"On Aspergers": A Page for Aspergers Noobs

[Chair]

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[Calvert]

 A good read and easy to understand. I notice you left out WP from the support forum section, was that on purpose?    :lol:

 

[krisi]

You missed two other ASD's. Rett's Syndrome and CDD (Childhood Degenerative Disorder/ Disintegrative Disorder).

Also, I noticed several errors:

* Difficulty completing tasks that aren't of interest
* Good to excellent memory
* High-moderate to extreme fear of people, especially strangers
* Lack of facial expression
* Muteness or very little speech
* Narrow range of interests which consume lots of time
* Physical clumsiness
* Poor socialization skills, despite being articulate in a non-verbal manner
* "Stimming" (watch this video for insight on stimming)
* Viewed as eccentric by peers


Everything with a strikethrough is quite inaccurate. "High moderate to extreme fear of people" is the opposite of a charactaristic of asperger's. People with AS tend to desire social relationships and want to be with people to some degree, we just a) have difficulty forming and maintaining the relationship and b ) have some anxiety about it, possibly because of because of past failures with relationships. A fear of people is not in any of the criteria for diagnosing AS.

"Lack of facial expression" is not totally incorrect. A more accurate way of stating it would be difficulty providing the appropriate facial expression. Some people with AS may be over-expressive, they're just not displaying the emotions that they want to display.

"Muteness or very little speech" is quite variable. Some people with AS don't know when to shut up. For some of us, it varies from situation to situation. I would say muteness is actually uncommon in AS.

"being articulate in a non-verbal manner" This again, is the opposite of the criteria for AS. We tend to have difficulties expressing ourselves in varying ways, but have particular difficulty with nonverbal communication, as evidenced by the difficulty in using appropriate facial expression.

 

[Calvert]

You should say in the article that the two people with Aspergers can be completely different in terms of severity. Did you mention obsessions?

Maybe put in a section called "Causes & Cures" I know there's no "cure" but you could mention treatment.

 

[Emor]

Causes and Cures for Asperger's is extremely contentious in the Autistic community tbh and some people take offence.
EMZ=]

 

[Calvert]

Well, I had in mind that Chair could say that there is no agreed cause and that there is no cure other than treatment. Or something like that.

Basically he could say it's a sensitive area surrounding Aspergers.

 

[Emor]

I suppose (Y).
EMZ=]

 

[Calvert]

(Y).

Guess what i'm going to ask you?

 

[Emor]

It means a thumbs up .
EMZ=]

 

[Calvert]

I don't see how but OK.

 

[Emor]

I don't see how but OK.

(Y) stands for Yes but it's a thumbs up smiley in MSN.
(N) stands for No but it's a thumbs down smiley in MSN.
It not making sense is down to the Microsoft in MSN.
I can't stand Microsoft haters and think they're pathetic... I'm so hypocritical .
EMZ=]

 

[Calvert]

That clears that up. 

 

[mikkyh]

I hate Microsoft because it consists of people that are much more clever than me. XD

 

[Emor]

Yes .
On a remotely related note... did you know 10% of Microsoft employees have use/have an iPhone?
I think.
LOL.
Someone emailed me it xD.
EMZ=]

 

[Kempy]

Back to the main subject, there may be some errors but I don't think anybody is completely sure what is a trait and what is not. Even with errors, it's probably the most concise page on AS that there is. When I decided to tell my best friend I had AS, I sent him a long article which he couldn't be bothered to read. Your article pretty much covers everything that is in those long complicated articles but it is actually readable.
Well done!

I do also suggest that with the vast number and variety of people with AS on the forum that we should write an article in which we collectively agree on the definition of Aspergers. Perhaps we could all decide what are and are not traits. We could even add a list of other things we seem to have in common that have popped up on the forum (like the number of aspies that drink a LOT of milk), although these will not apply to everyone.

I have made the last part of this post bold because I feel it is important that people don't just scroll past it!

 

[Calvert]

 That sounds like a good idea Kempy but it isn't gonna be easy getting people to agree since we are all different. Personally, I wouldn't say that I have a "High Fear" of people. I'm not really afraid of people it's more... well... I don't know. I suppose somewhat nervous but not a high fear. 

 

[krisi]

Those aren't ASDs - they're PDDs. Rett's Syndrome and Childhood Degenative Disorder aren't on the autism spectrum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pervasive_developmental_disorder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism_spectrum

Let me note that ASDs are a subcategory of PDDs, but CDD and RS definitely aren't ASDs - they've nothing to do with autism of any sort.

No offence Kristi, but if you don't even know the difference between ASDs and PDDs, you're not in the "jurisdiction" to tell me I made "errors" on my page.

My reasoning was this: In the new DSM, there will no longer be a category of PDD because the psychologists want to stress the spectrum nature of autism. These two will then most likely be defined as autism spectrum disorders. That reasoning may be incorrect, but trust me, I know what each are, the characteristics of each, and what differentiates each. I also know that they are all currently defined as pervasive development disorders. Nothing on either of the links says that Rett's and CDD are NOT ASD's, simply that they ARE PDD's. They are not listed on the second site, probably due to many reasons. 1) Both are quite rare, and therefore not easily studied, 2) the list may be incomplete and 3)look at your source. Wikipedia is KNOWN for having errors and inaccuracies. It's good for looking things up and getting a quick, general overview of an idea, but to prove a point, it means nothing. Show me a peer-reviewed research article that says Rett's is not an ASD, and I'll back down.

We can agree to disagree, because the lines are fuzzy around many issues concerning autism (in fact, you will find a handful of well-educated researchers who will say that Asperger's is NOT an autistic spectrum disorder--and will have data supporting such claims. This is not my opinion, but it does exist), but do not try and tell me that I am not "in the jurisdiction" to make a statement.


Nonetheless, the other things that I have pointed out are indeed inaccurate. Check any diagnostic manual on that one. I'm holding one in my hand.

 

[Calvert]

I think this is also a problem. Diagnostic manual A may say something different to diagnostic manual B. From what I gather some doctors can't even agree on things like HFA vs Aspergers. Just my opinion.

 

[krisi]

I think this is also a problem. Diagnostic manual A may say something different to diagnostic manual B. From what I gather some doctors can't even agree on things like HFA vs Aspergers. Just my opinion.

There's a huge difference between differences between diagnostic manuals and being entirely contrary to diagnostic criteria. Looking at several different primary sources, some list some things as traits, some list others, but the content does not contradict between sources. Some includes more qualitative traits, some more quantitative. The largest difference is that they don't all list the same traits[/i] which can make it confusing. However, as aforementioned, and I cannot stress this enough, the criteria listed is not in direct contradiction with other manuals and tests.

 

[krisi]

Krisi - once again, like me and others have stated, not everyone will agree on traits. "Errors" to you may not seem like errors to the people on the spectrum who show the traits I listed.

For example: I talk to aspies who claim to not stim at all, yet I stim all the time. Just because I stim while they don't doesn't mean I'll tell them that they don't have an ASD. You'd be surprised at how much people on the spectrum differ from another.

Another thing to add is that ots of things aren't covered in medical books. Medical books can be, and often are full of inaccuracies.

1. Go back and re-read my edits.

2. No **** there's variation, it's a spectrum disorder, I've said that over and over. Of course their are differences. Most criteria is "displays 2 of the following:" and then it lists three to five traits.

3. Not included in medical books is very different from DIRECTLY CONTRARY to criteria. That's not to say that one can't have these other traits that are contrary to the criteria; many other disorders are co-morbid with ASD's that may cause people to experience things that seem to be "contrary" to the criterion--but they still fit the diagnostic category because of the aforementioned criterion format of "X number of traits out of a set of Y number of traits".

4. Lots of things are not covered in medical books, but any claim with any substance to it has had peer-reviewed research done. A "Medical book" and even a diagnostic manual is a secondary source written based on multiple primary sources, but all aspects from the primary sources can not possibly be included.