Asperger's Syndrome

[Boogeyman]

Does anyone know someone that has this? If you do, please tell me the nature of your relationship to them and their age.

I am curious because I have it. Don't worry, it is nothing fatal unless my sanity counts.

[Spookymufu]

there was a guy on a different forum I used to be on that had it, he used to throw fits and yell at people, cuss people out, send threatening PMs to people when he didnt like their posts.
He didnt like me because I wouldnt cut him slack on his posts, I figured if he was aware he was doing it then he could edit his posts to something more appropriate. A lot of other people let him get away with his tyrants and made excuses for him....

[Boogeyman]

there was a guy on a different forum I used to be on that had it, he used to throw fits and yell at people, cuss people out, send threatening PMs to people when he didnt like their posts.
He didnt like me because I wouldnt cut him slack on his posts, I figured if he was aware he was doing it then he could edit his posts to something more appropriate. A lot of other people let him get away with his tyrants and made excuses for him....

I have not done any of that and yes I know you are not accusing me of it either. You do realize he could not help it that much? Alot of it depends on how much interaction he has with other people. But Asperger's makes it even harder to put yourself out there and meet other people. The main road block is having a difficult time reading the verbal and non-verbal cues people give off. It can often include OCD at times too.People have it to varying degrees. I, too, can get heated at times though.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I am 40 and I was just diagnosed exactly two years ago. There is a lot of research and info available to help families with kids that are diagnosed, not so much for adults but that is slowly changing.

This ends today's ramble.

[Murfreesboro]

I have two friends whose children have it. The kids are very different from each other, though. One boy (who is grown now) is almost what you'd call a savant, I'd guess. He always remembers these odd details, like what day you left for vacation, what make and model year your car is, and how many square feet you have in your house. He remembers birthdays tenaciously, too. He can hold down a job doing rather menial things, like helping with the laundry at a nursing home.

The other boy I know is in high school. He is much higher-functioning and in fact is only slightly different from most other kids I know. He completed his Eagle Scout Badge in Boy Scouts and is now working on "palms," the insignia people get for certain numbers of badges earned beyond Eagle. He seems to be very highly organized. I'm not sure what he intends to do after high school. I assume he'll go to college, but I don't know what his plans are for the future.

[jadewik]

I only know what I read about it in John Elder Robison's book Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's. John Robison was diagnosed with Asperger's when he was in his 40's as well... and the book tells a lot about how he had difficulties associating with people because, for example, when he was a kid his mom got him a poodle. To make friends with the poodle his mom told him to pet the dog on the head. When he went to kindergarden, he thought you made friends with people the same way. While Robison's book isn't a "how-to" about Asperger's, it does explain facets of Aspergerian thinking and how Robison adapted.

The title of the book "Look Me in the Eye" is because he never could look people in the eyes. As he grew older, he learned to look above someone's head or off to the side. (Apparently, those with Asperger's Syndrome have trouble focusing on things and their eyes often wander to more interesting things in the background.)

The only other thing I know about Asperger's Syndrome is that it can be a "spectrum" disorder... as in people can have mild forms of Asperger's Syndrome... or they can have more severe forms.

[Spookymufu]

I have not done any of that and yes I know you are not accusing me of it either. You do realize he could not help it that much? Alot of it depends on how much interaction he has with other people. But Asperger's makes it even harder to put yourself out there and meet other people. The main road block is having a difficult time reading the verbal and non-verbal cues people give off. It can often include OCD at times too.People have it to varying degrees. I, too, can get heated at times though.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I am 40 and I was just diagnosed exactly two years ago. There is a lot of research and info available to help families with kids that are diagnosed, not so much for adults but that is slowly changing.

This ends today's ramble.

I guess I should point out I have been on other forums where someone had this and they were just fine, no issues at all as far as posting goes, very "normal". So I just guess it depends on the person and how severe it is with them.
Oh and BTW, the kid I mentioned in my first post was a really really really good 3D modeler....but the way he attacked people and the PMs he sent out to me and others made me look past his good points and focus on his annoyances. I might add he threatened to kill my wife and kids in a PM. I of course wasnt too worried about that event actually happening but it's just not something you tell someone.

[witchy]

My best friends daughter has a mild form of it, she has sensory problems: she doesn't like certain sounds, like a toilet flushing, she doesn't like things touching the arms or legs (she doesn't wear pants or long sleeve shirts, she only wears shorts & tee's) and yes that is all year long & she talks very high pitch. Other than that she is fine, very mild like I said. She is one of my favorite kids, she is 15 years old and very cute!!! I should also mention she has a very high IQ, she was off the charts smart!!

[Andybev01]

I listened to an interview with Temple Grandin on NPR last week. she made a great success in engineering all because she was a high-functioning Autistic.

Her bio is on HBO starting this weekend. http://www.hbo.com/movies?cmpid=s6#/mov ... le-grandin

I'm totally going to watch this.

[ilovemichaelmyers]

What is it and what does it do to you?

[Andybev01]

it's a mild to medium form of autism and people who have it can function in society like 'normal' people. sometimes 'Rain man' is used as an example, but he is more of a savant than someone with Aspergers.

I posted the example of Temple Grandin as someone who is an extraordinary example of this because she made a very successful career long before the syndrome was explicitly defined by academia.

[Boogeyman]

I listened to an interview with Temple Grandin on NPR last week. she made a great success in engineering all because she was a high-functioning Autistic.

Her bio is on HBO starting this weekend. http://www.hbo.com/movies?cmpid=s6#/mov ... le-grandin

I'm totally going to watch this.

My mom was just telling me about this the other day.

And yes Witchy, they tend to be very smart. It is believed that Einstein had it as well as Bill Gates. My IQ has been tested at over 90, (not to brag)while the average is in the 70 range. I don't have a problem looking people in the eyes when talking to them. I am partially deaf and in my formative years, i self taught myself to read lips to compensate. And most have a problem with sudden or loud noised yet I listen to hard rock and loud and have been to concerts. They often tend to have a single minded focus. I follow politics religiously and having that focus also helps me in losing weight when I decide to actually do it, I have been known to spend over three hours on a treadmill (not joking).

i have been at my job for almost 14 years and 18 months ago got a promotion. The problem I have is that they have the thermostat set at 74 which is just insane IMO. I also have problems with the sudden overtime announcements. It throws me off at times but so far it is not a problem. It could be at some point though.


I thank you all for your thoughtful responses and for allowing me to ramble.

[Spookymufu]

I also hate sudden OT announcements and I also hate when they come to you 30min before you go home to tell you that you need to stay longer......

[MacPhantom]

If following politics religiously is a symptom, I'd better think about seeing a professional.....

If it's any consolation, you seem more normal than ninety-nine percent of the people who post on this forum, so it seems your case isn't too severe....

[jadewik]

An IQ of 70 is NOT average-- "average" is 100. That's why, in the 3rd Aliens movie (with Sigourney Weaver) the inmates loved to call that one fellow "Eighty-Five"-- it was his IQ and he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. If 70 is average... I worry about the future of humanity!

IQ - Description - % of Population
130+ - Very superior - 2.2%
120-129 - Superior - 6.7%
110-119 - High average - 16.1%
90-109 - Average - 50%
80-89 - Low average - 16.1%
70-79 - Borderline - 6.7%
Below 70 - Extremely low - 2.2%

Above table from: http://iq-test.learninginfo.org/iq04.htm

[Spookymufu]

My IQ has been tested at over 90, (not to brag).

90-109 - Average - 50%

ouch! but at least you arent the dullest crayon