So...anyone have Aspergers Sydrome?
 

Simple question, does anyone here have or know of someone who has Aspergers Sydrome?

It's quite a personal subject to me and something I started thinking about recently. Aspergers Syndrome is an interesting thing, it's sometimes seen as the lighter end of Autism (or higher functioning autistic people) it can be something wonderful or something distressful.

Here is a page describing it: http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autis...-syndrome.aspx

I work with people who are like this, outwardly they either appear normal or they have weird quirks (seems it's a common theme in the world of Science, Computing and Engineering these days).

So I am curious, anyone have any views to share with me, ups and downs etc?

Why is it personal to you?

Yes, 2 kids from the same family who struggled to get the proper schooling as its slightly more difficult in NZ and one guy at work who is in IT (application development). He's a great guy but will interrupt you in the middle of meetings, lunch, conversations etc. He just can't judge the right and wrong side of 'human interaction etiquette'.

Psychoanalyst who I've known for many years says that anyone 'who is really into IT' will sit somewhere on the spectrum. His words, not mine :)

Every individual is unique, very rare you will find 2 people of the exact dissability to another, they appear in the spectrum as you say from severe autistic on one side to asperges on the other.

I work with a young man who suffers with severe autism and is profoundly deaf. In one area he may struggle such as efficient communication with members of the public when asking for something in the shop which can cause frustration, but then other areas he excells in, using a computer for example he is fantastic at and also art work (drawing).

It is not always the case that "if they are really in to it" they are somewhere on the spectrum as people excel in all areas of life, such as relationships with another person for example, or a rally driver, just because they can drive a track fantastic and is dialled in does not mean they have a dissability or are on the spectrum of any kind.

You will probably notice yourself doing things if you take a good look at habbits you may have, such as a morning routine getting ready for work, if you were to sleep say 20 mins late that routine goes out of the window and you are left rushing about or skipping your morning coffe and toast for example, think about how you feel the next time it happens, it leaves you "out of sorts" or so to speak, feeling rushed and often annoyed at yourself for doing it, but it does not start your day the best way if you catch my drift, for people who are highly functioning this can be a serious thing, but to us we just take it for granted and work around it, where as they cant, they have to do everything a specific way unique to them selves and are not happy if it is not acheived.

How is it any different from Autism?

Autism and Asperger's syndrome are both autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and pervasive development disorders (PDD). People diagnosed with any type of autism spectrum disorder are either social avoident or socially inappropriate.

Asperger's Syndrome is considered to be "high-functioning." It is identified in people who have average or above average intelligence. They may have sensory integration disorder(s), which means any of their senses might be overloaded and overwhelming to them. People with Asperger's Syndrome also have self-stimulation (or "stimming"); in other words, obsessive and narrow interests (e.g., trains; video games; cars; astronomy). Most people diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome don't have problems in language, although it has been noted that speech can be unusually fast, jerky, loud or quiet. Some researchers speculate that there is a difference between high-functioning autism and Asperger's Syndrome. So, it is possible that the people with high-functioning autism have problems with language while those with Asperger's Syndrome do not. Most notabily, individuals with Asperger's (like with autism) have social skill impairments including problems with the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction.
Also, like with autism they may have trouble developing peer relationships appropriate to developmental level.

Autism and PDD-NOS (a moderate form of Autism that can't specified by any other spectrum disorder) is considered to be "low-functioning." People with Autism or PDD-NOS have "stimming" that are considered to be "unusual" behavior (e.g. flapping their hands; rocking back and fourth; spinning things; rolling around in blankets). They may have sensory integration disorder(s), which means any of their senses might be overloaded and overwhelming to them, which they can't make sense of. Many people with Autism and/or PDD-NOS are non-verbal.

Wasn't there a member on here who was diagnosed with aspergers a couple years ago? There was a big thread about it.

A close friend was recently diagnosed.

Now understanding the symptoms really helps us understand his "quirks" - which we initially put down to him being eccentric.

The wife is convinced that I'm mildly autistic :rolleyes:

She works with kids who have mental health problems ranging from the suicidal to ASD and a lot else besides as an Occupational Therapist for the NHS. I'm convinced I'm just some sort of long term case study for her :)

I guess it does go with the territory as I work in electronics / programming etc. but I think I'm pretty normal certainly compared to some of the people I work with :lol1:

Because I have Aspergers Syndrome.

I function normally for 90% of my life but that 10% has been problematic - but it's been a blessing but as my best friend says to me time and time again:

"Don't be sad, you have an amazing insight into life, a unique view of the world"

I have mild OCD traits, making me very analytical and good at Software Engineering but I lack emotive skills at times and have trouble reading people (I will take things literally sometimes and dwell on them for far too long).

Learning difficulties obviously, I am/was dyslexic, suffered badly at school but I learned to learn again if that makes sense, found what worked and what didn't.

My biggest problem at the moment is reading, my mind is scattered, it takes great effort to read a passage in a book and if I make a mistake, I have to go all the way back and read again...very very frustrating.

Haha mate I know what you mean, the guys I work with all seem normal to me lol

Over time I learn't to adapt, I can get by socially and at work, just enough that people don't notice (unless they are close friends).

There is another reason why I started this thread, there is a darker side to Aspergers Syndrome, namely depression.

I am also Bi-Polar, which thankfully over time, I have learn't to deal with (through help) however it wrecked my life for a very long time, sometimes the low points would last months, a year before I was able to rise back out of them (I get emotional peaks and troughs, not gradual waves, it's one extreme or the other in the space of minutes).

Alot of the problems also lye with todays society, people dont understand the complexicity of it and how deep it actually runs! Alot more could be done if todays society would open their eyes a little and take time to understand what actually goes on, rather than pushing somebody aside who is actually asking for help in their own way and deeming them to be "crazy or off their rocker" if people can take the time to make such statements then surely the words coming out of their mouths should ring bells in their own heads and not cast judgement on things they have absoloutly no idea about, often making a situation of how a person is feeling or is maybe acting a little different alot worse! Education is what is needed imo, they would soon change their tune if it was to happen to themselves or maybe somebody close to them!

Well done for learning to manage your condition so well :thumb:

Do you have the look? Quite tall, promenant eyebrows? Or are you on the other side of the scale?

Nothing personal but you don't 'have' anything. The medical profession has decided that you fit into a class which they call a syndrome. They classify you as having a disorder but this isn't anything essential but purely nominal. Nobody has ever been able to say in absolute terms what the difference is between someone who is normal and someone who is suffering a disorder.

How does him being classified as Aspergers help understand anything? If anything it just begs a question.

All this classification has done is this:

Friend has quirks. Doctor classifies him as Aspergers based on those quirks. What have we learned? Nothing.

Well said ....:)

True very true and I agree, at least I have not lived my life thinking in those terms...Seems in this day and age you have to be labelled as something to fit in.

Very true.

It makes me wonder, how many kids are becoming symptomatic as a result of the environment they are being brought up in i.e. surrounded by technology and an overriding theme to interacting "through social media" whether it's via facebook or online through World of Warcraft.

Incidently WoW has helped a lot of people socialise a swell...strange but true.

Anyway it's way past my bed time, I should be getting regular rest, breaking a rule now.

There was a one page article on Aspergers a month back, in a free motoring magazine i get.
It was quite interesting and 'educational' in terms of raising awareness.

If I recall the article correctly, it seemed to be a spectrum, and a lot of people would have some traits. Also, I think the article implied that it was probably more common then people realise, due to ignorance of the traits. All from memory, so it might have implied otherwise.

Might post it up, as long as i'm not breaking copyright.

Tony, it's a bit complicated.

But suffice it to say the diagnosis was brought on by a criminal trial of which he was the defendant.

He's using the diagnosis as part of the defence of his retrial.

J

Without doubt there are plenty of people who have it, and are undiagnosed. The odds are likely there are people here who have it too (diagnosed or not). They may suspect something after reading into it. Like I did with dyslexia/dyscalculia, which was an eye opener, incidentally it is a known symptom for someone on the autistic scale. Whether a person should go to a quack for diagnosis/testing or seek further help on it I think is totally down to the individual's ability to function and cope in life.

I feel especially in this day and age, there is a premise to label or excuse someone because they tick enough boxes to fall into a particular category. This could have a adversary affect instead of a positive one, for example, it goes on your records, so as soon as that happens you are 'labelled' as a sufferer from then on. Its also possible that a sufferer or those who protect/care for them make excuses for any inappropriate actions or behaviour because of this condition. Just like I see with dyslexia being used as a weak excuse to not even bother trying read or write properly (be it lazyness or just being plain stupid/uneducated).

Like the guy who hacked NASA, is it suddenly OK to do it because he has a mental condition? No. If its a punishable law, it has to be enforced. (although I do disagree with the US extradition as the crime was commited in the UK, but thats another subject).

On the positive side, getting diagnosed may provide some benefit and answer a lot of questions. It also may open the doors to getting help to learn coping strategies and to self-recognise typically abnormal behaviour which will help with coping with the various situations in life. That is assuming the GP is bothered enough to refer you and doesn't fob you off (sorry, excuse my cynicism, not all GPs can be as poor as the ones in my practice...I hope :o ).

So I guess its down to how bad it is, chances are a lot of adult sufferers have already developed their own coping strategies in life without any help from others, but obviously there is a chance that some of those self-learnt strategies are detrimental. Suppressing emotions, OCDs and social segregation for example could lead to sociophobia, agoraphobia and depression. Non-acceptance of a unwanted life situation could at extreme, cause a downward spiral that leads to suicide or violence. However, its important to note these traits can also be found in a normal person too, thats why I'm wary of labelling people with such broad banded-disorders. Some cope, some don't - just like anyone in life.

Go ahead, just reference/credit your source (i.e magazine and issue number/date) if you're that concerened about it (just like you were supposed to do when copying text out of a book for an essay ;) ).

We won't pull it unless we're contacted asking to do so which is very very doubtful.





PS....I'm fully aware that the above is a long boring monologue :razz:

Ello Mr Final 0. Yep, i have Asperger's, not afraid to admit it.

Good points - we can focus for ever, we strive for high levels of performance, we can work alone quite happily, we can be ultra logical and clear thinking.

Bad points - we're not very good at empathising with emotions, perfectionism can be very draining for others (see my constant comments here about grammar/spelling etc), we can be very/too abrupt, we can seem uncaring and unloving.


I wasn't diagnosed till i was 45, which isn't at all unusual, because most Aspies are very successful if they're lucky enough to be in the right job, but at that time of life the emotional deficiencies can become all too apparent. It's not a handicap as such because we can't help being the people we are, but it's not something i'd say is an outright advantage, given that relationships, the things Aspies struggle with, are an important part of being human. But being aware is a huge part of the process, it makes things much easier, not so much for myself but for others i affect. :)

This is an excellent piece Mr Infected, apart from the atrocious spelling of habit, disability, excels and achieved of course :D You cannot have AS because we just cannot allow things to be wrong, at least intentionally! :D

Are you medical?

In my mind and experience, AS is only just on the autism spectrum, if at all. They're similar, but ultimately not quite the same. Most true Aspies have few if any physical afflictions, unlike most autistic people. It was lack of eye contact which first alerted me to the possibility of having Asperger's, and when i read the rest of the "common signs" it was like reading a TelBoy Handbook; according to the people i saw i'm about as full-branch AS as you can possibly get. What's good though, is that i don't have to live the rest of my life in denial. I can continue to excel professionally i hope, whilst giving more time to building and maintaining the social side of my life which i've never found easy. :)

What line of work Tel? I work with someone who I think has AS. He's pretty good technically, but sometimes misses the point of what he's supposed to be doing.

Sounds like the soundtrack to my life...

....but as far as I know, I don't have aspergers !

Your name rings a bell, I'm not sure if it was you who did a thread about aspergers a bit back? If not, accept my apologies. :thumb:

TelBoy mate it's funny and I bet you have experienced it as well...meet someone dyslexic, Aspers, even mildly Autistic etc and you have no problem relating to them, things make sense, everyone else seems bonkers.

I wasn't aware of it until later in my life when I had trouble keeping jobs and my second serious relationship ended badly (it affected me for years).

Coupled with mood swings, anger management issues etc I was forced to find out WTF was going on and why (most Aspers have a self awareness, one of our traits I guess, we are more acute and develop an awareness quickly).

I class myself as a "Late Bloomer" - I have to literally chew on information. I can listen to something and only ever focus on a chunk of it, I have to take myself away from the computer or leave and dwell on what was said, visualise the information in my mind and play it out over and over...

Hence I take longer to learn something but I tend to have a deeper understanding of it but outwardly I appear slow sometimes (most times).

I am great at writing, on the computer, in video games, I have a persona I can project, but in real life I tend to fall over most times :D

I know what you mean about perfectionism, flippin OCD at times.

"Like an exposed nerve"

Yes, it was.