Poor representation of AS on Jeff Probst program

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I noticed the link to this on AOL when I checked my email this morning. A lot of things about this interview bother me.

1. The man is self diagnosed based on an online quiz
2. I don't presume to be an expert on recognizing Asperger traits in others, but, this man, he makes eye contact with the host, he expresses with his hands, he tells jokes, he smiles.

Now, whether or not this man would meet the diagnostic criteria is a side issue. What bothers me most about this is that he isn't clinically diagnosed and, because of that, should not be on television ostensibly representing the syndrome. This oversimplification and trivializing of the disorder really bothers me.

http://www.aol.ca/video/could-your-husb ... aing-grid7

It's despicable and does a massive disservice to those who suffer with said condition (no matter what it is).

Seems like it should be illegal to promote having such via media when one hasn't been officially diagnosed. In fact, it very well might be.

I'm so very, very annoyed after watching that.

It is akin to shaving one's head and claiming to have alopecia. Perhaps a self-diagnosis would be slightly more acceptible if it was rather obvious the person had a certain condition and simply could not afford to obtain a professional diagnosis. Even then, they should specifically state that they are not actually diagnosed, just suspect they have the condition.

I realize this is an old thread, but I was wondering if you've noticed other misrepresentations of Aspergers in the media too? There are quite a few TV shows that have a character with Aspergers (Parenthood, Community, The Big Bang Theory...). Do you think these shows do a good job of representing Aspergers?

Please! Please! Please!

I really WISH people would do a little more research and a lot less jumping to conclusions.

Dave is NOT self diagnosed. He was officially diagnosed in 2008! Jumping to conclusions based on people's own preconceived ideas about AS is precisely why even I was jumped all over here on WP just because I took an online test myself. Just because someone does self diagnose does not mean they do not have Autism!!

Since I first joined WP, and was roundly criticized by users here (basically as a fraud) for self diagnosing, I HAVE been diagnosed. I have many of the same mannerisms as Dave. Some of us CAN learn to properly express ourselves, and CAN learn to maintain eye contact. How many times does it have to be posted right here on WP? All the points bringing up some of the most common complaints people on the spectrum have?

"You can't have autism because... [fill in the blank]."

Look how old Dave is for goodness sake! Even undiagnosed individuals with autism can learn to ADAPT.

Look it up. He was diagnosed. It isn't just a fake claim.

http://www.facebook.com/DavidFinchWriter/info

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/The-Jour ... -Interview

http://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/david-finch

Do some homework before you cry fake.

Do you find yourself being judgmental about TV show characters who may or may not have Aspergers?

Nope. I don't speculate about real people I don't know much of anything about either. But I don't have problem with people speculating. That's a different matter. What I see in this thread isn't speculation. It isn't questioning (so far anyway). Every post (excepting your own), clearly demonstrates the attitude that David is a fraud at best.

He's not. One user called it a disservice to people with conditions like ours. I totally disagree.

One the one hand, we have an extreme that claims that groups like Autism Speaks is doing a disservice to us by portraying autism as a horrible disease that ruins people's lives. On the other hand, we have an extreme that sees videos like this and claims the person in it to be a fraud doing us all a horrible disservice.

This guy isn't doing us a disservice. For once, he's actually showing the public that we are NOT the dysfunctionally hopeless good-for-little to society that so many stereotypical imaginations think we are.

What we need is MORE people like this out there. We need them, not only to prove to society in general that Autism is NOT the narrowly imagined image most people have of it, but also to prove the exact same thing to many right within the autistic community itself.

This thread is a perfect case in point. One man with AS puts himself out there, and all some [autistics] see is that he self diagnosed, that he possesses several classic skills autistics supposedly can't do, so he must be a fraud that is bad for our community.

It's sad, because this is exactly what our community needs MORE of. And we as a group, instead of just pointing fingers at "NT's," or any other "outsiders" for their faults in how they see autism, also ought to work harder at our own faults with regard to how we view autism too.