Aspergirls: Empowering Females With Asperger Syndrome 2014-02-09

[Anarkitty]

Rudy Simone seems to be a bit of a wing nut but I still think the interviews with other women were useful.

I wonder if I'd feel differently about the interview portions if I read it again now. It's quite possible that it simply didn't work for me as a starting place--I think it was only the second book that I read specifically about women on the spectrum--but that as a source of additional information to add to what I've learned now, it might work better.

Not to change the subject, but, gut-health can in fact, effect us, neurologically. Of course having a healthy GI tract will not change the way your brain is wired, but it does have an effect on inflammation, including inflammation of the brain, which can profoundly impact the central nervous system and all of it's components. By reducing inflammation and stress, you can reduce the severity of various symptoms/traits.

Understood and agree. My argument is not that gut health can never affect other conditions and/or other areas of the body, simply that autism is not, in and of itself, a gut condition as she asserted.

I do best when I'm gluten-free. My son and I both noticed years ago that we suffer more from depression when we're eating a lot of junk (junk often = donuts = wheat for us). Plus, no one can truly feel good when they don't feel well, and unhealthy diets lead to unhealthy people.

I actually agreed with much of what she said about diet, but I didn't like the way she said it, and her conclusion has no basis in reality. The specific things that she says she's changed aren't autism. They're simply related issues that many of us face. But ya know, I (mostly) eat well, exercise daily, and meditate regularly. And yet, I'm still uncomfortable if I try to look not-family in the eye for very long. I still miss social cues. I still have emotional trouble after grocery shopping for too long. Etc. [Sarcasm on, but directed at her attitude, not at anyone in this conversation] Maybe I should do a detox. [/sarcasm]

 

[Anarkitty]

Ah, forgive me if it seemed I was defending her. I, actually, haven't read her articles. I was simply responding to the specific comment of yours that I had quoted, when mentioning that a healthy gut/GI tract can impact neurological function. Indeed, as mentioned, changing one's diet doesn't rewire the brain, thus, the traits you still possess. : )

No worries. I obviously needed to clarify.

 

[Clueless in Canada]

People want cures and answers. That seems to be human nature along with magical thinking. The food as medicine or don't eat X food for health reasons is popular because it gives people a feeling of control. People on the spectrum like to feel in control so perhaps some of them are going to be particularly vulnerable to believing in these kinds of remedies. I avoid gluten and overall I tend to avoid grains. When I eat them I obviously/visibly bloated, gassy, crampy and as unhappy as those symptoms would make anyone. I've had those reactions for as long as I can remember and wasn't aware that it wasn't something everyone experienced. So, because I like to be comfortable I avoid gluten and grains in general. I am still autistic but a slightly more comfortable autistic person than I might be otherwise, that's for sure. It would have been great if going gluten free solved other problems, gave me energy and made me clear-headed but nope.

I know that I have read somewhere that Rudy Simone recanted the recanting. I mean, she admitted she was wrong when she said she was no longer autistic. I wish I could remember where I found that. I will keep looking and share it here if I find it.

 

[Clueless in Canada]

I can't seem to post a link here but I went to Wikipedia and searched her name. It says she eventually realised she is on the spectrum after all. It also says she has changed her name and publishes under the name Artemesia and it clarifies that she is self-diagnosed and remains so. So, if we can believe Wikipedia that's Rudy Simone explained.

 

[Servelan]

I do not eat gluten as I am either celiac or intolerant of it and my doctor told me not to eat it."

I'm gluten intolerant, but sourdough bread, toasted, with butter, is irresistible. The counselor I was seeing when I self-diagnosed (based on someone else's self-identification) and who seconded my opinion said she's never run into anyone who did not have Sensory Processing Disorder, which is texture and color related as well as an aversion to things that are 'too': too hot, too cold, too rough). I think that's one way to assist in diagnosis, myself.

 

[Clueless in Canada]

I'm gluten intolerant, but sourdough bread, toasted, with butter, is irresistible. The counselor I was seeing when I self-diagnosed (based on someone else's self-identification) and who seconded my opinion said she's never run into anyone who did not have Sensory Processing Disorder, which is texture and color related as well as an aversion to things that are 'too': too hot, too cold, too rough). I think that's one way to assist in diagnosis, myself.

Yes, I do have sensory issues too and I really miss the mouth-feel of gluten/bread type foods. But I don't like swelling up so I look 5 months pregnant and feeling uncomfortable and crampy so I don't succumb to the temptation. My doctor doesn't know if I am celiac or gluten intolerant because the specialist I was sent to botched the test and as I am clearly affected by gluten he doesn't want me to have to go back to eating it in order to test me.

 

[Nauti]

I, like you @Clueless in Canada and Anarkitty, eat healthily. I avoid grains now too, and I'm, nonetheless, still autistic. I'm losing my excess weight and feeling better about myself, but my energy levels are still not great, my brain fog and squeezed-squished-head feeling have improved, a bit, though.

I still avoid most people, most of the time.


I've also read Aspergirls. I didn't mind it. It was a bit all over the place, in regards to format, with all the different voices, I guess, and some of it didn't relate to me, but plenty of it did. I thought in was a hopeful book. I wish I had known about my 'spergerness as a girl and read it then, my life might have been completely different.

But, as it was, I fell into a deep chasm (metaphorically speaking) and became a mum at a very young age. Oh well, I don't regret having my kid's, its just the difficulties around having had them are very harrowing.

But back on the topic of the book, I think it would be a useful one for young Aspie women to read and I loved the term "Aspergirls".

She has a chapter in Spectrum Women under the name Artemisia, which I enjoyed too.

Spectrum Women is a bit more geared to us "mature" Autie women and it was exciting for me, because the book is Australian and written by, mostly, Australian women.

I fantasize about, eventually, going up to Brisbane and getting an Appointment with Dr Michelle Garner (the clinical voice in the book), she is, so far, my favourite writer about Women with Autism.

I haven't read that many though.

 

[Clueless in Canada]

Oh thanks for mentioning that book Nauti, I will look for it. I too love the term Aspergirls even though Aspergers is no longer a diagnosis. Aspie and Aspergirl just sound so much more appealing than Autistic Person. LOL

 

[Anarkitty]

I'm losing my excess weight and feeling better about myself, but my energy levels are still not great, my brain fog and squeezed-squished-head feeling have improved, a bit, though.

I lost 60 pounds and got back down to a healthy weight a couple of years ago. The weight loss helped my energy levels, but I think the exercise really kicked it into gear. I did a lot of walking that year! Best wishes as you continue. I think we actually have an advantage with things like this at times--I turned my obsessive hyper-focus on getting healthier. Also, since I can eat the same things day after day without getting tired of them, I could choose just a few healthy, lower calorie options, and just keep repeating those.

To return to an actual book topic, I've been reading Spectrum Women at a slower pace. I'm liking it.

And it's true that I'm not the intended audience for some of these books. While that does not affect my primary complaints with the book (e.g. poor formatting and the schizophrenic feel of so many voices), it does contribute to my overall opinion, for sure.

Another book I read was written by a medical professional, and while I felt the information she presented was interesting and informative, I hated that her intended audience was apparently to caregivers, never autistic people themselves. It's a good book. Caregivers also need good books. I could still understand the pertinent information. It annoyed me nonetheless.

 

[Clueless in Canada]

I've just ordered Spectrum Women from Amazon. I also recently read a Sarah Hendrickx book-Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Even when these books are flawed I experience relief to find out I have a tribe and I am not a person who is just wrong or broken. They also help me organise my thoughts and put my experiences into a narrative that I can use when seeking diagnosis which I am just embarking on this month.

 

[Anarkitty]

I've just ordered Spectrum Women from Amazon. I also recently read a Sarah Hendrickx book-Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Even when these books are flawed I experience relief to find out I have a tribe and I am not a person who is just wrong or broken. They also help me organise my thoughts and put my experiences into a narrative that I can use when seeking diagnosis which I am just embarking on this month.

The Sarah Hendrickx book is the first one I read about women on the spectrum, and I remember liking it. I found it incredibly helpful. I think it was actually the first book, period, that I bought about autism.

Okay, I just picked it up and glanced inside again to refresh my memory, and I think I understand now why I prefer it to Aspergirls--I found Aspergirls too emotional, and it put me off of it. I just realized that. And I realize that it's responsible for the ambivalence that I felt towards Autism in Heels, which I finished recently--I liked it, found it very interesting, but it was a bit of an emotional ride for me, and I didn't like that. It made me cry at times, and I didn't WANT to cry; I just wanted to learn more. Cynthia Kim's book, on the other hand, is not emotionless, but it's also not emotional, if that makes sense--maybe only to the emotionally stunted among us.

I've appreciated this conversation! I hope that's obvious and that I'm not just coming across as argumentative. I like a discussion that makes me think about the topic a bit more and see what new conclusions I can draw from it.

 

[MarieMarie]

Thanks for the link there, much appreciated!

EDIT:
http://www.rudysimone.net/blog/?p=86

This is a link to the follow up article.

Her blog is gone but this text is saved in Internet archive.

My Response to your Response | Rudy's Rants

 

[MarieMarie]

I didn't like this book. It's like a mix of the author's own personal experiences, with some other voices added in, trying to sound clinical which the the book is absolutely not. Since my experiences don't match Rudy Simone's much, I do not feel the book is for me. The flowery descriptions and the underlying assumptions that all Aspergergirls are pretty much the same is offputting.

There is one exception, though. The chapter on burning bridges was a punch in my belly. It is well described. See, when what she describes is close to my experience, her description is very effective. So I do understand this book could be great for others, though it isn't for me.

As others have commented, the author has some beliefs about toxins and the huge dangers of bad food that ... well. Good for her that having her digestive problems solved made her life so much easier she no longer considers herself as having Asperger's. Digestive problems affect moods annd everything in life a lot! so it is really not that surprising, but the reader should be ready to subtract some outright pseudo science from the text.

My copy is new and the layout problem that made it hard to distinguish the author's voice from some other women she is quoting, that others in the thread mention, has been fixed. I am however not sure those quotes add much to the book. Possibly their main affect is to make the book sound like it is based on a much bigger pool of experiences than it is.