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Post by Plus Size Crazy on Sept 23, 2011 18:35:47 GMT 10
Aspergers is a form of Autism...
SO WHAT IS ASPERGER'S SYNDROME?
... Asperger’s Syndrome is a lifelong disability that affects how a person makes sense of the world, processes information and relates to other people.
... Asperger’s Syndrome is often described as a 'spectrum disorder' because the condition affects people in many different ways and to varying degrees.
... Asperger’s Syndrome is mostly a 'hidden disability'. This means that you can't tell that someone has the condition from their outward appearance.
People with the condition have difficulties in three main areas. They are:
.... Social communication ......
...... Social interaction ......
...... Social imagination .....
... While there are similarities with the better known autism, people with Asperger‘s syndrome have fewer problems with speaking and are often of average, or above average, intelligence. They do not usually have the accompanying learning disabilities associated with autism, but they may have specific learning difficulties. These may include dyslexia and dyspraxia or other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy.
STRENGTHS
People with Asperger’s syndrome often exhibit the following features:
.. Able to speak fluently and knowledgeably about specific subjects.
.. Good at memorising facts and figures about a specialised subject.
.. A high ability to focus and concentrate.
.. A tendency not to gossip.
.. Honesty and Directness.
.. Conscientiousness and dedication.
.. Tolerance of predictable work.
.. Reliability with regard to completing routine tasks
.. Intuitive and logical thinking
.. Can often visualise things from a perspective that most neurotypical people are incapable of visualising
.. Regularly notice small details overlooked by most neurotypical people
*neurotypical people = normal people*
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List of Asperger Symptoms
~ Please remember that not every symptom / trait will be seen in each person as everyone is still an individual and some symptoms wont be in some people or may be there only in a very slightly unnoticeable way ~
Poor communication such as:
Speech and language peculiarities
Overformal speech
Taking everything literally
Long monologues
Inappropriate remarks
Inability to take turns talking
Inability to listen to others
Unable to recognize figure of speech or sarcasm
Difficulty initiating conversation
Flat, cheerless demeanor
Loud voice
Doesn’t respond to name very well
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Non-verbal communication problems such as:
Inability to pick up facial expressions
Not able to notice body language
Does not pick up subtle changes in someone tone of voice
Few facial expressions
Unaware of unwritten rules
Impaired social interaction such as:
Social withdrawal
Lack of interest in other people
Eccentric personality
Preoccupied with their own agenda
Socially non-adapted personality
Limited interests
Unusual preoccupations
Need for sameness
Repetitive routines or rituals
Engages in highly repetitive play
Excellent rote memory
Single-mindedness
Aloof
Fear of changes
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Poor motor skills such as:
Poor coordination
Clumsiness
Uncoordinated motor movements
Hand flapping
Head swiveling
Mirroring
Stilted *Doesn’t have a strong response to pain*
Extreme dislike of certain noises, textures or situations
Easily over stimulated by sounds, crowds or lights
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Post by Plus Size Crazy on Sept 23, 2011 18:55:07 GMT 10
Most of the information on Asperger Syndrome comes from the study of Males with Aspergers...
It has recently been dicovered that Females with Aspergers have slightly different traits...
The list of Female Asperger Syndrome Traits..
Appearance/Personal Habits
Dresses comfortably due to sensory issues and practicality
Will not spend much time on grooming and hair. Hairstyles usually have to be 'wash and wear'.
Eccentric personality; may be reflected in appearance.
Is youthful for her age, in looks, dress, behaviour and tastes.
Usually a little more expressive in the face and gesture than males with aspergers.
May have many androgynous traits despite an outwardly feminine appearance. Thinks of herself as half-male / half-female.
May not have a strong sense of identity, and can be chameleon-like (adapting to situations and people by becoming like them)
Enjoys reading and films as a retreat, often scifi, fantasy and children's books, films and TV. Can have favourites which are a refuge from everyday struggles.
Uses control of certain things as a stress management technique: rules, discipline, rigid in certain habits, which will contradict her seeming unconventionality.
Usually happiest at home or in other controlled environments.
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Intellectual/giftedness/education/vocation
May have been diagnosed as autistic or Asperger's when young, or may have been thought of as gifted, shy, sensitive, etc.
Often musical or artistic
May have savant skill or strong talent (s)
May have a strong interest in computers, games, science, graphic design, inventing, and things of a technological and visual nature. More verbal thinkers may gravitate to writing, languages, cultural studies, psychology.
May be highly educated but will have had to struggle with social aspects of college. May have one or many partial degrees
May have left school early because she couldn't cope with the social environment.
May be a self-taught reader, been hyperlexic as a child, and will possess a wide variety of other self-taught skills as well.
Can be very passionate about a course of study or job, and then change direction or go completely cold on it very quickly.
Will often have trouble holding onto a job and may find employment daunting.
Highly intelligent, yet sometimes can be slow to comprehend due to sensory and cognitive processing issues.
Will not do well with verbal instructions - needs to write down or draw diagram.
Will have obsessions but they are not as unusual as males with aspergers. (she is less likely to be a train spotter)
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Emotional/Physical
Emotionally immature and emotionally sensitive.
Anxiety and fear predominant emotions.
More open to talking about feelings and emotional issues than males with Aspergers.
Strong sensory issues - sounds, sights, smells, touch and prone to overload. ( she is less likely to have taste / food texture issues which males with aspergers seem to have.)
Moody and prone to bouts of depression. May have been mis-diagnosed as Borderline personality, Bi-polar or Manic depressive (common comorbids of autism/aspergers)
9 out of 10 have mild to severe Gastro-intestinal difficulties - e.g. Ulcers, acid reflux, IBS, gastritis, etc.
Stims to sooth when sad or agitated: rocking, face-rubbing, humming, finger flicking or rubbing, leg bouncing, finger or foot tapping, etc.
Similarly physical when happy: bouncy, hand flapping, clapping, singing, jumping, running around, dancing, bouncing, etc.
Prone to temper or crying meltdown, even in public, sometimes over seemingly small things, due to sensory or emotional overload.
Hates injustice, whether to humans or animals, and hates to be misunderstood; this can incite anger and rage or depression.
Prone to mutism when stressed or upset, ESP, after a meltdown. Less likely to stutter than males with aspergers, but may have a raspy voice, monotone at times, when stressed or sad.
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Social/Relationships
Words and actions are often misunderstood by others.
Perceived to be cold-natured and self-centered; unfriendly.
Is very outspoken at times, may get very fired up when talking about passions / obsessive interests.
Can be very shy or mute.
Like males with aspergers, she will shut down in social situations once overloaded, but is generally better at socializing in small does. May even give the appearance of being skilled socially but it is a performance.
Doesn't got out much. Will prefer to go out with partner only or children if she has them.
Will not have many girlfriends and will not do 'girly' things like shopping with them or having get togethers to 'hang out'.
Will possibly have have had a close friend or friends in school, but not once adulthood is reached.
May or may not want to have a relationship. If she is in a relationship, she probably takes it very seriously.
Due to sensory issues, will either really enjoy sex or strongly dislke it.
Sex may be something that she can either live with or live without. If she is infertile sex may become something she no longer is interested in as it no longer has a logical reason to be preformed.
If she likes a male, or female even, she can be extremely, noticeably awkward in her attempt to let the person know, e.g. she may stare when she sees the person or call the person repleatedly or make contact via the internet repeatedly. This is because she fixates and doesnt understand societal gender roles. This can change with maturity.
Often prefers the company of animals but not always due to sensory issues.
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Post by Plus Size Crazy on Sept 24, 2011 1:50:28 GMT 10
As a female with Aspergers, I can relate to just about every female trait on that list above...
One thing I can tell you from my experience as a person diagnosed with Aspergers as an Adult later in life...
You notice as a child that you seem different to other children in certain ways and so you grow up learning to mirror people.. also sometimes called mimicing ...
This means that you watch people and you learn from watching enough people what is considered "normal" behaviour and responce to certain things ... and so you start to do those things when around other people even if you can not connect to the things you are doing...
I learnt to look people in the eyes when they talk or I talk.. as its something expected and it shows you are listening and interested in what the other person has to say...
The only problem I have is that I sometimes look too intently or for too long a period of time.. and that can make people feel uncomfortable....
No matter how much I try I can never get the right balance... and I will let you into a little secret .. sometimes I look at someones mouth rather than their eyes but thats when I am feel really uncomfortable with someone...
But because I can look in peoples eyes when I talk to them or they talk to me.. its harder for people to realise that I have Aspergers..
Its one way to fit in and not be noticed.. as you learn growing up that its better to not be different... of course then when you get home and are alone or in a place where you feel totally free to be yourself... thats when you have a breakdown (meltdown) because you have been under stress pretending to be normal and not being yourself...
As a child I would go into the garden and cry...
Now as an adult I still cry or get angry ... I sometimes need to cuddle one of my teddy bears as I cry...
The world is a confusing and stressful place for someone with Aspergers ... especially when you have to act normal around other people...
Now someone may say well if you are able to act normal around others why cant you act normal all the time.... but try to look at it this way... Could you pretend to be someone different 24 hours 7 days a week forever ? .. Wouldnt the stress of not being you get to you?
Could an actor playing a character on a show or movie be that character 24/7 for the rest of his life ? .. No one can be someone they are not for every minute of every day forever...
When you know that you come across to people as eccentric, weird, crazy, strange .. you learn to hide that when you need to, but you cant hide yourself forever...
Also how can you do something forever that doesnt make sense to you... ?
I think logically ... as in for me getting from A to C involves leaving A, going to B and then onto C ... where as many normal people go A, D, B, C ...
Maybe you need to be in my mind to understand what I was try to explain.. but hopefully you did get it ..
Another example is.. If I come to visit you and drive 2 hours to do it, then to me its logical if you then came to visit me next time.. and so on.. we would take equal turns at the trip to see each other .... Yet many people expect me to be the one to make the trip every since time... to me that is not logical or even polite...
To me its logical to be nice to people because life would be easier and nicer if everyone was polite and nice... but most people dont think that way...
Having Aspergers is hard because you can say to someone ... I'm not very good being around people ... that person may say back to you, dont worry neither am I .... but they may not get it that where they are willing to initiate contact with people and can be around new people with only the slightest stress .. for someone with Aspergers, we dont want to make contact with people, we wont put ourselves in that situation if possible as our stress can cause us to have a meltdown and have huge panic attacks...
I can not connect to people... I dont feel any bond... I can not always understand what someone is talking about .. I may get the context wrong.. I may not read the situation right ... I might laugh when its a serious conversation .. I may be upset at something said when it wasnt meant that way...
For those reasons I dont like being around people, I dont like talking on the phone....
The internet still has its issues as its still easy to read the written word the wrong way... as someones emotions can influence the way something is perceived... but the computer is still much easier than in person or on the phone...
Having Aspergers isnt fun ... but dont get me wrong .. finding out I have Aspergers was really good for me, as finally I had something that fit me completely.. and I found people who had the same thoughts, feelings and reactions as I did to things ... I finally felt "normal" ... as in I wasnt the only one any more and what I thought, felt and did, was being done by others as well...
You dont know how wonderful it is to finally fit in somewhere and know that you really are not crazy, strange, weird or eccentric ... your just Autistic ...
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