April 5, 2011 at 10:54Autism gospel
After reading the story of tanenn , I decided to tell about myself: I am autistic. To be more precise, I have Asperger Syndrome.
It was so “lucky” that they could not make a diagnosis from my birth: then the USSR collapsed and our family had to flee.
13 moves did their job: it was difficult to diagnose. However, by the 18th birthday, I decided to go to the military registration and enlistment office, where I was immediately sent to psychologists who made this diagnosis.
I apologize in advance for the fact that the story may be somewhat strangely presented.
It just so happened that until the age of 16 I was constantly moving, I lived far from school and, for obvious reasons, had no friends. All my childhood I was fascinated by reading books and self-development: the family was not complete and my mother always worked. At the age of 14, I became interested in computers and by the age of 16 I performed laboratory tests for university students, at the request of teachers.
Being completely asocial, I had little contact with peers. Mom constantly introduced me to professors of science and candidates (she herself is a candidate of science in philosophy), thus building my “circle of communication”, which in principle could not be. By the age of 18, my mother and stepfather began to worry about the fact that I never have a girlfriend, that my number of friends is small, and during the holidays I myself am either reading books or sitting at a computer.
Three times I got a nervous breakdown: the first time I could not close my eyes, the rest - I was blind for a week. The reasons for the theory were different, but only I knew the essence.
By the age of 18, we moved for the last time. I had to get a residence permit (it was temporary) and I went to the draft board. Seeing the notes on the card, they sent me to psychologists who conducted several tests on me and gave me three months of free consultations (they discarded me from the military registration and enlistment office on the second day as “fit in wartime”).
As it turned out, I had a fairly high, but narrowly focused on logic, mathematical calculations and analysis IQ: 239 out of 250, where the norm is 160-180. However, I was completely incompetent in many things, be it associations, communication, and emotional development.
It is difficult to make such a diagnosis for an adult, but, as seen above, it is possible.
Oddly enough, the distribution among men and women can be correlated as 4: 1, however, among girls, Asperger Syndrome is very rare, because the emotional component is more developed in their development ... Sometimes Asperger Syndrome is called a “purely male disease”, meaning pronounced systematization, the creation of everyday rituals and strict adherence to all internal or external rules. Among women, Asperger's Syndrome is expressed in the same way, only to enthrall more, as it seems to us, emotionally feminine subjects, such as dances or artistry.
On average, the percentage of pronounced disease is about 0.7%, and in a mild case it reaches 0.9% of the total number of people.
In this case, I was lucky: I was able, not knowing my illness, to force myself to be more social than I could.
As stated on Wikipedia, Asperger Syndrome is one of five common developmental disorders, sometimes called a form of highly functional autism (that is, a mild form of autism in which the ability to socialize is relatively preserved). Often, individuals with Asperger syndrome have a normal or high intelligence, but differ in non-standard or underdeveloped social abilities; often because of this, their emotional and social development, as well as integration, occur later than usual.
To be simpler: Asperger Syndrome is a mild autistic disorder. Mostly, like autists, they live in their own world and, sacrificing social skills, they develop themselves on their own, constantly analyzing, studying, but only what interests them.
Their social and emotional skills are muffled and for the most part they do not know how to react to many situations, therefore they seem either “dull” or terribly calm.
However, despite everything, they have a rich and developed inner world, where each situation from reality is displayed and easily adapts to the inner universe, where they are heroes and / or always act in the center of events. At any time, they can quickly analyze and present the situation to the smallest detail, which to ordinary people may seem strange. Most often, this world is strongly connected to reality, so their memory is quite long-lived: they can easily tell you the situation from life to such moments as where the pencil was and the circle was and how they were turned.
Due to this, they have very good spatial and logical thinking. Also, most situations are modeled in advance and to the smallest detail, i.e. "How to behave if this happens." Thanks to this, they have such an important moment in life as intuition, which they have is just a clear miscalculation. Very often they can finish you in their world and understand where you lie to them and how you will behave in a situation and be right. They can quickly make out your details, but not understand your motives.
Asperger Syndrome is a very difficult to identify disease. On average, if you speak, then almost 10% of people are not aware of their disease, however, they often have difficulty communicating.
For the most part, there are several reasons and most often they are contradictory:
- a bright or vice versa missing expression of emotions in non-verbal communication. Missing gaze or vice versa severe tightness of direct gaze;
- weak or absent development of relationships with peers to the age-appropriate level;
- lack of emotional expression, i.e. spontaneous joy, easy understanding of jokes;
- lack of emotional and social reciprocity of relationships;
- strong detachment and / or frequent intensity of one or more interests;
- the constant performance of any standard rituals and a heavy attitude towards their change;
- strong passion for details and / or objects;
- late development of meaningful speech;
- also he should not meet the criteria for schizophrenia.
Asperger's Syndrome, like any autistic disease, is congenital or acquired through a head injury.
I was doubly unlucky in this: at the age of 5 I fell from a garage onto a pipe sticking out of the ground and “got a scalp”, and now I have been walking with a big scar over my head all my life. A couple of centimeters in any direction and I would not be with you.
It may well be that autism can go through many generations and reappear on another child. Autistic people often have healthy children, but most of them, because of a lack of social skills, have no family.
It is also believed that it can be acquired due to such reasons as, for example, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Even more often, it is believed that initially every person has a predisposition to autism in the form of Asperger Syndrome, but, depending on his upbringing and environment, he either muffles or becomes highly developed.
Oddly enough, there is no cure for autism.
People with Asperger Syndrome may very well coexist with you, and such an autistic patient can be either your desk partner or your employee.
It can be a man of genius in his field, or like most people.
Such people are for the most part overly naive and truthful. Very often they can accidentally insult or offend a person without realizing it themselves, because for them it is quite normal.
In some areas, they can be brilliant, but in some areas of social skills, on the contrary, they are too deaf or inexpressive.
Most often, all these problems are a misunderstanding of each other's autistic and non-autistic individuals, such as, for example, the American and the Thai in their views on life.
Children with Asperger Syndrome are often the subject of ridicule in schools because of the "inadequate" level of development of the reaction, or even its absence. However, if you manage to understand this person, then you can be a very dear friend to him, whom he will always come to the aid of and who will always have something to talk about if you can understand him.
Also, these people can quickly develop and be professionals in their field, which often simply cannot match their age level. In the majority, these people, even in a narrow sphere, are more narrowly focused and have knowledge of smaller details, which in most cases correspond to professorial ones. However, due to low social development, it is difficult for them to share their knowledge.
People with Asperger's Syndrome during a lesson in their favorite business very strongly and quickly "enter the stream" from which it is difficult to distract them. At this time, they demonstrate a rare understanding and following the details of their business, however, in other areas they are most often lazy. In most cases, the argument of this behavior goes to a simple question: I do not need it, then why?
These people, for the most part, are very pedantic in speech, because they try to express their emotions more correctly and meaningfully. Although they do not understand associations well, they can express their emotions with strange sentences, where even the words that they invented can be present, the meaning of which is quite understandable.
As mentioned above, I’m just interested in some of the details. I am very keen on network programming and encryption. I am interested in protocols and lower-level details of networks; I am interested in new types of encryption. With each book or article, I delve deeper into these things and I like it, I'm interested. These things will always be relevant and interesting. They will have development. I love puzzles, solve ciphers, and see in the large tables of seven-digit sets of numbers the formulas by which these tables were built.
On the other hand, I have few friends and loneliness is part of my life. I absolutely do not know how to care for girls, however, I thank my Julia that she understands me, and is sometimes ready to take steps first.
It often turns out that I know how the situation will go in advance. In my head I often keep complex program plans to the smallest detail.
A good memory is also a plus: I can tell you how my father left our family literally before the age of 2.5 before the relatives swore, I can also tell when my family went to the circus when I was 1.5 years old ...
On the other hand, for me is a great feat to meet a person. Mostly I don’t know how to behave in a standard situation, and sometimes I don’t understand what was said the first time. By chance, I can insult or offend and not even see this. Mostly I need clearer answers. This makes me constantly analyze everything that is told to me and, sometimes, you get so many results that you don’t know what the person had in mind.
They do not take into the army, but they are allowed to drive a car. True, you can’t work on the railway, and you don’t look like a weapon. Yes, I do not need this.
1. Autistic people are dumb people.
Not true. For the most part, these people at the age of 13 have logical connections and knowledge at the level of professors. Just because of the impossibility of normal communication, they find it difficult to communicate.
2. Asperger's syndrome can hurt anyone.
Almost the truth. Asperger's syndrome can hurt your neighbor or even you, but you don’t understand this or even never hear about it, however, this disease is often confused, for example, with ADHD. The percentage of patients is approximately 0.7% - 0.9%.
3. All programmers and system administrators have Asperger Syndrome.
False. Most of them are sociable people or simply self-limiting themselves. Autistic communication with people is simply not required. They don’t need it.
4. Autists do not care about you, they do not feel anything.
Also a lie. Very often they experience much more. With the wrong movement you can drive him into even stronger silence or hostility towards your person. However, you may not even understand this, because they cannot express it.
5. Autists do not have children and families.
Almost true. For the most part, due to the fact that they cannot interact normally socially, they do not start families because they cannot even find a couple, however, there are those who can live in society and even develop very much.
6. Autistic people are geniuses like Kim Peak .
Partly true. Among them are often gifted children. Since the lack of social development is offset by self-development in their world. However, this person may well be ordinary in his development and not stand out.
7. Autists do not work in leadership positions.
Also partially false. It is difficult for them to communicate, however, they may well lead. With the help of special training, they can develop social skills quite normally.
8. Autism is inherited.
Yes and no. Autism can wake up after several generations. Autistic children can be quite normal people.
9. Autistic people cannot work.
Yes and no. Pronounced autists need constant care, however, people with Asperger syndrome may well live and not be aware of their illness.
10. This diagnosis can be easily established.
Not. It is very difficult for an adult to make this diagnosis, however, children are still easier. And then, the diagnosis goes on for months, and sometimes for years.
11. Autists do not achieve anything in life.
Also a lie. Many autistic individuals have tremendous knowledge (savant syndrome). Many people were autistic, such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Steven Spielberg.
Do not attempt to diagnose yourself as described. This takes a very long time and is difficult.
Do not think that autists are those who saliva in a pillow. Most of them are very strong and smart people. A lot of films were shot about them, for example, Rain Man, etc.
Do not consider these people to be flawed - you will only remove these people deeper.
UDP: Here they often commented on the moment that I sometimes can not correctly answer the question or explain.
First, you are comparing the previous article with this one. We are different people and, as I said above, it is not always easy for me to answer questions and fully explain my understanding of the essence;
Secondly, the professions of a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst and psychologist are identical for me, because I do not fully understand their differences. They all climb into your thoughts, try to understand and analyze you;
Thirdly, I received release from military service before I began to go for examinations;
Fourth, an outpatient examination helps to identify other aspects of life without interfering in it (that’s what I was told);
Fifth, the medical record is in my hands. I don’t give it to the registry in principle, so as not to lose it, because all my vaccinations, allergies, reactions to medicines, etc. are described there;
Sixth, I am an allergic person and I have a very limited range of drugs, so I can not take many pills;
Seventh, medical secrecy will not allow you to receive information about me. The possibility of error can be everywhere and always. The doctor I went to was qualified enough, and if he made a mistake, I would be glad, because I rarely want to tell such a truth. Mostly it is understood ambiguously or people think that they understand much better;
Eight, I'm not a medic, so I explained how I could. Thank you for your criticism. I received these explanations from my doctor.
It was so “lucky” that they could not make a diagnosis from my birth: then the USSR collapsed and our family had to flee.
13 moves did their job: it was difficult to diagnose. However, by the 18th birthday, I decided to go to the military registration and enlistment office, where I was immediately sent to psychologists who made this diagnosis.
I apologize in advance for the fact that the story may be somewhat strangely presented.
It just so happened that until the age of 16 I was constantly moving, I lived far from school and, for obvious reasons, had no friends. All my childhood I was fascinated by reading books and self-development: the family was not complete and my mother always worked. At the age of 14, I became interested in computers and by the age of 16 I performed laboratory tests for university students, at the request of teachers.
Being completely asocial, I had little contact with peers. Mom constantly introduced me to professors of science and candidates (she herself is a candidate of science in philosophy), thus building my “circle of communication”, which in principle could not be. By the age of 18, my mother and stepfather began to worry about the fact that I never have a girlfriend, that my number of friends is small, and during the holidays I myself am either reading books or sitting at a computer.
Three times I got a nervous breakdown: the first time I could not close my eyes, the rest - I was blind for a week. The reasons for the theory were different, but only I knew the essence.
By the age of 18, we moved for the last time. I had to get a residence permit (it was temporary) and I went to the draft board. Seeing the notes on the card, they sent me to psychologists who conducted several tests on me and gave me three months of free consultations (they discarded me from the military registration and enlistment office on the second day as “fit in wartime”).
As it turned out, I had a fairly high, but narrowly focused on logic, mathematical calculations and analysis IQ: 239 out of 250, where the norm is 160-180. However, I was completely incompetent in many things, be it associations, communication, and emotional development.
It is difficult to make such a diagnosis for an adult, but, as seen above, it is possible.
Spread
Oddly enough, the distribution among men and women can be correlated as 4: 1, however, among girls, Asperger Syndrome is very rare, because the emotional component is more developed in their development ... Sometimes Asperger Syndrome is called a “purely male disease”, meaning pronounced systematization, the creation of everyday rituals and strict adherence to all internal or external rules. Among women, Asperger's Syndrome is expressed in the same way, only to enthrall more, as it seems to us, emotionally feminine subjects, such as dances or artistry.
On average, the percentage of pronounced disease is about 0.7%, and in a mild case it reaches 0.9% of the total number of people.
In this case, I was lucky: I was able, not knowing my illness, to force myself to be more social than I could.
What is Asperger Syndrome?
As stated on Wikipedia, Asperger Syndrome is one of five common developmental disorders, sometimes called a form of highly functional autism (that is, a mild form of autism in which the ability to socialize is relatively preserved). Often, individuals with Asperger syndrome have a normal or high intelligence, but differ in non-standard or underdeveloped social abilities; often because of this, their emotional and social development, as well as integration, occur later than usual.
To be simpler: Asperger Syndrome is a mild autistic disorder. Mostly, like autists, they live in their own world and, sacrificing social skills, they develop themselves on their own, constantly analyzing, studying, but only what interests them.
Their social and emotional skills are muffled and for the most part they do not know how to react to many situations, therefore they seem either “dull” or terribly calm.
However, despite everything, they have a rich and developed inner world, where each situation from reality is displayed and easily adapts to the inner universe, where they are heroes and / or always act in the center of events. At any time, they can quickly analyze and present the situation to the smallest detail, which to ordinary people may seem strange. Most often, this world is strongly connected to reality, so their memory is quite long-lived: they can easily tell you the situation from life to such moments as where the pencil was and the circle was and how they were turned.
Due to this, they have very good spatial and logical thinking. Also, most situations are modeled in advance and to the smallest detail, i.e. "How to behave if this happens." Thanks to this, they have such an important moment in life as intuition, which they have is just a clear miscalculation. Very often they can finish you in their world and understand where you lie to them and how you will behave in a situation and be right. They can quickly make out your details, but not understand your motives.
Asperger Syndrome is a very difficult to identify disease. On average, if you speak, then almost 10% of people are not aware of their disease, however, they often have difficulty communicating.
For the most part, there are several reasons and most often they are contradictory:
- a bright or vice versa missing expression of emotions in non-verbal communication. Missing gaze or vice versa severe tightness of direct gaze;
- weak or absent development of relationships with peers to the age-appropriate level;
- lack of emotional expression, i.e. spontaneous joy, easy understanding of jokes;
- lack of emotional and social reciprocity of relationships;
- strong detachment and / or frequent intensity of one or more interests;
- the constant performance of any standard rituals and a heavy attitude towards their change;
- strong passion for details and / or objects;
- late development of meaningful speech;
- also he should not meet the criteria for schizophrenia.
Causes
Asperger's Syndrome, like any autistic disease, is congenital or acquired through a head injury.
I was doubly unlucky in this: at the age of 5 I fell from a garage onto a pipe sticking out of the ground and “got a scalp”, and now I have been walking with a big scar over my head all my life. A couple of centimeters in any direction and I would not be with you.
It may well be that autism can go through many generations and reappear on another child. Autistic people often have healthy children, but most of them, because of a lack of social skills, have no family.
It is also believed that it can be acquired due to such reasons as, for example, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Even more often, it is believed that initially every person has a predisposition to autism in the form of Asperger Syndrome, but, depending on his upbringing and environment, he either muffles or becomes highly developed.
Treatment
Oddly enough, there is no cure for autism.
Life in society
People with Asperger Syndrome may very well coexist with you, and such an autistic patient can be either your desk partner or your employee.
It can be a man of genius in his field, or like most people.
Such people are for the most part overly naive and truthful. Very often they can accidentally insult or offend a person without realizing it themselves, because for them it is quite normal.
In some areas, they can be brilliant, but in some areas of social skills, on the contrary, they are too deaf or inexpressive.
Most often, all these problems are a misunderstanding of each other's autistic and non-autistic individuals, such as, for example, the American and the Thai in their views on life.
Children with Asperger Syndrome are often the subject of ridicule in schools because of the "inadequate" level of development of the reaction, or even its absence. However, if you manage to understand this person, then you can be a very dear friend to him, whom he will always come to the aid of and who will always have something to talk about if you can understand him.
Also, these people can quickly develop and be professionals in their field, which often simply cannot match their age level. In the majority, these people, even in a narrow sphere, are more narrowly focused and have knowledge of smaller details, which in most cases correspond to professorial ones. However, due to low social development, it is difficult for them to share their knowledge.
People with Asperger's Syndrome during a lesson in their favorite business very strongly and quickly "enter the stream" from which it is difficult to distract them. At this time, they demonstrate a rare understanding and following the details of their business, however, in other areas they are most often lazy. In most cases, the argument of this behavior goes to a simple question: I do not need it, then why?
These people, for the most part, are very pedantic in speech, because they try to express their emotions more correctly and meaningfully. Although they do not understand associations well, they can express their emotions with strange sentences, where even the words that they invented can be present, the meaning of which is quite understandable.
Pros and cons
As mentioned above, I’m just interested in some of the details. I am very keen on network programming and encryption. I am interested in protocols and lower-level details of networks; I am interested in new types of encryption. With each book or article, I delve deeper into these things and I like it, I'm interested. These things will always be relevant and interesting. They will have development. I love puzzles, solve ciphers, and see in the large tables of seven-digit sets of numbers the formulas by which these tables were built.
On the other hand, I have few friends and loneliness is part of my life. I absolutely do not know how to care for girls, however, I thank my Julia that she understands me, and is sometimes ready to take steps first.
It often turns out that I know how the situation will go in advance. In my head I often keep complex program plans to the smallest detail.
A good memory is also a plus: I can tell you how my father left our family literally before the age of 2.5 before the relatives swore, I can also tell when my family went to the circus when I was 1.5 years old ...
On the other hand, for me is a great feat to meet a person. Mostly I don’t know how to behave in a standard situation, and sometimes I don’t understand what was said the first time. By chance, I can insult or offend and not even see this. Mostly I need clearer answers. This makes me constantly analyze everything that is told to me and, sometimes, you get so many results that you don’t know what the person had in mind.
They do not take into the army, but they are allowed to drive a car. True, you can’t work on the railway, and you don’t look like a weapon. Yes, I do not need this.
Legends and myths
1. Autistic people are dumb people.
Not true. For the most part, these people at the age of 13 have logical connections and knowledge at the level of professors. Just because of the impossibility of normal communication, they find it difficult to communicate.
2. Asperger's syndrome can hurt anyone.
Almost the truth. Asperger's syndrome can hurt your neighbor or even you, but you don’t understand this or even never hear about it, however, this disease is often confused, for example, with ADHD. The percentage of patients is approximately 0.7% - 0.9%.
3. All programmers and system administrators have Asperger Syndrome.
False. Most of them are sociable people or simply self-limiting themselves. Autistic communication with people is simply not required. They don’t need it.
4. Autists do not care about you, they do not feel anything.
Also a lie. Very often they experience much more. With the wrong movement you can drive him into even stronger silence or hostility towards your person. However, you may not even understand this, because they cannot express it.
5. Autists do not have children and families.
Almost true. For the most part, due to the fact that they cannot interact normally socially, they do not start families because they cannot even find a couple, however, there are those who can live in society and even develop very much.
6. Autistic people are geniuses like Kim Peak .
Partly true. Among them are often gifted children. Since the lack of social development is offset by self-development in their world. However, this person may well be ordinary in his development and not stand out.
7. Autists do not work in leadership positions.
Also partially false. It is difficult for them to communicate, however, they may well lead. With the help of special training, they can develop social skills quite normally.
8. Autism is inherited.
Yes and no. Autism can wake up after several generations. Autistic children can be quite normal people.
9. Autistic people cannot work.
Yes and no. Pronounced autists need constant care, however, people with Asperger syndrome may well live and not be aware of their illness.
10. This diagnosis can be easily established.
Not. It is very difficult for an adult to make this diagnosis, however, children are still easier. And then, the diagnosis goes on for months, and sometimes for years.
11. Autists do not achieve anything in life.
Also a lie. Many autistic individuals have tremendous knowledge (savant syndrome). Many people were autistic, such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Steven Spielberg.
Afterword
Do not attempt to diagnose yourself as described. This takes a very long time and is difficult.
Do not think that autists are those who saliva in a pillow. Most of them are very strong and smart people. A lot of films were shot about them, for example, Rain Man, etc.
Do not consider these people to be flawed - you will only remove these people deeper.
UDP: Here they often commented on the moment that I sometimes can not correctly answer the question or explain.
First, you are comparing the previous article with this one. We are different people and, as I said above, it is not always easy for me to answer questions and fully explain my understanding of the essence;
Secondly, the professions of a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst and psychologist are identical for me, because I do not fully understand their differences. They all climb into your thoughts, try to understand and analyze you;
Thirdly, I received release from military service before I began to go for examinations;
Fourth, an outpatient examination helps to identify other aspects of life without interfering in it (that’s what I was told);
Fifth, the medical record is in my hands. I don’t give it to the registry in principle, so as not to lose it, because all my vaccinations, allergies, reactions to medicines, etc. are described there;
Sixth, I am an allergic person and I have a very limited range of drugs, so I can not take many pills;
Seventh, medical secrecy will not allow you to receive information about me. The possibility of error can be everywhere and always. The doctor I went to was qualified enough, and if he made a mistake, I would be glad, because I rarely want to tell such a truth. Mostly it is understood ambiguously or people think that they understand much better;
Eight, I'm not a medic, so I explained how I could. Thank you for your criticism. I received these explanations from my doctor.