Going back to our roots, Aspie/Autie Poll time

[Harrison]

I have heard of the pruning period thing in relation to increased suicide risk. However the long term factor here could be a substantial increase in brain power as the brain adjusts its learning pathways.

Ponder that the pathways are reconfigured in a very precise way even though every individual gene change is unique. If it were not so then aspies would not show so many similarities in their conditioning. We come back to 'why'?

 

[Harrison]

We come back to 'why'?

I'm answering my own thought here.

What if aspies are only 'lost' to themselves in the first world?

What of aspies living out in tribal villages, jungles, rural areas, do they 'feel' the same way?

I know that I crave the countryside, I don't mean the cultivated safe areas, but those when I lived in a cave or tent, when I hunted for food, moved at night alone and quietly. Those places where my soul felt free and in communion with the Earth itself, where every living thing around me was a 'brother'.

Maybe we don't belong in concrete and steel.

 

[Nadador]

I thought you'd gone off on your journey, so I thought I try to fill the gap you left behind, albeit inadequately

If you have time I would like your thoughts on it old friend.

Wish I could do it. Adam's back in the nest till I leave in the morning, and you've nicked my ready thoughts, so I'll have to wait till I can dedicate the time for saying something interesting. I'll have a bit of wi-fi access for the next three days. I'll come back round before I'm entirely out of reach. For now, I've got last-minute private conversations to answer.

Brilliant discussion, all of you. This is the stuff that really gets my engines firing. It's exciting to see us talking like this.

 

[Nadador]

What if aspies are only 'lost' to themselves in the first world? What of aspies living out in tribal villages, jungles, rural areas, do they 'feel' the same way?

I know that I crave the countryside, I don't mean the cultivated safe areas, but those when I lived in a cave or tent, when I hunted for food, moved at night alone and quietly. Those places where my soul felt free and in communion with the Earth itself, where every living thing around me was a 'brother'. Maybe we don't belong in concrete and steel.

Sh*t. You would have to do this to me.

Agreed, agreed, agreed about Aspies and natural places.

In my personal experience of Papuans, Melanesians, Mongols of the Daguur Steppe, various "Pygmy" peoples of the Congo Basin, and the Guaraní and Mawé of South America, individuals I've identified as highly probable Aspies/HFAs are...you'll love this...generally shamans.

I keep writing and deleting things...I just can't dive very deep into this now, but I'll say that living in remote, hunter-gatherer systems seems to change the game entirely. Special interest aside, it's why I'd rather be "out there" than here, most of the time.

All right. I really am off.

 

[Harrison]

Sh*t. You would have to do this to me.

Agreed, agreed, agreed about Aspies and natural places.

In my personal experience of Papuans, Melanesians, Mongols of the Daguur Steppe, various "Pygmy" peoples of the Congo Basin, and the Guaraní and Mawé of South America, individuals I've identified as highly probable Aspies/HFAs are...you'll love this...generally shamans.

I keep writing and deleting things...I just can't dive very deep into this now, but I'll say that living in remote, hunter-gatherer systems seems to change the game entirely. Special interest aside, it's why I'd rather be "out there" than here, most of the time.

All right. I really am off.

That'll do

(for now)

 

[Maelstrom]

Ponder that the pathways are reconfigured in a very precise way even though every individual gene change is unique. If it were not so then aspies would not show so many similarities in their conditioning. We come back to 'why'?

Aaw! Harris You stole my line, I was going to say you asked and answered your own question. But you are right the brain pruning thing could explain the over all similarities in auti and aspie brain workings, even tho early physical brain development is clearly showing more random chaos pattern. It is possible that if a missing chemical in the brain growth faze is identified that some this stuff could be dampened however applying treatment could be too risky to the baby.
I believe I heard of a study that said autistic people are happier in the countryside. I offered Ashskyler moving rights if she promised not to hit me to hard.

 

[Harrison]

..could be too risky to the baby.

Indeed, we do not understand the Prime Motivator or the reason for its choice, without that knowledge we could treat the child and make things a whole lot worse, especially if there was some greater design that we missed. The moment we contemplate treating that child we concede that autistic spectrum disorders are not a part of natural human evolution and we make ourselves 'less than'. Not something I want.

As has been posted at the beginning, we must be careful not to elevate ASD to the mythic realms of the 'next era of humanity', it is not. However, nor are we some sort of devolutionary mishap that should be erased.

 

[Maelstrom]

I'm answering my own thought here.

What if aspies are only 'lost' to themselves in the first world?

What of aspies living out in tribal villages, jungles, rural areas, do they 'feel' the same way?

I know that I crave the countryside, I don't mean the cultivated safe areas, but those when I lived in a cave or tent, when I hunted for food, moved at night alone and quietly. Those places where my soul felt free and in communion with the Earth itself, where every living thing around me was a 'brother'.

Maybe we don't belong in concrete and steel.

I agree with you here Harris there are likely many hardcore aspies living in Alaska bush country where all you need is a good gun, chainsaw and fishing gear. Over stimulation would be a rowdy card game or campfire. The main down side would be power issues for a halo turniment.

Indeed, we do not understand the Prime Motivator or the reason for its choice, without that knowledge we could treat the child and make things a whole lot worse, especially if there was some greater design that we missed. The moment we contemplate treating that child we concede that autistic spectrum disorders are not a part of natural human evolution and we make ourselves 'less than'. Not something I want.

As has been posted at the beginning, we must be careful not to elevate ASD to the mythic realms of the 'next era of humanity', it is not. However, nor are we some sort of devolutionary mishap that should be erased.

I am neutral on the treatment issue Harris I love my brain gifts, however plenty of suffering came with them. We should remember tho there others out there who have it far worse than us, so blocking research could be a cruel thing too. I will say I have heard of some treatment practises that may deserve jail time and should be stopped. The baby treatment thing may be too risky presently, sticking too many needles in the womb could be bad, anyways no one has a clue on the complex chemistry needed yet. So there's no point in getting over excited about a horse with no wings.

 

[AsheSkyler]

I'm answering my own thought here.

What if aspies are only 'lost' to themselves in the first world?

What of aspies living out in tribal villages, jungles, rural areas, do they 'feel' the same way?

I know that I crave the countryside, I don't mean the cultivated safe areas, but those when I lived in a cave or tent, when I hunted for food, moved at night alone and quietly. Those places where my soul felt free and in communion with the Earth itself, where every living thing around me was a 'brother'.

Maybe we don't belong in concrete and steel.

Something similar was the first (and almost only) good thing I ever read about autism. We are almost perfect hunters and scouts. Heightened senses for tracking and observation, we're great when left alone and don't go insane from lack of human contact, we're highly focused so we could track something for days. However terrible our short term memory, some of us have amazing long-term memory. And despite dyspraxia and general clumsiness, some of us are actually pretty dang graceful. I imagine we were highly valued back in tribal days.

this is what i mean actually. i am glad some people actually understand what i mean, if we cannot perdict it, then while it may not be "free will" it still is for all purposes free will

i also think that this theory opens up to a truely paradox free style of time travel. but that is a whole nother can of worms

These days I default to Star Trek: Voyager when I think of time travel and giggle myself silly. I get the feeling I'd be good at grasping temporal mechanics, but I know I'd be horrible at explaining what I understand!

 

[Maelstrom]

These days I default to Star Trek: Voyager when I think of time travel and giggle myself silly. I get the feeling I'd be good at grasping temporal mechanics, but I know I'd be horrible at explaining what I understand!

Hey Ash Oh we all love time travel in movies, it's cute it's fun and....it's not happening, unless we are all holligrams on Gods VCR...hey Oouch!...stop with the rocks I don't make the rules...on particle movements.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Hey Ash Oh we all love time travel in movies, it's cute it's fun and....it's not happening, unless we are all holligrams on Gods VCR...hey Oouch!...stop with the rocks I don't make the rules...on particle movements.

If I am a hologram, I demand my own schnazzy holo-emitter so I may move about the ship as I please! Now, please state the nature of the medical emergency.

 

[On the Inside]

Now that things have regained a bit of levity, I'd like to propose one of my pet ideas about consciousness (collective and individual), mind and biology.

Sometimes I like to wander around the thought that we are mere neurons in a cosmic nervous system, our thoughts and perceptions being stimulus, our communication with others being impulses across synapses. Our perceptions, thoughts, reactions and actions received as signals via mysterious frequency to the universal organism we are a part of.

About the idea of Aspies being more at home in nature, in more primitive cultures, one of the most intense experiences I have had while watching a movie was the opening scene of "Last of the Mohicans" with Daniel Day Lewis. His character is running full tilt through a forest, chasing a deer. It made me feel like I was in my element, that was home.

Don't have time for deep discussion, got work deadlines. Been fascinating to dip in here from time to time.

 

[Maelstrom]

If I am a hologram, I demand my own schnazzy holo-emitter so I may move about the ship as I please! Now, please state the nature of the medical emergency.

HA ha! I'm going to give you all a real space war book one of these days if they let me. Not sure how things falling up and people standing on the ceiling will go over in holly wood and every one walking around with afroes from the static electricity. And how on earth they would do a CGI of the firing of the sword of the Lord, I'm not even sure what that horrible thing would look like.

 

[On the Inside]

I'm not much of a sci-fi fan. I tend to like to look around at where we are, look back on where we've been, rather than try to see where we're going. To be honest, the future scares the bejeesus out of me.

 

[Maelstrom]

I'm not much of a sci-fi fan. I tend to like to look around at where we are, look back on where we've been, rather than try to see where we're going. To be honest, the future scares the bejeesus out of me.

Hi On the Inside, I wish I could say the same but the endless problems of life scare me more than bumping into the Angel of death him self, at least with him there is a chance of being passed by. Good science fiction is like a chess game you try to guess your apponents coming moves so you can be one step ahead. I love guessing the plot line in a movie. And a piano will fall on his head about...now Aaaaah! I misssed by three seconds.

 

[Harrison]

Something similar was the first (and almost only) good thing I ever read about autism. We are almost perfect hunters and scouts. Heightened senses for tracking and observation, we're great when left alone and don't go insane from lack of human contact, we're highly focused so we could track something for days. However terrible our short term memory, some of us have amazing long-term memory. And despite dyspraxia and general clumsiness, some of us are actually pretty dang graceful. I imagine we were highly valued back in tribal days.

I'm sure Nadador will fill us in on the value we still have in the tribes he has visited. I used to hunt a lot for food, NTs that came along could never sit still as long as I could, or move as quietly, in fact they had problems just staying quiet

My father saw the signs that his culture would recognise when I was a child, and taught me accordingly. Sadly those skills don't do too well in a first world country, maybe I should relocate.

 

[AsheSkyler]

I'm sure Nadador will fill us in on the value we still have in the tribes he has visited. I used to hunt a lot for food, NTs that came along could never sit still as long as I could, or move as quietly, in fact they had problems just staying quiet

My father saw the signs that his culture would recognise when I was a child, and taught me accordingly. Sadly those skills don't do too well in a first world country, maybe I should relocate.

I've never hunted, but I have been complimented on my sneaking ability. My dad is a royal bear when it comes to sleep, so I got really good at sneaking into the kitchen for a snack and nobody knowing about it until they saw the dishes in the sink the next morning. Socks. Socks are the key. Socks and a light step. I lived in the basement, so I was pretty familiar with what level of footfall created what level of noise. Which was really funny whenever my dad went into the basement, he'd yell up the stairs at us to "stop tearing the house down".

 

[Progster]

It's a bit of a mystery as to why I have AS, and as I'm the only person in my family diagnosed with it, I'm a bit of a wildcard. But the psychiatrist who diagnosed me said it was likely to have been caused by trauma during my mother's pregnancy, as she was ill with cancer while pregnant with me.

 

[Maelstrom]

I've never hunted, but I have been complimented on my sneaking ability. My dad is a royal bear when it comes to sleep, so I got really good at sneaking into the kitchen for a snack and nobody knowing about it until they saw the dishes in the sink the next morning. Socks. Socks are the key. Socks and a light step. I lived in the basement, so I was pretty familiar with what level of footfall created what level of noise. Which was really funny whenever my dad went into the basement, he'd yell up the stairs at us to "stop tearing the house down".

Ah! I read so fast Ash I skimmed over the nice bit on hunting. In boarding school which was pure h..ll for me I would go for walks out in the woods to decompress even in middle of the feezing winter with a foot and a half of snow on the ground, I'm sure every one thought I was nuts. With my pattern finding and visual thing I was very good at spotting hiding snow shoe hairs and stuff. And I found it fairly easy to anticipate the movements of their trails and where their hiding spots would be. I think with those traits and my long term memory I could have totally kicked a..s as a hunter. I did go hunting on the ranch with NTs some but I hated it they turned it into a foot ball match stomping around trying to scare stuff out of bushes, they made so much noise the deer usually cleared the next ridge before we could even see over the first one Uug!

 

[wyverary]

But the psychiatrist who diagnosed me said it was likely to have been caused by trauma during my mother's pregnancy, as she was ill with cancer while pregnant with me.

I recall the psychologist who diagnosed me expressing an interest in the fact that I was in a frank breech position when they were trying to birth me (which lead to a caesarean section). I have no idea if there's any actual evidence as to whether this sort of thing can be a contributing factor; but, like you, I am the only one in my family diagnosed with AS and I don't see many AS tendencies in the rest of my family, so, who knows?