For those that believe ASD is Only hard wired/genetic

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I'm interested in what Goldfish has to say, but not because I deny that autism is hard-wired (I believe it is, even if by by an epigentic mechanism). I'm interested because since getting diagnosed last year I've come to notice definite connections between environmental factors and my ability to deal with my autism.

Having the responsibility of being a mother and also trying to hold down a full-time job, I've found the only way to cope (even with my mild aspergers) is to be scrupulously careful in maintaining my health. For me, this means I've started using a fitness tracker to monitor sleep duration and stress level (by heartrate fluctuations), and I try to limit my intake of processed food, coffee and sugar (the latter two seem to trigger freakouts).

Even doing all this, recently I've been having some issues which I'm guessing are related to gut health. This has not been much of a problem for me before (I'm not gluten/casein intolerant, as far as I know), so I'm finding this new problem frustrating. Its like, however hard I try to look after myself, it seems like my autism insists on creating issues for me. If it even is the autism to blame - sometimes its hard to separate cause and effect.

Reading up about gut health, I've heard that Australian wheat (like in the US) can trigger inflammation, but I don't buy this as the sole cause because I've been eating bread for decades without major problems. I've also heard that maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is important, which did make me wonder if I may have been affected by a course of antibiotics I took last July after a tooth extraction. But I find it hard to understand why gut bacteria should remain out of balance for months if I am maintaining a healthy diet and controlling stress levels.

So, I dunno, I can see that my health affects my autism, and believe it works both ways, but am getting frustrated that however hard I work on staying healthy, I can never be completely "cured". It's all I can do to keep myself in balance enough to maintain my work and home life at a minimal level of functionality.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't believe Goldfish has found a miracle cure, but I'm willing to listen to what he has to say, because every little thing helps. I've seen how diet can decrease autism symptoms I'd love to increase my quality of life from "surviving" to "living".

the important thing to remember, is "YMMV."

You come off to many here as someone who is messed up. Several people have been been telling you this one way or another for quite a while. No one wants to be like you, based on how you present yourself on this forum. Either you're too messed up for that to register, or you're simply a troll putting on an act. Either way people are wasting time and energy with this and similar threads.

I had to look that up.

Not sure if you mean that what works for one person might not work for another, or that we should expect our bodies to start falling apart as we get older I agree with you either way, though I'm struggling a bit with the concept of getting older

what works for one might not work as well for another. we are all different, after all. and as we get older, most of us with normal genes, "the children of a lesser god," start deteriorating after middle age or earlier. a few lucky ones with solid gold genes stay relatively fit until they kick the bucket at a ripe old age.

That's it. Might not work or work differently or not as good or even work better on a case by case basis.

Sometimes the remedy for something can cause other problems. I had developed bad generalized anxiety.The stuff they put me on cured it, but eventually it started making me reckless and aggressive. But to me I felt great, on top of the world. They weaned me off it and I went back to normal.

I am moderate to severe autistic, so my parents have had a 101 autism fixes pitched to them throughout my lifetime. They are usually either some dietary/supplement routine or some form of occupational therapy someone invented. The umpteen inventors of umpteen autism fixes all give basically the same testimonial about their special formula as goldfish21 does about his.

Is goldfish21 even autistic? He seems more bipolar (hypomanic phase) to me.

I've said the same thing myself.

How can you tell? IMO some of his recent posts in the Haven appear to come from someone with mind blindness ( I just realised that's a Bipolar disorder as well )

I have had my share of disagreements with the man but questioning his autism, saying how he is disliked and the general ganging up on him that is going on here is against site rules and generally a bad thing to do.

His assertion that others can do what he does and overcome their autism, makes it fair game to question whether he even has the disorder.

I haven't said he is disliked, and I don't think I have ganged up on him. I just questioned whether it is valid for him to compare himself to others who aren't as "successful" as he is. This validates the struggle that many members have in achieving their goals.

I aint part of a gang , I say what I see and speak my mind

Report my post ASPOM, if it breaks a forum rule it will be deleted and I'll get warning

It was not you who said he was disliked but it has been said. To be autistic about it questioning a members autism is either allowed or it isn't with the possible exception of a person specifically asking about it.


I have reported this thread.

I do not think people conspired to gang up on him, but in my opinion when one person criticized him personally others felt more free to do so. If you read the entire thread while you may not think anybody ganged up him I would think you could understand why others might think that is what is happaning.

It isn’t nice at all to call someone messed up either.

Offering helpful advice can come in many frameworks. One is "I'm Ok, You're Not OK". This isn't generally very productive of the intended change the helper thinks is needed.

And sometimes offering help comes laced with a smiley face behind which facade is a desire for control and power. I am generally suspicious of the seemingly innocent claim "I'm only trying to help you" - Eric Berne woke me up to that one in his now quite old but famous book on human behaviour called "Games People Play".

But help has genuine forms too, motivated by good will and person centred (ie respectful to the person seeking it). This first requires careful attention and complex listening - to the message, to the emotional tone of the person, to their circumstances. It doesn't involve "how to be more like me, because you are less than me". That's a corruption of the genuine helping process IMO.

Goldfish though admits in another thread that he’s never been in a relationship, he doesn’t seem all that bad or unreasonable to me, and (sorry to speak about you in front of you like this goldfish!) if he did have bi-polar or whatever, it’s no reason to discredit that he has (or to him - had) autism. I knew a few autistics who had bi-polar anyway.

I notice different foods I eat can have a huge effect on my behaviour, I don’t go on at people about it because they always disbelieve me (and I personally think most people are too arrogant about what they know) but I have an idea what he is talking about.