A "Spectrum Rider" is WHAT??

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I'm 78, from the first of the "Silent Gen" & the last of the one before, which has no true, to me anyway, adjective "label," tho folks try.

I'm starting my trek to accept/understand Aspieness, and I'm tumbled and lost.

Is there a few traits description of a "Spectrum Rider," (that term itself is differently tumbling, no?) that can be accepted by riders themselves?

Mine, approximately, for me, looking backward, is:

Spectrum Riders are inherently kind, unique individual personaluties who get unusual answers to ways of seeing and being yet will stand before all else in defense of the "corrects" they find.

I'd appreciate comments. Thanks, ronglxy

I thought "Spectrum Rider" would have been a good title for s science fiction movie.

There are several of us who only in later years came to see Aspergers as a good explanation of our neurology.

I am reluctant to use the ASD label as to me it represents a miscellaneous category those who make a living categorizing people came up with to dump us in.

To my way of thinking it is neither A, S, or D

I will always think of autism in the classical sense as the brain damaged child whose malformation infrequently allows life past adolescence.

The word spectrum denotes variation in one dimension. I see the neurological variations that combine to produce Aspergers as much more complex.

The word disorder implies a defect and I would suggest that not all differences are defects.

Agreed!

My "ancient aged" view of the world, rebels at the specialist-clinician-technician world view "domination" of many(all) topics that get complex. Things neuro-biochemical-brain are such.

Spectrum, neurological, disorder, damaged, "bins dumped in," A-S-D, etc., etc. are all terms begun in the specialists worlds to describe (theorize about) things "lived by WP-ers." They are working hypothetical constructs (guesses) and are in no way "final!" They offend my "me" and always will until becoming "final" ! !! !!

As a very new "old man" entering Aspieness, I can't "feel myself" in anything other than my felt and observed "behavour" ( cuz that's a psychology specialist term again; {but it's also an intuitive one l learned in K-garten that I mean here.} )

So, I'm seeking a "street-English" and "K-garten" description of "Wp-ers" behaviour that
"Wp-ers" themselves accept. (And I think "on the spectrum" is crock of bio-neuro white coaters trying to assuage their physics jealously ! !) So, sci-fi "Spectrum Riders," OK??

{Appologies for spelling & grammer errors and any other offenses herein committed.}

I don't have much of a problem with clinical terms.
Spectrum rider sounds badass, though. Although it seems to be taken by a brand of spectrum analyzers, which apparently are devices used to measure signal frequencies which is something I just learned about.

But when I hear it, this is the kind of image that comes to my mind:

I thought it meant an advocate for autism acceptance, similar to the term "Freedom Rider" in the 1950s-60s, during the Civil Rights movement.

You completely lost me.

Autism is now thought of as a "spectrum". A condition that can exist in a range of severity from totally incapacitating a person (classic autism) to mild.

So being "a spectrum rider" would mean having something to do with this "autism spectrum".

So are you proposing that all autistics should be called "spectrum riders", or what?

Yes...to both points.

The phrase "spectrum riders" does sound bad-ass.

But it also sounds like it could mean some kind of scientific "spectrum analyzers".

In deejay slang there is a thing called "riding gain". Gain means "volume". "Riding gain" means having to constantly monitor the volume of the music you're playing (either on the radio, or during the cocktail hour of a party for a party dj)so the audience can both hear it, but not be annoyed by it ( and that it doesnt cause the equipment to go into the red and distort). Classical symphonic music, which can vary in volume more than typical pop music during the same piece, can be especially bad and force you to hafta "ride gain". The solution is run the music through a compressor (either an actual device, or nowadays it can be an app on a computer) that automatically makes the loud passages softer, and the soft passages louder. So you dont hafta constantly "ride gain".

Sound varies by loudness, but it also varies by pitch (frequency).

And so does other wave phenomena (like light, and radio waves), and like sound differs in frequency along a spectrum.

So "riding spectrum" could be the equivalent of "riding gain". Military may have to jump frequencies to monitor the enemy's radar emissions, or radio communications, or like that.

To natualplastic re your 7:44 post today & timf earlier. I posted semi-answers to your questions and issues; but the system isn't letting them. Appologies & thanks, ronglxy!

I also immediately thought of Riders on the Storm by The Doors!

In a lecture I watched recently...I think called A Little Bit Autistic? By Uta Frith, she showed a slide of the spectrum as a triangle between the 3 vertices Social, Restricted behaviour, and Sensory. I'm probably mangling that...but the point is that the Spectrum is not a one dimensional line but rather a triangle. A 2D surface with far more variation the is possible on a line. One could be anywhere in the triangle. This strikes me as far closer to reality. I tend to think it is more like a multi-dimensional space with infinite variation. That is far more pleasing to me intellectually and aesthetically.

Spectrum Rider sounds totally cool and a term I wouldn't mind put on me.

A VENT PERHAPS ! ! WHY NOT ??

I've lived in 7 generations being "very different"

https://theactiveage.com/who-do-you-thi ... oose-from/

and I/we are now in the 7th Generation, Alfa, which likely won't be statistically "defined" until after it's over. We're in an Alfa "not yet known."

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/20 ... -research/

I've been "helped and nurtured" by at least 7 forms of "special education's" pasteurizations, homogenizations & conformationing plans & programs, (See AMA, APA, etc., et al), zero to 3-ish of them per generation!! Confusing? Yes!

I nodded and smiled and went along with them all; except not really!! I masked and faked, immitated, pretended, and hid, lied, ducked and jived, a never revealed tough "guerilla warrior" of sanity sensing my real, vs:

"Now Rongxly, you know we have your best interests in mind. People come in many forms.
You turn out to be . . . and we have "special" progeams for your "special" needs (of slow, smart, gifted, spastic . . ."on the SPECTRUM," etc., etc.

Instead, I decided I was and always will be a "Spectrum Rider!" I surf into the "as yet unknown," that always is becoming. It's way more fun, "bad ass," adventuoues and true.

It's just an opinion of course

Bravo ronglxy!