Faking autism and Faking aspergers

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Aha... I keep asking myself where is this mythical sympathy and great advantages people get from pretending to have autism... Still a mystery and I keep seeing these posts for over 2 years

They get this sympathy from Wrong Planet, of course!

In real life, I honestly don't know where one would find sympathy. It seems if people know you have a "mental disorder", they'll more than likely just stuff you into the "mentally ill" category and treat you accordingly, rather than simply considering you a strange or quirky person. There are exceptions among the more sympathetic / tolerant / accepting NTs out there (Like, possibly, your mom), but it's generally not wise to admit to anything negatively stereotyped in general society.

Funny you should say that - my mother who's otherwise a highly educated and reasonably open minded person is incapable to grasp the difference between having a different neurological wiring and having a mental illness

I think I've better things to think about than a few deluded fakers getting a bit of ill gotten sympathy on an internet message board.

You find sympathy vampires in many places, in all walks of life. They want attention more than they want to solve their problems. I get sick of them quick.

Why would anyone fake Asperger's or Autism....? I'd give so much just to push a reset button and 'fit in' for a change.

I get what you're saying but I can think of so many easier and more efficient ways to get sympathy... Especially on the net where you can practically pretend anything and wouldn't have to go through as much research as if trying to fake autism.

To have excuses or to get sympathy or get special treatment?

I'm thinking about using an autistic diagnosis in getting special accommodations for my computer science's senior project class. I'm not sure how wise that is, though... (Like, I have no idea if the teacher is more than likely going to say "Well, if you're autistic, you can't work in a team and this class is all about team work! Sorry bud! You're not getting your degree!" ._.)

That's not special treatment then if you need it.

Lot of people look at accommodations people with disabilities get and think they wish they could have that so they may wish they had that condition. Another example is I have heard some kids fake learning disabilities so they get extra time on their tests or work modification but that may have been someone's ignorant opinion. If it's true, shame on those kids for doing that. It just reminds me of the episode in The Suite Life of Zach and Cody when one of the twins faked having dyslexia so he wouldn't have to work as hard on his school work because he was just too lazy to even do it. I was shocked to learn some kids actually do that in real life too when someone mentioned kids fake learning disabilities for accommodations which I would call special treatment because they don't need it. And one of the twins did get sympathy from his mother because she felt so bad for being hard on him over the years but at the end, he got caught and the mother wasn't happy with him for faking it. The boy with dyslexia wasn't happy with him either. I only saw that episode once so my memory might not be accurate.

Ok, I understand, I think. So 'sympathy' is the appealing part for this person? Not the autism itself? (though I suppose in a false logic one can also be drawn to the idiot-savant aspect)... Do they take joy in feeling pitied, or maybe they are just shirking their responsibilities? This is odd to think about.

OMG, NOT this again...

I had JUST as much business discussing my issues and asking for support BEFORE I had the "official dx" as I do now. I was RIGHT, for pete's sake. Once again, professional MISdiagnosis exists, as does ACCURATE self-diagnosis. NO-ONE, not a psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist...NO ONE has any business shoulding all over someone else's diagnosis (self or otherwise) because THAT is internet diagnosing as 'not really having it until professionally diagnosed'.

~Kate

Well, imagine you're in a situation where you worked quite hard and tried to do whatever possible to pass the class, then at the end, your team ends up failing you for reasons you find quite false and they just simply disliked you, unbeknownst to you (Largely because of your autistic way of interacting/thinking). What are you going to do? What I did was hypothesize that, considering the bulk of other evidence, that I might have autistic traits that influenced my ability to socially communicate within the group which then negatively affected their evaluation of me, regardless of my actual work output. So, I then think, if I have autism, then would getting diagnosed actually *help* me in getting the special accommodations that might be needed -- I.e., tasks would be clearly delineated and their completion would be objectively measured rather than having team mates claim "I disliked this annoying 'stupid' person." and thus failing me because they disliked me. In my case, it's not really a matter of finding sympathy or shirking responsibilities, it's a matter of being treated 'fairly' and graded fairly. (Although SOME do use diagnoses to shirk responsibility or gain favorable treatment -- I don't know about sympathy, though I suppose there are some out there who might seek it. Not everybody is rational, after all.).

However, I'm quite open to the possibility there might have been other problems in my case. I'm actually *very* welcome to the idea that I don't have autism (Or any other serious mental disorder or illness for that matter), and that my "problem" is entirely within my ability to solve. Once I know that I have the ability to solve it (And assuming I know what to solve), then it's just a matter of solving it. Such as, maybe, speaking up more often or interjecting my input. Or be more agreeable. Or "nicer". Or learn some social skills. Or something along those lines. (Or maybe get rid of expressive language deficits that causes me to drop articles or important parts of sentences which gives people the impression I'm a liar.)

If it turns out I simply have severe memory deficits, then I'll try to improve my memory using whatever techniques/programs exist out there. If that doesn't work, then I'll go hide in the corner and boohoo.

You seem like an aspie to me. Maybe you should go back and re-read your posts, because they were very technical and analytical. Sometimes I read posts, and think "there's no way this guy is an aspie." While I keep my judgements to myself for obvious reasons, I never once doubted that you are a "real" aspie.

Last edited by SammichEater on 13 May 2011, 7:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I agree with your assessment. People think a high AQ score is indicative of aspergers, but there's such a high false positive rate for "moderately high scores" (Which comprise the majority of Wrong Planet's un-diagnosed correspondents), it's not even funny. I wouldn't be surprised if at least 75% of the "Aspergers - Undiagnosed" or "Not sure if I have it" crowd with moderately high AQ scores were really neurotypical. However, like meow101 asserts, everyone has the right to seek social support regardless of their actual diagnostic status.

INTP != Aspie.

This is a three year old thread and should have remained buried. The whole point of it was executing a grudge against one semi-regular poster here. The premise is not a premise, just an attack. Danielismyname's post is three years old.