Last post Sat, May 03 2008 4:36 PM by Tickmeister. 31 replies.
I don't know if any of you have heard of it,but Aspergers is a social disibility. Some think of it as higher
form of autism. Anyway, I have Aspergers and, I was wondering what everyones views on the topic are
as well as does anyone else here have it??
Hey Joel!
I don't have Aspergers but I work with children and adolescents that do and you are right-it is tricky to explain to parents and the young people themselves because many even in the psychological field don't agree on how exactly to define Aspergers. I personally feel like how YOU identify as a person is all that really matters....if there are a certain grouping of symptoms that you notice do help to explain some of your challenges and they fall under Aspergers then it's helpful-other then that, I don't think it really matters exactly where different professionals feel like it falls because that's completely different than the individual experience of living with any condition or diagnosis.
Hey Joel
Well I don't officially have Aspegers but I have a lot of traits of it. Maybe not quite to the level of impairment needed to make a diagnosis, but I do have sensory issues, difficulty in unstructured social settings, poor visual processing ability, hyperfocused areas of interest and am extremely verbal. The psychologist I am working with this month who diagnoses kids with autism and aspergers every day agrees with me that I do have a lot of characteristics.
As to how I view it, officially it is one of 5 conditions on the Autistic spectrum. People with aspergers by definition had no delay in developing language as a young child and have at least average verbal abilities. Many have excellent verbal ability. The psychiatry reference, the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (now in the 4th revised edition) lists the criteria to make the diagnosis. Some people with autism have a good use of language as an older child or adult but did have a delay in developing language.
I want to work with kids with autism and aspergers when I finish my basic pediatric training. I think I have something to offer the families because I both see their parents side of things, wanting the kids to be social like they are, and also see the kids' side about often being quite content to spend time alone. I don't think making eye contact is the most important thing in the universe, for instance, like some autism experts seem to believe.
My nephew was diagnosed with Aspergers among other things. He is the most loving kid in the universe but has hard time socially because people call him "different". I view it as he has a different way of looking at things. My daughter adores him and is always excited to see "her Sam". Like a lot of folks with Aspergers he spends a lot of time alone and fixated on his video games.
I'd like to clarify something if you guys with Aspergers don't mind educating my ignorace, but he has always had a hard time in school. He's got some learning disabilities and is definitley ADD, but I wonder if besides those things, if the Aspergers hinders success in a standard school setting? What are your thoughts?
I think that completely depends on the kid, his or her family, and the particular school.
Some kids with Aspergers do really well in a typical setting, especially if the setting makes appropriate accommodations and is supportive and understanding.
Other kids do better in settings that are smaller, more controlled and structured or are more designed for kids with their unique learning needs.
And sometimes the answer changes, for the same kid for different parts of the school day or at different ages.
That is the hard part about spectrum disorders. So many variables. I'm not sure the exact details of his schooling arrangements but if I know my sister, they are probably the best his school district can offer.
I have aspergers syndrome... I have stopped trying to define what aspergers is and instead try to define how it affects me and what sort of help or understanding i need to be self sufficient.
for me aspergers has never stopped me from accomplishing anything i set my mind to... except perhaps driving but since i choose to live in the city this isn't really an issue.
Jillian
Your right Jillian. I have found that aspergers does not retrict me from the things I set my mind to!
Hey!
I have Asperger's and I think it is a form of Autism as it is shown to be so closely related with classic Autism and Hans Asperger even thought of his patients as Autistic.
I have a lot of friends with Aspergers and have worked with a lot of people with Autisim. I don't have either, but have a sensory disorder, which is similar in some ways. I have more in common with people with Aspergers or Autisim than people without, and so even though it's a different type of disorder I have a lot of the same things.
Sorry I did not reply sooner guys(I spend most of my time here on the General forums)
I am glad to hear your responsed though
I have a friend with aspergers and sometimes like today som of the things he does get on my nerves. I have CP and so today, I decided because my body didn't want to cooperate that I would us my chair. Unfourtunately, this cases some delay for me in timing. We were supposed to meet at his apartment as soon I could get there. Having no cell phone today I had no way of getting ahold of him. He had decided that he was going to up and walk to walmart before I got there. So needless to say I was like pretty mad about it. I'm sure some of his nieghboors heard my little "fit" in the car. He dosn't drive so yeah I never did meet up with him and had to go shopping alone. I was not happy. Iv'e had a lot of able bodied friends do this. So I'm wondering would it have "killed" him to wait knowing I have motor issues. Or is it the aspergers. Serriously, I want to yell at him for being so inconsiderate.
I'm trying not to be offensive I'm just mad about it.
Well it's entirely possible that your friend's behavior could be related to his disability AND he did something that was inconsiderate and ticked you off. I'd suggest talking with him just like you would any friend but approach it with an open mind and maybe ask him if he thinks these types of communication gaps are related to his disability or just his personal approach to getting in touch with friends...maybe you guys can work out a plan to prevent something like that happening in the future. Regardless of my disability, I'd appreciate if a friend approached me kindly about it if they were upset with something I'd done (or not done).
Hi there. I have Asperger's. I'm sorry to hear that your friend left for the store without you. In my experience, sure, the Asperger's explains his desire to just leave before you get there, but he still had a choice. I've been taught how to be polite, and that it's important to be polite, etc. All I do is work to take care of people: my kids, my husband, my friends. It's hard work, so you have to choose it. If this friend didn't know how to be polite in that situation (which is highly possible), I would (if I were you, and were less shy than I actually am) I would tell him that in order to be a good friend in that situation, he had two options: one, wait. two, call. Now I know the phone was down, so I don't have any ideas about how to fix that. But I do know that taking care of both of you is important. I always have like algebraic equations in my head to help me understand situations. If I had a friend in a wheelchair who might be late due to muscle problems, I would factor that into my timing estimate. Instead of being black and white, as I usually am (meaning that at a certain time, I leave, no matter what), I would make myself factor in who I'm waiting for, and make every effort to give the benefit of the doubt, and to wait! I've waited for friends a lot, usually because their kids make them late. I'm always polite about it when they show up and I am nice to them and tell them I didn't mind. I always bring a book with me to take care of myself while I wait. I do this because I know we all live in a physical world and there are physical limitations everywhere. No matter how much we'd like to be on time, there are plenty of times it's just out of our control. Of course, I had to learn this, and didn't know this when I was a child. But since then I've learned humility, and patience, and that it's okay to not always understand, and that using the benefit of the doubt to take care of your friends is Highly important. I don't have any friends that are like me, so I'm constantly trying to understand them. I think this has made me work harder at it, because I truly want to be a good friend.
