Whig-Standard: People with Asperger's don't 'suffer' from syndrome

[Guest guest]

Excellent letter to the editor regarding the 'suffering' issue:

link: http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=991808

People with Asperger's don't 'suffer' from syndrome

Posted 16 hours ago

" I am writing in response to the picture on the front page of the

Tuesday. April 15 edition of The Kingston Whig-Standard. This picture

was accompanied by captions relating to Jay Serdula's swim to raise

money for the study of Asperger's Syndrome.

" While I don't know Serdula, I think anyone taking on a swim of such

magnitude is admirable, and I applaud him for raising funds for

much-needed research.

" My concern regarding these pictures lies in the caption. The caption

states that " Serdula, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, " is

planning a swim.

" As a parent of a child with Asperger's syndrome, I take great offence

to the use of the word " suffers. " This paints a picture for anyone

unaware of what Asperger's entails that everyone with this syndrome

must suffer in some way. It is a very negative connotation to apply to

a very positive story line.

" Individuals with Asperger's syndrome are as unique as other

neurotypical individuals. Not every person with Asperger's has the

exact same set of circumstances or the same degree of " symptoms. "

" Asperger's is, in fact, considered to be an autism spectrum disorder,

indicating that there are varying degrees of the syndrome within that

spectrum. Individuals with Asperger's will have varying abilities to

read and interpret social cues, and to portray their own emotions and

feelings. Many individuals find eye contact difficult, or will have a

vast amount of information on one particular topic.

" There are many other " symptoms " of Asperger's, but not every

individual has the exact same set of symptoms. Stating that people

with Asperger's must be " suffering " from this syndrome further

isolates and places a negative image onto the disorder.

" Individuals with Asperger's typically have normal to advanced

language and intellectual development. Adults usually obtain a better

understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses and are able to

learn social skills and how to read others' social cues. Some traits

that are typical of Asperger's syndrome - such as attention to detail

and specific, focused interests - can increase chances of university

and career success.

" Many people with Asperger's seem to be fascinated with technology,

and a common career choice is engineering. Many respected historical

figures have had symptoms of Asperger's, including Wolfgang Amadeus

Mozart, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and Jefferson.

" Individuals with Asperger's syndrome have their own unique set of

daily challenges and interpretations of the world, and they have good

days and bad days, just like the rest of the population. However,

being diagnosed with Asperger's in no way sets you up for a lifetime

of " suffering " from the syndrome.

" My child is happy and well-adjusted and has lots of friends. I want

children to learn to accept and embrace who they are and what they

will accomplish in the world, and stand up strongly for themselves. I

do not want people in the community to read the type of caption

printed in the Whig and start to feel pity because they think anyone

with Asperger's must be suffering. I believe it was somewhat

presumptuous on the part of the person who wrote the caption to

categorize all individuals with Asperger's in this manner, and I only

hope that Serdula's fundraising will help to provide education

regarding the syndrome - which is clearly necessary. "

[Guest guest]

OK, being AS, I will take this two different ways- LOL!

(1) I do not suffer from AS- I like my atypical hardware!

(2) NTs sometimes don't suffer AS either- they do not allow us to be who we

are in the workplace or elsewhere in life, without giving us trouble about it!

Sigh!....

, who believes that whenever you have one ASpie, you have two

opinions....

Cole Kingsbury wrote:

Excellent letter to the editor regarding the 'suffering' issue:

link: http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=991808

People with Asperger's don't 'suffer' from syndrome

Posted 16 hours ago

" I am writing in response to the picture on the front page of the

Tuesday. April 15 edition of The Kingston Whig-Standard. This picture

was accompanied by captions relating to Jay Serdula's swim to raise

money for the study of Asperger's Syndrome.

" While I don't know Serdula, I think anyone taking on a swim of such

magnitude is admirable, and I applaud him for raising funds for

much-needed research.

" My concern regarding these pictures lies in the caption. The caption

states that " Serdula, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, " is

planning a swim.

" As a parent of a child with Asperger's syndrome, I take great offence

to the use of the word " suffers. " This paints a picture for anyone

unaware of what Asperger's entails that everyone with this syndrome

must suffer in some way. It is a very negative connotation to apply to

a very positive story line.

" Individuals with Asperger's syndrome are as unique as other

neurotypical individuals. Not every person with Asperger's has the

exact same set of circumstances or the same degree of " symptoms. "

" Asperger's is, in fact, considered to be an autism spectrum disorder,

indicating that there are varying degrees of the syndrome within that

spectrum. Individuals with Asperger's will have varying abilities to

read and interpret social cues, and to portray their own emotions and

feelings. Many individuals find eye contact difficult, or will have a

vast amount of information on one particular topic.

" There are many other " symptoms " of Asperger's, but not every

individual has the exact same set of symptoms. Stating that people

with Asperger's must be " suffering " from this syndrome further

isolates and places a negative image onto the disorder.

" Individuals with Asperger's typically have normal to advanced

language and intellectual development. Adults usually obtain a better

understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses and are able to

learn social skills and how to read others' social cues. Some traits

that are typical of Asperger's syndrome - such as attention to detail

and specific, focused interests - can increase chances of university

and career success.

" Many people with Asperger's seem to be fascinated with technology,

and a common career choice is engineering. Many respected historical

figures have had symptoms of Asperger's, including Wolfgang Amadeus

Mozart, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and Jefferson.

" Individuals with Asperger's syndrome have their own unique set of

daily challenges and interpretations of the world, and they have good

days and bad days, just like the rest of the population. However,

being diagnosed with Asperger's in no way sets you up for a lifetime

of " suffering " from the syndrome.

" My child is happy and well-adjusted and has lots of friends. I want

children to learn to accept and embrace who they are and what they

will accomplish in the world, and stand up strongly for themselves. I

do not want people in the community to read the type of caption

printed in the Whig and start to feel pity because they think anyone

with Asperger's must be suffering. I believe it was somewhat

presumptuous on the part of the person who wrote the caption to

categorize all individuals with Asperger's in this manner, and I only

hope that Serdula's fundraising will help to provide education

regarding the syndrome - which is clearly necessary. "

---------------------------------

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.