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What if Aspies were available from all good toy stores?

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acousticvalley
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03 Oct 2005, 5:55 am

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Last edited by acousticvalley on 09 Nov 2005, 2:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Serissa
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03 Oct 2005, 7:07 am

acousticvalley wrote:
Imagine if, we, the Asperger's community, got more exposure, and a toy company decided to make Aspie figures or dolls to raise awareness and understanding of children with Asperger's to non-Asperger's children. What features would you want the figure or doll to have?

No affect- it goes without saying. I think they shuld have pull-string versions, "Perseverators" each with a different interest (one could be fish, one could be parts of an engine, anyting). If they have friends (which I think they should, a few) they should have mechanisms ni the eyes which interact to make the eyes never meet.



MishLuvsHer2Boys
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03 Oct 2005, 7:24 am

Considering everyone on the autism spectrum is unique whether they have Autism or Aspergers, there is very little you could put in a 'toy' or a 'doll' that would ever accurately reflect what it is like to be an individual on the autism spectrum. First of all there is no distinctive look to those on the autism spectrum like there is with Down Syndrome, so we don't really look any different than anyone else, secondly, it'd be extremely difficult without years and all of research into some form of technology that can accurately reproduce behaviors/deficits etc. and lastly, even if you could get some behaviors in there... you'd be creating an ever bigger stereotype as non-autistics tend to look at general myths etc. and all as fact and would look at us as they already do... rocking, banging head, etc. because you wouldn't capture all the uniqueness of limited interests, stimming, etc. we all have even on this forum it's easy to see that there is no one individual that is truly able to be compared to another individual on the forum.

If anything, I think it'd just increase the general non-autistic population's propensity to generalize and stereotype on very little fact and more towards believing myths when it comes to us.

If you want to increase awareness, it has to be the human beings affected by it to truly represent it, not some toy.



acousticvalley
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03 Oct 2005, 8:33 am

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Last edited by acousticvalley on 09 Nov 2005, 2:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

MishLuvsHer2Boys
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03 Oct 2005, 8:59 am

Thing is not everyone with AS/Autism has poor eye contact. So that would just be another stereotype perpetuated. At times my oldest son (HFA) has better eye contact than I do.



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03 Oct 2005, 11:21 am

MishLuvsHer2Boys wrote:
Considering everyone on the autism spectrum is unique whether they have Autism or Aspergers, there is very little you could put in a 'toy' or a 'doll' that would ever accurately reflect what it is like to be an individual on the autism spectrum. First of all there is no distinctive look to those on the autism spectrum like there is with Down Syndrome, so we don't really look any different than anyone else, secondly, it'd be extremely difficult without years and all of research into some form of technology that can accurately reproduce behaviors/deficits etc. and lastly, even if you could get some behaviors in there... you'd be creating an ever bigger stereotype as non-autistics tend to look at general myths etc. and all as fact and would look at us as they already do... rocking, banging head, etc. because you wouldn't capture all the uniqueness of limited interests, stimming, etc. we all have even on this forum it's easy to see that there is no one individual that is truly able to be compared to another individual on the forum.

If anything, I think it'd just increase the general non-autistic population's propensity to generalize and stereotype on very little fact and more towards believing myths when it comes to us.

If you want to increase awareness, it has to be the human beings affected by it to truly represent it, not some toy.


Agreed. There is no real "look" of Aspergers/Austism. If you were to just see me, like at work, you wouldn't even consider the possibility that there might be something different about my mind. Of course, once you did talk to me it would become noticable. Even then it's not very noticable except to people who have experience with autism. I come across in general as "a litte eccentric but an alright guy."



acousticvalley
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03 Oct 2005, 11:31 am

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Last edited by acousticvalley on 09 Nov 2005, 2:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

hale_bopp
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03 Oct 2005, 1:03 pm

Mine would avoid eye contact, but sometimes not.

It would say random stuff on a pull string, and uh.. I don't really know how else you could put your personal features into a doll.



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03 Oct 2005, 1:14 pm

I suppose if it were a doll designed to be like me (since I can't speak for all autistics) it would have to have an awfully long pull string so that it could say everything that I so evidently need to say. (Me seems to monologue a bit) :lol:


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NeantHumain
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03 Oct 2005, 1:54 pm

I'd prefer a Saturday morning cartoon show; but this could expand into a line of toys, too! :lol:

I like Serissa's idea of calling it the Perseverators! It sounds action packed.

Here's a jingle for it (words set to the theme song of classic late 1980s/early 1990s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

Teh Jingle! wrote:
High-functioning autistic individuals
Asperger's little kid professors!
Boy and girl genius calculators!

They're Aspie, and they perseverate!
Perseverators!

Okay, the jingle needs some work.



Sean
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03 Oct 2005, 2:22 pm

acousticvalley wrote:
Imagine if, we, the Asperger's community, got more exposure, and a toy company decided to make Aspie figures or dolls to raise awareness and understanding of children with Asperger's to non-Asperger's children. What features would you want the figure or doll to have?

It really doesn't matter what features the toy had. Kids would just use it as something for the GI Joe's to fight anyway. :P



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03 Oct 2005, 2:57 pm

Yeah, I like the idea of being an action figure way better than the thought of being just a doll.

Quote:
It really doesn't matter what features the toy had. Kids would just use it as something for the GI Joe's to fight anyway


I just know I could whoop up on some GI Joe Butt too :lol:


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03 Oct 2005, 5:26 pm

I'm not being entirely serious, so please bear with me...

I'd have a series of dolls, like Barbie dolls. We could have Perseveration Aspie, Vacation Aspie, Meltdown Aspie, and many others. They could each capture a particular trait or set of traits. Playsets, including fun stuff like crowded shopping malls, slimy food, or books on obscure subjects would be sold separately.
8)



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03 Oct 2005, 6:23 pm

NeantHumain wrote:
I'd prefer a Saturday morning cartoon show; but this could expand into a line of toys, too! :lol:

I like Serissa's idea of calling it the Perseverators! It sounds action packed.

Here's a jingle for it (words set to the theme song of classic late 1980s/early 1990s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
Teh Jingle! wrote:
High-functioning autistic individuals
Asperger's little kid professors!
Boy and girl genius calculators!

They're Aspie, and they perseverate!
Perseverators!

Okay, the jingle needs some work.


Teh Jingle fails to scan :wink:


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nirrti_rachelle
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03 Oct 2005, 7:35 pm

fahreeq wrote:
I'm not being entirely serious, so please bear with me...

I'd have a series of dolls, like Barbie dolls. We could have Perseveration Aspie, Vacation Aspie, Meltdown Aspie, and many others. They could each capture a particular trait or set of traits. Playsets, including fun stuff like crowded shopping malls, slimy food, or books on obscure subjects would be sold separately.
8)


And, of course, you have to have at least one black doll for diversity sake. How about one like me with super-comfortable wardrobe included (no high hells,....er um, heels). My doll will also make no sound when you pull the string and have hand-flapping action.


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monastic
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03 Oct 2005, 9:02 pm

:lol: :lol: nirrti_rachelle :lol: :lol: So funny - I love it


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