Research on Experiences of Students with Asperger's

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True, but you would still expect over times to pick up the very basics at worse.

If you're not even in the parameters of her study then you had absolutely no business calling up Princeton. Have you no clue how much trouble you may have caused this young lady calling up her school all because of your paranoia? How would you like a stranger calling up your school or workplace checking up on you as if accusing you of something sinister? It wasn't your duty to investigate her in order to reassure a bunch of paranoids on here who are scared silly of the outside world. If you're that scared of others then you probably wouldn't be able to communicate effectively with her for the study anyway.

If you are that mentally disturbed or socially ret*d not to trust anyone then just don't get involved with the study or the thread about the study in any way. It's really that simple.

Exactly. Where is the karma button...

Calling that school was not *that* unreasonable.

Actually, I work at a major research University, have handled research protocols before, and it's absolutely NOT considered out of line to check on a project if there is any chance that it could be a fraud. The researcher would have been in no way put in any problem situation by my contacting them.

Now, if she HAD been a fraud, Princeton would most definitely have wanted to know about that. And she SHOULD have been put in the way of academic discipline. Claiming that you have the permission and support of an educational institution to validate anything you are doing is subject to stringent controls and penalties for mis-use of same.

That is what IRBs are for - on the one side, they make sure that human subjects are not going to be placed in any dangerous situations. On the other, they validate the legitimacy of the effort.

It's called looking after your friends, dear. So, unless you are sure you know what you're talking about, you might want to be careful of accusing people of mis-deeds. And then we're back to that Aspies and their lack of social skills, aren't we? Oh my.

Last edited by Nan on 11 Jan 2009, 10:50 am, edited 2 times in total.

My daughter has missed about 2 years of school because of her refusing to go. In my state most aspies drop out of school in junior high if not before because the education system is too uneducated and ignorant in regards to AS to know how to support them or even to realise how much support they need.

Lighten up, kid. Bianca stated a claim, and all that I'm asking for is confirmation - which so far has not been forthcoming - and without that confirmation, it is fair to assume that there is none to be had.

Oh, that's terribly sad. I hope you're urging her to work towards her GED?

That is why she doesn't live with me because I can't get her to school. Academically she does not do well. Even though she has gifted IQ, she gets distracted by her own thoughts and gets sensory overload.

You miss the point here - it makes us all look ridiculously paranoid by checking up in such a manner. I think most people would be pretty uncomfortable about some randomer checking up on them in such detail, even if they were totally legitimate.

Frankly I think someone having to mess around getting an IRB to do their dissertation is a tad ridiculous in the first place, let alone someone checking up on them like this.

Oh - snce when has it been looking after your friends by being enabler for their paranoid tendencies?

Her claim of her study being legitimate and approved of by Princeton has been confirmed. Alex doesn't always post all that often.

Implying that Bianca lied about asking Alex? That would be a premature conclusion. It's also fair to assume that Alex doesn't monitor this thread just in case someone doubts he has given the go-ahead. It's also fair to assume that Bianca has not passed your request on to Alex, because you are not willing to participate without payment anyway. I can come up with lots more scenarios that are more plausible than Bianca lying when she has little to gain and a lot to lose. The Ethics Board would jump all over her if she recruited subjects through deception.

Bianca has politely invited people to participate in a study that may help aspies in the long run. She has given the information needed to check whether her study is legitimate. She has calmly and politely replied to questions and outright attacks. I don't see what more she could reasonably be expected to do. I hope she gets lots of participants, and if I fit the criteria, I'd call her myself.

I have notified Alex myself. It's been a few days since then.

I'm amazed at how many people will blindly accept the word of a stranger, trust them with their personal information, and receive nothing in return. At least if I were paid, I'd have something to show for my troubles.

You are entitled to your opinion, Kangoogle, no question about that. But if you were familiar with the purpose of an IRB, and why it was necessary that they were developed, you would most likely not hold that opinion, I'd bet.

I "missed your point" - no, I think I saw it, although it wasn't really clearly stated and explained. I just don't agree with it. I don't think checking out unsubstantiated claims makes anyone look paranoid - aside, perhaps, in the minds of people who are afraid of looking "uncool" and/or someone quite young who hasn't had many life experiences Eventually I hope you feel secure enough to not have to worry about what people think of you - certainly in a situation such as this. Legitimate inquiries certainly don't bother anyone in the research realm, as they are quite willing to verify genuine projects and protocols.

Just a few thoughts for you to ponder: Do you let anyone into your home simply because they ask to come in? Do you donate money to people who knock at your door without checking on them to see if they're legit? Do you send money away to TV advertisements without checking on the quality of products and services and/or the companies that offer them? Do you buy a used car without having a mechanic check it over? Do you give out personal information to people who come up to you on the street, holding a clipboard and looking "official" without a thought? If the answer to any of the above, is yes, then I'd say you might want to be just a little more careful in your life - it may not have happened to you yet, but it's possible to be seriously burned through lack of prudence.

The Internet is no exception. I've already buried a relatively naïve young person who was contacted by a friendly stranger via the Internet, curried and groomed for a while, and then killed. I'd hate to see that happen to you or anyone else here because someone thought it "made them look paranoid" to check out any situation in which there was any question at all. If there IS any question at all, check it out. I don't think it unreasonable that any prudent person, Aspie or NT, would do so.

Then, when you're through with your Psych 101 class, please do go on for more advanced studies ....

I am familiar with the purpose of one - but I really don't see why an ethics committee should be convened because someone just might commit a criminal offence (which is essentially what you were assuming). Especially since most of these studies involve little more quizzes, which are covered separately by data protection legislation. But just to point out that most of the studies an IRB is supposed to prevent are carried out anyway, just not in the lab (e.g. Big Brother)

In which case a polite PM to Bianca asking if you could validate her study was all that was needed. But frankly if this was a scam, it would have taken way too much effort just to find out someones name and opinions. However checking out everything to the nth degree is not a way to go through life.

I take reasonable precautions in all cases, but I have one tool in my arsenal that most Aspies seem not to have: I am a bloody good liar when it comes to it.

I am very sorry to hear that. However leading ones life in accordance to paranoia because of ones initial naivety can be equally destructive to a person. You have to strike a reasonable balance and be to an extent be prepared to take risks in your life.

I have moved onto other areas, my Psych course left me feeling rather unimpressed by the subject unfortunately.

If you mean to imply that means Bianca lied, here are a few alternatives. You don't say whether Alex has even opened your message. If he hasn't, you can't expect a reply, so the lack of reply so far means nothing. If he has read your message, then if Bianca had lied he most likely would have exposed her. People tend to be annoyed if someone uses them as a front for a lie. There are also the possibilities that Alex finds the question too silly, or that it is not a high enough priority because he has other stuff to do.

You like to ask people

I ask the same. You only have a lack of evidence that is most plausibly explained by lack of lying. Come back with evidence if you ever find some.


Bianca has not asked anyone to trust her blindly. She has given the information people need to check whether her study is legitimate. Your argument doesn't apply here.


What you'd have to show for your trouble is the opportunity to help someone. If that has no value to you, why bother warning people in this thread? Do you get paid for your trouble?