Living with Asperger's Syndrome

[Emu]

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/5/17/172914/576

I thought this was a very good article, and I can relate a little since I have a younger cousin who has it. He's pretty interesting to talk to, but it's really hard for him to focus on a conversation.

[executioneer]

that article rules omg :(

[Jeanette X]

Yep, that's me.

[AChimp]

That's only partly me. :/

I don't have any trouble looking people in the eye, but I have been told by many people that my voice is very monotone and devoid of expression, especially when I'm explaining how to do something.

I can hear very high-pitched noises, too (although they don't bother me.) I can walk into any normal sized house and immediately be able to tell if there's a TV on, even if it's muted, somewhere because of the noise that they spew off. :chatter

[Emu]

They say everybody's a little autistic, but it's just to what degree. Like a scale. So certainly a lot of people are going to experience symptoms similar to people with a more severe degree.

[Jeanette X]

I've known there was something odd about me my entire life, but I wasn't diagnosed until I was 19. :/

[Girl Drink Drunk]

i have Attention Defection Disorder. That and when i hear a loud sound (announcements at high school,etc), i hear a static-like sound in my right ear. it's kind of like me ,because i get along with my friends well, but with everyone else feel too shy to talk around and just have a hard time.

[Anonymous]

That sounds a little like me, too. I have a pretty big vocab and can sometimes hear high-pitched noises from TVs and such, but I've never given monologues about stuff I like.

[Spectre X]

I didn't read it all, but some of those things really are like me.

[Perndog]

Funny, I thought everyone could hear TVs and flourescent lights. I guess this explains why my roommate never understood why I turned off the TV in his bedroom whenever he wasn't home.

And: "Because of my perseverations, I have a more thorough understanding of history, politics, language, computers, psychology, geography, and numerous other subjects than the average person. In contrast, I have a deficit of knowledge about today's pop stars, actors, and social gossip. This sometimes makes it hard for people to have interesting conversations with me."

Let's see...knowledge of history, language, geography, and "numerous other subjects," or knowledge of today's pop stars and social gossip. Which would you choose?

Oh, and the word "aspie" is one of the dumbest things I have heard in a long time.

[Gurlugon]

I hope I've got a few days to say goodbye to everyone. :(

[Jeanette X]

Funny, I thought everyone could hear TVs and flourescent lights. I guess this explains why my roommate never understood why I turned off the TV in his bedroom whenever he wasn't home.

And: "Because of my perseverations, I have a more thorough understanding of history, politics, language, computers, psychology, geography, and numerous other subjects than the average person. In contrast, I have a deficit of knowledge about today's pop stars, actors, and social gossip. This sometimes makes it hard for people to have interesting conversations with me."

Let's see...knowledge of history, language, geography, and "numerous other subjects," or knowledge of today's pop stars and social gossip. Which would you choose?

Oh, and the word "aspie" is one of the dumbest things I have heard in a long time.

Fuck you. You have no fucking clue about Asperger's Syndrome. You fucking ignorant piece of shit, do you seriously think that Asperger's is just about being intellectual and not caring about stupid things? You are fucking moron if you think that is all it is about. And I call myself an aspie, so you can go fuck yourself.

Here is the diagnostic criteria. Read it, and then kill your self for being such an arrogant piece of shit. http://www.isn.net/~jypsy/whataspe.htm

[Rongi]

Oh my god that's me down to a T :(. There was a part that said people with arsepergers get attached to things and than move on to something else. That happens to me with music all the time. For months I loved radiohead and now I can't stand them :(. And sometimes when I watch tv no matter how funny something is on tv I just can not laugh. And people often compliment me on my vocabulary :(

But Willie, I can not see you as being humorless. You make me lol all the time :(

[Perndog]

Jeannette, why don't you shelf your self-righteousness for a while. It's getting really tiring.

And check your own ignorance at the door before bitching, because at least then you might be justified. Just because I have a sense of humor doesn't mean I'm being spiteful. (I am in this post, though).

Let's go through your diagnostic criteria and see who's full of shit.

A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

Two, remember.

1. 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

Check. I only make eye contact when I manage to remember. It's not difficult for me to look at someone's eyes while speaking, but it feels unnatural. I speak in a monotone unless I modulate my voice (fortunately, three years as a camp counselor helped me learn to speak better) or I'm excited about something. I don't take body language or vocal cues well, and I can barely begin to monitor my own.

2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level

Check. It was *almost* fun being the misunderstood nerd through elementary school, high school, and one year of college. Almost.

That's two. I qualify for the first criterion.

B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

One of the following. I'll give you two for good measure.

1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus

I don't know what it means by stereotyped, but picture a seven-year-old kid who could read issues of Nintendo Power magazine for six hours straight on a Saturday afternoon. Then a twelve-year-old who could mess around with a complex strategy computer game (not that I was ever good at it) from after school to bedtime. Then a twenty-year-old who just watched an entire season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer without getting bored and who spent two hours looking at his last Musician's Friend catalog. Abnormal focus, isn't it?

2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals

To this day, I very rarely step on cracks in sidewalks unless I'm thinking hard about something else, and on tiled floors I walk in weird patterns and make people look at me funny. In many places I walk frequently, there is a specific pattern of steps I take to maneuver through all of the cracks, bumps, and marks on the floor/road.

C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning

I didn't have a girlfriend until I was almost nineteen, and the two girls I was involved with were needy and desperate when I met them. I never stood a chance with anyone normal, even though I went through my share of teenage crushes. Not that I know what constitutes clinically significant, but it was pretty significant to me, considering that none of my high school friends had the difficulties I did.

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)

This is included to avoid misdiagnosis, so it's not important. But no, I didn't have problems learning to speak.

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

See above, and I didn't have any problems here, either.

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

I don't think I'm schizophrenic. Let me get back to you on that one.

There you have it. It's a self-diagnosis, but it's pretty convincing, isn't it?

Jeannette, fuck you. You're interesting from time to rare time, but no one wants to read your ignorant, pretentious bitching, and that's mostly what you provide. Educate yourself, learn not to jump to conclusions, or shut the fuck up.

"Aspie" is still a retarded word, even if the DSM-IV says I am one.

[Jeanette X]

Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe you do have it. And yes, I jumped to conclusions, forgive me. I'm a bit touchy about this, that's all.