Psycho-Babble Psychology | about psychological treatments | Framed
This thread | Show all | Post follow-up | Start new thread | List of forums | Search | FAQ

Re: Asperger's Syndrome

Posted by jane d on October 2, 2004, at 23:06:11

In reply to Asperger's Syndrome, posted by TF on October 2, 2004, at 8:21:43

Like Dinah I'm a believer in a continuum from "normal" to Aspergers. If it is caused by some abnormality in the way the brain develops it makes sense that there would be different degrees of impairment and different combinations of symptoms. It's also another one of those newly discovered diagnoses that doctors seem to overapply in their glee at having a new angle to describe people from.

I've been interested in this for a number of years and I've inventories my own traits often enough trying to see if this shoe fit. In my case it doesn't though I still find it fascinating.

> I found out on June 23rd that I was diagnosed with this disorder. At first, as the doctor explained it to me, some of it made sense. The general social ineptitude, difficulty initiating interaction, monotone voice, restricted and intense areas of interest, obsessive preoccupation with fullfillment of routines (ALthough I think I'm fully capable of breaking out of them if I want.), etc...


> However, after leaving his office and (when home) going online to check up on some information, it began making less and less sense. For one thing, many people with aspergers tend to be gifted in certain areas of functioning and have excellent memories.

I think "gifted" is probably largely a stereotype although in the end we don't know what happens to those neural connections that would otherwise be reading peoples expressions and guessing what they are thinking. What I believe often happens is that doctors, teachers and everybody else are more likely to start looking for an explanation when faced with someone who is extremely talented in one area and extremely inept in another. It violates the "normal" persons understanding of just how people are supposed to act. And I suspect that the "gifted" are over represented among Aspergers activists and those who post on aspergers bulletin boards. Plus I think we want to believe that every negative has a silver lining.

>>Also, I've read that people with AS have trouble empathizing with others and recognizing figures of speech (sarcasm, metaphors, etc..). I have average intelligence (Although my memory was pretty good compared to most people, before being stricken with a bad case of brain fog. Now it's only a little bit better.) and (I think) good ability to empathize with people (I believe this is actually what causes most of my social phobia.). I can also recognise figures of speech, although I tend to be slow at that. The major thing that convinced me that I don't have AS, however, was that a number of people on an AS message board are convinced (by my online behavior) that I'm nuerotypical, or at the very least not AS. And I tend to take the word of people who have lived with AS more seriously than someone who has a more detached understanding of the mindset that comes with it.

The one problem with Aspergers diagnosing Aspergers it that IS that characteristic lack of an ability to get inside another persons head. This is one area where the insiders view may be far less accurate than your own although you seem to have reached the same conclusion. It may make sense just to take each symptom separately. For instance I'm quite sure I'm not ADD but I show some of those traits and I'm quite sure I'm not Aspergers or Autistic despite some traits that tend in that direction.

Then again if the package makes sense to you and the label helps you break out of the patterns you don't like then use it. And it may get you more services should you ever need them.

Jane,
who couldn't recognize the emotions in those darned pictures of faces they used in those studies either


Share
Tweet  

Thread

 

Post a new follow-up

Your message only Include above post


Notify the administrators

They will then review this post with the posting guidelines in mind.

To contact them about something other than this post, please use this form instead.

 

Start a new thread

 
Google
dr-bob.org www
Search options and examples
[amazon] for
in

This thread | Show all | Post follow-up | Start new thread | FAQ
Psycho-Babble Psychology | Framed

poster:jane d thread:398208
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20041002/msgs/398419.html