Hello from a new member

[DuckRabbit]

I teach psychology and have been reading up about Asperger Syndrome for a few years but am keen to learn more, especially since some of my students are on the spectrum.

 

[King_Oni]

Hi and welcome to Aspiescentral

I'm going to go ahead and assume your date of birth as it is in your profile here isn't correct. Teaching others psychology at age 15 would be an amazing feat

 

[DuckRabbit]

Oops, I'll contact an administrator and correct that.

 

[Rocco]

Welcome aboard

 

[nyxjord]

Hello DuckRabbit, You'll find a wealth of information here from many points of view and any questions you can think of will probably be here. We're pretty awesome and eager to help. Hope you enjoy your time here.

 

[Chisleu]

Wonderful to have you!!! So happy to see when allistics join the group. It's invaluable to have insight from all sides of any matter.

 

[Tom]

Hi & welcome.
Is that your book/blog you listed? I am curious as I find it rare for an NT to actually get the autism thing right. They see parts, sometimes many parts, but not having lived as one rarely understand all the subtleties that make all the difference. Anyway, if it is, I will read the blog and tell you how close you are getting.

 

[Suzanne]

Wow how impressive is this If only all therapists had the same attitude as you

You have certainly arrived at the right forum lol and soon, you will hopefully, not only be truly helping those who you feel are on the spectrum, but also helping other therapists to not be so narrow minded!

 

[DuckRabbit]

Hi & welcome.
Is that your book/blog you listed? I am curious as I find it rare for an NT to actually get the autism thing right. They see parts, sometimes many parts, but not having lived as one rarely understand all the subtleties that make all the difference. Anyway, if it is, I will read the blog and tell you how close you are getting.

Thank you so much. Yes, that is a link to the book I wrote on Asperger's. I created a page for it on my blog. As the book originated from my blog posts (now deactivated), I don't want to repeat info on my blog that's in my book, but hopefully I've given something for you to judge. I'd be glad to hear your assessment of how close I am!

I remember reading NT reviews about the 2009 film 'Adam' and wondering "What movie were you watching?" Then I read some AS reviews (on a forum or blog, I don't remember now) and the quality of the comprehension and critique was on another level - you could just see the AS reviews knew what they were talking about.

 

[DuckRabbit]

Welcome aboard
View attachment 17029

Beautiful colours and brush textures. Thanks!

 

[DuckRabbit]

Hello DuckRabbit, You'll find a wealth of information here from many points of view and any questions you can think of will probably be here. We're pretty awesome and eager to help. Hope you enjoy your time here.

Many thanks nyxjord, I'm just beginning to see what a wealth of information this forum contains and am look forward to delving into the topics!

 

[DuckRabbit]

Wow how impressive is this If only all therapists had the same attitude as you

You have certainly arrived at the right forum lol and soon, you will hopefully, not only be truly helping those who you feel are on the spectrum, but also helping other therapists to not be so narrow minded!

Getting into the Asperger literature has really helped me to understand certain students better and not get affronted at certain behaviours!

I wonder if some therapists, however well-meaning, are inadvertently narrow-minded because they have ascended seamlessly through educational and occupational levels - without the many obstacles that Asperger individuals encounter? They therefore have little motivation to acquire a nuanced understanding of autistic spectrum conditions. I have heard some 'experts' parroting the most stereotyped views on Asperger's - possibly reinforced by the Hollywood autism trope and not a little projection.

Interesting that you say "those who you feel are on the spectrum": one school of thought is that someone can only be diagnosed as autistic/Asperger's by a clinician, and any lay speculation on this matter is risky and dangerous. But do you think that just anyone could identify someone as being autistic? We do this when we identify certain people as introverts, and others as extraverts, so my feeling is why should we not do this with the NT/AS distinction? (Apologies if there is a thread already on this 'diagnostic' issue).

 

[Tom]

Interesting that you say "those who you feel are on the spectrum": one school of thought is that someone can only be diagnosed as autistic/Asperger's by a clinician, and any lay speculation on this matter is risky and dangerous. But do you think that just anyone could identify someone as being autistic? We do this when we identify certain people as introverts, and others as extraverts, so my feeling is why should we not do this with the NT/AS distinction? (Apologies if there is a thread already on this 'diagnostic' issue).

There will always be a need for a qualified medical professional to make an 'official' diagnosis. But with adult HFAs, given adequate information and self tests, the HFAs self determination may be as accurate if not more so. The HFA doesn't need to know about all the rest of the conditions and syndromes. But they can best assess how much they match the criteria. They know things about themselves that are difficult to express or talk about when being interviewed.

 

[KinksFan]

Welcome to Aspies Central

 

[DuckRabbit]

Welcome to Aspies Central

Thanks for the welcome KinksFan. I'm slowly familiarising myself with more and more names and topics on this forum.

 

[Walsie]

Welcome to the alien zone! A question: are the students male or female? I suspect there are many more females than have been diagnosed since they tend to hide in plain sight.

 

[DuckRabbit]

Welcome to the alien zone! A question: are the students male or female? I suspect there are many more females than have been diagnosed since they tend to hide in plain sight.

Very true. The students who are Asperger's are both male and female. What do you find are the most apparent characteristics in undiagnosed females that denote Asperger's? Or rather which traits do you tend to notice first?

 

[Walsie]

Very true. The students who are Asperger's are both male and female. What do you find are the most apparent characteristics in undiagnosed females that denote Asperger's? Or rather which traits do you tend to notice first?

I'm no expert so can't help you there. I have never met any women on the spectrum. I did notice with Susan Boyle that she maybe was on the spectrum when she said she'd nae been kissed and that funny movement of her hips at her audition.

One of my professors stated I too said odd things or had odd moments when I didn't process things properly, moved awkwardly and sometimes spoke too loudly, so she had me tested. The tests revealed I had a processing disorder of some sort. I don't remember exactly, since I was too exhausted after three hours of testing to register anything. This was in the 1990s.

However, I was diagnosed at 12 months with classic autism, only my mother never told me until I asked her a few years ago. I just knew there was something wrong with me, that I was defective.

I think a good way to tell with women is the social pecking order. They may have one or two good friends, but they'll be at the bottom.

 

[DuckRabbit]

I'm no expert so can't help you there. I have never met any women on the spectrum. I did notice with Susan Boyle that she maybe was on the spectrum when she said she'd nae been kissed and that funny movement of her hips at her audition.

One of my professors stated I too said odd things or had odd moments when I didn't process things properly, moved awkwardly and sometimes spoke too loudly, so she had me tested. The tests revealed I had a processing disorder of some sort. I don't remember exactly, since I was too exhausted after three hours of testing to register anything. This was in the 1990s.

However, I was diagnosed at 12 months with classic autism, only my mother never told me until I asked her a few years ago. I just knew there was something wrong with me, that I was defective.

I think a good way to tell with women is the social pecking order. They may have one or two good friends, but they'll be at the bottom.

Thanks for these insights. I find it's things like not filtering the truth for political or social-status purposes - what NTs would consider 'being overly honest' - and also anticipating not being liked. One HFA female expressed concern at the outset about the other students not liking her.

How does your professor know you don't process things properly? This might be reflected only in the processing that others can see: in one's verbal output, in the heat of the moment. In some cases it may not be the processing that's atypical but rather the communication of that processing - putting one's thoughts into words in a social context with all the attendant social expectations and pressures. And isn't it the atypical processing of 'autistic spectrum' individuals that gives them the potential to come up with novel insights and interpretations, and not perpetuate the political and power abuses that have done so much damage on this planet?

 

[Walsie]

Thanks for these insights. I find it's things like not filtering the truth for political or social-status purposes - what NTs would consider 'being overly honest' - and also anticipating not being liked. One HFA female expressed concern at the outset about the other students not liking her.

How does your professor know you don't process things properly? This might be reflected only in the processing that others can see: in one's verbal output, in the heat of the moment. In some cases it may not be the processing that's atypical but rather the communication of that processing - putting one's thoughts into words in a social context with all the attendant social expectations and pressures. And isn't it the atypical processing of 'autistic spectrum' individuals that gives them the potential to come up with novel insights and interpretations, and not perpetuate the political and power abuses that have done so much damage on this planet?

My processing issues are at both ends; my mother always asks me if I'm deaf. The neurologists who tested me said the same thing. There's nothing wrong with my hearing. I remember not understanding instructions at school and college (and bugging whoever was sitting next to me), which I imagine was the first sign my professor picked up on that something wasn't right with me. Add to that my poor pronunciation and tendency to mix up and substitute words or say things in the wrong order, and of course my poor social skills. I didn't make a single friend in college, but I did participate the hell out of class when applicable. Shy I was not.

I disagree with the last statement. Those on the spectrum can be just as manipulative, exploitative and sadistic as those who are not. We are human first, spectrum second. My cousin, for example. He is big, strong, violent and non-verbal by choice. He would beat the crap out his younger brother every chance he got, and the parents never found out, naturally, because the response would have been: "Oh, he's autistic, he can't help it, he doesn't know what he's doing." People mistake 'low functioning' as 'dumb'. He milked it with the parents for all it was worth. The younger brother one day had enough and gave him some of his own medicine, and it never happened again after that.

I'm sure there are other nasty stories out there.

As for the younger bro, he's a carer now, and the stories he has told would make you cry with laughter, they are both horrifying and hilarious. (One client biting the ear off another client, who loved slapping people, for example.) He has the patience of Job. I told him he should write a book.