shaggydaddy wrote:
In the information age, it is an evolutionary advantage to value analysis over human social interaction. It is an advantage to be able to hyperfocus on a computer for 8 hours a day. Now that dating and socialization are also more of an analytical activity (social networking and dating websites) geeks/aspies are now much more able to breed. In the media "geek chic" is popular and geeks are starting to be seen as desirable mates. I believe all of this contributes to the "autism explosion"... Dot Com nerds didn't just acquire money in the 1990s, we also acquired mates, and produced children... autistic children.
I am just saying that in the information age, analytics are more important than biceps, and by and large I believe the human genome is responding to that niche.
One of the biggest differences between humans and other animals is that our brains are so important that as infants we are basically a giant brain casing (head) connected to a useless body. Most other animals are significantly more self sufficient, much earlier. That is why we have very active parents, to help us to grow, develop, and become self sufficient slowly, so that we can continue to wield that massive brain. It is sometimes counter-intuative that humans can be viewed as the top of the evolutionary tree, even though there are animals that are much faster, stronger, and durable... and they are all of those things much earlier than humans are.
In fact if you looked objectivly at a human baby, you might assume that they were low on the evolutionary tree. Now look at an aspie child. They often need more care untill later in life. They are often less self sufficient at a comperable age to a normal human. So I submit that the counter-intuitive principle that forces us to look at human development as a group rather than as an individual would cause us to realize that developmental delays might actually be an evolution-positive trait, since it allows our brains to develop in a way that is sometimes more useful for the tasks that we need to do.
GOD, is there SO much WRONG with your asertions! Why don't you read towards the end of the DSM requirements for Aspergers? Here is a summary:
Quote:
DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES
The essential features of Asperger's Disorder are:
Criterion A. Severe and sustained impairment in social interaction
Criterion B. The development of restricted, repetitive patterns of
behaviour, interests, and activities
Criterion C. The disturbance must cause clinically significant impairment
in social, occupational, or other important areas of
functioning.
Criterion D. In contrast to Autistic Disorder, there are no clinically
significant delays in language (eg: single words are used
by age 2 years, communicative phrases are used by age 3
years).
Criterion E. There are no clinically significant delays in cognitive
development or in the development of age-appropriate
self-help skills, adaptive behaviour (other than in social
interaction), and curiosity about the environment in
childhood.
Criterion F. The diagnosis is not given if the criteria are met
for any other specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or
for Schizophrenia.
BTW There are THREE times where AS is a benefit, NOT the ONE you mention:
1. Small business requiring expertise by that person.(Effective dates are from the beginning of time to now, but more likely earlier, since corporations and media now are behemoths to compete against.)
2. Corporate SKILLED jobs requiring special knowledge the AS person has.(Effective dates are from the beginning of time to now, but more likely later as one person may now be required to do what a team really can't.)
3. Discoveries.(Obviously at any time.)
BTW I always worked towards #2, but my career started at, and I wish it had stayed, at #1. With #3 I came up with a few things that turned out good, but I never patented them. I didn't think it was right, and still don't.
21 Dec 2007, 7:25 pm
