Autism, Aspergers syndrome etc.

[~ Yukishii]

I have a case of Asperger's syndrome..
I am not sure of the severity of it myself, but I have always been able to learn at an extremely fast rate. The only downside to my amount of knowledge is I have a very hard time explaining what I want to say.. whether it be typing or speaking.
My speaking is very flawed as I can't get my thoughts out in words, so I tend to remain very silent, or use sign language. Luckily a select few of my friends can read sign language so I am not forced to voice my thoughts very often. It isn't that I don't like speaking, I do.. but I tend to say the wrong choice of words sort of thrown here and there in a sentence, and it makes sense only to me. Even now I am having a difficult time explaining myself. I am very talented in the field of foreign languages. I don't have an exact number of how many I know at this moment, but a very good amount..
My most used languages are French, German, Spanish, English, and Japanese. [I use actual Japanese characters, not typing the words out. That just throws me off.]
I am very young in real life, and am usually assumed to be at the least, eighteen. I am told it is because of my maturity and knowledge 'beyond my years'..
Social gatherings, or simply going into public makes me extremely uneasy.. if I don't know someone I have an especially hard time talking. Most of the time when someone speaks to me, I hear them, but do not acknowledge. I'm actually known to ignore people, simply because I don't like people very much. I am even home schooled now because of how difficult public school was for me. Just.. too many people, and the teachers tended to call on me to answer a question out loud.. I can't tell you how many times I had mini heart attacks from my name being called.. either by a student or teacher. If I was called on from the teacher I just aimed my eyes down and remained extremely quiet. Persistent teachers really got on my nerves, but some understood my issue and left me alone. Truly I am not a shy person in the least, I just prefer to be silent then speak in knowing that I will rant about my answer, or voice my thoughts incorrectly. Better to be safe then sorry in my opinion. Honestly, I tend to label a lot of people as 'stupid'.. Yes, I do have an OCD for perfectly aligning things. I am not sure if Asperger's has much to do with anxiety, but I do have that problem as well. Hence the reason I use the computer so much, for I can channel all of my extra energy into my typing. I also have really good control over my levels of concentration.. I multi-task all the time.
Such as typing on the computer, using the phone [mainly just listening], and music in my ear all at the same time.. It isn't very difficult to me..
I am a very honest person despite my speech problems, and will let you know exactly what I think, hurtful or not.. All of my friends love jokes as well.
Whenever someone tells a joke around me I never understand it.. nor find it humorous. They just end up having to explain the joke to me, once I understand I just feel even more confused..
There I go, ranting again. I decided to tell my traits from Asperger's syndrome, though I'm sure a lot of you did not read that all the way.

 

[PkMn Trained]

I think i agree that the biggest challenge for me has been social interaction. It's been a long journey for me to get much better and i wouldn't be much better at all if it weren't for the help i recieved. ^_^

I like to think people who have autism and other disorders like it are much more expierienced. They move past barriers that alot of people don't get to expierience.

 

[Soul Eater]

I have a case of Asperger's syndrome..
I am not sure of the severity of it myself, but I have always been able to learn at an extremely fast rate. The only downside to my amount of knowledge is I have a very hard time explaining what I want to say.. whether it be typing or speaking.
My speaking is very flawed as I can't get my thoughts out in words, so I tend to remain very silent, or use sign language. Luckily a select few of my friends can read sign language so I am not forced to voice my thoughts very often. It isn't that I don't like speaking, I do.. but I tend to say the wrong choice of words sort of thrown here and there in a sentence, and it makes sense only to me. Even now I am having a difficult time explaining myself.

Omigawd! You took those words right out of my mind! I too have that same problem. I can't use sign language though but I usually write things down and show them to people. It's much easier for me to write down my thoughts because I find that when I have thought or something I have to explain, I usually can't find the words for it. Yet, my language is pretty fluent but it's not that of your average 20 year old. It's quite more limited than you would think because I didn't actually learn how to speak until I was four years old. I wasn't able to talk in full sentences. I think that delay still remains with me because I have a hard time being able to say what I need to say.

Yeah, I actually have alot of knowledge of my disability. I've learned more about my biggest flaws with being of ADHD, mild to moderate Autism, moderate mental retardation and even a slow learning disability. I mean when I was growing up, I didn't know what was wrong with me. My parents told me I was with many disabilities and doctors too. Though, I never knew what they meant and I never even knew that my sound and touch sensitivities were part of it.

As for social interaction, I sometimes tell my new friends that I have autism, you know to let them know about my usual shy tendencies and to have a bit of patience with me. It's hard for me to grow used to hanging around people and to open up but I learn that once I spend more time with that person, I am able to learn to trust them and be able to talk to them like any other person would. It just takes time and patience for me to realize that person just wants to be my friend.

 

[~ Yukishii]

As for social interaction, I sometimes tell my new friends that I have autism, you know to let them know about my usual shy tendencies and to have a bit of patience with me. It's hard for me to grow used to hanging around people and to open up but I learn that once I spend more time with that person, I am able to learn to trust them and be able to talk to them like any other person would. It just takes time and patience for me to realize that person just wants to be my friend.

I realize easily if someone wishes to be my friend.. for some reason I'm found very interesting to people.
As for people with mental disabilities being beyond that of a normal human, it is possible. For every flaw there is a plus side. The greater the flaw, the greater the plus. Such as Asperger's.. the flaw? Social disability. The plus? Very intelligent.
That is how I see it anyways.

 

[Soul Eater]

I realize easily if someone wishes to be my friend.. for some reason I'm found very interesting to people.
As for people with mental disabilities being beyond that of a normal human, it is possible. For every flaw there is a plus side. The greater the flaw, the greater the plus. Such as Asperger's.. the flaw? Social disability. The plus? Very intelligent.
That is how I see it anyways.

That is so true. o_o I am SO putting that in my signature too because that is great advice. <3

But you're right, we have our own ways of learning and we choose to learn differently because that's what is easiest for us. I'm definitely not the smartest person on the block, I'll admit it but I do have enough more sense than what people think I do...I just don't know how to use that sense.

I'm more knowledgable with different things, little things really. I am a very excellent reader and I read at a very high level, college level to be precise but I have a low math level which is like 2nd grade/3rd grade level. So it's true that you can be knowledgable in one subject but...not so knowlegable in another. :3

I mean sure, not everyone is bright and whether it's because of a learning disability or not, we still learn at our best and do what we think is right. :B Sometimes we just need a little push. :P

 

[~ Yukishii]

I noticed that many autism affected people have a steady intelligence..
I read about a man the other day who acts just like a child, and can't even speak.. but his artwork is absolutely amazing.
He beats Picasso by a long shot. [No offense to fans.]
In the same video there was another man who couldn't speak 100% correctly either, but could remember absolutely everything he read, heard, or saw through his entire life. If you asked him about what event took place on a certain day, or the weather that day, whether it be years ago or not.. he'd be able to tell you.
The videos said the men have a severe case of autism.. but if you notice they are extremely brilliant. Creative for the first man, and logical for the second man.
A lot of people think that those with autism are mentally retarded, but a lot of us do beyond the normal human intelligence in certain fields.
So, never down yourself if you have autism.. it does not mean your stupid.

 

[NoBel_ToKYo ™]

I realize easily if someone wishes to be my friend.. for some reason I'm found very interesting to people.
As for people with mental disabilities being beyond that of a normal human, it is possible. For every flaw there is a plus side. The greater the flaw, the greater the plus. Such as Asperger's.. the flaw? Social disability. The plus? Very intelligent.
That is how I see it anyways.

I think you sussed it for a lot of us here. ^_^ There certainly is a connection between aspergers and intelligence. For example i am talented at english, or literacy. I went into this exam a couple of days ago, where you had to take a card in with revision quotes to help you remember things as you point out things in the text. I came out of it with an A* without using a card... I am also a very fast reader (I don't read very often, but still)

Anyways, they're really unique things, and i won't blame autism for them...And you are very right to say that autism is nothing to be sad about.

 

[basselope7]

I have Asperger's syndrome too. The problem is, when I was a kid I was a freak, and now that I've actually matured, all of the people who knew me back then don't see I've changed. I kind of have a reputation for being the town nut. :(

I also have the problem with people never hearing of it. One of the most ignorant things I hear from people is "You have an a** burger?" They seem to think that's so hilarious. I tell them it's someone's name (after correcting them on the spelling) and say not to make fun of people's names, because someone from Austria might think their name is funny. One time when I told someone this, she said, "Wait, how come you can be so immature and then say something very mature right after it?" I swear I wanted to punch her in the face.

Then there was the girl who refused to believe I had Asperger's. One day she came up to me and said, "You know, I saw a boy on TV who had Asperger's, and he didn't act like you at all." I told her it's because girls express it differently. Then months later she came up to me and said, "Guess what? I saw this girl on America's Next Top Model who had Asperger's, and she acted just like you! So now I believe you!"

What I said to that was a very insincere "Uh, thanks!" What I thought in my mind, however, was something more along the lines of "Go die now."

 

[Zeta Sukuna]

Understandable, as that would get on anyone's nerves. I never had the same problem with that, especially since I never showed much signs to anyone. In fact, when I told someone I had it, he said. "You don't have autism, and for every time you say you do, I will hit you." Of course, he was just joking about the hit me part, but... eh, I really didn't care. It just shows that I can control it pretty good. No one I ever meet, with the exception of three people ever believed me. Oh, well... I don't really care if anyone knows or doesn't know.

I hate the fact that schools treat high-functioning Autism as Aspergers, as we are still different from Aspergers. That's what sucks, but... do they really care, or even if they do, would they want to waste money on high-functioning Autistic people? Probably not, especially since my school, like many others is under-funded, and it is just going to get worse next year.

 

[Soul Eater]

I have Asperger's syndrome too. The problem is, when I was a kid I was a freak, and now that I've actually matured, all of the people who knew me back then don't see I've changed. I kind of have a reputation for being the town nut. :(

I also have the problem with people never hearing of it. One of the most ignorant things I hear from people is "You have an a** burger?" They seem to think that's so hilarious. I tell them it's someone's name (after correcting them on the spelling) and say not to make fun of people's names, because someone from Austria might think their name is funny. One time when I told someone this, she said, "Wait, how come you can be so immature and then say something very mature right after it?" I swear I wanted to punch her in the face.

Then there was the girl who refused to believe I had Asperger's. One day she came up to me and said, "You know, I saw a boy on TV who had Asperger's, and he didn't act like you at all." I told her it's because girls express it differently. Then months later she came up to me and said, "Guess what? I saw this girl on America's Next Top Model who had Asperger's, and she acted just like you! So now I believe you!"

What I said to that was a very insincere "Uh, thanks!" What I thought in my mind, however, was something more along the lines of "Go die now."

I hate when people are like that. See, the problem is our society because everyone is all of a sudden being diagnosed with Autism just because they have social issues. What the hell? I mean for someone who does have autism, it's hard for them to get the attention they need without some idiot saying, "Hey, don't you know? Autism is an excuse for attention." or some other bogus thing.

Understandable, as that would get on anyone's nerves. I never had the same problem with that, especially since I never showed much signs to anyone. In fact, when I told someone I had it, he said. "You don't have autism, and for every time you say you do, I will hit you." Of course, he was just joking about the hit me part, but... eh, I really didn't care. It just shows that I can control it pretty good. No one I ever meet, with the exception of three people ever believed me. Oh, well... I don't really care if anyone knows or doesn't know.

I hate the fact that schools treat high-functioning Autism as Aspergers, as we are still different from Aspergers. That's what sucks, but... do they really care, or even if they do, would they want to waste money on high-functioning Autistic people? Probably not, especially since my school, like many others is under-funded, and it is just going to get worse next year.

Well, there is a pretty big debate on high functioning and Asperger's because they do have similiar traits. So it is pretty understandable and I also had a few friends who had asperger syndrome.

My first friend, her name was riannon...or something. She had a full-blown case and it was actually tough for us being friends.

See, I have a ritual of watching a movie before I go to sleep. I'm sure you've heard, anyway...She said that she couldn't sleep with the TV on, which was hard for me because could and it was the only way I could sleep...We stopped being friends after a while because we were just so different from one another that we got into fights.

I have another friend named Chris and I think he had alot of therapy for his. Though, he did have outbursts with his friends and was somewhat aggressive.

He was a great guy though and he loved trains. He was very smart too and just like everyone else.

Though, he was a complainer and often complained about things that happened in real life or something.

Alot of people with Autism have very different reactions to things. Not all of us are the same. Some of us could go without even saying we are autistic.

For me, I have a hard time asking questions. I usually have to have my mom or dad ask them because I lock up and start freaking out. It's ahrd being over 18 too because I should be making me own desicions. However, I act more like a seven year old who was born in a 20 year olds body.

It can be hard for people to understand this. I have a hard time even explaining what I said above to people. My mom or dad has to explain to them for me and they are able to understand.

I don't get over stimulated by sound because I take a stimulant medication. Though, I might have to get it changed because I'm starting to get overstimulated a bit by sound.

 

[~ Yukishii]

It's stupidity to compare us to each other, and state your lieing just because you and another autistic person aren't entirely alike.
Not to mention uneducated for making such a ridiculous statement; without learning everything there is to learn about autism.
For if they had learned about autism they'd know that the levels and behaviors differ for every person.
Some of us with autism are extra sensitive, either to sound, to touch, ect..
Like Misayu said, her friend with Asperger's couldn't sleep with the TV on.. that could mean she is sensitive to sound and/or light..
Then some of us not so sensitive.. I am not very sensitive to touch.. in fact my feeling is pretty dull, lower than average. But I am extremely sensitive to light and sound.
Behavior wise, a lot of the people effected by Asperger's tend to be pretty emotionless.. or have very strong emotion.
With 'normal' autism it's the very same.. such as strong anger as mentioned by Misayu.
Getting to the point, even people with disorders are different in many ways from one another.. just like any other human.

Edit ; Ignore my reference to autism as 'mental disorder'. I am still working out my issues with English.

 

[Stalin Malone]

Autism and Aspergers syndrome are both pseudoscience. The descriptions of both indicate that it's the effect of poor (read: lenient) parenting on the parts of parents that causes both and not any sort of 'mental disorder'.

 

[basselope7]

Autism and Aspergers syndrome are both pseudoscience. The descriptions of both indicate that it's the effect of poor (read: lenient) parenting on the parts of parents that causes both and not any sort of 'mental disorder'.

Shows what you know. It's not a "mental disorder," it's a developmental disability. Plus the symptoms of these conditions are apparent since the day of birth.

You = Fail.

 

[NoBel_ToKYo ™]

Shows what you know. It's not a "mental disorder," it's a developmental disability. Plus the symptoms of these conditions are apparent since the day of birth.

You = Fail.

To correct you, it is common for no symptoms to show until roughly the age of 3 years old, or later. You are still correct though...What basis does bad parenting have on autism? At all? Neurodevelopmental disability, not mental disorder. They are comparably different.

Also, the fact that you compare bad parenting to lenient in the matter suggests that you perheps think we are just spoiled? I'd just like to remind you that you are on a forum, likely to be quite far away from a lot of people here, and you're saying this? Fail.

 

[~ Yukishii]

Please excuse any of my bad English. I referred to autism as 'mental disorder' because what it's called in English escaped me.
But, it does have to do with your brain, and it's a disorder.

Autism is, however, associated a lot of the time with agents that cause birth defects.
But is proven not to be caused by bad parenting.
Why don't you try Wikipedia sometime?

But in hardcore truth, no one, not even experts know for sure what causes autism.
A number of things can..

 

[joey2joey]

I have mild Asperger's syndrome. I think it has helped me handle stress better now that I am older.

 

[Zennerick]

I have ADHD. The only things
that gives me trouble are being unorganized and
that I often can't concenrate in school.

I am not sure if Asperger's has much to do with anxiety, but I do have that problem as well.

Research has shown that the rate of anxiety symptoms in children or adults with
Asperger Syndrome is much higher then average. More then 75% of
all children with Asperger also experience intense anxious feelings.

 

[Soul Eater]

Autism and Aspergers syndrome are both pseudoscience. The descriptions of both indicate that it's the effect of poor (read: lenient) parenting on the parts of parents that causes both and not any sort of 'mental disorder'.

Excuse me but my parents treat me very well. People like you need to READ before posting. I know you think you're stating on opinion but that is very hurtful.

I agree that sometimes Autism does end up becoming a huge misdiagnosis on children at a young age. However, it is very real and whether you want to believe so or not, you should keep those opinions to yourself.

 

[Azonic]

Why don't you try Wikipedia sometime?

I don't think you realize what's wrong with that sentence.

I have a friend with mild Autism, not like it matters. \D He's pretty normal outside of concentration and stuff. It's definitely real.

 

[Kylie-chan]

Autism and Aspergers syndrome are both pseudoscience. The descriptions of both indicate that it's the effect of poor (read: lenient) parenting on the parts of parents that causes both and not any sort of 'mental disorder'.

What would you know? Both my brother and I are autistic and were raised by physically and emotionally abusive parents. I would hardly call them lenient. Nonetheless I've met plenty of fellow autistics with the most supportive and skilled parents. Your generalisation is utterly unfounded and likely based on limited to no experience.

Secondly, it isn't a mental disorder; it's a pervasive developmental / personality disorder. How do they indicate it's poor parenting? If you're going to spout utter crap like that, back it up. Currently, science is on our side, not yours -- autism and Asperger's syndrome are both recognised DSM-IV disorders, unless you're going to call the combined efforts of psychiatry psuedoscience? Autistic spectrum disorders are linked to the nervous system; parenting doesn't cause neurological problems.