Hello everyone. I did a search but found nothing on this topic, and thought it might make an interesting conversation.

 

Perhaps you know someone who has it, or have it yourself, or what have you.

 

I personally have it, and I know three others who do as well.

 

It is an interesting thing really. For me it one thing it means I have difficulty expressing emotions. More in the sense that I can not verbalize to someone certain things I am feeling, or thinking.

 

It also means I am not terribly organized, except for my interests. I keep my collectibles organized, for example. Give me a pile of bills and that is much harder for me to sort out.

 

Still life is wonderful, and I am glad I get to have the view I do. Everyone is for different, you know? So it makes the world a great place.

 

I was nervous to start a thread, but as I say, I thought this might be interesting.

One of my closest friends has it (self diagnosed, though). A while ago we were discussing it and he made me wonder if I had it too, so I took some tests, but I don't think I do... I certainly posess one or two of the common traits of Asperger's, though. I know a few people with it- one of my brother's friends, a few people at my school, etc.

I've heard of it, but don't know too much about it.

I've heard of it, but don't know too much about it.

 

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

 

Individuals with AS can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild to severe. Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. It's important to remember that the person with AS perceives the world very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior, and most certainly not the result of "improper parenting".

 

By definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all), exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. While language development seems, on the surface, normal, individuals with AS often have deficits in pragmatics and prosody. Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound like "little professors." However, persons with AS can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context.

 

Yeah, I just wikid it :P

Oh well :P

i know a few people with it. it's something that's hard for me to relate to, but strikes me as very interesting.

 

wow, that was vague and non-committal :lol:

Thanks for ther Wiki info strawberryfields I should have added that.

 

Love that name too.

 

Thanks for the comments.

 

It is a really interesting thing, Aspergers.

 

I did not get diagnosed until I was 35, which is not that uncommon. Surprisingly.

 

However many things made a heck of a lot more sense! I can be a bit eccentric, although I have learned a lot of coping skills over the years.

 

Light really bugs me. Especially from the old style computer monitors. We have those at work and sometimes I have to wear sunglasses. Flouresant lights make me have anxiety and headaches all around.

 

I think one misconception is people with Aspergers are not social people. Which is not true at all. We have no need for constant social interaction, and sometimes hate small talk.

 

Still personally, I enjoy spending time with my friends. We usually get together once a weekend.

 

I am very lucky to have found a group who doesn't even care that I am unusual. LOL Plus right now they are putting up with me talking about Coldplay non-stop.

This is very interesting for me to read as I dont really know anyone that has aspergers personally. See i always thought that people who have the condition were unable to realise that they do have it. Maybe i was looking at it weird.

I know way too much about it. Someone close to me has had it since she was born and it hasn't been exactly easy. Especially when it didn't get diagnosed until she was 14. All doctors always blamed it on some phase of kids' lives, you know? "she's just a typical teenager..give it a few years.."

 

It's getting better now though. I just find it so frustrating most of the time.

 

Oh, and i don't know if you know her but a singer/songwriter Ladyhawke has got it too.

My niece, brother and my mom all have AS. We also have 3 males in our family with autism. My niece lives with me and she was diagnoised at the age of 7 with AS. I think she is the most creative and intelligent person that I know and I love her very much.

My younger brother's got autism. He has a hard job being social, especially with people he hasn't met before, but on the other hand he's got a big big brain. He learnt himself english in less than a year when he was 7 :stunned:

I don't know anyone who has it, but he had to read The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon. The narrator had AS and it was interesting to 'see world through his eyes'.

Is it curable though?

It's not ... at least as far as I know.

 

And most importantly, it's not an illness or sickness or anything of that sort.

Is it curable though?

 

curable? What do you mean by that? You can't just take pills and be "normal".

defining "normal" is another story though.

 

It's not ... at least as far as I know.

 

And most importantly, it's not an illness or sickness or anything of that sort.

 

Exactly. Not an illness of any kind.

It's morely like a handicap. It can't be really be "cured", but "better" ;)

I don't know anyone who has it, but he had to read The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon. The narrator had AS and it was interesting to 'see world through his eyes'.

 

Same here, loved the book.

I did not know the singer ladyhawk had it. I have to admit I am not familiar with her, but am interested in checking her out.

 

Sadly I have not read "The curious incident of the dog in the night-time" by Mark Haddon, but have just put it on my to read list.

 

Everyone is spot on about it not being curable. It is treatable I suppose. I have therapy anyway for Bi-Polar disorder, and ADD. So that really helps me.

 

Another thing to that is always of interest for this discussion is the old Mercury Fillings and Childhood Vaccines arguments. AS is a Neurological Disorder, and I feel it is not in anyone's interest to try to be placing blame on something that does not cause it to begin with.

 

I work in the dental field (insurance), and have researched Mercury Fillings. You actually get more Mercury from fish than the fillings.

 

Many people want to find a sure. Which I can understand I suppose. Still, it does nto appear one is in site.

 

It is interesting to read the varying views so far.

 

I was in the middle of a move this weekend. Well I still am. I have been missing the boards!

I pretty much have it :uhoh:

One of my dearest friends has it. He deals with it rather well and has a positive outlook most of the time, however, so I don't suppose it's all that bad. I myself question as to if I have it, mostly because of the whole "being awkward in social situations" type of thing. To be perfectly honest, people intimidate me.

I don't know if you know of this story in the US but there's a story concerning a 43 year old Glasgow born man with Aspergers who is going to be taken to trial in the US over hacking into the US military computers, even though he was only looking for evidence of UFO's . It's pretty awful to be fair.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8389310.stm

Mental illness isn't a free pass to break the law.

Mental illness isn't a free pass to break the law.

 

Do you HAVE to pounce upon everything I post on these message boards?

I haven't heard that story, no. That's pretty interesting. I don't think, however, that the syndrome in itself would alter someone's mind to that extent. As I've mentioned before, I have a friend who has Asperger's. He may do some awkward things, but he's never done anything over-the-top, and he's definitely never broken the law.