Home » Healthy Living

UNpuzzled about Asperger's Syndrome and the Autistic Spectrum

2 Comments

11 Like

Like 11

Pin It

Ranked #8,040 in Healthy Living, #135,225 overall | Donates to Squidoo Charity Fund

I Am Unpuzzled! - "Puzzle Piece" graphics are patronizing, insulting.

Autism, Aspergers, PDD, PDDNOS are all conditions that exist on the Autistic Spectrum. All are classed as "disorders" in the DSMIV. That means they represent a billing code - and the world is filled with cures and advocates of cures for the whole range.

Some of us who are unquestionably on the spectrum do not see it as a "disorder" so much as a distinct difference - at least, when it's not in it's extreme forms. This would simply be a matter of opinion, an opportunity for civilized debate if there was any official recognition of the fact that many persons on the spectrum ARE capable of functioning within their comfort zones while still being noticeably, diagnosable distinct.

If you have stumbled across this in a search for autism information, you might wish to trundle on over to autistics.org for the autie point of view, or you can drop by wampi.org for a mother's perspective on successfully raising a "free range aspie," without the "benefit" of most interventions and no aversives at all.

I think of myself as proof of concept as well. My writing is distinctly aspie-style communication - something you may come to recognize as you go from place to place, reading what other aspies and auties have to say about themselves and their lives.

Steal this graphic! It's free for all uses. Or you can find it in my zazzle store.

Contents at a Glance

Different is Not Broken
Wetware and what it means to you - and m...
Unpuzzled Free for Use Graphic
Autism and Aspergers on You Tube
Neurodiversity, Aspergers and the Autist...
Voices of Experience

Want to Cure Autism Now? Stop POKING me and I'll be fine!

As a multiple personality (mid-continuum, poly-fragmented) and as a flaming aspie I have more than one reason to feel different. I don't, however, feel less, worse or disabled by my differences, except to the extent that abuse at the hands of those who felt I should be punished for being, thinking and acting differently required punishments, interventions, corrections, trainings, behavior modifications, or just a good old butt-kicking.

I actually think that my multiplicity came as a response first to the over-stimulation AS can bring and second as a response to the profound abuse I received both at home and in school settings.

Once I left home and could live according to my own nature, I stopped having problems. Oh, this is not to minimise the impact on my life. But all that I truly want - I have been able to get. I'm denied many of the things I'm told I should want by others who claim to know better than I how devistating this "plague" of autism is, but I really don't care. Yes, I have "difficulty making friends." Actually, I have difficulty maintaining superficial aquaintances.

Wetware and what it means to you - and me

Different Does Not Mean Broken - but it can be VERY different!

I have a profoundly different learning curve. But clearly, I do learn. Rather well, in fact. This is part and parcel of my intelligence, which is in the almost-but-not-quite genius range, with occasional flashes of brilliance at unpredictable moments.

Right now, you are probably dismissing me as an arrogant sod who is rudely dismissing the "reality" of autism, in denial of my disablity, utterly self-centered and unable to understand the emotional devestation of persons with autistic children.

You see, we CAN learn! I'm quite a student of human behavior. It's a survival issue for me.

In fact, the above statements are factual. I'm not bragging. I don't really understand the point to bragging, to be honest. Nor do I lie - I understand both process and the point - and understand that the price of getting away with a lie is another lie, and soon one is living in a bad sitcom.

if you are aspie and you know it, flap your hands

What I do lack is something that is called "theory of mind," or as I would put it, I lack the willingness to manipulate others to my advantage. First, because emotional manipulation does not come naturally. Secondly, it's unethical.

I find it amusing that an "undue preoccupation with issues of justice" is a diagnostic criteria for asperger's.

I think that says more about the condition of normalcy than it does about mine.

But the problem of wetware is that it needs a proper education - and not just a normal selection of topics presented in a way congeinal to one's learning style, but topics that the wetware can usefully address.

"Social Skills", for instance, are taught us by people that cannot understand our inherent distain and discomfort for the implications of those skills. Aside from the fact that we will suck at them, of course, there is the problem that if we do not understand why, we won't comply, and if we do understand why you want us to learn to manipulate others emotionally, we will probably revolt.

Unpuzzled Free for Use Graphic

My free for use design on a variety of products.

Ask me why Autism Awareness T-Shirt shirt

Ask me why Autism Awareness T-Shirt by webcarve
More Autism awareness T-Shirts

If you want just one or two, use these stores. If you plan on doing some serious fund raising, steal the graphic and make your OWN stores. I have made the unpuzzled design free for use. Just leave the design unmodified.

If you have come up with your own version an "unpuzzled" graphic, please drop a link to it in the guestbook at the bottom of the page. I may well include it in the body of this lens.

UnPuzzled Autism Awareness Profile Card by webcarve
color business card printing by Zazzle
Browse other Biology Profile Cards

Neurodiversity on CafePress

RUDE Unpuzzled

My first response to the puzzle ribbon

To me - and other members of the neurodiversity community - the puzzle ribbon graphic is quite insulting. Aspersgers and Autism are - at the mild end of the spectrum - a different sort of normal. The "disablity" for the vast majority of otherwise functional "aspies" and "auties" is social reaction to our normal selves. Just in order to survive, to hold a job, to deal with people in the course of the day, we have to adapt to other people - while "neurotypical" people think that their being "puzzled" indicates that we have the problem.

Here's a clue. Read up on it. Find out why your approaches do not work for auties and aspies. Stop blaming us for things we cannot control - or at least, should not have to, all things being equal.

Autism and Aspergers on You Tube

In our own words

Hope For Autism & Asperger's Syndrome: My Story: by TheRobinRice | video info

2,210 ratings | 350,952 views

automatically generated by YouTube

Neurodiversity, Aspergers and the Autistic spectrum links

neurodiversity.com : honoring the variety of human wiring: Honoring the variety of human wiring
autistics.org: The REAL Voice of Autism: By autistics for autistics
Autism: Getting the Truth Out: Exposing the harsh realities of living with autism.
Autistic Advocacy: Autistic Advocacy by Frank Klein

Autism has often been referred to as a monster, as a horrible thing that comes and steals the child in the dark of the night, leaving behind just a shell. I cringe whenever I see autism described like that, because I know what that sort of imagery means to many parents, and how easy it is for parents of newly diagnosed autistic kids to get swept up in the "war" mentality. The concept of autism as a monster fosters a hatred of autism, and hatred does not help people to make good, rational decisions.
My Livejournal Aspergers Filter: Originating from Bonebox.org, my LJ filter containing all my aspie friends.
Autism Network International: An autistic-run self-help and advocacy organization for autistic people.
WrongPlanet.net - Aspergers and Autism Community: The Online Resource and Community for those with Aspergers Syndrome
Asperger's Syndrome: Up Close and Personal: Asperger's Syndrome from the perspective of a parent and special educator.
ASGONN: Asperger's Support Group of Northern Nevada: We are a group of parents and professionals working to support each other in
our journey with Asperger's Syndrome. We have children with Asperger's, we have clients orstudents with Asperger's, and some of us are adults with Asperger's. Our purpose is to share resources, information, techniques and ideas to make the journey less arduous.

We also find time and reasons to celebrate the positive aspects of living with
Asperger's Syndrome.
Our Names Are Autism Too: In her essay "My Name is Autism," Marty Murphy, a 41 year-old (by self-description) "high functioning" autistic woman describes what autism means to her. In a "Dear Sir/Madam" letter, which frequently was circulated in conjunction with the "My Name is Autism" essay, Ms. Murphy, posing as a 25 year-old male, claimed to be speaking for all autistics (using such phrases as "those of us with autism would like an answer" and "we are all waiting for our answer").

We, the undersigned, neither agree with Ms. Murphy's conception of autism nor appreciate Ms. Murphy's claim to be speaking for "those of us."

We do not believe that we are akin to "calves born in Texas with defects," that we are "victims" of autism, and that our families were "taken hostage" by autism.

We do not believe that autism "taketh away and gives nothing but bewilderment and loathing in return;" that autism "takes away common sense" and "all but physical life;" that autism "looks for new children to consume and new lives to destroy."

We do not believe that being autistic "is almost worse than death."

We find these statements to be dangerous, sensationalist and false. We believe these statements demean and devalue the lives of all autistics. These statements resonate with similar historical efforts to incite fear and hatred against identifiable groups of people, with the goal of restricting then eliminating the existence of these people.

Finally, we do not "dread the day" that autism "will be looked upon with understanding," and we do not believe that will be the day that autism will "die." Rather, we wholeheartedly welcome the day that we, as proud autistics, are understood and fully accepted for who we are.

Peruse our websites, read our books, listen to our words. Appreciate our voices.
oddizms - A truly Aspie resource.: You Might be an Aspie if:

...if when you were a kid, and other kids wanted to play ball, you wanted to turn toy cars over and spin their wheels.

...you have passed many a happy minute watching a fan spin.

...you write about one topic like fans, and that makes you think about the time you were in a department store when you were a kid and the display selling fans had one of them blowing air upwards and there was a beach ball bouncing up and down on the air from the fan, and that reminds you of...and then you realize that your worst writing flaw is the run-on sentence.

...on the one hand you think you are the most interesting person you know, but not too many other people are trying to get to know you.

...you have learned to say "why" in several different languages.

...your boss says, "Do such and such", and you can't do it until you know "why", because you are not going to waste your time on doing something that doesn't make sense.

There's much here for aspies and those trying to understand us. Enjoy. And buy a T-Shirt.
aspergers syndrome lens: More links and resources
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Learn about symptoms, treatments and causes of autism. Find autism resources, share ideas, find support.
Autism Hub: Autism Related Blogs - The Best Autism Blogging Around: Autism Hub aggregates the latest blog feeds on autism and aspergers.
Wordspy - Neurodiversity: neurodiversity
(noo.roh.di.VUR.suh.tee, -dy.VUR.suh.tee) n. The variety of non-debilitating neurological behaviors and abilities exhibited by the human race. Also: neuro-diversity.
-neurodiverse adj.
Inside Perspectives: Analysis & inside perspectives of some of the most common differences, difficulties, reactions, talents & idiosyncrasies in people with Asperger Syndrome, Autism, PDD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Sensory Processing Disorder, Scotopic Sensitivity, Synesthesia, OCD, Tourette Syndrome etc.

Voices of Experience

Dispatches from the front lines of the "war on autism."

The Fleecing of the Autism Community: No single treatment or treatment approach has passed muster to be considered empirically validated according to Division 12 of the American Psychological Association.
Asperger's Syndrome: Up Close and Personal: My son was diagnosed with it when the DSM IV was first published, and made Asperger's Syndrome an official diagnosis. I found only NINE sites that were about Asperger's Syndrome, and NOT about autism.

I realized the two are related disorders, and that autism is considered more
severe, as well as more easily recognized. I also realized that Asperger's
Syndrome had only recently been viewed as an actual disorder, in the United
States.
My Latest Autism Designs and What They Mean: Graphictruth Friday, December 15, 2006

I'd intended this as a purely commercial post promoting my autism designs, but it turned into a long essay, with the designs serving as marginalia.

Includes some surprising information that proves at least some connection between Pro-Cure activism and extreme Right-Wing Authoritarian Activists, such as Free Republic. This explains why the rhetoric is so very similar...
Autism Diva: Entertaining, informative and supportive of parents without advocating nonsense or promoting either false hope or alarm.
Wrong Planet dot Net: A large and vibrant community of aspies, auties and supporters. A very solid resource for information and support.

UNpuzzled about Asperger's Syndrome and the Autistic Spectrum

I Am Unpuzzled! - "Puzzle Piece" graphics are patronizing, insulting.

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

Different is Not Broken

Want to Cure Autism Now? Stop POKING me and I'll be fine!

Wetware and what it means to you - and me

Different Does Not Mean Broken - but it can be VERY different!

Unpuzzled Free for Use Graphic

My free for use design on a variety of products.

Neurodiversity on CafePress

RUDE Unpuzzled

My first response to the puzzle ribbon

Autism and Aspergers on You Tube

In our own words

Neurodiversity, Aspergers and the Autistic spectrum links

Voices of Experience

Dispatches from the front lines of the "war on autism."

Aspergers and Autism - Most Useful Sites

Please vote and add the sites you find most useful

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

Please pick your widget size and display. Then click "Make the Widget" to get the code that's just right for you.

Voila! Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

Oopsey! Please login to Squidoo in order to add this module to your lens.

Special Ed

Favorite Neurodiversity Resources

Please add and share

1

2

3

Please pick your widget size and display. Then click "Make the Widget" to get the code that's just right for you.

Voila! Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

Oopsey! Please login to Squidoo in order to add this module to your lens.

Medical and Disability Resources

Aspergers Syndrome

The most useful books on Aspergers and Autism

Rated by you!

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10