Autism Spectrum Disorders

[Majic]

I have a brother who has autism and I have a brother who has Aspergers. Very different things indeed. They both behave so differently

Ah... like I said, the difference in linguistic abilities makes a huge difference. Plus, the "Asperger's" side of things are typically considered the "mild" side of the spectrum (not to say it can't produce significant dysfunction in socially straining situations; that's a testament to the severity in which Autism can manifest itself). There is a strong familial prevalence to the condition though, so having two siblings with different intensities of impairment is quite reasonable. Do you consider there to be difference between the Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism diagnoses?

I think I have asbergers. I see a phychologist for Social Anxiety. I'm in the early stages of the process at the moment, but if it all fails, then they've said maybe I should be tested for it. It's difficult for me to understand whether I suck socially becuase of my anxiety when with other people or because my mind is just built to be shit at it :/...

Some of you saying that you have asburgers seem suprisingly good with words. I'm usaully lost for words.. so.. can someone explain the relation of language to asburgers? Coz I've always thought that someone with the condition would have trouble finding the right words when communicating..

EDIT: I'm poor at language but good with Maths and Science (and Art when I'm not depressed)
EDIT2: I can't be that bad at language since I got an A for it in GCSE.. I guess it's just making small talk with people..

Verbosity is one of the archetypal characteristics of the higher functioning end of the spectrum. There's a tendency to treat casual conversation with a lecture-esque approach, and pretty much just a notable specificity of language overall. When you think of language as variable word patterns, it makes a lot of sense that it's a trait the less linguistically impaired autistic folks would excel at given enough exposure. There's definitely situational instances of not being able to find the right way to phrase something, due to an adherence to the aforementioned specificity of word choice. For example, I get super pissed when I have to compromise my word choice, and getting pissed just makes it harder for my brain to pop the shit into my head...

are you guys serious? the chances that all of you have asperger's syndrom are very little. where does this temporary fashion come from? it sounds to me that you're looking for a cheap excuse for your social incompetences.
also there's no way an asperger listens to dubstep

Social deviancy does tend to cluster, be it in real life or online; that's why I figured the loltastic Oddworld Forums would be an interesting place to bring this up. I've honestly never met any self-professed case of Autism/Asperger's/ASD/whatever-the-hell-you-want-to-call-it in my rreal world life. But like I said, if you want a giant wall of text from at least me, I can gladly provide. Personally, I don't give a damn about my social incompetence; it's an issue I've come to embrace. The people who I don't piss off are the weird types of folks I want to hang around to start with, not to mention I can self-perpetuate the awesome productivity of hypomania by fighting through social anxiety. The difference between an excuse and an explanation are indescribable; of course a neurotypical wouldn't understand the wild infatuation with an explanation simply for the love of things making sense

And, I do like dubstep, but I don't listen to it often on my own time. It's too abrasive to continually hear... I much prefer the four-to-the-floors for my personal listening. I'm a psytrance/minimal/tech house fiend who delves into the breaks/dnb world when I'm feeling real fiesty

[Bullet Magnet]

It's a spectrum. People range from being completely "normal" to "highly" autistic by way of every point in between.

My inexpert suspicion is that many forms of schizophrenia sit on the same spectrum, on the opposite side from.

Mainly down to the way that extreme schizophrenics often consider almost everything to have agency (and from this comes paranoia) while low-functioning autistics often don't even perceive other people as entities with agency.

It's most likely wrong, but I find it to be an interesting perspective.

If a Mensa transcending IQ, behavioral pattern recognition super powers and an obsessive fixation on cognitive abnormalities aren't the right tools to make the call, then what the hell are? Professional practitioners are only trained by the findings of the professional researchers and philosophers on their subjects.

I wouldn't even trust a certified and world-renowned expert to self-diagnose their own cognitive and behavioural condition. The inside perspective is too narrow and self-restricting.

[MeechMunchie]

I'm self-diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.

By which I mean 'I think I'm bipolar and I get depressed a lot'.

[OANST]

I'm self diagnosed with suicidal tendencies.

[MeechMunchie]

And by medical professionals and pretty much everyone who knows you tried to commit suicide.

[Bullet Magnet]

Self-diagnoses are not trustworthy, but that doesn't mean they're never right.

Stopped clocks and all that.

[OANST]

And by medical professionals and pretty much everyone who knows you tried to commit suicide.

See? I'm right.

[Majic]

I wouldn't even trust a certified and world-renowned expert to self-diagnose their own cognitive and behavioural condition. The inside perspective is too narrow and self-restricting.

But is there not an element of benefit from the reduced possibility for misinterpretation or miscommunication of thoughts? The professional diagnosticians don't get to follow you around everywhere, and don't know your every thought and emotion; thus, they have to rely on what you tell them, plus whatever relevant characteristics can be detected through current brain scanning technology. When you consider that one of the autistic hallmarks is a significant deficit in interpersonal conversation skills, the external diagnosis process has it's own noteworthy faults as well. On a more proverbial level, people have enthusiastically and empirically self-analyzed themselves throughout history, regardless of whether or not they had an all encompassing term to describe their observations. Does someone really need a doctor to tell them they have greater attention deficits than their peers, or that they're experiencing a major depressive episode, or that they have a drug problem? Same shit, different category.

[Manco]

Do you not have an Enter key on your keyboard or something?

[Majic]

Line breaks are for wimps, and commies. Listen, let's just get one thing straight: guns don't kill people, I do.

[Wings of Fire]

I haven't read a single one of your posts in this topic, including the first one.

Perhaps I have ADHD.

[Majic]

You gotta clarify for me here whether you're trying to be a jackass, a dick, or just well-humored...

[Manco]

But I thought your self-diagnosed disorder made you better at interpreting non-verbal communication?

[Majic]

But I thought your self-diagnosed disorder made you better at interpreting non-verbal communication?

That's why I'm asking; it'd be stupid to respond without clarifying the connotative ambiguity I found in his words.

[LDG519]

And yet you're still awful at it.

even though I'm awful at it (to which I am taking your word on) I am much much worse in the real world.

Iv'e only ever had two non autistic friends

how on earth can anyone think a self diagnostic could be accurate?
if something is messed up with your brain then your not likely to get the right diagnosis (probably spelt wrong)

[MeechMunchie]

evan though I'm awful at it

If Evan wants you to, I'm afraid you've got to.

[LDG519]

If Evan wants you to, I'm afraid you've got to.

also I'm crap at spelling. (I think that is what you were pointing out, thanks for pulling me up on it)

But is there not an element of benefit from the reduced possibility for misinterpretation or miscommunication of thoughts? The professional diagnosticians don't get to follow you around everywhere, and don't know your every thought and emotion; thus, they have to rely on what you tell them, plus whatever relevant characteristics can be detected through current brain scanning technology. When you consider that one of the autistic hallmarks is a significant deficit in interpersonal conversation skills, the external diagnosis process has it's own noteworthy faults as well. On a more proverbial level, people have enthusiastically and empirically self-analyzed themselves throughout history, regardless of whether or not they had an all encompassing term to describe their observations. Does someone really need a doctor to tell them they have greater attention deficits than their peers, or that they're experiencing a major depressive episode, or that they have a drug problem? Same shit, different category.

except the professionals are trained to detect the poor interpersonal and communication skills, and they have tests and based on your responses and/or actions can determine a good estimite of what you have, I know this because I have been diagnosed by said professionals on more than one occaision, at first a pediatrition said I had ADD, then a school counciler said asburgers, then another pediatrition said ADHD, until a psycolagist examined me and said asburgers. the thing in common with the two people that got the diagnosis correct is that they analysed my behavior before diagnosing me one way or the other, while the 2 people who got it wrong just spoke to me forhalf an hour and made up thier minds, the problem with a self diagnostic is your trying to analyse your owne possably messed up mind based on possably missinterprited instructions on how to make a diagnosis, not to mention that you would never pick up on anything that you don't realize your doing, which thier were plenty of things I didn't realize I was doing when I got diagnosed, and I am giving you a long rant in the hope that you see how hard it is to read such a rant and try to make your posts easier to read so more poeple will actually read them.

[Daxter King]

I'm self-diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.

By which I mean 'I think I'm bipolar and I get depressed a lot'.

Just read the Bipolar page on wikipedia, I would self diagnose myself with it, but there are so many symptoms I am bound to have some of them.

Schizophrenia however...

[Dipstikk]

I've got several disorders, according to the plethora of psychologists I've been forced to see over the years. The Tourette's diagnosis has been overruled, but so far I've been diagnosed with ADHD and an Autistic Spectrum Disorder: NOS called "Pervasive Developmental Disorder."

Means I get distracted easily and I age mentally a few years slower than I do physically.

OH HEY THERE'S A BIRDS OUTSIDE

*Walks through/demolishes patio doors* BIIIIRRRRDDIEEESSS. HNNNUUUURRRGGGHHH.

[MA]

i was diagnosed with both psychosis and clinical depression by my psychiatrist a couple of years ago whilst i was sectioned, and i'll have to take a high dose of anti-psychotics and anti-depressants for a long time to come. frankly, i find self-diagnosis of disorders like Asperger's and ADHD fucking ridiculous and a bit of an insult. i would love to be something other than this.

[Stranger4002]

It's not real until you've been given the stamp of a professional.

Agreed.

[T-nex]

I think self-diagnosis isn't completely stupid, and I also think most people dont do it to be 'special'.

The motivation to get these certain things checke dout has to come from somewhere. And that's self-diagnosis... Or at least self-assessment or analysis.

Anyway, if one self-diagnoses with a disease, at least they should go and get a professional opinion on it.

Just my 2 øre(danish version of cents).

[Bullet Magnet]

But is there not an element of benefit from the reduced possibility for misinterpretation or miscommunication of thoughts? The professional diagnosticians don't get to follow you around everywhere, and don't know your every thought and emotion; thus, they have to rely on what you tell them, plus whatever relevant characteristics can be detected through current brain scanning technology. When you consider that one of the autistic hallmarks is a significant deficit in interpersonal conversation skills, the external diagnosis process has it's own noteworthy faults as well. On a more proverbial level, people have enthusiastically and empirically self-analyzed themselves throughout history, regardless of whether or not they had an all encompassing term to describe their observations. Does someone really need a doctor to tell them they have greater attention deficits than their peers, or that they're experiencing a major depressive episode, or that they have a drug problem? Same shit, different category.

Reduced possibility for miscommunication? You hold your brain in too high regard, which is amusing given your insistence that it has particular problems. The human brain is rife with ways of getting things wrong.

How often does someone we know tell us to stop fidgeting or grinding our teeth or some other peculiar activity that we don't even notice we're doing? How frequently do they point things our about ourselves and/or our behaviour that even we had not noticed? Our perspective of normality is not only skewed, but almost entirely blocked from our view.

We know what we think, or at least, we think we do. I don't know how any of us could possibly prove that. But we have nothing to compare it to at all. Trained professionals don't know what we think, but they can determine the way we operate through various means, and since that's from the outside they can make comparisons. I'm not saying it's perfect, but I'll hang my bets on it being a damn slight more useful than a self-diagnosis of cognitive disorder. Doing so is the same crap people did for years before the advent of science, and continued doing afterwards mistaking it for science.

No one is adept at deceiving us than ourselves. Perhaps you want this to be true, to hang your problems on an explanation, or you don't, but you're sufficiently pessimistic or hypochondriac to see all your problems in that diagnosis. I don't want to say that either of these are true for you, nor that you don't sit far enough along the autistic spectrum to warrant a diagnosis. But I am saying that there is a great deal of confirmation bias present in the way you reached this conclusion. A conclusion that may be right, but you should not be satisfied reaching any conclusion through faulty means.

Get a proper diagnosis, and let them know when you do that you have read up on this stuff. You're in a position to artificially skew some of the results now.

[Dipstikk]

I think self-diagnosis isn't completely stupid, and I also think most people dont do it to be 'special'.

The motivation to get these certain things checke dout has to come from somewhere. And that's self-diagnosis... Or at least self-assessment or analysis.

Anyway, if one self-diagnoses with a disease, at least they should go and get a professional opinion on it.

Just my 2 øre(danish version of cents).

Echoing my sentiments. I don't know how prevalent self-diagnosis is outside of high school, but the majority of the "superficial asshole uses autism as an excuse" complaints come from school kids. I try not to see the rest of the waking world as being entirely populated by complete morons, as there are many people who have a keen insight into their own, or other's physiology.

STOP BEING SUCH PESSIMISTS. >:C

[Nate]

I think self-diagnosis isn't completely stupid, and I also think most people dont do it to be 'special'.

The motivation to get these certain things checke dout has to come from somewhere. And that's self-diagnosis... Or at least self-assessment or analysis.

Anyway, if one self-diagnoses with a disease, at least they should go and get a professional opinion on it.

Just my 2 øre(danish version of cents).

Yes, but many of the people who we were talking about self-diagnose and then don't bother to get a professional diagnosis (and treatment) because they're happy to have a scapegoat on which to blame all their problems.

[ziggy]

Maybe Majic has been doing too many drugs.

[MeechMunchie]

i was diagnosed with both psychosis and clinical depression by my psychiatrist a couple of years ago whilst i was sectioned, and i'll have to take a high dose of anti-psychotics and anti-depressants for a long time to come. frankly, i find self-diagnosis of disorders like Asperger's and ADHD fucking ridiculous and a bit of an insult. i would love to be something other than this.

You're psychotic? Boy, that'll add a whole new dimension to my insulting comedy.

[MA]

it'll add some spice to our roleplay, too.

i'll be the madman who bursts through the bedroom door with a chainsaw.

[MeechMunchie]

Kinky.

[Gwan-Thwei]

@Mollucks Assistant Explains why you've always been a dick to me.
@hedjeroo I feel your pain man.
Okay, so like, I go to a school that is just filled with the motherfuckers, and they're all of the mind that they have special little heads, and that because they've been diagnosed, they don't need to change at all.
Case in point, There's this girl named Sam who's in my math class who claims to have a lower spectrum than I do, but through hacking into files, I've found that she in fact has the same spectrum as me. Keep this in mind.
We all talk in class. It's a small class, so it's not a big deal. Me 'n' Daniel would talk about internet memes or how someone freaked out the other day, and even if we're whispering to eachother, sam will stand up and start screaming
YOU'RE BEING TO LOUD!
And i'll be all "Sam, we're whispering. If you don't like it, they have headphones down at the office so you don't have to hear us."
NO YOU'RE NOT LISTENING I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMOOOOORE!
And Then she'll storm out of the classroom. The teacher followed after her one time and I heard Sam saying something along the lines of "my life is so unfair I'm getting abused Ima gonna kill myself" and shit like that.
The teacher agreed with me, that we were talking quietly and that she didn't need to do that in the middle of class, and that there were headphones to help her if she didn't like us talking.
Her excuse? "she didn't like them because they made her look dorky".
It's like, are you shitting me? Just because you have a mental tick doesn't mean that you don't have to adjust and learn to live with it. I suppose that I have to shut up when she freaks out hmmm? Because she's special in the head?