Is Tony Attwood on the spectrum?

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10 Oct 2010, 11:30 am

Sure he's an expert on it, but he's a little bit too much of an expert. It seems he knows too much that only a person on the spectrum could expirence.

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League_Girl
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10 Oct 2010, 12:04 pm

I heard that he doesn't have it. I used to think he had it too for some reason.

ninszot
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10 Oct 2010, 1:43 pm

Tony Atwood claims to be AS in his books, my doctor regards him as both a first hand and proffessional opinion.

katzefrau
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10 Oct 2010, 2:15 pm

ninszot wrote:

Tony Atwood claims to be AS

no, he doesn't.

Quote:

Tony's own wife has described him as 'single-minded, mildly eccentric and dedicated to the good of humanity' - but he denies that he has any form of Asperger's himself! "No, I'm British! And the British have understood eccentricity. In any other country, if you are interested in toilet brushes, or collecting old washing machines, you're referred to a psychiatrist. In Britain, they make a documentary about you and call it the Antiques Roadshow!"

link to quote:
http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conver ... 904502.htm

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PangeLingua
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10 Oct 2010, 2:16 pm

I don't think so.

ninszot wrote:

Tony Atwood claims to be AS in his books

I read "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" and he never once claimed to have AS himself. Please provide a reference.

This is from his website ( link here):

Quote:

I first became interested in what we now call Autistic Spectrum Disorders in 1971. I worked as a volunteer during the summer vacation at a local special school and met two young children with autism. I found their unusual behaviour quite bewildering and became determined to specialize in this area in order to understand and help children and adults with autism. Over the intervening years I have been able to gain experience of the full range of the spectrum, from babies to the elderly, and from those whose abilities and behaviour are profoundly affected to those who are highly able, such as renowned university professors.

Given that he says he found their behavior bewildering, I find it highly unlikely that he has it. I also have a hard time believing that if he had Asperger's Syndrome, he wouldn't mention in it anywhere in the long description of himself that he gives on his website.

It's possible that he has some very mild AS traits but that does not mean he is on the spectrum.

ninszot
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10 Oct 2010, 4:14 pm

I stand corrected - the book I was thinking of "Pretending to be normal" (which I returned to the library) was written by Liane Holliday - forward was by Tony Attwood - appologies

Though my doctor had said somthing to that effect once to me - perhaps I misunderstood - or perhaps he is misinformed . . . I find that most of the doctors don't have their facts straight when it comes to AS anyway

Claire_Louise
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10 Oct 2010, 6:32 pm

Wouldn't it be awesome if Tony Attwood came to WP?

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10 Oct 2010, 7:00 pm

Claire_Louise wrote:

Wouldn't it be awesome if Tony Attwood came to WP?

I would be honestly surprised if he hasn't lurked here before.

(hello, mr. attwood!)

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10 Oct 2010, 8:21 pm

I went to a conference he had in my hometown a couple of years ago. He didn't strike me anywhere to being autistic. He did say his or his wife's sister, I am not sure which, was autistic and used her as an example. My only issue with Tony Attwood is he sometimes seems more worried about pimping his latest book than actual good research. Simon Baron-Cohen seems more interested in resolving what asperger's is and how to help people. Just my opinion.

tenzinsmom
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11 Oct 2010, 1:50 am

His son is on the spectrum.

He said so at a conference I attended this summer in Washington State.

He didn't go deeply into the specifics, but he did get personal to give us in the audience, motivation
to find alternative ways to deal with stress and isolation. It seems his son turned to drugs as a coping mechanism
and Mr. Attwood seemed to have regrets about this. I was pretty shocked at this admission, and the personal turn his
talk took. But I was grateful because it made a deep impression on me.

He seems to me to be extremely intelligent, eccentric, sensitive and passionate about aspergers. And, yes, he is also a good businessman.

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