simulated Asperger's

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What with my considerable skepticism about the qualifications of the average behavioral diagnostician, I tend to assume that there's no real syndromes but merely a list of traits that sometimes apply, hence the use of the term "spectrum" to cover their incompetent and muddled heinies. My little son and I share many qualities that make us fit the description. I have always had more, I think, but he was diagnosed (by the people at school, for what that's worth) when I was sure it was ADHD. With the traits they indicated, I could see that, autistic or not, he was struggling with problems that people with AS have and therefore it made sense to provide the same therapies to help him socialize, whether his problems are innate or merely from being raised by a woman who doesn't socialize, period.

Many members of my family have had problems, too. I think we're just like that. But if the methods work, they'll work no matter why you are the way you are, usually.

Well yes, it is possible to have all the traits of Aspergers and not have the syndrome. For example all of these things could have happened to you, creating the appearance of Asperger:

(1) The reason you have a communications disorder is that your semantic-pragmatic functioning was disrupted as you grew up in a land where the semantics and pragmatics of language are so different than ours that you are functionally impaired in trying to learn another language.

(2) You had some kind of scarlet fever when you were a kid, creating a mild polio like neurological dysfunction that makes you clumsy.

(3) Your parents and friends also beat and belittled you, so that you never developed a functional personality or learned how to negotiate social situations.

(4) You have a bad temper and are disorganized, so that you have the functional personality traits of someone who has ADD and who has meltdowns.

(5) You developed a pathological pattern of "special interests" because you just never had anything else to do and are OCD.

and so on...

But as someone earlier said, the etiological pathways being common means that these things stem from the same neurological conditions, not be an accident of different developmental causes.

So your symptoms could be the result of many causes conspiring together to make you appear Asperger. But you would know that on some level, because you would have had the experiences that caused each of those symptoms to develop in you.

If these things all developed due to something other than a neurological cause, you would have the memory of the significant experiences causing you to develop these symptoms. You would remember that you are learning a language that is off your map, you would know you had the scarlet fever, you would remember being socially abused, you would remember not having anything to do that the other children had access to.

well all things must be technially true and tgat is the point of this thread

I have a headache - does that mean I have head trauma or a brain tumor? It is not solely symptoms, but their causes and concurrence which also have meaning. Feels like another baby+bath water discussion, however, seeking to diminish the reality of having AS.


M.

Diagnostic criteria topic

I suppose some people can fake symptoms and may fool some diagnosticians.

If someone if diagnosed with a syndrome or illness and wants a second opinion, then this is an option.

If someone is diagnosed and chooses to disregard it, then this is also possible.

There are choices in this world. Lots of them.

I usually think of people like that as "geeky NTs".

insnt that my point?

It is possible to have aspects, to have a series of experiences and quirks that would be similar to AS. I don't think that one would simply be born with all the same symptoms without underlying cause, and most things I can think of that would exhibit similarly to spectrum are not necessarily resulting from, apparent or existing at the time of birth. It is the concurrence, intensity, and cause for these symptoms that would be important; a worthwhile doctor will eliminate other possible causes. As one doctor explained to me, it tends to be more a diagnosis of elimination than of proof, since there is no precise testing to ensure accuracy. However, in the course of the thread the tone has come to be more dismissive of AS instead of looking at comparative issues - thus my response.


M.

meh not my fault if people try to steer it away from its porpuse. Whish people wopuld stay on topics though

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you intended to convey with that statement - if you would, please explain.


M.

wait...is that my lollipop?

Even if it was, you're not getting it back. It's peppermint.

I see I have my answer - thank you.


M.

sarcasm...the ultimate form of communication