Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

YO!

48 (19%)

I suspect I am, but am not diagnosed as such.

32 (12.6%)

NO!

164 (64.8%)

I've been diagnosed as such, but suspect I am not.

9 (3.6%)

Total Members Voted: 252

[Mindmaker]

Hmm, not quite. It was about pigeonholing and stuff.
But I'm not even sure if it's that book we're tallking about.
Vector could clarify this.

[justinlee999]

I dunno man, I'm a socially-awkward dude, but that is hardly decisive if I have a problem, in fact, all self-diagnoses are hardly decisive. One interesting thing though, is that I realized I lack empathy and will continue using the person unless the guy explicitly shows his mood/mentions it, though I guess that's not Asperger's at all. Or that may be familiarity until I couldn't care less.

[Darvi]

But I'm not even sure if it's that book we're tallking about.

It is.

[freeformschooler]

My brother is on the far anti-social end of Asperger's. He hates contact with people, is unable to read faces, feel empathy or hold a steady conversation. The best part? He's still one of the swellest guys I know, and he's actually improved a lot over the years. People who have Asperger's, don't fret: it might get better with time and effort.

I don't have any sort of social problem at all. I hang out with friends and talk with people and enjoy other people's presence, and have more empathy towards other people than a lot of regular people I know.

[Leafsnail]

Well... "Asperger's" is just a category rather than a medically useful diagnosis (comparison - if I found that my (theoretical) abdominal problems were caused by, say, appendicitus, that would tell me the cause rather than just categorizing the symptoms).  I guess categorization's needed to give some people help (and unfortunately you often need to label someone before they're given any sympathy for their problems), but I don't think I need any.  I am what I am, regardless of whether or not I fall into the Asperger's category, and I'm fine with that.

[freeformschooler]

Yeah, saying someone has "less Asperger's" or "more Asperger's" is a lot like saying "mild Dyslexia". It could mean anything. That's why I specified that anti-social part for my brother: that's the most visible trait, and it's a lot stronger for him than a lot of people who are anti-social because of the disorder.

[Funk]

given how the autism spectrum conditions range vasty, but in media its rainman or gump ,and there are never any higher functioning Asperger.



 

[Leafsnail]

...Aren't there?  It can be quite difficult to tell if someone falls into the higher functioning Asperger's category, it wouldn't necessarily be brought up (and indeed, the character might not have been diagnosed).

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Furthermore, Gump is never said to have Asperger's syndrome. The only clue we get into his mental state is that his IQ is below what is required to attend public school.

[ChairmanPoo]

Since Asperger's disease sufferers are already in the normal IQ range, the term "High functioning Aspergers" doesn't make much sense...

It's not like "High functioning autism" is a formal diagnosis, either, for that matter

[DJ]

As I understand it it basically means you're not a people person (no, I didn't read the whole thread to get a proper explanation), so I guess I qualify since for the most part I hate interacting with people.

[Zrk2]

I highly doubt I have aspergers, I'm just an asshole who doesn't feel the need to spend time with other people.

[Neonivek]

My brother is on the far anti-social end of Asperger's. He hates contact with people, is unable to read faces, feel empathy or hold a steady conversation. The best part? He's still one of the swellest guys I know, and he's actually improved a lot over the years. People who have Asperger's, don't fret: it might get better with time and effort.

Yeah that is the thing... Aspburgers isn't some "I be an ass and I don't care" disease. A jerk who has aspburgers is a jerk.

It is a condition where it is more difficult for the person who see the social cues that are obvious to everyone else. (plus some other stuff >_>)

[MetalSlimeHunt]

The way it was described to me was that those with the syndrome lack active empathy. For definition, passive empathy would be one's ability to empathise with others at all, and active empathy is the ability to do so subconsciously and on the fly in fast paced social interaction. Lacking this active empathy prevents those with the syndrome from being able to detect the emotional state of others easily, and thus hinders social interaction signifigantly. This is not to be confused with psychopaths, who would be lacking both passive and active empathy. Not my definitions, but they seem to fit with what I know of psychological disorders well enough.

[Grakelin]

Funny story - I knew this kid once, his mother was my mother's friend, and his parents were certain he had Asperger's because he acted like a jerk all the time. They kept bringing him to a psychologist to get him checked out, and one day the psychologist took the mother aside and said: "Look, he doesn't have Asperger's syndrome. That is literally just what his personality is like. There is no way to cure it."