Autism / Asperger's Syndrome

[davidboring]

Does anyone here have any experience or knowledge of this in themselves or their family/friends? ( I have been diagnosed with it ). Thanks.

[StoneGold]

My mom, who up until recently was a special ed teacher, dealt with it a lot. She thinks my cousin might have Asperger's. Although, I find it hillarious personally, that the geek disease sounds so much like ass burger.

[JDogindy]

I'm autistic, you know.

[Wesley Dodds]

I wouldn't be surprised if I had Asperger's, frankly.

Have you heard how much I hate Bush?

[davidboring]

lol..but we call it Arse - Burgers over here ;)

[Tages]

Though i have not been officially diagnosed, I was told by a psychiatric professional that I have a very good possibility of having Asperger's.

It would make sense. I'm bad at relating with people and good with memorizing encyclopedic amounts of information about any given topic of interest. I have the bad habit of not making eye contact when I talk to people. Emotions generally confuse me.

Here is a good site to read up on the disorder. Also, try asking Doc Kramer when you get a chance. Here's something he once had to say about Asperger's:

Asperger's Syndrome is a high functioning variant of autism. Aspergers individuals don't tend to have the bizarre posturing and ritualistic physical routines, and they are usually of at least average IQ, and often very high-IQ, whereas a lot of autistic people are mentally retarded. They tend to have exceptionally well-developed knowledge and sometimes exceptional abilities - savantism - within a few specific areas, and their interest in these areas is obsessive. Said areas are often unusual or eccentric, and the degree of interest is certainly unusual. These folk tend to have poor social skills and difficulty really understanding emotions (theirs, and especially those of others) and relating to people. Their speech tends to be rather odd... atonal, repetitive, strange cadence, etc. They tend to be physically clumsy, particularly in terms of gross motor skills. Some of these folk are interested in social relationships, but their lack of understanding of emotions, limited social skills, obsessive and odd interests, etc. makes it difficult for them to relate to others, and they tend to end up isolated. Others aren't really interested in others at all. Such folk can sometimes learn social skills which allow them to behave more appropriately, and that is usually one of the main tasks in doing therapy with such folk, but some many don't seem to benefit much.

[Sam]

Another probable aspy here, though I've never bothered to get formally diagnosed. Why bother? It's not like they can give me a pill that magically gives me social skills.

Er, they can't do that, right Jeff? If they can, I need to get my ass to a shrink.

[Slam_Bradley]

My ex's nephew has Aspargers. My only knowledge is anecdotal to him. I know that he goes to school, scouts, etc...and leads an essentially normal life. According to the ex sis-in-law, Napoleon Dynamite is a great look at a teen with Aspargers.

[Justin D.]

My ex's nephew has Aspargers. My only knowledge is anecdotal to him. I know that he goes to school, scouts, etc...and leads an essentially normal life. According to the ex sis-in-law, Napoleon Dynamite is a great look at a teen with Aspargers.

Never thought of it like that. Suddenly, I have a whole new appreciation and understanding of the film.

I've taught a few students that I think may have it. One, I'm pretty sure had it as he really didn't get along with anyone and was quick to anger. More than a few times, he'd come into the room before class even begun and say, "Mr. Davis, I'm just telling you now that if I'm about ready to hit some of the jerks in this class and if anyone says something to me, I'm going to punch them in their faces." Didn't always know how to react. Mostly, I just kept things as calm as I could.

[davidboring]

Most aspies aren't violent or quick to anger. Some are, but the idea that most are is an error bought about by the media attention given to the ones that have commited crimes. Statistically, autistic people are much more often the victims of crime.

[FBHthelizardmage]

I've know a lot of Asperger's people. Dyslexic school managed to pick a lot of them up. They aren't so bad

[Justin D.]

Most aspies aren't violent or quick to anger. Some are, but the idea that most are is an error bought about by the media attention given to the ones that have commited crimes. Statistically, autistic people are much more often the victims of crime.

Sorry, didn't mean to imply as much as I did with the above. What I meant is that he was anti-social and didn't know how to deal with it.

[davidboring]

Yeah Its ok. It's just that there was a documentary about Asperger's on TV last week which showed basically all aspies as violent and scary, added with the aspie guy who went to jail last year for murdering a young girl, it hasn't been very good press lately.

[Nitmo]

I have been diagnosed with Asperger's and then rediagnosed with PDD/NOS (Pervasive Development Disorder/Not Otherwise Specified) which falls under the autistic umbrella.

Below is a good link:
http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/

and for those of you who want to know what it can be like (from that site I linked):

Asperger Syndrome or (Asperger's Disorder) is a neurobiological disorder named for a Viennese physician, Hans Asperger, who in 1944 published a paper which described a pattern of behaviors in several young boys who had normal intelligence and language development, but who also exhibited autistic-like behaviors and marked deficiencies in social and communication skills. In spite of the publication of his paper in the 1940's, it wasn't until 1994 that Asperger Syndrome was added to the DSM IV and only in the past few years has AS been recognized by professionals and parents.

Individuals with AS can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild to severe. Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. It's important to remember that the person with AS perceives the world very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior, and most certainly not the result of "improper parenting".

By definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all), exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. While language development seems, on the surface, normal, individuals with AS often have deficits in pragmatics and prosody. Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound like "little professors." However, persons with AS can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context.

At this time there is a great deal of debate as to exactly where AS fits. It is presently described as an autism spectrum disorder and Uta Frith, in her book AUTISM AND ASPERGER'S SYNDROME, described AS individuals as "having a dash of Autism". Some professionals feel that AS is the same as High Functioning Autism, while others feel that it is better described as a Nonverbal Learning Disability. AS shares many of the characteristics of PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder; Not otherwise specified), HFA, and NLD and because it was virtually unknown until a few years ago, many individuals either received an incorrect diagnosis or remained undiagnosed. For example, it is not at all uncommon for a child who was initially diagnosed with ADD or ADHD be re-diagnosed with AS. In addition, some individuals who were originally diagnosed with HFA or PDD-NOS are now being given the AS diagnosis and many individuals have a dual diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism.

For your information, I've included below a copy of the DSM IV Description. In addition, I've also added a more down-to-earth description that was originally posted to the autism listserv.

DSM IV description
Diagnostic Criteria For 299.80 Asperger's Disorder
A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction
failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
lack of social or emotional reciprocity
B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood

F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia

[Nitmo]

davidboring: where are you from?