Autism Spectrum Megathread

[Costa Fierro]

So that it's clear, I have a degree in Psychology, and a few years experience in mental health counseling, so if my views seem strange, it's simply experience talking. In my opinion, Autism has largely been misdiagnosed. I've spoken with people through referalls who have been diagnosed as being Autistic-Asperger's. I cringe every. Single. Time. When we went from the DSM-III to the DSM IV/(TR), I was rather upset when Asperger's arrived. Every time I experienced it, I noticed a number of similar trends when it came to socialization, or a lack thereof during youth or adolescence, and a general pattern of dishonesty and shame about the fact. These people who were otherwise perfectly fine, had been duped into neurosis to believe that their poor socializing skills were actually a mental defect.

What do I mean by all this? Simple: Asperger's Does Not Exist. Now please, put down your pitchforks and torches and hear me out. Asperger's doesn't exist. Autism does. The two aren't mutually exclusive. What Asperger's actually is is basic poor socializing skills. When I speak with clients, I find out that they're actually just fervent in their interests, not pathological. A lot of them aren't even aware that droning on endlessly about workouts, or video games, or their job isn't pleasant conversation for most people who aren't interested. A bit of CBT and self-realization helps immenseley, not some quack diagnosis that leaves a person feeling like damaged goods.

As for actual Autism Spectrum? That's an entirely different story. It's not a matter of just bein poor conversations, Autistic people have genuine issues conversing in manners that seem logical. And working with them is admittedly very stressful for me, and I try to refer them out whenever possible (in my old practice anyway, pardon the poor use of tense).

Did the degree come out of a box of cereal?

[Terrordome]

Diagnosed with Asperger's when I was 10.

I'm surprised at the number of other people here on the spectrum, actually.

There is a case to be made that aspergers has been overdiagnosed. In some cases people with social anxiety have been misdiagnosed when the cause is past trauma, isolation, overprotective parents etc. Rather than a particular mental condition inherent in them. In some cases the social anxiety can be overcome with therapy and while ASDs cannot be "cured" people misdiagnosed with one can certainly make changes and change their behaviour if they so wish.

[Shigiel]

Hasn't Asperger's been removed from existence? It wasn't included in the DSM-V.

[The Holy See of Saint Peters Square]

OCD

[Herargon]

Ok this needs a bump, this is a megathread after all, it needs more action!

Maybe all those people are just too shy to react due to their autism?

[Dejanic]

Diagnosed with Asperger's when I was 10.

I'm surprised at the number of other people here on the spectrum, actually.

There is a case to be made that aspergers has been overdiagnosed. In some cases people with social anxiety have been misdiagnosed when the cause is past trauma, isolation, overprotective parents etc. Rather than a particular mental condition inherent in them. In some cases the social anxiety can be overcome with therapy and while ASDs cannot be "cured" people misdiagnosed with one can certainly make changes and change their behaviour if they so wish.

Yeah I can speak personally here. I was bullied from the ages of 13-14 and as a result I left school and refused to go to another public school, I was generally quite a confident person before the bullying but after the bullying I began to isolate myself, I'd never leave my room, talk to anyone, etc. I started seeing a councillor of sorts who instantly said I had some form of Autism (this councillor didn't actually have the authority to diagnose anything anyway), and tried to make me sign up to this program for Autists, this was without any actual test being done on me. So I got sent to a proper psychologists and had a lot of tests ran on me, they diagnosed me with simple social anxiety disorder caused by the bullying ordeal, they said I had no signs of Autism or Aspergers what so ever.

The councillor actually ended up getting suspended from their job once it was revealed how they handled my case. I went to a few more sessions over the year after that and they helped me work through my social anxiety. It's been 6 years now and I'm like I was before the bullying.

[Great Quintana]

Not sure i'd call it suffering all things considered (since it is not a physical or mental condition).

I often refer to it as "both a miracle and a curse" for some unknown reason.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. Since I had to place myself as an example of a high-functioning gentleman born with Asperger's Syndrome, I must briefly explain my overall life to help others gain a broader perspective (or at best relate).

I was diagnosed at a very early age; it was noticeable when I had a learning impediment, since I had no idea how to speak properly.
Furthermore, to make matters all the more complicated, a couple more years after my birth, I hit my head on the stairs by accident. At first, I thought it was fun. But after the first few times, not only that it was no longer fun to do so, but somehow it adversely affected my long-term learning. And I continued to regret this puerile behavior ever since...
In high school, it became one of the highest points in existence (not high enough to have my own vehicle, but high enough to have a learner's permit). I had my first kiss with a girl (it was a pity kiss, but at least that's something), tested the social waters (as I judiciously experimented social behaviors without getting into much trouble), and gained social standing (I became Homecoming King and was successfully nominated in a Senior Superlative in "Most Unforgettable").
College has fared quite well, despite the occasional academic warnings for me to raise my GPA. I nearly beat myself up for being complicit in my academic obligations, but I eventually earned an Associate's Degree in Business Administration. It was truly a difficult path to take, but at least it was worth the effort to have a better chance to acquire employment.
And speaking of which, I have been working part-time employment. It can be depressing when I don't work enough hours. I know I wanted to work longer, but my employers reminded me that working full-time/overtime in a part-time job is a violation of work policy. I find it very depressing when I apply for full-time employment elsewhere and my inquiries have fallen on deaf ears. And for that, I blame Obamacare (nothing personal, but if there is a government policy that creates a crippling effect on commerce, it would negatively affect average national earnings by resorting corporations to drastically cutting their staff's work hours, thus generating an angry uproar towards such a government policy).
Currently, I'm contemplating on starting my own country (long after I turn a hefty profit from starting my own business, which might happen eventually). When I was a kid, I grew fascinated with money. As I grew, I became enticed with the lavish lifestyle money can provide, and gained a perspective in the importance in entrepreneurship, not to mention the admiration in becoming a captain of the industry. So I've decided to open a unique bank someday.

And that is a brief summary of the "story of my life." I hope you find it interesting, if not enjoyable, at the very least.

There's good and bad sides to this.

True, you could say it is both a boon and a burden, as if it were a double-edged sword or a bi-directional (two-way) street.

[Independent State AF]

Aspergers here.
Never formally diagnosed mind you, but my aunt who works with many young children with autism is certain I have it, and frankly I believe her.

[Old Tyrannia]

Hello. My name is Old Tyrannia, and I have PDD-NOS.

Ok this needs a bump, this is a megathread after all, it needs more action!

Maybe all those people are just too shy to react due to their autism?

I don't know, for some reason I actually find it much easier to communicate with people online than in the real world. I can proudly declare my ASD to a whole bunch of strangers from around the world in this thread, but I break into a cold sweat at the prospect of ordering in taxi and having to speak to someone I don't know over the phone.

[Independent State AF]

Hello. My name is Old Tyrannia, and I have PDD-NOS.

Maybe all those people are just too shy to react due to their autism?

I don't know, for some reason I actually find it much easier to communicate with people online than in the real world. I can proudly declare my ASD to a whole bunch of strangers from around the world in this thread, but I break into a cold sweat at the prospect of ordering in taxi and having to speak to someone I don't know over the phone.

Seconded.
I still dont really like ordering my own food.

[The Justinian Horde]

Aspergers here.
Never formally diagnosed mind you, but my aunt who works with many young children with autism is certain I have it, and frankly I believe her.

No formal diagnosis , no special aid

[Costa Fierro]

Hello. My name is Old Tyrannia, and I have PDD-NOS.

I don't know, for some reason I actually find it much easier to communicate with people online than in the real world. I can proudly declare my ASD to a whole bunch of strangers from around the world in this thread, but I break into a cold sweat at the prospect of ordering in taxi and having to speak to someone I don't know over the phone.

Seconded.
I still dont really like ordering my own food.

I dislike communicating with people in shops altogether. The task of going in and asking someone if they have a spare position available for a job scares me even.

[Independent State AF]

Its almost as terrifying as trying to hold a conversation with girls in person. Mind you I can do it damn well online, just..I flounder in person unless I really know the girl well.

[Western Vale Confederacy]

Seconded.
I still dont really like ordering my own food.

I dislike communicating with people in shops altogether. The task of going in and asking someone if they have a spare position available for a job scares me even.

Same. Worse part is that I'm beginning to work soon.

Luckily, I'm not at the cash register.

[Benuty]

Seconded.
I still dont really like ordering my own food.

I dislike communicating with people in shops altogether. The task of going in and asking someone if they have a spare position available for a job scares me even.

I can handle communication...albeit asking for jobs is another matter all-together.

[Costa Fierro]

Same. Worse part is that I'm beginning to work soon.

Luckily, I'm not at the cash register.

I haven't even had a proper job. I'm 21.

[Western Vale Confederacy]

Same. Worse part is that I'm beginning to work soon.

Luckily, I'm not at the cash register.

I haven't even had a proper job. I'm 21.

I would've failed miserably if I was posted at the cash register. Or anything involving the counter anyways.

I stutter in a horrible way, often forget words and even worse, start acting like a fool if I forget my words and use physical gestures.

I'm lucky they've put me in the kitchen, far away from view.

[Zakuvia]

Did the degree come out of a box of cereal?

Eastern New Mexico University. Thanks for the baseless ad hominem.

Hasn't Asperger's been removed from existence? It wasn't included in the DSM-V.

Semi-officially. It's not that Asperger's is totally erased from the picture, but instead the issues that are its telltales have been wrapped up into the overarching classification of 'Autism Spectrum Disorder'. Something that would be defined in the past as Asperger's would be on the low end of the spectrum.

It's somewhat similar to how the community dealth with phobias. In the past, it was the classic act of pulling out your latin dictionary and praying you got it right about what somebody was scared of. Now, for the sake of simplicity, it's simply a diagnosis of 'Specific Phobia (Clowns)' instead of 'Coulrophobia'. Frankly, if I didn't already know that mean clowns, I would have thought they were scared of Cauliflower.

Aspergers here.
Never formally diagnosed mind you, but my aunt who works with many young children with autism is certain I have it, and frankly I believe her.

Not being insulting to your family, but I wouldn't. Don't let yourself feel that you're somehow ill or undiagnosed, as that's a surefire way to set yourself up for some anxiety. If you feel a certain way about your mental state, don't hesitate to speak with a mental health counselor. Nobody gives you any grief about a dental checkup or a mammogram/prostate exam. Nobody should give you any grief about maintaining your mental health, either.

[Costa Fierro]

I haven't even had a proper job. I'm 21.

I would've failed miserably if I was posted at the cash register. Or anything involving the counter anyways.

I stutter in a horrible way, often forget words and even worse, start acting like a fool if I forget my words and use physical gestures.

I'm lucky they've put me in the kitchen, far away from view.

Mum told me not to get a job in retail because "I don't have the face or the personality for it".

[Western Vale Confederacy]

I would've failed miserably if I was posted at the cash register. Or anything involving the counter anyways.

I stutter in a horrible way, often forget words and even worse, start acting like a fool if I forget my words and use physical gestures.

I'm lucky they've put me in the kitchen, far away from view.

Mum told me not to get a job in retail because "I don't have the face or the personality for it".

Find a job that doesn't involve you speaking face-to-face with people. It's terrible.

[Costa Fierro]

Eastern New Mexico University.

So a box of cereal. No point waving it around then because the idea that Asperger's "doesn't exist" based on entirely anecdotal evidence is absurd. The fact that you came to the conclusion proves just how ruinous the American mental health system has become.

[Western Vale Confederacy]

Eastern New Mexico University.

So a box of cereal. No point waving it around then because the idea that Asperger's "doesn't exist" based on entirely anecdotal evidence is absurd. The fact that you came to the conclusion proves just how ruinous the American mental health system has become.

Ouchies.

[United Russian Soviet States]

Did Hitler have Asperger's?

[Dazchan]

Did Hitler have Asperger's?

Possibly. I'm of the opinion that most people, if not all people, are on the autism spectrum somewhere. It's just that most of us are on the extreme low end.

[United Russian Soviet States]

Did Hitler have Asperger's?

Possibly. I'm of the opinion that most people, if not all people, are on the autism spectrum somewhere. It's just that most of us are on the extreme low end.

I personally doubt that.