Explaining Asperger's to an NT

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Hi,

does anyone have any links to videos that could help an NT understand what someone with AS is going through?

Also, links to good literature that explains things in a short and simple way?

Also wallet cards - do you have a link/copy of one you like?

Perhaps somebody else has knowledge of such videos--but I don't.

It's not easy to explain Asperger's to an NT--you could lay out the diagnostic criteria (in DSM IV and ICD 9/10), and try to illustrate them.

I believe it would be especially difficult to explain sensory difficulties to an NT.

I don't believe explaining about "special interests" would be difficult, though. Some NT's have "special interests" which they are somewhat obsessed about--yet are not usually all-encompassing like an Aspergian's "special interest."

It would take patience to explain Aspergian social difficulties. One would, I believe, have to create scenarios.

There's plenty of literature that NT's can read about AS that explains it all, but as to whether they really understand what it's like to have AS, I doubt that they really understand it.

Oh, you can go to Amazon.com book section and type in Asperger's Syndrome and it will go pages and pages of books on AS.
For videos, just go to U-tube and type in the same thing and you will get all sorts of videos on AS.

I would tell them that it's kind of similar to a hangover except without the headache and nausea, at least the sensory issues could be comparable to that combined with how things most people may not find that interesting are very fascinating when you're tripping would sort of be simular to the special interests but then again what if I am talking to a neurotypical who has not taken psychedelics....I don't know guess it would be kind of hard to really describe it to someone without knowing exactly how their experience is different.

I know of a few, but they may be seen as being childlike (and that was the intended audience so I guess they are).

These are two of my favorites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejpWWP1HNGQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9-l19CKISg

I feel like it's really difficult to explain all the facets and nuances of asperger's, especially since it can appear differently for anyone on the spectrum, and how many of us used coping mechanisms to hide our asperger traits.

The most useful resource I feel that is out there right now in describing things in terms that others (both NTs and ASDs) can understand is Amythest Schaber's channel on YouTube titled Neurowonderful. Watch her shows titled "Ask an Autistic": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Bk0GbW8xgvTgQlheNG5uw

I know somebody who recommends this book
http://www.amazon.com/Aspergers-Syndrom ... 0470660872

Yeah actually I've bought literally dozens and dozens of books about AS from Amazon and could lend them but I don't think they're going to have the patients to read a whole book. That's why I was after something short and easy to understand.

Hah! Rosie King (first video). I read an article on her self diagnosis ages ago. I had no idea she'd made a video and I thought I'd scoured YouTube for all the Aspie stuff there was.

Yeah actually, I've got that one. That may not be too heavy for them.

What I was actually looking for was a couple of pages I could print out and hand people at work who are interested about it. I don't think they're interested enough to read a book but a paper, they would read.

What I might do is write my own.

If any of you can think of anything you feel should be in there, post it here.

Things like:
I tend to take things literally
I find it difficult to make eye contact when you're talking to me

That sort of thing.

Oh also, if you can think of anything like:
On the outside, I may look like everybody else and I may be highly intelligent but you can't see the troubles I've had all my life and how it's affected me ... etc.

I don't know.

But if you could give me some ideas, I'd be most appreciative.

Here's a snippet of something I wrote to help NTs understand how our brains work. It's received good reviews from NTs I trust. Hopefully it helps...


(High Definition Fiber Tracking image of Temple Grandin's brain versus control brain)

"These scans show the neural connections used when connecting visual thoughts to language. The Autistic brain is the one on the left. Note how scattered the signals are in Grandin’s brain versus how focused and linear they are in the control brain. Considering how this over-connectivity relates to every component of the Autistic brain, it is easy to imagine how it takes a lot longer for me to assess exactly what I’m thinking at a given moment. ...

Basically, an Autistic brain is like an overclocked computer. It’s running at a higher speed than it was designed for, specifically because the shotgun scattering of information isn’t as efficient as it normally had evolved to be. Scientists have found that an Autistic brain produces 42% more information at rest than a normal brain does. This makes sense because of how widely the data is transmitted internally and the additional information this causes to be introduced to the system… if only in negative feedback and crossed connections. Really, there isn’t a filter on various sensory inputs and thus it ALL gets processed at once.

You might be thinking: That 42% excess sounds great! How are you not a superhero? Ah yes, but there’s the rub. Normal brains shift their processing power to match the task at hand. When at rest, they reduce processing to match demand. When demand for brain processing increases, say in a high-stress situation, the brain ramps up production to meet the need. To accomplish this without being overwhelming, the brain uses sensory filters to block out the seemingly unimportant data that the eyes, ears, skin, etc., are sensing.

While the Autistic brain processes more information while at rest, it does not upscale well when needed. There is no filter, thus the Autistic brain tries to continue processing every single sensory input that is coming in. Eventually, it becomes too much and you have to remove stimuli somehow… sometimes by the drastic measure of escaping the scene.

This is why situations that don’t bother NTs — like noisy restaurants — can wreck havoc on Autistics. The NT brain ramps up to meet the need because it can filter out the random background noises, smells, etc., that are unimportant to the task at hand. The Autistic brain tries to make sense of everything it is experiencing. Combine that with trying to make sense of seemingly alien NT social norms, and you get a recipe for a shutdown or meltdown.

The Autistic brain produces more information because of the excess of neural connections, but also doesn’t have a way to filter out unnecessary stimuli. Seems simple, right? Introduce one overall filter to reduce the amount of information being sent for central processing. Bada-bing. Done.

But wait! Remember that pruning of synapses we talked about earlier? Yeah,… it’s not consistent. Some areas get pruned enough. Some area don’t get pruned at all. Some get pruned too much. And there’s no telling which areas are pruned at all! Every brain gets pruned differently, so every Autistic is different. Hence the expression, “If you’ve met one Autistic, you’ve met one Autistic.” Some of us have sensory issues with sound, some with touch, some with a combo of senses, and some with every sense. So those sensory filters can be nearly complete, completely non-existent, or anywhere in between.

Sounds complex, right?

We are."

Yep, there's a really good source right here, on this very forum:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=112787

I think this is so close to perfect, that I have a copy of it in a word processor, and have printed it out.

I've been struggling with how to explain to an NT in my life what exactly goes on in our brains and I think this is a great start. Would you happen to have the whole piece readily available?