So I'm Pretty sure I have Autism/Asperger's Syndrome... What is there to do about it?!
Question: So I'm Pretty sure I have Autism/Asperger's Syndrome... What is there to do about it.?
Well, I've been told by several people, including my mother, that I'm autistic. I haven't really looked into it until today, when I read an article about autism, and it basically described my life, except for the part about "having trouble reading facial expressions and body language." So I've done some more research, and it still describes me.
I'll list my symptoms:
I'm almost always feeling left out
I have a hard time making friends
I have a hard time keeping up a conversation
Short attention span
Very acute, obsessive interests
and I never really feel like I fit in
However, I'm very smart, very artistic and creative, and hold A's and a few B's in advanced-level courses.
So, would you classify me as having aspergers or high level autism.?
And, If you do classify me as one of those, what is there to do about it.?
Oh, and I'm 15 by the way.Health Question & Answer
I'll list my symptoms:
I'm almost always feeling left out
I have a hard time making friends
I have a hard time keeping up a conversation
Short attention span
Very acute, obsessive interests
and I never really feel like I fit in
However, I'm very smart, very artistic and creative, and hold A's and a few B's in advanced-level courses.
So, would you classify me as having aspergers or high level autism.?
And, If you do classify me as one of those, what is there to do about it.?
Oh, and I'm 15 by the way.Health Question & Answer
Answers:
sounds like me, a little, but i just hate stupid people... so that's where my social inhibitions are probably stemming from. But if you genuinely feel that was about social life, then yeah you could certainly have Asperger's. However there is nothing you can do about it. It, in common belief, stems from both physiological changes in brain activity (congenital) and environmental upbringing. The good things about Asperger's is the intelligence factor helps compensate. So try to make the best of it and find smart friends and maybe a girl that loves you for who you are (eventually, someday, lol). Any other questions, or you just wanna chat, email me. Ill try to get back asap, but getting to med school takes 95% hours in a day!Health Question & Answer
Only a doctor can diagnose Autism..specifically Asperger's...and it's usually done at a much earlier age, like, Kindergarten-2nd grade...if you've made it this far (15) without any difficulty except fitting in and having normal teenage angst, then you're probably just fine...ask you're mom why she tells you that..(and everyone else for that matter)...Health Question & Answer
my son has Asperger's Syndrome...and I have 2 teenagers (17, 15) who don't.....Health Question & Answer
Asperger's is autism. Read "The curious incident of the dog in the night time", Does he think in a much similar way to you.? There's nothing you can do about having this disorder, it's just the way it is.Health Question & Answer
You could be a typical teenager. I was like that at your age. You would need a psychological assessment. None of us can tell you.Health Question & Answer
Autism is a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old.[2] The autism spectrum disorders (ASD) also include related conditions such as Asperger syndrome that have milder signs and symptoms.[3]
Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by multigene interactions or by rare mutations.[4] In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects.[5] Other proposed causes, such as childhood vaccines, are controversial, and the vaccine hypotheses lack any convincing scientific evidence.[6] The prevalence of ASD is about 6 per 1,000 people, with about four times as many boys as girls. The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved.[7]
Autism affects many parts of the brain; how this occurs is not understood. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. Although early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help children gain self-care, social, and communication skills, there is no known cure.[3] Few children with autism live independently after reaching adulthood, but some become successful,[8] and an autistic culture has developed, with some seeking a cure and others believing that autism is a condition rather than a disorder.[
Characteristics
Autism is a highly variable brain development disorder[10] that first appears during infancy or childhood, and generally follows a steady course without remission.[11] Symptoms tend to continue through adulthood, although often in more muted form.[12] It is distinguished not by a single symptom, but by a characteristic triad of symptoms: impairments in social interaction; impairments in communication; and restricted interests and repetitive behavior. Other aspects, such as atypical eating, are also common but are not essential for diagnosis.[13] Autism is one of three related autism spectrum disorders (ASD; see Classification). Its individual symptoms occur in the general population and appear not to associate highly, without a sharp line separating pathologically severe from common traits.[14]
[edit] Social development
Social deficits distinguish ASD from other developmental disorders.[12] People with autism have social impairments and often lack the intuition about others that many people take for granted. Noted autistic Temple Grandin described her inability to understand the social communication of neurotypicals, or people with normal neural development, as leaving her feeling "like an anthropologist on Mars".[15]
Social impairments become apparent early in childhood. Autistic infants show less attention to social stimuli, smile and look at others less often, and respond less to their own name. Autistic toddlers have more striking social deviance; for example, they have less eye contact and anticipatory postures and are more likely to communicate by manipulating another person's hand.[16] Three- to five-year-old autistic children are less likely to exhibit social understanding, approach others spontaneously, imitate and respond to emotions, communicate nonverbally, and take turns with others. However, they do form attachments to their primary caregivers.[17] They display moderately less attachment security than usual, although this feature disappears in children with higher mental development or less severe ASD.[18] Older children and adults with ASD perform worse on tests of face and emotion recognition.[19]
Contrary to common belief, autistic children do not prefer to be alone. Making and maintaining friendships often proves to be difficult for those with autism. For them, the quality of friendships, not the number of friends, predicts how lonely they feel.[20]
There are many anecdotal reports, but few systematic studies, of aggression and violence in individuals with ASD. The limited data suggest that, in children with mental retardation, autism is associated with aggression, destruction of property, and tantrums. A 2007 study interviewed parents of 67 children with ASD and reported that about two-thirds of the children had periods of severe tantrums and about one-third had a history of aggression, with tantrums significantly more common than in children with a history of language impairment.[21] A 2008 Swedish study found that, of individuals aged 15 or older discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of ASD, those who committed violent crimes were significantly more likely to have other psychopathological conditions such as psychosis.[22]
[edit] Communication
About a third to a half of individuals with autism do not develop enough natural speech to meet their daily communication needs.[23] DifferenceHealth Question & Answer
Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by multigene interactions or by rare mutations.[4] In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects.[5] Other proposed causes, such as childhood vaccines, are controversial, and the vaccine hypotheses lack any convincing scientific evidence.[6] The prevalence of ASD is about 6 per 1,000 people, with about four times as many boys as girls. The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved.[7]
Autism affects many parts of the brain; how this occurs is not understood. Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. Although early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help children gain self-care, social, and communication skills, there is no known cure.[3] Few children with autism live independently after reaching adulthood, but some become successful,[8] and an autistic culture has developed, with some seeking a cure and others believing that autism is a condition rather than a disorder.[
Characteristics
Autism is a highly variable brain development disorder[10] that first appears during infancy or childhood, and generally follows a steady course without remission.[11] Symptoms tend to continue through adulthood, although often in more muted form.[12] It is distinguished not by a single symptom, but by a characteristic triad of symptoms: impairments in social interaction; impairments in communication; and restricted interests and repetitive behavior. Other aspects, such as atypical eating, are also common but are not essential for diagnosis.[13] Autism is one of three related autism spectrum disorders (ASD; see Classification). Its individual symptoms occur in the general population and appear not to associate highly, without a sharp line separating pathologically severe from common traits.[14]
[edit] Social development
Social deficits distinguish ASD from other developmental disorders.[12] People with autism have social impairments and often lack the intuition about others that many people take for granted. Noted autistic Temple Grandin described her inability to understand the social communication of neurotypicals, or people with normal neural development, as leaving her feeling "like an anthropologist on Mars".[15]
Social impairments become apparent early in childhood. Autistic infants show less attention to social stimuli, smile and look at others less often, and respond less to their own name. Autistic toddlers have more striking social deviance; for example, they have less eye contact and anticipatory postures and are more likely to communicate by manipulating another person's hand.[16] Three- to five-year-old autistic children are less likely to exhibit social understanding, approach others spontaneously, imitate and respond to emotions, communicate nonverbally, and take turns with others. However, they do form attachments to their primary caregivers.[17] They display moderately less attachment security than usual, although this feature disappears in children with higher mental development or less severe ASD.[18] Older children and adults with ASD perform worse on tests of face and emotion recognition.[19]
Contrary to common belief, autistic children do not prefer to be alone. Making and maintaining friendships often proves to be difficult for those with autism. For them, the quality of friendships, not the number of friends, predicts how lonely they feel.[20]
There are many anecdotal reports, but few systematic studies, of aggression and violence in individuals with ASD. The limited data suggest that, in children with mental retardation, autism is associated with aggression, destruction of property, and tantrums. A 2007 study interviewed parents of 67 children with ASD and reported that about two-thirds of the children had periods of severe tantrums and about one-third had a history of aggression, with tantrums significantly more common than in children with a history of language impairment.[21] A 2008 Swedish study found that, of individuals aged 15 or older discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of ASD, those who committed violent crimes were significantly more likely to have other psychopathological conditions such as psychosis.[22]
[edit] Communication
About a third to a half of individuals with autism do not develop enough natural speech to meet their daily communication needs.[23] DifferenceHealth Question & Answer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutismHealth Question & Answer
I wouldn't classify you like that, because I feel that slapping labels and classifications on people is limiting. Oh you have this or that.. it sets you up to fail or have excuses not to do your best. I was once also told I might be mildly autistic. Well... I still don't have many friends, but I have a wonderful wife of 20 yrs. I have held and excelled at my business for over 20 yrs. I graduated with top academic honors even though I was tormented and picked on in school. And I never once took all that so called autism stuff seriously. I don't buy it. They love to stick labels on people that they don't understand. You are far to articulate to have a problem. People don't understand you.. they think you are odd. That is because you exceed them in so many ways. Hold your head up and reject classifications. It will only drag you down.Health Question & Answer
According to all modern psychoanalytic theory, autism is pervasive arrested development brought on my shock at birth or shortly thereafter. According to Bruno Bettelheim, one shock that is most commonly related to autism is precociousness at birth where the baby is born with his safe mode turned off so that his senses are overwhelmed. Normal babies are born totally out of it, unable to open their eyes or comprehend that external noise is coming from outside their own bodies, whereas a precocious child gets a full dose of reality the moment he is born. That is a shock, to say the least.
As a result, the precocious child--genius--has a tendency to withdraw into himself. That's the essence of autism--anti-social. And that is why most geniuses seem sort of distracted and gone in the head. They are all necessarily at least a bit autistic.
As for what to do about it, you can't lower your IQ and you can't change your personality which gets programmed into the brain in early infancy. About all you can do is go to a psychotherapist if your symptoms start to interfere with your life in a significant way.
For the time being, though, you might want to change the focus of your acute obsessive interests to psychoanalysis so you can understand yourself. Here's the best introduction I have ever read:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Question%20o...
If you are interested in theory and fascinating case histories of severe autism, this is the best book I have read so far:
.?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0029031400&nodeID=283155#wasThisHelpful" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/review/RBP49Y1CEZY...Health Question & Answer
As a result, the precocious child--genius--has a tendency to withdraw into himself. That's the essence of autism--anti-social. And that is why most geniuses seem sort of distracted and gone in the head. They are all necessarily at least a bit autistic.
As for what to do about it, you can't lower your IQ and you can't change your personality which gets programmed into the brain in early infancy. About all you can do is go to a psychotherapist if your symptoms start to interfere with your life in a significant way.
For the time being, though, you might want to change the focus of your acute obsessive interests to psychoanalysis so you can understand yourself. Here's the best introduction I have ever read:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Question%20o...
If you are interested in theory and fascinating case histories of severe autism, this is the best book I have read so far:
.?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0029031400&nodeID=283155#wasThisHelpful" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/review/RBP49Y1CEZY...Health Question & Answer
I'm autisticHealth Question & Answer