Re: Article~I Had Asperger Syndrome. Briefly

[Guest guest]

Mark, ,

You know, to me, the definition of Aspergers is still far too

vague and subjective.

As a techie/scientific type myself, I'd like to see it defined in more

scientific measurable terms, and it seems to me that the " spectrum "

concept of it could be used to do this much more exactly than it is at

present.

" Spectrum " scientifically refers to colours and the different

wavelengths of light that constitute those colours. Each colour has a

specific wavelength, and it's possible to accurately represent any

light we see as a bar chart with wavelengths on the X-axis and

amplitudes on the Y-axis. Hope I'm not getting too technical! [grin]

Now for the purpose of analysing AS, we could equally represent all the

different issues that identify Aspies, some of them good and some bad,

across a bar chart's X-axis just like we do with light wavelengths.

And we could represent the individual strength and weaknesses of those

attributes as amplitudes on a Y-axis. Strengths positive and upwards,

weaknesses negative and downwards.

What are the issues that single out Aspies? Well our own Meyer

here has produced a very comprehensive list entitled " Asperger's

Syndrome Characteristics " which as far as I can see would be eminently

suitable. We would want to score candidates against each of 's

listed characteristics, let's say on a scale of 1 to 10, to indicate

how closely they conformed to that characteristic, and we'd need

scoring guidelines to ensure everyone got assessed on the same standard.

This technique could then produce an individual personal bar chart for

everyone that took the test, and that barchart would actually be quite

an accurate indication of their personality and needs.

In summary, the point I'm trying to make is that you can't just score

autism on an analogue scale; it's a multi-faceted condition where each

facet has its own score and weighting.

-------- YOUR REPLIES --------

Subject: Re: Article~I Had Asperger Syndrome.

Briefly

Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:20:06 -0600

Reply-To: aspires-relationships

To: aspires-relationships

<aspires-relationships >

>>The definition should be narrowed. I don’t want a kid with mild

autism to go untreated. But I don’t want a school psychologist to give a

clumsy, lonely teenager a description of his mind that isn’t true.<<

I disagree. The criteria should be improved, not narrowed.

---

[Guest guest]

Well said, .

I read the article and wondered two thingsL

a) Mum - is she one of the zealous ones who is 'looking' for something in everyone one? I get like that sometimes, working in the field of ASD and wondering if the woman next to me on the bus is sniffing and grunting because she has Tourette Syndrome....

As he describes himself in the article, I read this and I thought - you sound as though you have AS traits, mate. And may be because he has a mum who is so good with support and he has a supportive background, he doesnt suffer the outward stresses with AS that many others do - because he can be himself, and he has also found a niche that suits. So it doesnt affect him. He is able to steer through life with AS but it doesnt get in the way. So he hasnt lost his AS, he has simply found himself (hark at me getting all hippy there).

I am pretty sure there are many more AS people who dont need to find their way here to Aspires, or who are lucky enough not to experience problems in their lives; the ones who have sussed out a good path for themselves. Maybe they know they are AS, having had to discover this for practical reasons. Or maybe they dont know at all, and life's NT horrors have passed them by.

I dont adhere to this having AS sometimes or not having it anymore- it is so fundamental in its patterns that its definitely there, but its how you manage it, how you work with it, that makes it impactful or not?

Judy B, Scotland

To: aspires-relationships Sent: Thursday, 2 February 2012, 10:24Subject: Re: Article~I Had Asperger Syndrome. BrieflyMark, , You know, to me, the definition of Aspergers is still far too vague and subjective.As a techie/scientific type myself, I'd like to see it

defined in more scientific measurable terms, and it seems to me that the "spectrum" concept of it could be used to do this much more exactly than it is at present."Spectrum" scientifically refers to colours and the different wavelengths of light that constitute those colours. Each colour has a specific wavelength, and it's possible to accurately represent any light we see as a bar chart with wavelengths on the X-axis and amplitudes on the Y-axis. Hope I'm not getting too technical! [grin]Now for the purpose of analysing AS, we could equally represent all the different issues that identify Aspies, some of them good and some bad, across a bar chart's X-axis just like we do with light wavelengths. And we could represent the individual strength and weaknesses of those attributes as amplitudes on a Y-axis. Strengths positive and upwards,

weaknesses negative and downwards.What are the issues that single out Aspies? Well our own Meyer here has produced a very comprehensive list entitled "Asperger's Syndrome Characteristics" which as far as I can see would be eminently suitable. We would want to score candidates against each of 's listed characteristics, let's say on a scale of 1 to 10, to indicate how closely they conformed to that characteristic, and we'd need scoring guidelines to ensure everyone got assessed on the same standard.This technique could then produce an individual personal bar chart for everyone that took the test, and that barchart would actually be quite an accurate indication of their personality and needs.In summary, the point I'm trying to make is that you can't just score autism on an analogue scale; it's a multi-faceted condition

where each facet has its own score and weighting. -------- YOUR REPLIES --------Subject: Re: Article~I Had Asperger Syndrome.BrieflyDate: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:20:06 -0600Reply-To: aspires-relationships To: aspires-relationships <aspires-relationships >

>>The definition should be narrowed. I don’t want a kid with mildautism to go untreated. But I don’t want a school psychologist to give aclumsy, lonely teenager a description of his mind that isn’t true.<<I disagree. The criteria should be improved, not narrowed.--------------------------------------- "We each have our own way of living in the world, together we are like a symphony.Some are the melody, some are the rhythm, some are the harmony It all blends together, we are like a symphony, and each part is crucial.We all contribute to the song of life." ...Sondra We might not always agree; but TOGETHER we will make a difference.ASPIRES is a closed, confidential, moderated list.Responsibility for posts to ASPIRES lies entirely with the

original author. Do NOT post mail off-list without the author's permission. When in doubt, please refer to our list rules at: http://www.aspires-relationships.com/info_rules.htm ASPIRES ~ Climbing the mountain TOGETHER http://www.aspires-relationships.com

[Guest guest]

I like this, !

- Helen

>

> Mark, ,

>

> You know, to me, the definition of Aspergers is still far too

> vague and subjective.

>

> As a techie/scientific type myself, I'd like to see it defined in more

> scientific measurable terms, and it seems to me that the " spectrum "

> concept of it could be used to do this much more exactly than it is at

> present.

>

> " Spectrum " scientifically refers to colours and the different

> wavelengths of light that constitute those colours. Each colour has a

> specific wavelength, and it's possible to accurately represent any

> light we see as a bar chart with wavelengths on the X-axis and

> amplitudes on the Y-axis. Hope I'm not getting too technical! [grin]

>

> Now for the purpose of analysing AS, we could equally represent all the

> different issues that identify Aspies, some of them good and some bad,

> across a bar chart's X-axis just like we do with light wavelengths.

> And we could represent the individual strength and weaknesses of those

> attributes as amplitudes on a Y-axis. Strengths positive and upwards,

> weaknesses negative and downwards.

>

> What are the issues that single out Aspies? Well our own Meyer

> here has produced a very comprehensive list entitled " Asperger's

> Syndrome Characteristics " which as far as I can see would be eminently

> suitable. We would want to score candidates against each of 's

> listed characteristics, let's say on a scale of 1 to 10, to indicate

> how closely they conformed to that characteristic, and we'd need

> scoring guidelines to ensure everyone got assessed on the same standard.

>

> This technique could then produce an individual personal bar chart for

> everyone that took the test, and that barchart would actually be quite

> an accurate indication of their personality and needs.

>

> In summary, the point I'm trying to make is that you can't just score

> autism on an analogue scale; it's a multi-faceted condition where each

> facet has its own score and weighting.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I think when parents are seeking some sort of answer to explain why their

children are the way they are and aren't getting anywhere - only to find out,

" Hey, this could possibly explain it, " then boom goes the label. You're AS.

While it's unfortunate in this situation that he " lived " with AS, at least he

has come to a better understanding of what AS is and to " walk a mile " in the

shoes of someone who has AS.

I was misdiagnosed as having cerebral palsy, being mentally retarded, being

mentally slow, when doctors were trying to diagnose me back in the 1970's when

the tooks for AS were not available at the time. My parents and I lived in the

far northwest Indiana suburbs of Chicago at the time.

My mom wrote: “Questioned the family doctor regularly on why you suddenly

stopped talking. Kept being told boys tend to be slower at learning things and

to wait it out. It was not that you couldn't learn or understand, it was more of

a communication problem. Was referred to a research project at a hospital in

Chicago. The only thing they came up with was a diagnosis of " brain damage " . An

autism diagnosis was not made. Little was known about that condition back (in

the 1970s) then and most kids with the condition were severely affected - head

banging, endless rocking, etc. You did not do those things.

“You could interact pretty well with people and was a well-behaved child. I

got you into a special research project that was studying kids somewhat like

you. You were seen by a variety of departments. The only specific thing I can

remember being said is what the psychologist said about the picture you drew of

your family....we were all sitting at a table eating. He thought there was some

kind of food connection but he was only guessing.

“At Trade Winds (a rehabilitation school in northwest Indiana) you had speech,

occupational and physical therapy and given the diagnosis of possible cerebral

palsy. You would walk on your toes quite often and the dr and I debated about

putting you in leg braces. We decided to wait to see if you stopped doing that

and you eventually did without the braces. I talked with every professional I

could think of at the time. That was before internet and easy access to

information. I just knew your potential was there but had no idea how to tap

into it.â€

So, there you have it from my perspective of being given a wrong diagnosis.