Aspergers Syndrome!

[AnnaSun]

Hi,

Are there any Farscape fans that have Aspergers Syndrome, a form of Austim?

From
Anna Sun
Thanks

[DRD2001]

Hey Anna :hi:
My nephew has it. Not too bad. Mostly communication and social issues. Hypersensitive to sound. But he is only 5 and they say most of it won't be evident as he gets older. But what he lack in social skill, he makes up for in mechanics. That kid can take anything apart and put it back together again.

[quendi]

My thirteen year old friend and fellow scaper Zachs has Asperger's Syndrome. I'm impressed with the amount of medication he must take in order to keep his mental disorders in check. He freely admits that he has challenges with anger, but justifies it by stating he is trapped in our plane of existence. Wouldn't that cause the best of us to act out? He's a very interesting young man.

[scaperbuddy]

My son has it and is 20. He has average intelligence so they say but he has a hard time with social skills and getting a job that requires working around people. His job he has now doesn't require much people interaction. He is not on medication and seems to be doing fine without it. My son also seems to be fascinated with art and drawing. He draws fantasy and anime. He seems to be in his own world alot.

[MrVesham]

I've read some about it mostly because I've always thought I might be leaning a bit in that direction. I've always had a flamey temper and I've always been a little awkward around people. I have no problems thinking of what to say, it's simply getting it translated into words and successfully getting it outta my mouth. I can get over it after time, but with every new person in a group it seems to cause a big backwards step, locking up my ability to speak naturally. It definitely blows... I mean I like people, I like groups, it's just I have trouble functioning in them. =/

There's also a matter of not being able to 'get over it'. If there's somebody in a group that I feel is a true sonuvabitch, I'm never going to be able to treat him like a regular Joe and always have to completely go into actor-mode and 'fake it' around that person (please 'pardon' the 'overuse' of 'single' 'quotes' in this 'post' =P ).

Anger's the big one, though. It's not random. It's triggered in me usually by actions that I feel are predictably and intensely bastardly. That's not a choice mind you, just an observation. I'd never get after somebody for throwing a kleenex out of there car - although that's definitely telling of someone's personality - it'd take something worse.

[AgentSun]

no offense intended...i just have a question.

the problem i have with diagnosing aspergers syndrome is that the "symptoms" often are very common among EVERYONE. bad tempers...many of us have those. social awkwardness, yeah that too.

i'm wondering what else goes into diagnosing a kid with aspergers, because it seems to me that there has to be something other than just being socially awkward, in order to determine aspergers...most autistic kids have talents such as mechanics, like DRD2001 said. i'm just wondering what separates an aspergers kid with someone who is just shy or awkward in social situations. i mean, i certainly get my share of awkwardness....put me in a crowd of people i don't know, and i'll want to cry. but what separates me from someone with aspergers?

[scrape_medic]

Its my understanding that it is a fallicy to believe that autistic children are bound to have any kind of special 'gift', numbers, artistic or otherwise. Their prevalence for talent is as common in their particular group as it is in the general population. It may stand out more if you are looking for hope in what may seem an otherwise hopeless situation.

Aspergers and autism is more prelavent amongst the male population and it has been suggested, that it may be an extreme form of male donimated characteristics. That is to say those which helped the male to survive; for example, having no sympathy for a fellow living creature makes it easier to kill it for food. A very basic example I will give you that. So it would therefore not be particularly strange to see examples of AS or Autistic traits in most people, male and female.

Mr V, I believe that as you are aware of the problems you have in social settings, this may suggest that your problem is not aspergers. True forms of the syndrome, more so with autism, means the person is unlikely to make that link for themselves, instead would only be aware when it was pointed out by someone else.

True autism is a blindness to social interaction, no understanding of the feelings of those around you and by implication no sympathy to those around you either. Aspergers is anywhere between Autism and what medically would be defined as normal.

[MrVesham]

the problem i have with diagnosing aspergers syndrome is that the "symptoms" often are very common among EVERYONE.
That's where I was for a while, still am somewhat, but when it was no longer just a quirk and began affecting quality of life is when I decided to read up. I've put a lot of introspection into whether it's just the normal human versions of the symptoms - it's not just a "Oh, gee, I do that, I've got Spegnezzergals Syndromity!" thing.

[TheBladeRoden]

I've got you all beat. I myself have Asperger's Syndrome!

[AgentSun]

so scrape_medic, you mean that someone with aspergers is more likely to understand the people around them than someone with autism, but are still unaware of many emotions or things that would make someone "normal"?

[scrape_medic]

Okay, you're gonna make do some typing now then.........here goes.
BTW if anyone know of an on-line version of this book let me know..:lol

From : Collier, Longmore, Brown (1999) 'Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialities' OUP, (AKA a handy little bedtime read, one of many)

Autism is a Triad of



Impaired reciprical social interactions (A symptoms)
Impaired imagination, associated with abnormal verbal and non-verbal communication (B symptoms)
Restricted repertoire of activities and interests (C symptoms)


Diagnosis of an autistic disorder depends on identifying at least eigth of the following symptoms - and these should include at leas 2 'A' symptoms, 1 'B' symptom and 1 'C' symptom.

A symptoms

Marked unawareness of the existance and feelings of others
Abnormal response to being hurt
Impaired imitation
Gross impairment in making peer friendships. If he tires at all the effort will lack the conventions of social interactions


B symptoms

No babbling, facial expressions or guestures in infancy
Avoids mutual gaze, no smiles when making a social appproach, does not greet his parents; sstiffens when held
Does not act adult roles, no interst in stories, no fantasy
Abnormal speech production, idiosycratic use of words; misuse of pronouns; irrelevances
Difficulty in initiating or sustaining conversation


C symptoms

Stereotyped movements
Preoccupation with parts of objects
Marked distressed in changes in trivia
Insists on following routines in precise detail
Markedly narrow range of interests


Asperger's sydrome
This is a variety of Autism in which a child (~2yrs) shows autistic features without autistic aloneness and linguistic difficulties. It carries a better prognosis than autism.

Okay before you all start to think you have any or some of these symptoms, let me explain a few of the medical terms used above.

Marked, markedly - this means that if you saw this symptom it would hit you like a bus, you would not be 'suspicious' of it, or have to go look for it. It would be as large as life.
Gross - in this case woud mean that making peer friendships would be nigh on impossible, not only in selective social settings, groups as opposed to one on one, but in all social settings, even those with close relatives like siblings.

okay. cleared that up I hope....:lol

[DRD2001]

In my nephew's case, here was the big tip off.

His dad was a POS. No good influence there. Max did ok, but was a little weird and quirky. Didn't like people. Then the only positive male in his life, grandpa, died. His standoffishness, tantrums and stubborn, irrational quirks seemed more obvious, but were explained away with "trauma" from grandpa's death. The final realization was potty training. Max was. But he got kicked out of nursery school cause he wasn't. He just could not bring himself to ask to go to the bathroom. He couldn't. If any other child wet their pants, they'd ask to go the next time. He never could. He couldn't get up in front of the class to talk to the teacher, even one on one, or even discretely or even raise his hand. My sister knew he was trained and knew the nursery wasn't lying, so that is when she took Max to the doctor.

He also tends to not look at people when they talk to him. He is a bright kid, but he will do the dumbest things, cause in his mind, that is the way things should be done. Most of this will clear up and become managable as he gets older.

[AgentSun]

totally off topic, but you mentioned POS. at work, our cash stations have a setting to turn off or reboot the register...and it's called "Shut off POS". POS means something totally legitimate, i know, but everytime i see that i giggle.

[DRD2001]

:D Nope, mine doesn't mean "point of sale". But I know what you mean. I had to work on one of those registers too.

BTW, Max's dad is a POS, because he found out if he terminated his parental rights, he wouldn't have to pay child support. Frankly, I think Max is better off. He doesn't need to know he is related to that POS.