More Autism Questions

Post Reply New Topic

In psychology I only obsorb understanding in basic concepts, for instance I studied just the word delusion for a week. So I am no expert, in fact just the opposit.

1. Does having autism or a form of it mean the need of medication always? Or is this the manifestation of certain symtoms and or symtoms to a certain scaled measure that require individual treatment. As symtoms are what make up the concept. I really do not understand it.

2. How common or is it at all common that those with moderate or even higher functioning forms of autism experience social isiolation, desired or not desired?

3. Do many people with a form of autism get to goto college, work and do somewhat normal things? I ask this question as I am unable to comfirm whether or not those whom discribe doing so online have it. I can goto a university for 4 years paid for, but I could never manage it!

1. No. You do not need medication because of autism.

Though autism can cause situations that lead to anxiety/depression (two things I have struggled with most of my life), which may require medication. I have never taken medicine for depression until recently (aside from an isolated incident with a SSRI that nearly killed me), mostly because it was so bad that I was simply numb to it (and everything else), and it wasn't until about 5 months into my recovery that the numbness began to subside enough for me to realize how bad it really was.

2. Very common, but not always.

3. I'm a graduate student. College hasn't been too bad, though I know nothing about "the real world" at this point.


Other people could probably answer your questions better.

Just seems more complex, it's just a computer screen, so it is difficult to tell what a person is like.

I have never met another person that was diagnosed for sure with a form of autism, perhaps I will eventually as to compare realities in real life.

Edit: Sort of wondering what the regional center is going to be like, maybe I wil lget to know soon.

Social Isiolation sucks.

1. Does having autism or a form of it mean the need of medication always?

Definitely not. Other conditions present may benefit from medication. (Or doctors may just give medication because they don't know any better) |


2. How common or is it at all common that those with moderate or even higher functioning forms of autism experience social isiolation, desired or not desired?

If you have as much social contact as you, as an individual, require or want, are you socially isolated at all? Compared to the norm (on a distribution curve) a group with AS or autism will show a distribution shifted to fewer contacts. But with considerable variation for individuals.

The big question here hangs on whether "abnormal" is to be taken simply as a statistical observation or as evidence of a social or medical problem.
With blood pressure, we generally want the abnormal brought nearer the norm,
but we don't try to cure Olympic athletes who are statistically highly abnormal.
Middle ground cases might be height, where only the real extremes are considered medically of interest, and the controversy over homosexuality, often historically seen as something to be cured, but now taken also as a natural variation. It's not statistically normal, though, even if a certain incidence of it is. That word "normal" needs watching.

3. Do many people with a form of autism get to goto college, work and do somewhat normal things?

That I don't know. I have a degree and further professional qualifications...
I work and pay my taxes, and pass as normal in that respect. But my set of priorities otherwise might not be so "normal". Don't care about clothes, fashion, new cars, sport, socialising...

Social Isolation

Where one cannot really form social contacts that easily and do not have friends and are sort of seperated from society reluctantly or by choice.. If I was going to college, which I do not percieve I can, I'd see how friends might be found.

In school there are social environments, if there are no environments there is no discovery of friends. Yet most people just are not interesting, that is me.

I've known a few A.S.D people like me online in chat, these forums are just not like chat.

i'm studying at the moment, which i seem to manage quite well. definately less stressful and frustrating than a work environment. although i suppose it might depend on the type of course and institution you choose to go to. i'd say, though, that its easier studying as an adult. when i was younger, i tried to do a degree course and ended up dropping out halfway through.

you should contact the university you're thinking of going to, they probably have a whole department of people employed to help and make things easier for you in general.
you could also consider part-time studying, which again might be less problematic.

I just wrote a reply to this topic and it went away. I don't think that would work out, I've already tried once, my interests are very narrow focused. Anything else is just hard to focus on, aside from that I do not believe it would result ultimately in any prefered condition. Rather a smaller field that does not require the study of things I am not good at and just understand that field well.

I just have no idea on what, I am entirely excluded but I do not really want to partake. I could do computer rebuilding, I came up with an idea to just build computers by donated ones for people that need them going to college or need them that are low income or disabled. Yet that requires recourses that I do not have, I have that skill.

I could do that all the time, even teach others to do that.

i understand this, its partly the reason why i had to give up my first attempt at studying. at that time i had no conception of asperger syndrome, which also compounded matters. people thought i was just lazy and self-obsessed with a tendency to procrastinate.

perhaps you might be able to become self-employed in some way, with your interest in building computers? i don't know, but maybe the government have assistance for new entrants into business, financial help and suchlike. i know that here in the UK such schemes exist.

1. Does having autism or a form of it mean the need of medication always? Or is this the manifestation of certain symtoms and or symtoms to a certain scaled measure that require individual treatment. As symtoms are what make up the concept. I really do not understand it.

**I'm honestly of the opinion that medication for autistic spectrum disorder is a negative thing. I do realise there are severe cases which maybe require some kind of medicine for the benefit of the child/adult and those caring for them. However, medication cannot cure autism or aspergers syndrome and to my mind, does nothing to teach the autistic person how to manage and deal with the world in which they live. I have never had medication for my AS but I cope pretty well in every day life based on strategies and things I have learnt through practice and trial and error.

But of course every case is different ^_^


2. How common or is it at all common that those with moderate or even higher functioning forms of autism experience social isiolation, desired or not desired?

***I can only speak for myself here, but I have times when I want to be alone and times when I feel it even though I am not technically alone. Sometimes I have more difficulty dealing with crowded environments and noisy people than other times - sometimes my hearing is more sensitive or my tolerance for company and people invading personal space higher or lower. There are 'good' and 'bad' days. I do tend to shut myself away in my room after a long day at work just to get some space from constantly being around other people.

Social isolation as a bigger concept - more difficult to define. You are excluded more by what you cannot say or do and what other people expect you to say or do. If you don't learn, for example, to say hello to other people, to smile at them and greet them and remember to ask them something about their day or their holiday or whatever, you tend to get less positive response back. Making proper friendships and alliances I find difficult because I'm not quite sure where the boundaries are between acquaintance and friend and I am overly wary of letting new people into my life. So that is isolation in a sense - I do *have* friends who know I'm Aspie and in whom I have trust, but I probably don't have as many acquaintances or experience as many things because of my AS than I might if I did not have it.

3. Do many people with a form of autism get to goto college, work and do somewhat normal things? I ask this question as I am unable to comfirm whether or not those whom discribe doing so online have it. I can goto a university for 4 years paid for, but I could never manage it!

***I went to university when I was eighteen and suffered emotional trauma from being pushed into halls with the expectation of spending my time with a room mate I didn't know. She was the ultimate in NT stereotypes and I could not bear her company or the whole idea of being confined in this strange place with people I did not know. So I came home, but I did not drop out. I commuted to university for three years and got my degree, which in turn benefited me because it taught me to use and trust the rail system as normal. Now I can travel and do visit places for day trips off my own bat which I would never have done before.
With work, too - I had a job in a toy shop which lasted about nine days before I cracked. The people were negative and unfriendly, I could not connect with them and the work was hard and overly confusing. But now I work in a public sector environment surrounded by people needing my help all day long, particularly around computers. That suits me perfectly and I'm very happy in my job. I work with wonderful people and even though they don't know I'm Aspie, I don't generally feel that that matters.

The trick is, I think, to build it up as a habit. Don't put an expectation on yourself that "I am going to college for four years". Think ,"I'll go for this week and see how it goes." Then the next week. Then the next...when your brain accepts it as 'normal' procedure and part of your routine, it stops being so difficult to do You can only take so many changes at a time, so don't make yourself do more than you can. At least, that'd be my advice

Apple

1. I take medication, but the medication I take was perscribed for ADD (my last diagnosis). However, I cannot drive or work without the medication so I prefer to take it. I don't have any major side effects from it so I'll keep taking it until I don't know when.

2. I experience social isolation all the time. I try to be more social, but there are times I desire isolation from everyone. I have to recharge my social batteries.

3. I went to college for a little while and I just don't think it's the place for me. I enjoyed learning about the interesting things, but since I seem to have a little dyscalculia, I have had many problems with maths. Since I was behind in my math when I got intocollege, I couldn't study the interesting things because I had to catch up. Math is such a struggle for me...I could never get out of Algebra, but I could do logarithms in chemistry. I wanted a special curriculum due to my learning style (or my AS). If I could have gone to a college that did not force me into 3 years of algebra torture, I probably would have a degree right now. I do have a job...a pretty good one actually that pays me decently. I have a great boss who's very understanding and although I haven't told him about my AS, he seems to know that something is just a little different about me. But he works with me well. He's given me a promotion and a couple of awards. I basically do programming and Web support for a company, but I'm happy with it. I know they want to groom me to be some sort of project manager, but I don't want that type of responsibility. They'd also like me to go back to school, but I don't ever want to go back to school again! I would, but I can't face the Algebra...