Autism Spectrum Disorder

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AkalAish
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Post by AkalAish »

I am so enjoying all of your comments. Thank you, kindly. It means a great deal to me that you are willing to take the time to share your experiences.

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Niemand
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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AkalAish wrote: October 4th, 2022, 9:51 am Prejudice is strong toward people on the spectrum, but I think that is changing with time and education.

The other problem that I have seen creeping into this "woke" generation is the "cool" factor or autism. It seems to be that everyone who is mildly unusual is labeled (or self-labels) with the term autistic. This is hurtful in many respects (at least it is to me) to those of us who are actually on the spectrum. It becomes a fad and not a real condition with which many struggle daily.
Also person centred language so called. Basically you have to say "person with autism" not "autistic person". That creeps in elsewhere. I have an acquaintance who told me off for referring to albinos rather than "people with albinism" (her husband falls into this category.) That is just juggling around syntax and solves nothing. All it meant in the last example is that I got accused of bigotry towards "people with albinism" (which is not a group I have ever harboured extreme prejudice towards.) I think if I was a child, I might make stupid comments about them, but I've no particular reason to hate or fear albinism... or autism. That whole thing reeks of post-Marxist idiocy.

If non-autistic people wanted to help autistic people, then they can start with the basic civilities i.e. treating them as human beings, not branding them "weirdos" etc

I agree with you with the fashion thing. The trouble with "neurotribes" is that the medical folk keep changing the terminology and classifications and misdiagnosing people.

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Wondering Wendy
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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My cousin has autism. She is non-verbal and often has emotional outbursts. Just recently, within the last few years, she has learned to communicate through a gross motor, letter pointing system. Now she can even type. Lo and behold she is actually quite brilliant, understands the world around her very well, and has aspirations to be a writer.

We all believed her to be so much less than what she is, because that's how her physical behavior presented. Some of those who are non-verbal and low functioning are merely trapped inside a body that they struggle to control. I am more than horrified at our earlier assumptions, and how she must have felt inside.

I do know that she was often visited by angels as she has communicated as such. That gives me great comfort, especially considering all those out there who haven't been able to communicate their true selves for lack of knowledge and opportunity.

Here is something she wrote of her experience.
I remember the first time I went to S2C. The lesson was about Benjamin Franklin, but mostly I remember that everyone was super nice. They made me feel confident that I would be fluent soon, and that made me happy.

My first open thought was during a lesson on Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I was asked the question “Can you relate to RBG about shattering stereotypes?” YES, MOST POORLY TALKING INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT SEEN AS THINKING PEOPLE.

That was so hard for me to spell, because I knew once I spelled my mom would cry. I didn’t want my family to feel bad, because they had misunderstood me for so long and treated me like a child. But I took a chance, and I went for it! My mom could not believe what happened, and it took a bit of time before she told my dad. When we got home Dawnmarie had sent us the video, and my mom showed it to my dad. That was the happiest I ever saw my parents. They told me my life would never be the same now, and they were right. I was so happy that I had a difficult time sleeping that night.

Later, when I became fluent everything changed. Everyone wanted to ask me so many questions. Then I became the center of attention. Some people wanted me to tell them about what I want in life. Sometimes I like telling people what it’s like to be in a prison of silence. Sometimes I especially like to let people realize that having a voice is the greatest gift God gave us so we can make our own choices.

My dad always knew I was intelligent, but didn’t know what to do to unlock my voice. When I finally became fluent he remembered how we read books, but when he realized I was understanding everything he began reading Harry Potter. That made me so excited, because I had heard my sisters talk about Harry Potter all the time.

My sisters are now more inclusive with me. We play games together when they are seeing us at my parents house. My oldest sister took me to a K-pop concert last month. So regarding my family, everyone includes me in conversations, and I really enjoy my life now.

FoundMyEden
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Niemand wrote: October 4th, 2022, 5:57 am
FoundMyEden wrote: October 3rd, 2022, 11:22 pm I also do not think Autism is the same as Asperger’s…just to clarify where I am coming from…
Well as I've said elsewhere, Asperger's no longer exists officially. There are various reasons for that but it's still in the pop culture.

I was discussing this with a friend recently who was diagnosed with Asperger's many years ago. He tells me even the ASD label is out of the window now.
I’m aware of this and we have discussed it on other threads. Not saying I agree with it.

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HereWeGo
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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My wife’s son, Walter, has what was called Asperger’s Syndrome. When we married 22 years ago, he was 14 and it was becoming more noticeable. A friend pointed it out to us. We researched on line and he had about 16 of the 20 signs on the checklist. We started working with him and over the next decade he learned how to adapt and compensate. Thank goodness for my wife’s guidance. I may share some fun experiences we have had with Walter. Walter is now an Engineer Rocket Scientist for the Mars and Moon rockets.

During that time, I learned that I also have Asperger’s, as well as ADHD and OCD. They are milder cases but definitely noticeable by others. I have the “Knack” as Dilbert’s mother calls it. I went into Electrical Engineering. I taught myself computer programing. I excelled at math and science. I am a good troubleshooter. I can fix almost anything. Solutions just come to me.

But, I struggle with recognizing emotions in others. I love to try to determine where other people are in life by watching their actions and talking with them. I have practiced this for quite a while and it has helped me.

I can't seem to sit still. I can watch TV for up to a couple of hours and then have to go out and do something. I turn this ADHD into productive means and always have a long list of projects and things to do. I need this list to remember the things I need to do and what order I should do them in. ToDoist app for my phone is a GodSend to me.

I am bothered if a clock is not set to at least the correct minute if not the correct second. In an informal presentation, I got up and adjusted the clock on the wall so that my attention would not keep being drawn towards it. I would reset my watch every few days so that it was accurate to the second. Now it is connected to my phone and is always precise.

I will unconsciously adjust a book or piece of paper on my desk so that it is equidistant from the edges. I will often get smiles from co-workers who know me because they see what I am doing.

I struggle with non yes/no answers because I have to determine the status in order to interpret the answer. I tend to ask lots of yes/no questions to determine situations or troubleshoot. I get thrown off balance when a person does not or can not give a yes/no answer.

I do not wish these 3 conditions that I have would go away. The benefits outweigh the downsides. I use the positive parts of these conditions to drive me to accomplishing things. My personal theme has always been "Make it Happen".

I saw a TicTok answer to a question from a woman about why guys take so long to answer a question. It kind of shows what goes on in my mind, as well as Walter's, when a question is asked but not to the degree that he portrays. It is pretty funny, in my opinion.
https://www.tiktok.com/@thechrisbiggs/v ... 1351151150

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Niemand
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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FoundMyEden wrote: October 4th, 2022, 12:49 pm
Niemand wrote: October 4th, 2022, 5:57 am
FoundMyEden wrote: October 3rd, 2022, 11:22 pm I also do not think Autism is the same as Asperger’s…just to clarify where I am coming from…
Well as I've said elsewhere, Asperger's no longer exists officially. There are various reasons for that but it's still in the pop culture.

I was discussing this with a friend recently who was diagnosed with Asperger's many years ago. He tells me even the ASD label is out of the window now.
I’m aware of this and we have discussed it on other threads. Not saying I agree with it.
I'm not a fan of constantly renaming things, but "Asperger's" is probably one of those that needed to go along with "spastic" and "mongo(loid)". It's a dreadful sounding label which lends itself to all kinds of scatological puns and bullying. I wouldn't like to see any child saddled with that especially if they're already struggling with social interaction. It would cause them additional pain.

I think autism is more a family of conditions than a spectrum. Maybe the name(s) will eventually reflect that. My cynical side says that the current globalist fixation on rainbows and "spectrums" will keep the ASD/ASC label going for a while yet. It's an improvement on diagnosing these people with schizophrenia.

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Niemand
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Wondering Wendy wrote: October 4th, 2022, 11:19 am My cousin has autism. She is non-verbal and often has emotional outbursts. Just recently, within the last few years, she has learned to communicate through a gross motor, letter pointing system. Now she can even type. Lo and behold she is actually quite brilliant, understands the world around her very well, and has aspirations to be a writer.

We all believed her to be so much less than what she is, because that's how her physical behavior presented. Some of those who are non-verbal and low functioning are merely trapped inside a body that they struggle to control. I am more than horrified at our earlier assumptions, and how she must have felt inside.

I do know that she was often visited by angels as she has communicated as such. That gives me great comfort, especially considering all those out there who haven't been able to communicate their true selves for lack of knowledge and opportunity.
Your cousin is the perfect example of why we need to speak out against things like abortion and euthanasia. Even those with dementia have an inner life and a personality for example but if we consider humans to be soulless automata it's easy to justify putting down the "broken ones".

The most famous example of this kind of thing was Christy Brown who wrote "My Left Foot". He was written off as a cripple because of severe cerebral palsy. The doctors wanted him to be left in a hospital but his family raised him, and he learnt to read accidentally and write using his left foot. He couldn't speak, wash or dress himself. He ended up writing his autobiography and becoming a painter.

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AkalAish
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Niemand wrote: October 4th, 2022, 4:43 pm
Wondering Wendy wrote: October 4th, 2022, 11:19 am My cousin has autism. She is non-verbal and often has emotional outbursts. Just recently, within the last few years, she has learned to communicate through a gross motor, letter pointing system. Now she can even type. Lo and behold she is actually quite brilliant, understands the world around her very well, and has aspirations to be a writer.

We all believed her to be so much less than what she is, because that's how her physical behavior presented. Some of those who are non-verbal and low functioning are merely trapped inside a body that they struggle to control. I am more than horrified at our earlier assumptions, and how she must have felt inside.

I do know that she was often visited by angels as she has communicated as such. That gives me great comfort, especially considering all those out there who haven't been able to communicate their true selves for lack of knowledge and opportunity.
Your cousin is the perfect example of why we need to speak out against things like abortion and euthanasia. Even those with dementia have an inner life and a personality for example but if we consider humans to be soulless automata it's easy to justify putting down the "broken ones".

The most famous example of this kind of thing was Christy Brown who wrote "My Left Foot". He was written off as a cripple because of severe cerebral palsy. The doctors wanted him to be left in a hospital but his family raised him, and he learnt to read accidentally and write using his left foot. He couldn't speak, wash or dress himself. He ended up writing his autobiography and becoming a painter.
Temple Grandin comes to mind, as well.

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Niemand
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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AkalAish wrote: October 4th, 2022, 7:02 pm Temple Grandin comes to mind, as well.
I don't know what the big fuss about this woman is. I'd honestly never heard of her except in relation to this subject. I heard some autism describe her as the most famous autistic person, when she's hundred times less famous than the likes of Daryl Hannah, Dan Aykroyd or Anthony Hopkins. (Also Musk and Gates, but I wouldn't crow too much about them, because they are evil transhumanist globalists.) Her fame seems to lie mainly on being an autistic person, and within a small band of animal husbandry.

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AkalAish
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Some of you may have seen this video. It came out about ten or so years ago, but I feel that it sums up how I often feel about external stimulus.

Thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmDGvquzn2k

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AkalAish
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Niemand wrote: October 5th, 2022, 3:41 am
AkalAish wrote: October 4th, 2022, 7:02 pm Temple Grandin comes to mind, as well.
I don't know what the big fuss about this woman is. I'd honestly never heard of her except in relation to this subject. I heard some autism describe her as the most famous autistic person, when she's hundred times less famous than the likes of Daryl Hannah, Dan Aykroyd or Anthony Hopkins. (Also Musk and Gates, but I wouldn't crow too much about them, because they are evil transhumanist globalists.) Her fame seems to lie mainly on being an autistic person, and within a small band of animal husbandry.
I think the draw to Ms. Grandin is her ability to write and express how if feels to be...well, her. Nothing unique, per se, but she delved into perception.

For me, Daniel Tammet's Born on a Blue Day was quite informative and moving, although his experience is grossly different from my own.

FoundMyEden
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Ms Grandin was treated as though she was severely disabled growing up and to my understanding had a unique childhood. Clearly she looks and acts “autistic”. I can’t see say so much about Dan Akroyd, Anthony Hopkins or Daryl Hannah.

FoundMyEden
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Post by FoundMyEden »

AkalAish wrote: October 5th, 2022, 1:07 pm Some of you may have seen this video. It came out about ten or so years ago, but I feel that it sums up how I often feel about external stimulus.

Thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmDGvquzn2k
Kinda, but not for all people on the spectrum…I hate the slow motion effects. Things go more rapidly in my mind but yes, experiencing many things at once is the norm. I have to stay calm or stay in a calm environment because the more motion going on the more my mind seems to rapid fire…so in real time my responses are either super slow and seem like I am ignoring someone or thing or very impulsive just to respond and move on to my next thought.
My daughter who has multiple disabilities AND autism would relate more to this video.
Edit: I will add that in nature as I am thinking back about what I have viewed, responses to stimuli do seem to be in slow motion in my mind.

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Niemand
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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FoundMyEden wrote: October 5th, 2022, 3:59 pm Ms Grandin was treated as though she was severely disabled growing up and to my understanding had a unique childhood. Clearly she looks and acts “autistic”. I can’t see say so much about Dan Akroyd, Anthony Hopkins or Daryl Hannah.
Each of these three has little aspects of it.

Daryl Hannah is unusual in that she had a less severe form which was picked up in the seventies (practically unheard of), which made her very shy and some shrink wanted to put her in a mental hospital.

Peeps
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Jonesy wrote: October 4th, 2022, 5:49 am I don’t know if this counts, but I’m neurodivergently cursed with misophonia. So, there’s definitely an element of the social aspect that is incredibly difficult to endure and control at times—makes me feel like a psychopath. I feel more sorry for my family that has to deal with me abruptly excusing myself or acting rashly, constantly having to say you didn’t do anything wrong—it’s me. I can mostly control my behavior— but it can be taxing. Heaven is a life without this malady. Maybe somebody here has it and doesn’t know it.
Lol, I have a milder form of this, I hate it when people smack. But it could be because my older siblings would called me "slurp-pedity-smack," when I was little because of the way I ate my beloved breakfast cereal, and this "traumatized me" into learning basic table manners.

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Lexew1899
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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I know I definitely have several traits of ASD. Extreme light sensitivity and annoyance, trouble looking people in the eyes, sometimes trouble reading peoples emotions or what they are talking about, aversion to meeting new people because of this. Went to therapists for anxiety when I was younger and they just treated the anxiety bits with meds. The older I got the more I started to think it is actually ASD level 1. Although I guess what the heck you call it doesn’t really matter. Everybody is a bit different, and sometimes for simplicity sake we like to categorize things, although doing such isn’t always an accurate representation of each individuals abilities. If you tell someone you have autism, it is unfortunately a negative connotation with people immediately thinking you’re mentally retarded.

Ultimately I’d rather not tell people I’ve got ASD traits, because you’re more likely to be target of discrimination, even if unconsciously. For example, say a promotion is available, and your supervisor knows you have ASD, that might pass you up because in their mind you’re one step short of mental handicap.

People with ASD level 1 might have an IQ much higher, be better qualified, be better for a job, etc., but the subconscious knowledge might be a hindrance to more achievement. The problem is the gap between ASD level 1, level 2, and level 3 can be quite severe. ASD level 1 used to be called Asperger’s syndrome, but for simplicity sake, and perhaps with better research, they decided to codify it as mild autism, or ASD level 1. Even telling a doctor or someone in the medical profession might make them have an aversion or less interest in your problems when you say, btw, I have ASD.

FoundMyEden
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Niemand wrote: October 5th, 2022, 4:28 pm
FoundMyEden wrote: October 5th, 2022, 3:59 pm Ms Grandin was treated as though she was severely disabled growing up and to my understanding had a unique childhood. Clearly she looks and acts “autistic”. I can’t see say so much about Dan Akroyd, Anthony Hopkins or Daryl Hannah.
Each of these three has little aspects of it.

Daryl Hannah is unusual in that she had a less severe form which was picked up in the seventies (practically unheard of), which made her very shy and some shrink wanted to put her in a mental hospital.
I agree. They just weren’t seen as being extreme and so weren’t diagnosed as such, was my point. And why Temple Grandin was seen as such a hero to the Autism community for speaking out and bringing so much to light. I think it might have been a detriment in a way to some who were on the spectrum, like those you mentioned, by being overlooked because they were not as extreme as Ms Grandin.

FoundMyEden
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Re: Autism Spectrum Disorder

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https://youtu.be/8ZZ5FSfFVog

Here’s a good video that seems close to what it’s like for me. Clearly there are senses missing that can’t be picked up in a video, but it’s a start.

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