new thread
I just heard this earlier today on the radio.
As some of us on the board relate to this, I thought I'd share it.
Here's a link to the NPR article:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5488463
Enjoy!
- Oren
Hello Orin,
Thanks for the link, and for those who are new to the site, a reason that long hair is helpful for us people with Asperger's Syndrome, is that I can better recognize people with long hair, beards and mustaches than buzzed people. Buzzed people look the same to me, for I have Asperger's Syndrome.
http://lebihan.over-blog.com/article-907362.html
In this French site is a newspaper clipping about a conference I gave to a support group about my Asperger's Syndrome. As you can see, I did not make myself "presentable" for this congress, and the rainy climate did make my hair a bit on the "frizzy" side.
Have a nice day,
Georges in Montreal.
Hey Goerges, that's cool!
Yes, I do also have that difficulty recognizing people who don't have alot of hair - especially facial hair.
I have been diagnosed as "autistic" as a kid. Much of my behavior then, and to this day, definitly fits the profile of Asperger's Syndrome. The "geek" factor is definitely there. I got into electronics at the age of 7. While my social skills are "geeky" I do like meeting people. I don't like a lot of noise or loud music either.
- Oren
My main problem is my inability to reconize facial expression therefore I always wonder why people get mad at me. My social skill really do suck and I say offensive stuff to people without even realizing it (and get a lengthy lesson from people that do care about me on social skills...). My hobby tends to be somewhat geeky, spent my childhood taking stuff from walkmen to other gadgetry apart and now I am doing anything from modding guitars to computers or tie dying T shirts. However my interest do shift a lot, some month I would play or mod guitars, other months would be computers, and so on. However I do not have the "popular" hobbies such as playing basketball, or other sport in general. I do not get obsessed with NBA finals or superbowls or World Cup. I guess because of my lack of interest in sports (I have to be forced by a drill instructor to exercise, otherwise I wont do it) makes me a little chubby compared with everyone else with 6 packs and big arms and the whole 9 yard. I sometimes do wonder if I have asperger's or am I just daydreaming? I dont know what asperger's is in chinese so not sure where to get help for that.
Hi Tai Fu,
maybe this site will help:
http://www.online-dictionary.biz/english/chinese/vocabulary/reference/autism.asp
The Chinese characters should display correctly on your computer. I was unable to determine whether it is traditional or simplified scr ipt.
If your doctor is a psychiatrist, he should know the term "Asperger's syndrome", or else, you could explain it as "a mild form of autism". I see that you want to explore ways to make life and interpersonal interaction easier for you, and I do wish you all the best for your goals.
Good luck with everything.
Hans-Uwe
now I know why. It describes my life very well.
In childhood:
I did not talk until age 3.
According to my mother, the psychologist described me as "eccentric" as early as age 3.
Even as a child, I did not interact well with others. Because of this, I was a loner as a child, with very few friends. My mother tried to forcibly socialize me, which caused me great distress, and made me even more withdrawn.
In my early teens, my dad said that he thought I might be
autistic.
------------------------------------------------------
As an adult:
I have almost no social skills. I have, on many occasions, offended people without even being aware of it. I have very few friends. The friends I do have, are forgiving of my quirky
ways and understand that I am eccentric, and can't help the
way I am. I am very inept at non-verbal cues that most people would recognize.
I thrive on stabiliy, and I am unable to deal with any major change of routine. Forced major changes (such as having to move frequently) can, and has, resulted in nervous breakdowns. For me, mental stability requires a stable environment.
I am obcessed by certain facts, figures, and numbers. I have done extensive calculators and tables in Microsoft Excel, sometimes spending 5 hours at a time working on them.
I have poor facial recognition skills. My mother would get so upset with me when I failed to recognize friends of hers that she had introduced me to only a month or two earlier. It was not my fault for being face blind. (Many thanks to Bill Choisser for helping me to understand this condition better.) I can easily recognise people with long hair and/or long beards.
Well, there you have it. I have yet to go to the doctor for an official diagnosis of Asperger's. It seems unnecessary, since there is no cure for it. Even so, maybe I should seek out an Asperger's support group.
Absalom
Dear Absalom, one reason to go would be more of those 'now something makes sense' moments and learn new skills that build on your strengths. I believe my boyfriend has Asperger's and talking to his father about that has been such a good thing since he no longer blames himself for his son being odd and now shares articles with me.
Time did one on Autism May 15, 2006 and I had one of those 'aha' moments yesterday when the article mentioned the amygdala is enlarged in autistic brain and that is thought to have something to do with increased anxiety among people with autism. That for me answers one of my 'why is he like that' questions and makes me a lot more understanding.
Looking at it again this part has me wondering about a face blindness connection, "research shows their amygdala is activated when looking at faces- as if confronting a threat." Perhaps face-blindness is a self protective measure against stress overload. At any rate, I find information makes many things easier to deal with. While in-person interaction might be difficult for you writing online is obviously a strength as seen by your ability to respond to a variety of people on the board in a friendly way. A support group based online might be just the kind of thing you are looking for.
Elizabeth
"Suddenly a friendship would just end and you had no idea what you'd said," Carley explains. "Suddenly somebody would look at you with a face that said, 'You really offended me here,' and I wouldn't have the first clue about what I had done.' "
that struck a chord with me as it happens sometimes.......i dont understand the suble things....also the eye contact,for most animals eye contact is considered a chalange why humans are supposed to do it i dont know
