I have some questions about Asperger

[Alexander Abood]

Hey guys,

I was born with Asperger, and I wish to learn about it.

I read on Google that Aspies are good at science and engineering, and they are fast learners.

My questions are:

1. Why Indians see Asperger as a disease to be cured?
2. Is it true that science and engineering is connected to Asperger?
3. Is it true that Asperger can make you learn anything faster than the average of population? I mean, can as Aspie learn easily anything faster?
4. Is invention connected to Asperger? I mean, by being an Aspie is will give you most likely the possibility and chance to be a great inventor?
5. Do we as Aspies have short life than average because of Asperger? If yes, what are the reasons of it?

P.S. What I am trying to ask is, does Asperger syndrome make you good at science and engineering? And I asked these questions, because some people say to me that I have short life and others argue that I can live long. I

 

[Greatshield17]

Aspergers is now known as Level-1 Autism, it’s known as that for a variety of reasons including the fact that neurological studies have shown what was once diagnosed as Aspergers could now be not one but at least two, different benign neurological conditions.

In regards to your questions:

1. Why Indians see Asperger as a disease to be cured?

Not just Indians, but non-Autistic people as a whole, view it this way; they view it this way because:

1. It’s associated with Level-3 Autism.
2. It’s considered a threat to social cohesion, but as I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this site, I don’t have time to go onto why that is or how that works.

2. Is it true that science and engineering is connected to Asperger?

Yes, in fact a lot of Autistic people (myself included) are born into engineering families.

3. Is it true that Asperger can make you learn anything faster than the average of population? I mean, can as Aspie learn easily anything faster?
4. Is invention connected to Asperger? I mean, by being an Aspie is will give you most likely the possibility and chance to be a great inventor?
5. Do we as Aspies have short life than average because of Asperger? If yes, what are the reasons of it?

I don’t have time to go into detail on this but, the simple answer is, it depends on how you live your life as an Autistic person; my personal advice is, that you love being an Autistic person and work on mitigating the negative aspects of being Autistic as well as nurture the positive aspects of being Autistic, that will best help both you, and your fellow-Autistic folk.

 

[velociraptor]

science and engineering

Biology, yes, I was only good at the parts of chemistry that involved making explosives (I was not a good kid), and I consider math and physics to be my mortal enemies. I am told I am a high-functioning creative. So much for the stereotypes, I suppose.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

1. Why Indians see Asperger as a disease to be cured?
2. Is it true that science and engineering is connected to Asperger?
3. Is it true that Asperger can make you learn anything faster than the average of population? I mean, can as Aspie learn easily anything faster?
4. Is invention connected to Asperger? I mean, by being an Aspie is will give you most likely the possibility and chance to be a great inventor?
5. Do we as Aspies have short life than average because of Asperger? If yes, what are the reasons of it?

Hello,

1. Aspergers (and autism) and most other divergences in human neurology are seen as diseases because medice and psycology comes from a disease-focus origin. You can learn way more about that in the book Neurotribes: NeuroTribes - Wikipedia

2. Yes, but not only science, also arts and many other "out of the norm" things. One thing that is an autistic signal is asymetry in our intelligences. Let me explain. If you do an IQ test on neuro-typical people you would see that most of them score in a similar way in different fields. Intelligent ones will score above average on mathematical intelligence, spacial intelligence, social skills...etc. Also not so intelligent ones will score below average on most things. So we can say that their intelligences are "homogeneus".

Aspergers intelligence tests are not like that, on the contrary we seem to be way better in some areas and way worse in others. So an average Aspie can be considered "intelligent" in maths (as an example) and quite "retarded" in some other area (coordination as an example).

So if an Aspie is intelligent, and if their "spike" intelligence skill happens to be math, that person may have a mathematical intelligence at the level of a gifted person.

There are many introvert-shy people who are scientists, many of them may have autistic traits. So stadistically makes sense that scientifics will have more "autists" gennes than politicians, as an example.

But that do not mean that you, an Aspie individual, will be good at maths. You may be good or bad. You may be more or less intelligent. Your spike skill could be music, drawing creating fantasy worlds or whatever.

3. No. Its true that all Autists do have special interests, and they tend to be so focused on them that they become experts on that very narrow interest. On the other hand, high capacity people are the ones who are fast learners. That is because we have above average intelligence PLUS our special interests is almost everything and learning works like a drug for our brain. So we may learn faster because we are learning-adicts. In some cases against what would be good or even healthier for us...

4- Yes. Inventions are ideas out of what is normal and we seem unable to think normally. So yes. That does not mean that all inventions comes from autists. But many autists do have all kinds of weird...ermm special initiatives.

5- No as far as I know. We tend to be more abused and suffer more depression, that may contribute to less life expectations. But there may be other factors, like being more cautious that could factor in the way of longer life.

If you are worried about your life spam, eat healthy and do sport.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Hey guys,

I was born with Asperger, and I wish to learn about it.

I read on Google that Aspies are good at science and engineering, and they are fast learners.

My questions are:

1. Why Indians see Asperger as a disease to be cured?
2. Is it true that science and engineering is connected to Asperger?
3. Is it true that Asperger can make you learn anything faster than the average of population? I mean, can as Aspie learn easily anything faster?
4. Is invention connected to Asperger? I mean, by being an Aspie is will give you most likely the possibility and chance to be a great inventor?
5. Do we as Aspies have short life than average because of Asperger? If yes, what are the reasons of it?

P.S. What I am trying to ask is, does Asperger syndrome make you good at science and engineering? And I asked these questions, because some people say to me that I have short life and others argue that I can live long. I

1. It may be cultural,...or,...there are some countries that still,...after 50+ years of advancements in the knowledge and treatment of autism, continue to focus upon the psychological and social aspects of autism. We have discussed this many times here on the forums, but by placing the focus on "rehab" and "therapy",...one can,...in some cases,...significantly reduce the behaviors commonly associated with autism. However, there are inherent problems with this. One, some erroneously call this a "cure",...when in reality all you've really done is forced an autistic to learn how to hide their autism. Two, it sends a message to the autistic that their natural behaviors are not acceptable to society,...and all the psychological damage that creates. Three, autism is a MEDICAL condition,...it is a prenatal, genetic condition that results in specific neuronal anatomy and migrational patterns in the brain,...in turn, leads to specific physiological consequences and behaviors. The Dunning-Kruger effect is quite apparent when it comes to autism, in general,...and I know people who are quite confident in their knowledge of autism,...when in fact, they know very little,...they don't know what they don't know.

2. The sciences tend to attract many autistics,...however, there are a handful of very famous, successful actors, comedians, musicians, and artists that are also autistic.

3. This is a general misconception. The autistic brain, in its anatomy, often creates rather heterogenous or asymmetrical intelligences. So, in some cases, one autistic may be quite "gifted" in mathematics and physics,...but then struggle with driving a car or prioritizing daily tasks. Another autistic may never understand advanced mathematics, but has taught himself the piano and can sing beautifully,...absolutely pitch-perfect. Some recognize patterns,...in daily life that others might not see at all. The bottom line is that in some cases the processing speed may be quicker than normal,...and other areas, quite delayed,...this is the nature of autism, in general.

4. Whether it is creating a new invention, developing a new software, creating a business, designing and engineering,...it requires a rather intense level of focus. Neurotypicals do have this ability,...but autistics tend to take it to a higher level.

5. Statistically speaking, autistics, tend to have a shorter life-span,...because of suicide. This is why we tend to rally around one of our own when they start posting rather dark and suicidal ideology on-line. We are quite aware of this reality. Women tend to try suicide more often than men,...but statistically, more men are successful at suicide than the women. I get a bit choked up writing this right now. Autism is one of the "low dopamine" neurological conditions,...our baseline levels of this "feel good" neurotransmitter are lower than neurotypicals,...and when something in our lives effects our mood in a negative way, it causes a further drop in the dopamine, putting us at risk for some really dark thoughts. So, it is critical that you take care of your mental health,...very serious about this,...the brain is another organ, like a heart, a kidney, a liver, a pancreas,...and people with health issues associated with these organs have no stigma or trouble getting the health care they need. The brain, because it effects behaviors, socialization, and communication,...has a stigma,...and we seriously need to get ourselves beyond this way of thinking. If you take care of your brain, and pay attention to yourself,...and get help when you need it,...your risks of going down that dark path will be minimized,...and if all else is well,...plan on living a very long life.

https://theconversation.com/autisti...-mental-health-support-may-be-to-blame-180266

 

[Progster]

While it's true that science and engineering attract or suit a lot of people with Aspergers/autism, you can find people on the spectrum in all walks of life; doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists, naturalists, musicians, the list goes on. Many people on the spectrum become fascinated by a particular subject in which they very skilled and knowledgeable, and then make that their career, and it doesn't have to be related to science or engineering.

Whether one learns faster than others depends very much on the individual, and their interest level in that subject. When I want to learn something, I focus hard on it/become absorbed in it and can learn very fast. If I don't want to learn it, then it feels more like a chore and I lose interest and don't learn. There are some things I can never learn well due to physical or cognitive limitations... things like dancing and sports, and algebra.

 

[Richelle-H]

Hello, and Welcome.

I am 76 and heading towards 77. Life expectancy has much to do with lifestyle and other factors not associated with Asperger's.

There seems to be a predisposition towards engineering, programming, and sciences but there are some prominent actors/comedians with Asperger's as well. Every profession will have some of us attached to it. It all radiates out of what interests you as a person. What you are drawn to is a good place to start. I wanted to know how things worked at a very early age (around 6); specifically: gadgets, TV, and appliances, which led to my becoming a hardware/software engineer.

I never listened to other's opinions about me. I sliced a path through life by simply being myself and not trying to meet the expectations of those around me. You should be who you are and not try to conform. That is the path to success in life, and your ideas, no matter how crazy they are in the minds of others, are valid and worthy of pursuit. Self-awareness and self-confidence will give you a leg up in the game of life.

Your inquisitiveness is an admirable trait that you should use to pursue your interests and not let other's opinions influence your choices too much.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

more men are successful at suicide than the women.

Now the important question:

Can this sentence be used to afirm men superiority over women, or not?

Because we are more successful that women. But by failing to suicide, they survive... So...

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Now the important question:

Can this sentence be used to afirm men superiority over women, or not?

Because we are more successful that women. But by failing to suicide, they survive... So...

No,...not at all. Men tend to use more violent means of suicide than women, statistically,...a gun vs. a bottle of pills, for example.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

No,...not at all. Men tend to use more violent means of suicide than women, statistically,...a gun vs. a bottle of pills, for example.

It was a joke.

 

[Greatshield17]

1. Aspergers (and autism) and most other divergences in human neurology are seen as diseases because medice and psycology comes from a disease-focus origin. You can learn way more about that in the book Neurotribes: NeuroTribes - Wikipedia

That interesting, sounds like a form of the denial of death; not the denial of death as in, the theory that's used to explain away religion, the denial death as in society's overall fear of death and effort to avoid it. One of my book ideas, is a rendition of the Mesopotamian myth of the marriage of Neural and Ereshkigal, in which I use it to explore and comment on the denial of death.

 

[velociraptor]

No,...not at all. Men tend to use more violent means of suicide than women, statistically,...a gun vs. a bottle of pills, for example.

Slightly off-topic, but... I once tried to snuff myself while drunk as a skunk. Grabbed the largest bottle of pills I could find and ate the entire thing. I woke up the next morning with a hangover from Hell and there was an empty Flintstones Chewables bottle on the floor next to me.

Awkward.

I'm a d00d, btw.

 

[Aspychata]

It was a joke.

There you go. You had to quantify this statement to a person on the spectrum. Kinda of ironic.

 

[GypsyMoth]

1. ... The Dunning-Kruger effect is quite apparent when it comes to autism, in general,...and I know people who are quite confident in their knowledge of autism,...when in fact, they know very little,...they don't know what they don't know.

Hi @Neonatal RRT, Can you (or anyone, I guess) tell me what the Dunning-Kruger effect is? Thanks.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

There you go. You had to quantify this statement to a person on the spectrum. Kinda of ironic.

Not really ironic,...but I suspect, typical. I was in a very serious "head space" at the time of that interaction. I still don't get the humor,...whatever,...LOL!

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Hi @Neonatal RRT, Can you (or anyone, I guess) tell me what the Dunning-Kruger effect is? Thanks.

I use this in my student lectures. A student studies a topic for years, gains a base of knowledge, then tries to apply it in the real world. At first, the person thinks he/she is quite knowledgable,...after all,...intense study and exam taking. Then reality begins to set in,...people around them with 10, 20, 30 years experience,...much more humble,...but literally have more knowledge in their tiny fingernail than they will ever have, become their mentors. The person begins to slide down the curve of confidence and begins questioning him/herself,...and then a second phase of learning begins. Finally, after many years of learning, experience, and mistakes,...wisdom sets in. The more you know, the more you don't know,...with every question answered, exponentially more pop up. However, when you are new to a topic, you don't know what you don't know,...and therefore are completely unaware of the questions that need to be asked.

 

[GypsyMoth]

Wow, thanks!!!

I use this in my student lectures. A student studies a topic for years, gains a base of knowledge, then tries to apply it in the real world. At first, the person thinks he/she is quite knowledgable,...after all,...intense study and exam taking. Then reality begins to set in,...people around them with 10, 20, 30 years experience,...much more humble,...but literally have more knowledge in their tiny fingernail than they will ever have become mentors. The person begins to slide down the curve of confidence and begins questioning him/herself,...and then a second phase of learning begins. Finally, after many years of learning, experience, and mistakes,...wisdom sets in. The more you know, the more you don't know,...with every question answered, exponentially more pop up.

... just relating this to my own professional interests, when I finished my first M.A., I had this sensation like I was standing in the saddle between two enormous peaks, looking out over a great valley hidden by thick fog. And in the distance, an expansive mountain range. All I had done with my M.A. was reach the first saddle. I wanted to know more. My second M.A. has again opened the doors...to further realizing that what I know actually amounts to very little--except that I've come to love what I've learned very much and don't want to ever work outside of my field.

However, when you are new to a topic, you don't know what you don't know,...and therefore are completely unaware of the questions that need to be asked.

Yeah, I get that. Hello, that's me, here, on this board.

View attachment 84786

Great chart!!! Thanks! In my studies, I have a level of 'trust me, it's complicated', but my confidence is terrible.

With the autism thing, I think I'm at the 'there's more to this than I thought' stage. I have a little free time at the moment to indulge my interests. But if I can land the job I want, it will mean dedicating my free-time to ensuring I keep the job--and my time investment in this will have to diminish significantly.

There is definitely a time & investment component embedded into the theory behind this chart. How do you bring someone you're teaching to the point where they start internalizing the material for themselves? -- I know, that's off-topic from the OP. You don't have to answer that.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

There is definitely a time & investment component embedded into the theory behind this chart. How do you bring someone you're teaching to the point where they start internalizing the material for themselves? -- I know, that's off-topic from the OP. You don't have to answer that.

This is highly individualized,...and in reality, once they are out of school,...you really can't "make" anyone learn. Sure, you can have "mandatory" learning modules, inservices, continuing education credits, etc,...but you can't "make" anyone do anything.

Some people are intellectually engaged,...others are not, and never will be. Some people rise quite quickly in their professions,...other people put in the work to learn, become mentors, but never move up the corporate ladder,...and there are those that have their experience, but never actively engage in learning,...they meet "minimum expectations",...and never move forward in their careers.

 

[Aspychata]

Not really ironic,...but I suspect, typical. I was in a very serious "head space" at the time of that interaction. I still don't get the humor,...whatever,...LOL!

What's interesting is does it mean that men have superiority in offing themselves as compared to woman because they are more successful? But the whammy is do we consider killing yourself as a superior thing to do in the first place whether you are male or female? So it turns into a ludicrous logic argument the farther it goes. Lol

I love funny logic.