Stereotyping amongst Aspergers

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I went to a forum where 5 speakers all on the spectrum spoke about their life and struggle and triumphs.
I commend them for their efforts and was very interesting to hear. My daughter does not talk much about what its like for her, she was with me.
The speaker introducing people briefly spoke in between and recapped and confirmed some information.
I dont like it when they stereotype the symptoms, that makes me feel that my child is really an alien on her own. They did speak about feeling like aliens dropped into a forest.
The lady introducing speakers talked about strong perfume, how aspergers people dont like perfume. Untrue, she should say some aspergers people. My daughter loves perfume.
I guess I'm the one more botherered about the stereotyping. I would just like to find at least one person that is similar to my daughter. I doubt her diagnoses when her traits are different.

yeah there is a lot of stereotyping with aspergers. And a lot on this forum by aspies themselves. I think point of the forum is to inform people about how aspergers can be like, not always like. Trying to get NTs to grasp what its like to have aspergers. Its not meant to be an all encompassing criteria.

Another myth you'll come across is folks on the spectrum aren't creative. Nothing could be further from the truth than that as spectrumites write, draw, perform music, dance, act, sculpt, you name it.

I do not talk a lot as well, also in written language, though it is easier, but I see many people here are more advanced in communicating in a general sence.
My communication written is easier for me than spoken, but I am less advanced than other people here on this board, but I finally got diagnosed "autistic disorder" and I do not have the qualities in the continuing sence you need to keep up conversation.

A diagnosis is highly individual. If you gather a room filled with people who has a cold for example, you'll get some people with sore throats and runny noses, some people with headaches and tummy aches. But it's still a "cold", everyone just experiences it in their own way. I too doubted my diagnosis at first because everywhere I looked, the view on people on the spectrum seemed to be "They are mathematical geniuses and interested in science" whilst that's always been quite opposite to my own preferances.

However I've learnt that it's not about the details (wether you like perfume or not), it's about a neuropsychological difference which in this society is often viewed as a challenge to deal with. Every diagnosis is different depending on the individual. Stereotypes are all about the majority but just because the majority of people on the spectrum might be highly sensitive to perfumes doesn't mean that the people who absolutely adores perfumes doesn't exist.

So in a way, perhaps it's not so important to focus on the diagnosis you or your relative has received, but the preferances of that person. Still having the diagnose can be used as a guideline or just helping hand on the side; a place to start in the search of finding your own way in life. Finding your own way to handle life. Though autism is called a "personality disorder" it's still just a very small part of a persons actual personality.

(:

No one is quite like my daughter, either. She is still very young (7) so it hasn't been an issue yet, but I often feel bad thinking about the day when she realizes she doesn't fit the NT mold, but doesn't fit the ASD one either.

I very much agree with Ai_Ling above saying, that we share what life experience on the Spectrum may be like, and not necessarily what it must be like.

Yer, I get somewhat annoyed with people here when I get overestimated about my AS. Some people here seem to assume that just because I write a lot of expressive posts on here it means that I never talk about my thoughts and feelings to anyone beyond WP. That is not true - I always am expressing my feelings to the point where I am always ''moaning''. Sometimes it is just better to write your feelings down online, and people can choose whether they want to read it or not, where as verbally talking about my feelings to people can sometimes annoy them. But that still doesn't mean I don't express myself.

Also I get assumed that I have trouble recognising body language and facial expressions, and when I say that I don't have that issue, people here still seem to think they can convince me into thinking that I think I can but I really can't because I'm an Aspie. That is not necessarily true - there are Aspies out there who are pretty average with recognising body language and all of that sort of stuff, even if it's not that obvious. I am a female with mild AS, and if I hadn't of had unique behaviour on my first day of school because of being so ''frightened'', I wouldn't have got recognised as ''different'', and I probably wouldn't have got assessed and diagnosed in childhood. That is what the therapist/faamily support worker said anyway.

Another myth: All AS people are more or less incapable of recognizing eye expression.
One more: AS people do not concern themselves with other peoples thoughts.

If anything I'd say they spend too much time concerned about others thoughts.

That's true for me. Ironically it is what causes most of my social issues.

Mind you, - this was said by a psyciatrist, an asperger specialist

One stereotype I hate hearing is how we are all very logical and good at math and how we all are defiant with the rules if we don't like them or think they don't make sense nor agree with them. I follow them because I don't want a consequence. I never liked getting into trouble. For those out there that don't care, good for them, I just better not see them complain about being in trouble. I would rather hear them brag about the consequence they got. I am sure Rosa Parks did about her arrest and time in jail. It was something to be proud of there.

Last edited by League_Girl on 18 Apr 2013, 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

People are often careless and make statements that sound like sweeping generalizations, even when they are aware that what they are saying doesn't apply to all of the people in the group that they are talking about.

I've felt "different" since childhood and for the past year have suspected that I may have Aspergers...but it must be so mild that people don't see it. I have trained myself to understand body language through repeated interactions with people over a period of years (I have kept the same friends for anywhere from 3-20 years, so repeated exposure helps me to understand them better). I realized the importance of eye contact a long time ago and so I don't have that "Aspie stare" where I look beyond people when I talk to them. It's only recently that I learned that there are things that are inappropriate to say to people.

It hurts sometimes that this is something I really and truly feel like I know about myself but professionals don't see it because I have consciously trained myself out of some old habits.

Professionals are of the opinion, that a person has to have serious problems in order to recieve a label, - and rightly so, because the due to narrowing norms of today, more people are in danger of being problematised and secluded. Diversity shrinks.
The back side of this is, that a lot of people, who always felt "different", and also perhaps are, who feel socially inept, who does less than good at work despite good intelligence, - or perhaps have a hard time keeping a job and who are, logically enough, seeking an explanation, cannot even get a qualified session about it, because professionals choose to ignore subtle levels of AS and other disorders.
Look at http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt113459.html
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