In the tournament Scrabble world, a few of the top-level players have it. (For those who don't know, Azberger's is a type of high-functioning autism.) It was discussed some on the message board for tournament players.
One gentleman did not know that he had it until he was a 40+ adult. He was so relieved! He never knew why people would often get irritated with him, and why he didn't get jokes that others were laughing at. People with Asberger's have trouble understanding the subtleties of language, such as voice inflection, body language, sarcasm, and plays on words.
My roommate at MIT claims to have Asperger's. Of course, he believes EVERYBODY at MIT has it. The ability to tune out distractions is clearly an advantage there.
I prefer to think of myself as having a well-ordered mind!
I have for the past 2 years been fighting with whether or not I have Asperger's Syndrome. My conclusion is I do, it explains alot about me, might explain why I got into TWI and so deep into researching.
As a child I related to Mr. Spock the logical unemotional vulcan. I had and still have trouble in social situations. I have big trouble with facial expressions.
Perhaps you can find a knowledgeable professional in your area that can give you a diagnostic test. Or maybe there is a suuport group for people with Asberger's, where you might see some of your experiences reflected in others.
For sure, there is a broad spectrum of people's ability to relate in social situations, and a broad range in the ability to retain facts, figures, and impressions. It in no way reflects on the goodness of the human being. Heck, I'm a geek, but I'm a nice geek! :D-->
One more story, written carefully because I do not want him embarrassed by a Google search:
I played my favorite board game against a very high-ranked young man, a much stronger player than I am. I got all the right tiles at the right time, and I beat him. When I admitted I only won because I got everything, he said, "Yes, you did." I am not offended by that -- he doesn't understand that it would be more "politically correct" to say something nice about my skill. And besides, he was right! He mentioned to another player how long it had been since anyone in the state had beaten him, and who that was, the scores, etc.
The next time we played, he annihilated me, no surprise. In our third game recently, I beat him again, big surprise, way against the odds of how often I should win against him. The club director walked over to get our stats, assuming the other guy had won, then apologizing to me for his assumption. I said, "No, it makes perfect sense to assume that he won." My opponent said, "That was a gracious thing to say."
My experience with the psychology field and getting a specific and accurate diagnosis is that it can be very difficult. There are a lot of overlapping symptoms/behaviors, and then the varying degrees. Additionally there is a fairly high rate of comorbidity. I.E. people with autism spectrum disorders often have sensory integration disorders and/or ADHD and/or anxiety issues and so on.
While there is some degree of comfort in having a specific label as it can give direction into treatment and research, my experience thus far is to find the techniques and/or medications that help treat the specific problematic symptoms.
Even in doing this you will find that what works for some may not be what works for others, so the key is to find out what works for you.
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Shellon
Seth, I have a couple of books that detail it quite well.
Would you like to have them?
I realize that's not as quick as the world wide web, but you're welcome to them, just PT me an address.
If not, I'll try to relay some of it to you.
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Abigail
What do you want to know?
:)-->
You can email me at abigail0900@yahoo if you'd like. I have spent about a year and a half researching this because my 8yr was diagnosed with it.
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shazdancer
Hi, Seth!
In the tournament Scrabble world, a few of the top-level players have it. (For those who don't know, Azberger's is a type of high-functioning autism.) It was discussed some on the message board for tournament players.
One gentleman did not know that he had it until he was a 40+ adult. He was so relieved! He never knew why people would often get irritated with him, and why he didn't get jokes that others were laughing at. People with Asberger's have trouble understanding the subtleties of language, such as voice inflection, body language, sarcasm, and plays on words.
Regards,
Shaz
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WordWolf
I'd say it is LIKE high-functioning autism.
(All I know IS what I've gotten from online, but that's pages and pages.)
It's easier to see the difference between autism and Asperger's when you think
about the computer world and Asperger's. It's believed in some circles that
Bill Gates is the most famous person with high-functioning Asperger's.
He relates a LOT better to things than people. There are also jokes that
Silicon Valley is Main Street USA for Asperger's, and the subculture there is
optimized for the comfort of them.
:)-->
Something I found interesting was a Harry Potter fan's statement. She said that
she's certain the character Luna Lovegood (From Order of the Phoenix) has
Asperger's Syndrome, because HER daughter has Asperger's, and her daughter acts
EXACTLY like Luna Lovegood.
Asperger's has sparked some interesting discussions online.
Everybody knows that autism, MOST of the time, is a disadvantage. However,
some people with autism can demonstrate AMAZING abilities
(Rain Man in Las Vegas, keeping track of ALL the cards in a 7-deck shoe.)
Autism is determined by neurology-people with autism have it based on how
they're "wired". So, under specific conditions, autism is an ADVANTAGE.
Similarly, Asperger's is determined by neurology, and is a disadvantage in
some circumstances, and an advantage in others.
This has sparked discussions on alternately-functional neurology.
You can be "wired" different, think different, act and react different,
and yet it's not "bad" or "a problem". Your nervous system works to your
ADVANTAGE in some situations. It's a little like how men and women are wired
different (and how!) yet neither is wired "wrong".
That's my contribution to this discussion.
As I said, that can all be found online.
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GeorgeStGeorge
My roommate at MIT claims to have Asperger's. Of course, he believes EVERYBODY at MIT has it. The ability to tune out distractions is clearly an advantage there.
I prefer to think of myself as having a well-ordered mind!
George
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Seth R.
Thanks everyone for your responses.
I have for the past 2 years been fighting with whether or not I have Asperger's Syndrome. My conclusion is I do, it explains alot about me, might explain why I got into TWI and so deep into researching.
As a child I related to Mr. Spock the logical unemotional vulcan. I had and still have trouble in social situations. I have big trouble with facial expressions.
Any hoo, thanks again,
Seth
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shazdancer
Dear Seth,
Perhaps you can find a knowledgeable professional in your area that can give you a diagnostic test. Or maybe there is a suuport group for people with Asberger's, where you might see some of your experiences reflected in others.
For sure, there is a broad spectrum of people's ability to relate in social situations, and a broad range in the ability to retain facts, figures, and impressions. It in no way reflects on the goodness of the human being. Heck, I'm a geek, but I'm a nice geek!
:D-->
One more story, written carefully because I do not want him embarrassed by a Google search:
I played my favorite board game against a very high-ranked young man, a much stronger player than I am. I got all the right tiles at the right time, and I beat him. When I admitted I only won because I got everything, he said, "Yes, you did." I am not offended by that -- he doesn't understand that it would be more "politically correct" to say something nice about my skill. And besides, he was right! He mentioned to another player how long it had been since anyone in the state had beaten him, and who that was, the scores, etc.
The next time we played, he annihilated me, no surprise. In our third game recently, I beat him again, big surprise, way against the odds of how often I should win against him. The club director walked over to get our stats, assuming the other guy had won, then apologizing to me for his assumption. I said, "No, it makes perfect sense to assume that he won." My opponent said, "That was a gracious thing to say."
He is a nice man. With Asberger's.
Regards,
Shaz
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Abigail
My experience with the psychology field and getting a specific and accurate diagnosis is that it can be very difficult. There are a lot of overlapping symptoms/behaviors, and then the varying degrees. Additionally there is a fairly high rate of comorbidity. I.E. people with autism spectrum disorders often have sensory integration disorders and/or ADHD and/or anxiety issues and so on.
While there is some degree of comfort in having a specific label as it can give direction into treatment and research, my experience thus far is to find the techniques and/or medications that help treat the specific problematic symptoms.
Even in doing this you will find that what works for some may not be what works for others, so the key is to find out what works for you.
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