Fresh start...

[kboman]

He may or maynot have some sort of condition that would be considered abnormal, I see the mannerisms you guys are seeing, he may just be an 8 year old who hasn't developed his guitar face yet, I mean have you seen Mayfly?
He could be a total idiot for all we know.  Just kidding Mayfly, we love ya Bro.

Bwahahahaha! :toothy12: Oh boy I'm glad I didn't have time to sip my tea before I read that!

(I totally see what you mean though Alfang )

 

[Dan025]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGTfDf4b5oE

This guy seems more like a savant than the girl. You can see the typical autistic features quite clearly, but the girl seems to be simply very talented. It's also very likely that she started practicing at an early stage, when your brain is the most susceptible to learning.

Also, you can certainly have a normal life as a savant, or even if you're simply autistic. I have Asperger's Syndrome (a high-functional version of Autism, meaning I don't have motory problems) and I'm doing fine.  :blob7:
When I look at savants I see them enjoying life far more than we are in all honesty. They aren't bothered by politics and disputes, but take joy in the little things in life. Sure, society may look at them and think "What the hell is his problem?" but most of the time these savants are unaffected, they love their life.

Really? I also have Asperger's Syndrome.
Contrary to what people always think given my love of music, I'm actually no good at it at all, it's just an interest of mine.
I do have problems with fine motor skills though, my handwritting has been about the same in legibility since I learned to write.

It's impossible to say whether the life of someone with AS/Autism/Savantism/whatever is better or worse than that of a normal person, neither party has the experience of the other to compare, but I've always been much happier with the way I was than the way normal people appeared to me. I've always had this feeling that normal people around me were so stupid that it deeply bothered me.
When I was in elementary school, while everyone else played at reccess, I read books. My 5th grade teacher's husband was an EE or something, and she arranged for us to meet one day after school and he showed me an oscilloscope and some stuff, and was unable to teach me very much about electronics that I didn't already know. (Though he did give me  some electrical theory books and some components. :icon_biggrin I could never relate to the other kids, because they had no idea what the hell I was talking about.
 
Even to this day, I would really die than to live life as a normal person without the gifts and talents that I have.
I have my obstacles, and to a lot of people, I can almost appear retarded because of a lack of certain basic skills, (Like carrying on a simple face to face conversation for example.) but the gifts outweigh the problems to me.

I don't see any reason why musical savants couldn't be the same way. The way that you think and function is just different. You're not interested in the skills you don't have, and those things don't bother you.

and then there were three,, i was once diagnosed with aspergers, but the same theripist diagnosed my brother with the same thing and other mental health professionals have diagnosed my brother with everything from social disorders, developmental disorders, all the way to schizophrenia. i take it with a grain of salt, maybe i have aspergers, maybe i don't. i know i dont have depression and they keep trying to pin that on me because they are too stupid to realize i suffer physically every day for physical reasons including hypothyroidism and maybe gout. i know i dont do well if i eat red meat, but nobody can tell me why...

enogh with that rant. im good with problem solving, i cant memorize things that i dont understand but i can understand things to a high level with minimal information, i dont know if that fits the profile. it may be that i just dont memorize things i have little interest in. like language. i cant learn a foreign language to save my life, i think the problem is that learning language is a social thing and im awkward socially unless you want to hear about the dynamics of airflow and sound waves inside an intake manifold and how it relates to valve timing events and piston velocities determined by the ratio of connecting rod length to crank offset and the wrist-pin offset on the piston, and what effect that all has on fuel atomization and volumetric efficiency and therefore torque.. that's what my normal conversations sound like..

 

[line6man]

and then there were three,, i was once diagnosed with aspergers, but the same theripist diagnosed my brother with the same thing and other mental health professionals have diagnosed my brother with everything from social disorders, developmental disorders, all the way to schizophrenia. i take it with a grain of salt, maybe i have aspergers, maybe i don't. i know i dont have depression and they keep trying to pin that on me because they are too stupid to realize i suffer physically every day for physical reasons including hypothyroidism and maybe gout. i know i dont do well if i eat red meat, but nobody can tell me why...

There is a specific test you can take with a psychiatrist to determine whether or not you have Asperger's.
What I mostly remember was the psychiatrist going down a list of emotions and asking me to elaborate on a time or experience when I felt the emotion in question. It mainly evaluates your verbal and nonverbal communication skills. I was told that I almost certainly had Asperger's after taking the evaluation.

enogh with that rant. im good with problem solving, i cant memorize things that i dont understand but i can understand things to a high level with minimal information, i dont know if that fits the profile. it may be that i just dont memorize things i have little interest in. like language. i cant learn a foreign language to save my life, i think the problem is that learning language is a social thing and im awkward socially unless you want to hear about the dynamics of airflow and sound waves inside an intake manifold and how it relates to valve timing events and piston velocities determined by the ratio of connecting rod length to crank offset and the wrist-pin offset on the piston, and what effect that all has on fuel atomization and volumetric efficiency and therefore torque.. that's what my normal conversations sound like..

I'm very good with memorization, at least with things that interest me. Not as much with things that I don't care about. I also understand things to a very high level with a minimum of prior knowledge on the subject. Technical things have always come to me naturally. For example, sometimes people hand me their cell phone and say that it's not working right or they want it to do something or such, and I'll do it for them in a minute after they've spent so long trying to figure it out, and then they will be baffled at how I figured it out so quickly. :blob7:

I'm also extremely socially awkward unless you want to hear about something that interests me, and then I could go on for hours about it.

 

[Kaoskadosk]

It seems like we're similar, the three of us. It almost sounds like you're describing me  :toothy12:

 

[Mor Paul]

I'm also extremely socially awkward unless you want to hear about something that interests me, and then I could go on for hours about it.

I agree.  :laughing7:

 

[Cagey]

i take it with a grain of salt, maybe i have aspergers, maybe i don't. i know i dont have depression and they keep trying to pin that on me because they are too stupid to realize i suffer physically every day for physical reasons including hypothyroidism and maybe gout. i know i dont do well if i eat red meat, but nobody can tell me why...

A surprising number of people are diagnosed with Asperger's. The symptoms are common with a number of other things, so it depends a lot on the tenacity of the psychologist and the size of your health care budget. If you don't have a lot to spend, you get labelled fast. I exhibit symptoms of it, but nobody's put that tag on me yet. They like to point to other reasons why I'm such an icehole <grin>

But, the real reason I responded was to let you know that if you had gout, you'd know it. I mean, seriously. The symptoms are severe and unmistakable. Imagine a 2 ton block of steel landing on your big toe and being stuck in place for 3 to 5 days, and that's almost as bad as your first gout attack. It typically only shows up in men, although women aren't immune, and it typically shows up for the first time in your early 30s. It hurts so bad it'll make you wanna cry.

 

[Kaoskadosk]

A surprising number of people are diagnosed with Asperger's. The symptoms are common with a number of other things, so it depends a lot on the tenacity of the psychologist and the size of your health care budget. If you don't have a lot to spend, you get labelled fast. I exhibit symptoms of it, but nobody's put that tag on me yet. They like to point to other reasons why I'm such an icehole <grin>

A very fine point. Guess I'm lucky in this case to live in Sweden. I had a full investigation involving several tests and lots of verbal communication between me and my psychologist and also between my mom and my psychologist. Sadly, there are lots of psychologists who aren't really into the whole business and don't take it seriously. They see some symptoms and instantly label you to have X/Y/Z who needs A/B/C medication that will cost you a shitload of money that you don't have. Personally I don't really care if I have a diagnose or not, but it have helped me realize that I really am different. When I was a kid I always thought that I didn't belong with the other kids, I wasn't like them, didn't think like them, couldn't socialize like them. When I heard I had Asperger the coin finally dropped. I understood why. The symptoms also aren't just speculations by some guy, it's been scientifically researched that our brains actually work in different paths, like a form of mutation, or evolution if you will. I'm not saying people with Asperger are necessarily better, but we are different. I find it to be a very interesting subject and I literally hate people calling it a disease. I'm not surprised though, I doubt they would understand unless they were in our shoes. I also detest people who say we're "just like anyone else" but with a different personality. I mean, would you say to a person with severe autism that they're really just like any other person, it's just society that labeled them that way?

Sorry for the venting there, but I am honestly a bit fed up with the ignorance surrounding this.

 

[AprioriMark]

I apologize if this seems out of line, but I have some serious (somewhat educated) opinions on Aspberger's.  I have three good friends (musicians, all three) who have been diagnosed with Aspberger's, and eight children in my social circle, including one who I teach music to.  I don't think that it's a disease or a disability or any other such negative thing.  In my view, it's simply a different way of looking at the world, and I don't look down on them in any way at all.  I'm often jealous of how they live their lives.  Who cares that they don't play the social game the same way that our society has taught it it should be played.  I find joy in living life through the lens of their experience just as much as I do mine.

It really does take all kinds. 

-Mark

 

[line6man]

When I was a kid I always thought that I didn't belong with the other kids, I wasn't like them, didn't think like them, couldn't socialize like them.

I felt exactly the same way.
I even despised being around regular kids, because what they did and how they thought was so drastically different from the way I operated that I just didn't want anything to do with it.
The concept of hanging out with friends, playing sports, even having a girlfriend just never appealed to me. It seemed so stupid, and it did not achieve any purpose. I would rather be doing my own thing.

I find it to be a very interesting subject and I literally hate people calling it a disease

To be honest, I've really never researched it much. I know who I am, and I don't need anyone to tell me why I'm that way, because it doesn't matter why. Nothing can be changed. :blob7:
But maybe I should look into it more.

I've never seen it as a disease. I see it as a state of mind where I can concentrate intently on specific areas of interest without any sort of distraction from other things that would hinder my focus. That's a gift, not a disease.

 

[Mor Paul]

...even having a girlfriend just never appealed to me. It seemed so stupid, and it did not achieve any purpose. I would rather be doing my own thing.

Heh. heheh.

Snicker.



I felt the same way for a long time, then I found one girl that appealed to me. Then, we dated, and later went back to just really close friends.

 

[line6man]

...even having a girlfriend just never appealed to me. It seemed so stupid, and it did not achieve any purpose. I would rather be doing my own thing.

Heh. heheh.

Snicker.



I felt the same way for a long time, then I found one girl that appealed to me. Then, we dated, and later went back to just really close friends.

Sex is a very different thing, but having a girlfriend, and all of the fudging stupid things that I observe people doing in the name of love and romance is just beyond me. :tard:
All you normal people have fun with your ridiculous dating scenes, and your flirting. I don't need that nonsense to make me happy.  :icon_biggrin:

 

[Mor Paul]

...even having a girlfriend just never appealed to me. It seemed so stupid, and it did not achieve any purpose. I would rather be doing my own thing.

Heh. heheh.

Snicker.



I felt the same way for a long time, then I found one girl that appealed to me. Then, we dated, and later went back to just really close friends.

Sex is a very different thing, but having a girlfriend, and all of the fricking stupid things that I observe people doing in the name of love and romance is just beyond me. :tard:
All you normal people have fun with your ridiculous dating scenes, and your flirting. I don't need that nonsense to make me happy.  :icon_biggrin:

I know what you mean, man. I don't like the ridiculous relationships either. Mine was basically "I like you, you like me, let's try being together for a bit." It was fun. It made me happy, but so do other things, so I'm not going to try to get that situation back asap.  :icon_thumright:

 

[ocguy106]

I apologize if this seems out of line, but I have some serious (somewhat educated) opinions on Aspberger's.  I have three good friends (musicians, all three) who have been diagnosed with Aspberger's, and eight children in my social circle, including one who I teach music to.  I don't think that it's a disease or a disability or any other such negative thing.  In my view, it's simply a different way of looking at the world, and I don't look down on them in any way at all.  I'm often jealous of how they live their lives.  Who cares that they don't play the social game the same way that our society has taught it it should be played.  I find joy in living life through the lens of their experience just as much as I do mine.

It really does take all kinds. 

-Mark

My son has Aspberger's and we spent litteraly 10's of thousands of dollars to finally get it diagnosed and treated. People are far to quick these days to just call anything and everything ADHD. We had him in a very structured school for about 3 years where he excelled. His IQ is off the charts and his social skills are quit fine now. He can be loud and may invade people's personal space at times but at this point anyone that would come in contact with him wouldn't think he is any different then any other kid. As Mark said I have enjoyed every moment living life through him. He is now 12 and the signs are becoming less and less. After doing so much ready on the subject and the symptoms I think I may also have it but I turned out ok If it is all you know then you deal with it and it is all normal to you.

 

[Kaoskadosk]

I apologize if this seems out of line, but I have some serious (somewhat educated) opinions on Aspberger's.  I have three good friends (musicians, all three) who have been diagnosed with Aspberger's, and eight children in my social circle, including one who I teach music to.  I don't think that it's a disease or a disability or any other such negative thing.  In my view, it's simply a different way of looking at the world, and I don't look down on them in any way at all.  I'm often jealous of how they live their lives.  Who cares that they don't play the social game the same way that our society has taught it it should be played.  I find joy in living life through the lens of their experience just as much as I do mine.

It really does take all kinds.  

-Mark

I agree with you, fully. However, I've often found that in our society, being different isn't accepted. If you are, you have to acclimatize to the norm and act like everyone else. Sure, you might get away with being an odd brick if you're a musician or a painter, but on a normal job you're frowned upon for being yourself. You can be however you want to be when you're alone, but when you're on work, you have to conform to the norm and act "normal".

Asperger is, as said, autism without "severe" motory disfunctions (it differs from person to person). I for one, is also one of those who more or less can't write by hand. I do know how to write, but it's oftenly messy and hard to read, and my brain and hand seems to disagree at times. I'm just about to write "pear", but my mind derails and starts to think about apples for a split second, and lo and behold, I'm no longer writing pear, I'm writing "apple". This gets very frustrating when you combine it with spelling mind-slips and whatnot. We are biologically different, but that doesn't have to mean we're retarded. I think it's good that people have opinions about Asperger, because I agree that the diagnosis is thrown around carelessly. Or it could be simply because these diagnoses are actually genetic. My sister got ADHD from our mom, I seem to have a combination of both ADHD and AS. If I have three kids, their kids will also have a chance at getting AS or ADHD, even if they themselves don't have it. It's hard to pinpoint how it really is, but questioning things and having opinions is a great thing. I am who I am, whether I have a diagnose or not.  :icon_thumright:

My son has Aspberger's and we spent litteraly 10's of thousands of dollars to finally get it diagnosed and treated. People are far to quick these days to just call anything and everything ADHD. We had him in a very structured school for about 3 years where he excelled. His IQ is off the charts and his social skills are quit fine now. He can be loud and may invade people's personal space at times but at this point anyone that would come in contact with him wouldn't think he is any different then any other kid. As Mark said I have enjoyed every moment living life through him. He is now 12 and the signs are becoming less and less. After doing so much ready on the subject and the symptoms I think I may also have it but I turned out ok If it is all you know then you deal with it and it is all normal to you.

Yes, apart from the insane amount of money involved, I've experienced the same thing. I'm a loud bastard with lots of opinions and facts, I invade conversations and oftenly cross the lines, but social life for us is basically trial and error. We're just slow learners. We're great at facts and technical stuff, but try to learn us to have a basic conversation and you'll be frustrated within 10 minutes  ccasion14: However, as your son, my AS is rarely noticed these days. Through intensive training and forced socializing I've somewhat grasped how to act and speak, but I have yet a far way to go.

 

[m4rk0]

[People are far to quick these days to just call anything and everything ADHD.

I agree, I noticed that at Pre-school, they love labeling kids... and they all think they're experts. The Director of my son's pre-school suggested that my son had either Asperger or ADHD.. it turned out later that this is not the case (he just has a short attention span and a lot of energy)
I did however read a lot about it on the internets during that time, so I find this discussion very interesting. when reading all the stories and symptoms, I recognized a lot of these symptoms from people I have known in the past or even currently.
We (my family) always thought that my uncle had it even though he was never officially diagnosed, and unlike in the stories in this topic, I don't think he was aware of it either. he would also talk a lot about his interests, but he would not notice that the other person lost interest after 30 minutes.

 

[line6man]

I'm just about to write "pear", but my mind derails and starts to think about apples for a split second, and lo and behold, I'm no longer writing pear, I'm writing "apple".

Hmm, that's interesting.

I've got excellent grammar, punctuation and spelling when I write, and I've never mixed up words or anything like that, it's just that my handwriting is so difficult to read that it's ridiculous.
Sometimes I can't read my own writing!

 

[Kaoskadosk]

I'm just about to write "pear", but my mind derails and starts to think about apples for a split second, and lo and behold, I'm no longer writing pear, I'm writing "apple".

Hmm, that's interesting.

For some reason, it only happens when writing by hand though.  :icon_scratch:

 

[Dan025]

i take it with a grain of salt, maybe i have aspergers, maybe i don't. i know i dont have depression and they keep trying to pin that on me because they are too stupid to realize i suffer physically every day for physical reasons including hypothyroidism and maybe gout. i know i dont do well if i eat red meat, but nobody can tell me why...

A surprising number of people are diagnosed with Asperger's. The symptoms are common with a number of other things, so it depends a lot on the tenacity of the psychologist and the size of your health care budget. If you don't have a lot to spend, you get labelled fast. I exhibit symptoms of it, but nobody's put that tag on me yet. They like to point to other reasons why I'm such an icehole <grin>

But, the real reason I responded was to let you know that if you had gout, you'd know it. I mean, seriously. The symptoms are severe and unmistakable. Imagine a 2 ton block of steel landing on your big toe and being stuck in place for 3 to 5 days, and that's almost as bad as your first gout attack. It typically only shows up in men, although women aren't immune, and it typically shows up for the first time in your early 30s. It hurts so bad it'll make you wanna cry.

ya know what's worse than doctors with no answers?  Regular people with "all the answers". You share a problem and everone is an expert. The sad thing is the doctors can't make a logical conection to anything. There are tangable physial symptoms of "something" but they always go back to the anti depresants and never atempt to explain or correct anomalies in the lab work. Nor will they look into any other tests and I know you can't tell anything new by looking at someones blood 10 times in a year. 

Eg. I saw an army doc in tech school for fatigue and intense pain. The nurse or what ever you'd call him was concerned when I said how much I was sleeping and ran an EKG or was it an ECG I get those mixed up. The doctor was angry with me asking why I had the test done. I said it wasn't my idea I just told him what the problem was like he asked. So the doc tells me that my labs that were also done show better iron level than any soldier he's seen in a while. Basically he was telling me I was healthy and no more tired than the army personel(I was airforce) instead of figuring that the normal sign were good so something must realy be wrong. He then printed a page off of the Internet about the required sleep for teenagers (I was a couple weeks away from Turing 20) and suggested that it was normal and I was stupid for thinking otherwise. I know teens sleep more because they are growing. I hadn't grown even an inch in over 2 years. But even that's better than what I went through with airforce docs.   

 

[line6man]

If I have three kids

What are your thoughts on fathering children btw?

 

[elfro89]

Hey, I say anyone can be a master of their chosen field. It comes down to how much time you dedicate. It may take longer than you hoped or longer than the kid down the street took, but who cares? The mastery of anything is all about the journey you took to get there not arriving at the destination. That's a big key to staying motivated.

Ok, I'll take off my guru cap and put my soap box away now...  :toothy12:

bingo