Life with Aspergers

A word of warning: This post may cover adult topics - though really nothing "juicy" so it's probably safe. You may want to read it carefully before allowing minors to look at it.   The Myths   In the last week, prompted by some "off the wall" questions, I have been reading a lot of discussions about autistic people (including "aspies") and sexuality. I am amazed at the opinions of otherwise respectable people in the medical profession. I have found a whole bunch of statements including; All autistic people are gay Most autistic people are asexual (derive no pleasure from sex). Autistic people are sex maniacs Preferences Reading a lot further afield and having discussions with other aspies makes it clear to me that aspies come in all sizes shapes and forms. Their preferences vary just as much as neurotypicals. On Page 246 of "Asperger's Syndrome: Intervening in Schools, Clinics, and Communities" By Linda J. Baker, Lawrence A., they...

Assuming that Other People are Mind Readers is commonly described as an aspie trait though I don't think it's the result of aspie assumptions. Instead I think it's an NT interpretation of their behaviour. Behaviour 1: Sudden changes of topic in mid-conversation This stems from the aspies difficulty with small-talk. Aspies won't stand around discussing the weather but tend to discuss and resolve a single topic, then quickly move onto the next. NT conversation is quite different and they will tend to move to a neutral topic before starting on something completely different. There is nothing wrong with either approach but NTs talking to aspies often get lost at this point and think that the aspie has found something new to add to the original topic. Behaviour 2: Expecting People to have a Shared Memory A lot of things come back to the aspie memory. Aspies often have very clear memories of events and quotations. In conversation, they may drop a remark which links back...

The more I post blogs and receive feedback and the more I discuss and read about Aspergers online, the more convinced I become that the actual symptoms aren't widely known. Not only that but I've seen some amazing generalizations from the medical profession, including paediatricians and psychologists. The same seems to apply to the teaching profession. Comments like; "they gave me good eye contact, therefore they can't have aspergers...", give the impression that the condition is a simple logical on/off switch where you either have it or you don't. In reality, the condition is based on a set of characteristics, only some of which need to be present with any strength for a diagnosis to be made. With this in mind, aspies could be as diverse as neurotypicals with no two having quite the same temperment. The fact that so many similarities have been noted is probably only testament to the observational powers of Dr. Hans Asperger. So, what does this mean for aspie...

Welcome to 2008! This post looks at the way in which people with Asperger's choose and wear clothing. This is another one of those strange posts that I originally thought was only me. After a lot of online discussion, it appears that there is a common thread amongst aspies. I don't think I've seen this discussed properly in the literature anywhere. Not following the the fashions Okay, this bit has been mentioned in the literature as a one-liner. I guess what is being said here is simply that aspies often are dressed like dags. This fits the "aspie as a nerd" image very well. Aspies generally don't like a lot of change and as result, they will often wear similar outfits all the time. In fact, on a recent shopping trip,when I found a shirt that I liked, I bought a couple of pairs in different colours and I was quite tempted to buy a lot more copies. What attracts aspies to clothing? Colourful patterns In my younger days, I had a vast array of extremely co...