Asperger's is not real

Post Reply New Topic

Flagg, how do you think it's getting out of control?

Look, here's the deal. While it's completely acceptable, especially on a board dedicated to support of those with Asperger's syndrome, to question whether YOU have it, it is COMPLETELY UNCALLED FOR to exaserbate a popular misconception that this syndrome does not exist on the very board set up for those who have it. It's completely unappropriate, rude, and selfish - do you understand that? People come here expecting a respite from the rest of the world, as outside the medical and scientific community - those who have come to view Asperger's as real as hyperthiroidism, there is a stigma, misunderstanding, & doubting Thomases like yourself. Don't bring that stuff here of all places. People can accept and live with differences of opinion, but the thing is, you have as much backing for your claims as Tom Cruise does for his. Your opinion is not only wrong, it is false, against medical and scientific CONSENSUS and by trying to aim it HERE, as a statement of fact, it is purposefully rude.

Last edited by tkmattson on 17 Mar 2007, 4:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Interesting thread. I'll have to get my 10 yr old, dxd with AS, to read it and explain it to me.

Real or not I know his dx has helped us deal with and understand his personality better than simply being told that we did not follow good parenting practices, between the two of us we have over 70 yrs of learning how to parent and have done pretty well. Having this Label explains a group of people with varied but similar traits and helps us assist them to survive and flourish in what can be a very threatening environment.

I told one young man I worked with, "This world has one ultimate goal, to end your existance. It will succeed. Let's work together and make it as hard for the world to succeed as we can."

Nts Vs Aspies. I don't think so look at how many NTs are here to work with and help the AS people who have touched our lives.

If you're an Nt, live with it. If you are AS, live with it. Everybody needs to live somewhere and so far this is the only planet, right or wrong, we know of that will support carbon based life-forms.

Have a great day Everybody!

The thread doesn't seem out of control to me.

Yeah, there's nothing out of control about it.

First of all, before I get into this, I'll say that if I could tell if someone was AS based on a picture, my face reading skills just dramatically went up and I no longer have my most pronounced problem with this. Since I can't say that, and I would hazard a guess that most of us can't, I'll pass on making any attempt to diagnose someone from a picture. I will only saw that we are all different and we're all misunderstood with most people, so let's try not to do this even when someone makes us upset.

Second, it doesn't really bother me if someone went through two diagnosis (one doesn't seem very thorough though by the description) and had two completely different results came to the conclusion she was told by the Psychiatrist that AS does not exist. I've gotten that frustrated with my migraines only I usually put it that they don't know enough about what actually causes migraines to fit in the head of a needle. I might feel that way at that moment, but anyone in the middle of a migraine hearing that who can be helped by Imitrex is probably going to bean me one and I can't actually say I'd blame them.

Ok. So, on to this post. Here's what I think you should logically look at. Yes, they know quite a bit more than five years ago with brain scans. They rely more on fMRIs now to tell them functionally how the brain is working. Having said that, they are just now getting into it and admit that they have only touched the tip of the iceberg to even understanding which areas of the brain are impacted. After that, they need to learn exactly how and what differentiates low-functioning from high-functioning Autism. I'm not sure how familiar you are with research in general, but they are probably years away from that still.

I also think you might want to take what your current shrink says with a grain of salt. This is why I say that (and I understand that you like her, so this is just a suggestion for you to think about in your own mind), your shrink cannot treat AS, only the co-morbid conditions that go with it. To say you have it is almost self-defeating for a shrink. So, when one does that, especially one unfamiliar with adult Autism and AS as this one appears to be from your description (and that may be wrong, but I didn't see any indication that it was), you have to question her motives. If she really had doubted it, she would have had you tested again because she would have known that practioners know much more now about adult Autistics/Aspies than they did five years ago. For her to say that out of hand based on no real testing is kind of illogical if you think about it. Also, AS could easily exist with all your other conditions, hypersensitivity, stimming, hyperactivity and depression. Those are all fairly common amongst the AS group so I'm not sure why she would just suddenly say you didn't have it. She can treat you for all of those anyway, so what would be the point? I think maybe we need more of an explanation here or she needs to give you more of an explanation.

Finally, it's okay to suddenly feel as though it's all been a lie that you've been told. Apparently you accept that Autism exists in your family, so I take it you are only questioning your own diagnosis right now. I can understand your unease, I feel it myself when I think about the diagnostic process and wondering if I get to the end whether I will be secure that what they told me is right. My own stems from distrust for what seems a subjective method. But, I think it's important (even though somewhat anti-Aspie) to think about how others will react to our choice of words even though they are literally accurate. What I mean is that you stated what you were told and now accepted. But, sometimes we have to just rephrase to get a meaningful discussion going. "My doctor just said AS isn't real" That would get it going without all the hostility. This is something I struggle with myself. I'm not good at putting myself in other people's shoes or even understanding why I should for that matter. I've actually found out that it is a very Aspie trait. I just thought it was my INTJ personality. Maybe I have the double whammy. Maybe you do too.

Anyway, those are just some things to think about. It's hard to know you from several posts so they can only be my best guesses at what you should consider. I hope they are helpful.

Zanne

In general, when I see a picture of a man with AS, he looks more "ret*d" to me because I project my self-image on him.

I usually agree with requests to lock a thread, even if I don't generally agree in the manner or timing.

In this case, however, I am the FIFTH person to wonder why you think it is "out of control".

The first post was just WRONG, even if it was rumination. I HATE that type of post(one that questions the very core of peoples beliefs in a forum designed for those people.). ESPECIALLY when the question is obviously semantics at its best.

Still, EVERYONE, including the first poster, was civil about it, and reasonable. It at least is a sort of preemptive strike against similar beliefs. As I said, I had the SAME thoughts which I quietly, to MYSELF, reasoned were just semantics. I could question why a synonym for gato in france means cake, but my mouth will still water at the thought of getting the cake, I won't think of the cat I would in spain. And when it comes to a desert, the taste is important. I once had some NICE chocolate cake that contained VINAGER!! ! Should I really care? It tasted GREAT! So HEY, however you get there, you are THERE! A different name doesn't necessarily make it different.

Steve

SteveK, the chocolate cakes with vinegar are called Crazy Cakes. They were developed during the depression, because people lacked milk and eggs. They are vegan because of this, and I make them all the time. In fact I just finished some moments before sitting at the computer!

Ok, well about her avatar: she has told us before that her BF is NT. So we see her in what is clearly a social situation if not a party looking very happy with her NT boyfriend. I can see how some people's gut reaction would be to say the picture doesn't look aspie enough, but jeesh... we're not allowed to smile or be photographed at parties with NT significant others? That's just ridiculous.

I could show you dozens of pictures of me smiling like a toothpaste model at a big party... my wedding album. But every moment of the socializing that night was sheer torture and I was not smiling inside!

Interesting, I don't know if I agree that we think we are special...it's just nice to know that we are not odd. That's why I don't have a problem saying I have asperger's. I let people know that I don't get everything, and I'm slower in my communication.

I post becuase it makes me feel better to know there are people having the same problems I am. I agree on the grey area; people want to think in terms of groups. I don't fit into many places, people make fun of me....even my own son would make fun of me in public. It's tough.

I appreciate WP. It makes me feel okay and accepted; which I don't always get in the outside world. However, becuase I'm knowledgable and sincere...people respect me. So, I can function.

I'm sure that's true of some autistic people's brains, but that'd be on average, not universal. In my case, my temporal lobes are far more lit up than normal and parts of my frontal and pre-frontal cortex far less.

To me, that is what will make it so hard for research to actually "discover" how Autism/AS looks in the brain. Instead, I think it will be an ongoing process. We all display different symptoms to different degrees. They will need a very large pool of test subjects and even then, they are bound to miss things.

Ms. ZanneMarie, yet another wonderful post that proves you are the quintessential Voice of Reason.

I was getting ready to post my own thoughts, angry ones, especially when I came across her "animalistic" dig, but your post made me see that perhaps she isn't being intentionally controversial.\

EDIT: Damn, I put the wrong part of the quote in. I really shouldn't post while drinking.

What part of the quote did you mean to put in?

Sorry. Thought you were responding to the discussion on page three of the thread.