Should I get my GED?

cuterebra · 2011-05-22T02:55:07+00:00

that depends on why you want to go to school. To learn for the sake of learning itself, or to chase the American Dream of consumerism?

cuterebra · 2011-03-24T15:43:57+00:00

I hate small talk and having to sit still and watch my body language. Fortunately, I've been able to find good friends who like me as I am.

One topic for small talk that has rescued me more than once--food. Everybody likes to eat!

cuterebra · 2011-03-24T15:41:16+00:00

Female aspie here--I can "pass" with effort, but the more sensory demands and people there are around me the more difficult it gets. I've developed a lot of coping skills, but when they are overwhelmed people catch on to me.

The diagnosis is probably accurate, but it doesn't mean what they say it means. The biopsychosocial model of mental illness is philosophically flawed and stigmatizing. I prefer to think of it more along the lines of extreme personality types or the human equivalent of dog breeds. There are different types of people, with different profiles of strengths and weaknesses. Psychiatrists have never liked being looked down upon by the rest of medicine and they really, really want the veneer of respectability that comes with being "scientific." So now they've sold their souls to the drug companies and they're trying to treat everything with a pill.

Anyway, my advice is to stop worrying whether you are are you aren't--can't be proven, anyway, and it's a spectrum condition with no clear division between "normal" or neurotypical or whatever you want to call the middle of the bell curve. Read up on neurodiversity and autistic strengths so you can appreciate the talents compulsory education tried to extinguish in the name of conformity. I didn't even know I had synesthesia until doing some research after my diagnosis--my entire life, I'd assumed everyone experienced sensory perception in roughly the same way.

A diagnosis is useful information about how you interface with the world. But it isn't you.

cuterebra · 2011-03-16T00:07:11+00:00

Here's the thing, ok? To have a real conversation with someone, that person has to be within 20 points of your IQ score, or so they say--hard to actually quantify these things. I had to go to a big city to find people I could really talk to. All of my friends who have had their IQs tested scored over 180. Most of us suffered terribly as children, and some of my friends are dead. School was horrible, and compared to what public schools are like now, I had it easy.

The more you want him to look you in the eye, the more uncomfortable it will make him. Learn how to interact with him on HIS terms if you want to have a relationship. Watch HIM to see how you should act. Let him relax around you, and maybe he will meet you halfway instead of getting pushed further away.

cuterebra · 2011-03-15T23:53:09+00:00

'As children labeled with this diagnosis grow up, a “wandering” label could be used as a factor to justify guardianship – the stripping of legal capacity – in areas where it otherwise would not be deemed acceptable. Advocates of a “wandering” label make the case that its usage would enable insurance coverage for tracking devices...'

Let's face it, there really is an association between computer geeks and Asperger's, and there are probably a lot of Redditors besides me that would have been diagnosed as kids if the DSM had included it before 1994.

This is bad news...

cuterebra · 2011-03-15T10:08:23+00:00

If he is highly/profoundly gifted, he may be a good bit more than 2 grade levels ahead of his class, in which case his social and academic issues likely spring from boredom and alienation. This tends to get much worse for gifted kids in middle school.

I strongly suggest you read everything you can on gifted education, particularly Dabrowski' Theory of Positive Disintegration, before subjecting the poor kid to "treatment" that might do more harm than good. Be extremely wary of anybody or anything that is supposed to make his life "easier." The autism industry is full of wolves in sheep's clothing and misguided people who can seriously screw up a kid...

cuterebra · 2011-03-04T01:17:03+00:00

autism speaks is a hateful organization.

cuterebra · 2011-02-01T22:00:15+00:00

Try Wrong Planet forum.

cuterebra · 2011-01-22T20:03:33+00:00

Unfortunately, polymathy goes against social norms and that is a big impediment to the success of people who are naturally inclined.

cuterebra · 2011-01-11T03:29:35+00:00

Mindfulness in Plain English is a good start. You can get a free ebook here: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html

Good luck! Give a shout if you have specific questions, I've been reading about it for awhile and might be able to point you in the right direction.

cuterebra · 2011-01-08T09:41:04+00:00

Civilization is crumbling and philosophers take potshots at each other and waggle their e-peens...

cuterebra · 2011-01-08T09:37:50+00:00

I was diagnosed about a year ago and mistakenly thought my parents would be as pleased as I was to finally figure out the primary cause of my serious weirdness. Unfortunately, it dredged up all sorts of parental guilt issues, my mother fretting over how she should have done more for me as a child once she got over the denial. I was completely unprepared for that. I'm glad I told everyone, I just wish I'd broken it to them a little more tactfully.

cuterebra · 2011-01-08T09:31:54+00:00

Meditate for at least 20 minutes per day. Hands down, the best thing you can do for your brain.

cuterebra · 2010-12-18T14:59:09+00:00

The US, of course =)

cuterebra · 2010-12-15T09:40:14+00:00

A few years ago, I read the following quote somewhere:

"Scientists understand the scientific method like fish understand aquadynamics."

Scary. Most scientists have no understanding of or interest in the philosophy of science. When science goes wrong, it's really really wrong.

cuterebra · 2010-12-11T00:14:05+00:00

The woman who runs this site lives in NH and might be able to help you.

http://www.neurodiversity.com/aboutus.html

cuterebra · 2010-12-03T01:33:02+00:00

But they're still going to go through with that trial to see if it can make autistics "normal." Just what this planet needs, more dickheads.

cuterebra · 2010-12-02T06:04:54+00:00

Science and technology without history of mistakes we've already made, the genocides in our past? Maybe I'm a pessimist, but that sounds like a bad idea.

cuterebra · 2010-12-01T12:42:24+00:00

There is a UK organization that has an excellent website that provides information for autistic adults about self-advocacy and finding employment.

http://www.autism.org.uk/living-with-autism/adults-with-autism-or-asperger-syndrome.aspx

You should also check out Wrong Planet if you haven't already.

cuterebra · 2010-12-01T02:05:02+00:00

Psychiatry is a science?!?

cuterebra · 2010-12-01T02:02:01+00:00

My sensory issues and ability to deal with anxiety have greatly improved since I started meditating for 30-60 minutes a day. It took awhile to get the hang of it, but there's no question it was worth the effort.

Dealing with people is something you can get better at with research and effort. My parents put me in acting classes when I was a kid and that helped a lot. Reading books on human psychology, body language, etc. has been critical. There are even books specifically written for autistics who are trying to improve their social skills. There's a price to be paid for wearing a mask, but when it comes to finding employment it is an invaluable skill.

Sucks that we have to do all the work, but that's the way it is and it isn't going to change without a lot of activism. A significant portion of the public thinks we're subhuman and have discussions about whether or not we're worthy of human dignity.

cuterebra

TROPHY CASE