Everyday Worry

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Hello all,

I have introduced myself in the introductions area of the forum. I am a neurotypical and also a trainee clinical psychologist. Currently I am researching the everyday worry of people with Asperger syndrome. I am writing to tell you about this study and ask if you would like to participate by filling in an online survey, if you feel comfortable too. If you don't like the idea of taking part then all the best to you and thank you for taking the time to read this post.

However, for those who are interested here is more information.



Everyday Worries

What do people who have Asperger syndrome worry about?
What might make people who have Asperger syndrome worry less or worry more?

If we can answer these important questions’ then we can use that information to better support people who have Asperger Syndrome. I am carrying out a research project to try and answer these questions by looking at what influences the everyday worries of people who have Asperger syndrome.

I would like people who are over the age of 18 years and have Asperger syndrome of High Functioning Autism to complete a survey that I have prepared. The survey is completely anonymous and can be filled in online in your own time at:

www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=155312119269

Alternatively you can contact me on the details given and I will send you a paper copy. I will also send you a stamped addressed envelope so that you can return it to me in the post. The first page of the survey explains a little more about the study and how you can take part.

This research is being carried out as part of my Doctorate of Clinical Psychology with Royal Holloway, University of London and in association with Asperger Research North West. The study has full ethical approval from Royal Holloway, University of London and the National Autistic Society.

Please contact me on the details below if you have any questions.

Address: Pippa Hembry, Department of Clinical Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 OEX

Phone: 01784 414012, (please leave a message and I will get back to you)
Fax: 01784 472746
Email: [email protected]

Thank you so much for taking the time to consider being a part of this important project.

All the best,
Pippa Hembry.

On page 8 the answers are redundant I believe you put satisfied instead of unsatisfied on two of the available answers.

And on page 10 your statement of "Some people will use somewhat unfair means to get profit or an advantage, rather than lose it." is too vague. Are you asking if you agree or if you are one of those people?

Ohh... Can't participate, I'm under 18 (plus I'm undiagnosed).

Anyway, even if I can't participate, I was wondering whether you mean just consciously worrying (thinking about it) or also the more unconscious stuff (like the nagging feeling at the back of my mind that I should be studying history).

A little of both is covered I think.

its a long survey.. 11 pages.

I don't like the bit about sensory perception. How can we tell what is normal?

This is like the old philosophical chestnut about whether the colour red which I see is the same as the colour red which anybody else sees. As it's reliant upon our individual senses it's quite possible that my blue is your green. There's no way of telling as there's no way of plugging my eyes into your brain or vice versa.

Well unlike the color red the volume of sounds and their hearing sensitivity can be determined by judging their behavior.. if something seem horribly loud to you but doesnt bother anyone else you can say your more sensitive same if your hearing sounds (with an actual source) that no one else can hear.

For example Im the only person I know who can hear low voltage transformers (an extremely high pitched and low volume whine).

i'll take your survey right after i get done making eggs

I hear transformers. I hear hiss from speakers and obscure buzzes from electrical equipment left on standby. On the plus side I can also find animals like mice and snakes in hedgerows, just by listening.

My query was about the question which asked whether colours were particularly bright. Well, compared to what? How would I know whether they were particularly bright unless I'd been able to look through the eyes of a "normal" person first? I can't tell whether my senses are exceptional because they're normal to me.

Well I understand what your saying but I think the survey just wants you to guess on whether your hypersensitive or not based on your experiences and observations of the reactions of others to similar stimuli.

For me direct sunlight and "bright" colors are painful.. I actually mean physically painful it feels like someone is stabbing me in the eye so its rather obvious my sensitivity is not normal based on all the "Oh what a pleasant sunny day" and "oh what a cute bright colorful outfit shes wearing" comments I hear from most NTs.

Not to mention the fact that when I point something interesting out at night everyone I know goes "I cant see it its too dark".

That's ok, I understand what you're saying too. It's an Aspie thing, isn't it, wanting everything to be black and white, yes or no?

I'd never really thought about it before but I do get blinded on sunny days. Also, my night sight is very good and I get annoyed when people use torches as it messes it up.

Hi

Thanks for your interest. I have updated page 8 and will bear this in mind with the analysis.

I'm interested in all kinds of worry. Worry and anxiety can be about a million different things and of varying severity. Worry can be useful to us and at other times very unnecessarily distressing. The survey is exploring different kinds of worry and different factors that may be related to it for people with Asperger syndrome.

The survey is long, so thank you for the patience of all those who have completed it. Your points about some of the questions not being very clear is fair and good. Unfortunatly these are the limitations of this kind of research that uses standard multiple choice questions. When writing the study up I will be considering the influence of all the points you make. Such comments are therefore also greatfully recieved.

As far as the sensory perceptions questions are concerned Fraya has given excellent responses to these. I'm very interested to hear about sensory experiences. I wonder if this is one of the characteristics of Aspeger syndrome that seperates it from people who are socially anxious and nothing other than this?

All the best,
Pippa

I worry about things every day, and I think it's a comoon trait for people with AS.

Remember that a minority of people with AS are actually not socially anxious. Some simply prefer to avoid social interaction; and some (especially the younger ones) are simply unaware that others find them odd. Others (especially females) are "adopted" by people who feel pity for them, and end up with one or two close friends who act as a buffer between them and the outside world. And some have found comfort in professional circles in which they are thought "eccentric but intelligent" and valued for their skills--I have seen a professor of mine in exactly this situation.

I am one of those who does not feel social anxiety any more than the average neurotypical... probably less than many. My own reasoning is that what others think of me doesn't matter, because I prefer my own company. In early childhood, I was unaware that others thought me unacceptably strange; though I knew I was different, I put this down to the high intelligence my mother was always telling me I had. During my teen years, I began to realize just how strange others thought I was, and had a period of social anxiety during which I attempted to act "normal" in order to make friends, but could not accomplish that goal. Remembering that period, I can empathize with those who experience marked social anxiety: It is not a pleasant phenomenon, and I do not envy them.

During the last three years, as an adult, I have had anywhere from one to three close friends who accept me as I am; this combines with my fundamentally introverted nature to make me worry very little about what others think of me.

The one fear I still have is that I may clumsily hurt someone, emotionally, by saying what others would consider offensive or hurtful: I might not have the time, during the fast pace of a conversation, to evaluate such a statement fully and to appreciate its impact.

Agreed. Thats my main concern and about the only cause of worry for me (not to be confused with stress) that I will be misunderstood or my typical aspie bluntness will inadvertantly hurt someone.

The sensory stuff is one of the main things that convinced me of my aspieness. But there's also the obsessions, and besides the social anxiety stems from being REALLY bad at socializing. Most of the just social anxious have low self-esteem or whatever.

One statement confused me. Page 5: I can sit at ease and feel relaxed.

Yes and no.

I can do this when I am alone, but not in the company of others.

Then there was one that said something about students that have order an good organisation are better students. I was unsure if you asked if I was such a student or do I agree they are better students.