of people i come across on this site...


This is how I feel too. Whether or not I have AS to me is irrelevant. Purely for selfish reasons I am here to hopefully work on some of the issues that I seem to have in common with many of the people on this site. This site exists to help people with AS share information. If it can help me then it matters not if I have AS or not.



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02 Feb 2008, 4:22 pm

Sedaka wrote:
elan_i wrote:
Mw99 wrote:
...

For example: I watched Heather of Americas Top Model and would say that with no question she doesn't have any level of Aspergers, but instead, that she has some social shyness and becomes introverted at certain times and in certain circumstances. 'Aspergers' is becoming such a trend that it's confidently used to explain completely normal/typical introversion and shyness. So now, rather than a person saying "sorry I'm just shy that's why I had to leave the get-together" they can rely on a medical diagnosis that turns the attention away from them "sorry I have Aspergers and sometimes am limited by this and I can explain what Aspergers is to you if you'd like, it's high functioning autism in a sense."


did she have a DX?

all those reality shows are so edited... you can't get a real sense of her anyway.

you could put alex on that show and he would look as "normal" as she did.

lol


Yeah, have you seen alex?????? From what I have seen, remove the association with this site, and some odd dress choices, like the yellow crocs, and ***I*** seem more aspie, at my most sedate, than HE does!

Of course, his videos WERE under his control and for a purpose, but that doesn't exclude any comparison with heather. Heather DID look like she could be aspie. It wasn't simply shyness. She had her interest which destroyed the social part of her life, and a lack of coordination. They ALSO said she showed a lack of emotion, and had talent.

Another thing about heather. She said she did that to stop the harassment, and settle her curiosity.



Spokane_Girl

02 Feb 2008, 4:24 pm

Of course Heather had a DX. It makes me mad when when I see others say someone else doesn't have it just because they aren't aspie enough or they act too normal or they have something they don't have. :x


Mw99 needs to go back and read more about AS and learn not all aspies are the same from the books. Of course we have empathy like others, some lack it, some don't. I know I have it, I have been told I have it and been told online I don't have it or I lack it.



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02 Feb 2008, 4:33 pm

If Heather doesn't have AS then maybe I don't either. (I've been diagnosed by a psychologist who specializes in AS.) Like others here, I dislike the idea which holds that AS must present in a certain way, or that milder forms of it can't exist. It's that kind of thinking which leads me into a very unhelpful cycle of self-doubt.



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02 Feb 2008, 4:34 pm

2ukenkerl wrote:
Sedaka wrote:
elan_i wrote:
Mw99 wrote:
...

For example: I watched Heather of Americas Top Model and would say that with no question she doesn't have any level of Aspergers, but instead, that she has some social shyness and becomes introverted at certain times and in certain circumstances. 'Aspergers' is becoming such a trend that it's confidently used to explain completely normal/typical introversion and shyness. So now, rather than a person saying "sorry I'm just shy that's why I had to leave the get-together" they can rely on a medical diagnosis that turns the attention away from them "sorry I have Aspergers and sometimes am limited by this and I can explain what Aspergers is to you if you'd like, it's high functioning autism in a sense."


did she have a DX?

all those reality shows are so edited... you can't get a real sense of her anyway.

you could put alex on that show and he would look as "normal" as she did.

lol




Yeah, have you seen alex?????? From what I have seen, remove the association with this site, and some odd dress choices, like the yellow crocs, and ***I*** seem more aspie, at my most sedate, than HE does!

Of course, his videos WERE under his control and for a purpose, but that doesn't exclude any comparison with heather. Heather DID look like she could be aspie. It wasn't simply shyness. She had her interest which destroyed the social part of her life, and a lack of coordination. They ALSO said she showed a lack of emotion, and had talent.

Another thing about heather. She said she did that to stop the harassment, and settle her curiosity.


I have met Alex IRL several times... and that's what i'm saying... he has a DX but can hold normal conversation and be perfectly amiable.


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Spokane_Girl

02 Feb 2008, 4:41 pm

srriv345 wrote:
If Heather doesn't have AS then maybe I don't either. (I've been diagnosed by a psychologist who specializes in AS.) Like others here, I dislike the idea which holds that AS must present in a certain way, or that milder forms of it can't exist. It's that kind of thinking which leads me into a very unhelpful cycle of self-doubt.



Those who doubt other's DX's are asses. I think they are just emos who are just jealous and don't like the fact that an aspie can be more successful than them or have something they don't have like a boyfriend or a girlfriend, friends, not bothered with fluorescent lights or have real bad sensory issues, etc so what do they do about it, they say "Oh she/he doesn't have it." If they're so unhappy about themselves, they can go seek social skills training or go start reading books about body language and relationships, and keep reading AS books and trying to learn what not to do. They can start trying to go out and try getting a job and work on being flexible and not be so rigid etc. But instead they have to use the AS label to let it stop them. I am so glad I became more than a label. My parents never made a big deal about it. They still saw me as a person and told me it's not a big deal because they didn't want it to let it stop me and want to me stop trying.



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02 Feb 2008, 4:41 pm

I have managed to overcome issues such as eye contact, and knowing when to initiate, but it's still difficult to make friends.


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Spokane_Girl

02 Feb 2008, 4:46 pm

Tim_Tex wrote:
I have managed to overcome issues such as eye contact, and knowing when to initiate, but it's still difficult to make friends.



Oh you don't have AS, it's impossible for aspies to over come this. :P



I'm just being sarcastic imitating those asses.



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02 Feb 2008, 4:49 pm

Spokane_Girl wrote:
Tim_Tex wrote:
I have managed to overcome issues such as eye contact, and knowing when to initiate, but it's still difficult to make friends.



Oh you don't have AS, it's impossible for aspies to over come this. :P



I'm just being sarcastic imitating those asses.


can't teach old aspies new tricks? :wink:

edit: not sayin you're old, tim :oops:


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02 Feb 2008, 5:02 pm

Greentea wrote:
And the reason why, which most of us share in WP, is that our social problems (or awkwardness, if you prefer that term) all stem from a lack of antennae to grasp intuitively what we should do to fit in. This is not what happens to the shy, the schizophrenic, the too intelligent, the too stupid. They have the antennae, they fail at a other aspect of socializing.

Absolutely.
The OP's assertion is a generalization.
I personally have not been officially diagnosed with AS, but I'm almost certain that I have AS, since I exhibit many of the known AS traits. I have been diagnosed with Social Phobia, and thus I've been able to recognize and distinguish the differences between the traits of Social Phobia and the traits of AS that I possess. Aside from having Social Phobia, I'm almost certain that I have Asperger's as well. Also, I exhibit certain traits that can only be attributable to AS/autism (and not to a simple case of shyness/social awkwardness/whatever-you-wanna-call-it), such as echolalia and palilalia. Plus, I had a speech impediment when I was a little kid. And the list goes on and on...

And, there seems to be a genetic component to AS/autism. I have a sister and she's a non-Aspie. Yet, one of her kids exhibits many of the traits of AS.



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02 Feb 2008, 5:30 pm

Spokane_Girl wrote:
srriv345 wrote:
If Heather doesn't have AS then maybe I don't either. (I've been diagnosed by a psychologist who specializes in AS.) Like others here, I dislike the idea which holds that AS must present in a certain way, or that milder forms of it can't exist. It's that kind of thinking which leads me into a very unhelpful cycle of self-doubt.



Those who doubt other's DX's are asses. I think they are just emos who are just jealous and don't like the fact that an aspie can be more successful than them or have something they don't have like a boyfriend or a girlfriend, friends, not bothered with fluorescent lights or have real bad sensory issues, etc so what do they do about it, they say "Oh she/he doesn't have it." If they're so unhappy about themselves, they can go seek social skills training or go start reading books about body language and relationships, and keep reading AS books and trying to learn what not to do. They can start trying to go out and try getting a job and work on being flexible and not be so rigid etc. But instead they have to use the AS label to let it stop them. I am so glad I became more than a label. My parents never made a big deal about it. They still saw me as a person and told me it's not a big deal because they didn't want it to let it stop me and want to me stop trying.


Yes, I basically agree with this. I just had someone on another forum doubt my dx on another forum because of reasons which included the fact that I have a boyfriend (who I met on this site of all places) and I have a passive style of social interaction that has sometimes gotten me friends and usually keeps me out of big trouble. Now I'd be the first to admit that my social skills are pretty non-impaired for someone with AS, but AS doesn't always come in the complete, stereotyped package. I hate that I sometimes let opinions like these influence me more than the professional evaluation I received and the opinions of the people who know me best. This comment makes me realize that jealousy might indeed play a role in this. It's like some aspies can't realize that it's possible to be AS and have a significant other or friends or a job or whatever.



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02 Feb 2008, 6:54 pm

Spokane_Girl wrote:
Tim_Tex wrote:
I have managed to overcome issues such as eye contact, and knowing when to initiate, but it's still difficult to make friends.



Oh you don't have AS, it's impossible for aspies to over come this. :P



I'm just being sarcastic imitating those asses.


I kinda figured :D

You do have a good sense of humor.


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02 Feb 2008, 7:09 pm

I won't say I do or I don't. I haven't been formally diagnosed. My son has. In addition, my conclusion of possibly having it came from doing a few of the tests suggested here...from the fact that most believe it is genetic and my son is NOTHING like my husband, but ALOT like me...and from the fact that the school system couldn't figure out what to do with me...and at one point put me in special ed with other kids who DID have autism...

So, I might or might not have it. Honestly, I can say that I agree or seem to have more in common with people here than any other group I've ever joined...so...



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02 Feb 2008, 7:12 pm

I first came heard of AS when my dad was telling me about my new step-brother who's diagnosed. Problem was he was telling my at the pub so I was drinking fairly heavily and had other stuff on my mind so didn't really take anything in.
As my dad lives quite a distance I heard nothing more about it until I decided to reserch autism in relation to my mum as she has a great deal of trouble with various symptoms of what I now know as AS. I did also want to check for myself as I display similar issues but in the most part, to a lesser extent.

After reading about other syndromes/disorders (whatever you want to call them) I found them to not fit quite right but AS seemed to fit perfectly for her and alot more than I was expecting for myself.

I wasn't diagnosed as a child as I lived with only my mum who didn't really notice anything odd as she was even worse as a child so didn't push for any change.
Since researching myself I've attempted to start the diagnosis ball rolling by had an horiffic experience with my GP (who reputedly bad, even when visiting with an everyday ailment) so will do again soon - although the thought of going through that experience again stiffens me up!

I have, however, only told 4 people I believe I have AS - my mother (whilst telling her my thoughts on her too), my sister & 1 close friend whilst sober and 1 more close friend whilst drunk. Each time it's only been in context with something I've been discussing with that person (each was told seperately) and I have no plans to tell anyone else, at least until I do get a diagnosis - before then my self doubt makes me feel a fraud for saying it.

The OP doesn't really have any right to make such a broad judgement of the people posting here. Doing such goes against what the site seems to be set up for - people who have/believe they have AS and those close to them that can be effected. Why else does it give the option to put any of these (and more) for your condition when registering?



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02 Feb 2008, 7:12 pm

After hearing about AS from Dan Akroyd (in an interview), reading the symptoms, discovering I have more than a majority of them, taking the tests and surveys, and reading about people who are actually like me, I don't think I need an official diagnosis to say. I'm a lot better off than some, but I'm still 'different, bless his heart' enough to be considered strange at work and at home.

It's just easier to be articulate here, because I can edit on screen better than out of mouth...;)