Weirdest things you hear about Asperger's?

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The thing I've heard most from people I interact with is that they associate AS with retardation. I don't know if they necessarily believe everyone with AS is ret*d, but they do strongly associate one with the other. I also get asked a lot of questions about sense of humor (as in having no sense of humor) and AS, which is weird because most people think I'm really funny. Friends have asked me several times (different friends) if they have AS when they have an awkward conversation with them. I explain that social difficulties aren't the only part of AS, but people don't seem to be able to grasp this.

On the internet I hear a lot about people with AS being socio/psychopaths or having no feelings. I've never heard anyone in real life make this association.

My guess is most people are not aware of the whole spectrum of Asperger's and what defines it. They probably think 'Oh it's autism so they must be like Rain Man'

And then they may see fictional characters on TV with ASD and the way they are portrayed & that makes them think that every Aspie must be like that. I just remembered that there was this character on Glee (the TV Show) that had self-diagnosed Asperger's and she was very annoying and insulting everybody and always added "oh I have Asperger's.. that's why I'm like that"
>.<

Weirdest (untrue) things I've heard about AS:

- We're all like "Rainman".

- We all have psychic powers.

- We all torture helpless animals.

- We all wet the bed.

- We all are pyromaniacs.

- We all lack emotions and feelings.

- We're all incredibly intelligent.

- We're all incredibly unintelligent.

- We all play with our own feces.

- We're all psychopaths that haven't murdered anyone ... yet.

- We're all asexual.

- We're all hypersexual.

- We're all homosexual.

- We;re all heterosexual.

- We're all bisexual.

- We're all perverts.

- We all want to change our sex.

- We all like cartoons.

- We've all been sexually molested.

- We're all faking symptoms of AS.

- We're all suicidal.

- We're all homicidal.

- We're all mechanical or technical geniuses.

- We're all artistic geniuses.

- We're all linguistic geniuses.

... et cetera ... ad nauseum ...

Well, here is a list of weird (and often offensive) things that I have heard about AS so far...
1. Aspies tend to be more vulnerable to depression than NTs, so Aspies ought to be aborted. Otherwise, they will grow up and develop depression.
2. Not everybody who has schizophrenia has AS, But everybody who has AS has schizophrenia.
3. Aspies are either geniuses or idiots. Most Aspies are "idiot savants".
4. Aspies greet people by grabbing them, then pinching them violently.
5. Aspies will become NTs as soon as they are "cured" through a combination of various therapies.
6. When NTs converse with Aspies, Aspies either ignore NTs or try to steer the conversation towards their very own pet topic.
7. Aspies can solve any mathematical equation that they come across.
8. Since Aspies have difficulties understanding figurative expressions, they should be exempted from studying Literature.

My favorite one was one I was reading on this site earlier about how all people with Aspergers are reincarnated descendants of ancient extraterrestrials.

I do like going on WP but here is the only place where I have read some ridiculous BS about Aspies:-

...Aspies have every possible physical feature you can imagine, whether it's normal in humans or not, it's still related to one's AS (I have 2 arms, must be related to having AS )

...an Aspie's depression and social anxiety will go away if they completely isolate themselves from other people and never speak to another human being ever again

...Aspies are every race ever existed on this planet

...AS is a disease

I've had people assume I'm incapable of compassion. Generally they are the kind of people who care more about the appearance of sympathy than actually helping other people, though. I guess that kind of perspective on compassion leads you to define it as "saying the right words" rather than "a desire to make other people's lives better, or at least less annoying," which is how I define it.

I agree with you, Callista.