Who do you relate to?

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I just recently found this video on youtube. I have watched it several times and even though I have Asperger's, I am still amazed at the wide array of our styles of personality in terms of social abilities. If you watch the video, is there a particular person in this video that you relate to? As most of you will probably note, the man conducting the support group meeting is John Carley who also has Asperger's. It is neat that after selecting the person you relate to, if any---to re-watch the video and pay attention to that person throughout the video to see the stims/mannerisms/etc. that are exhibited. I too have particular stims.
When selecting, try to ignore the gender.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkVYDo8vVLc

When I posted this I also had a choice for "None of the above." Now it isn't there. Sorry. So perhaps if "none of the above" is your choice you could just post that in a response---if you want to.

Last edited by glider18 on 11 Jan 2009, 4:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Carl would be the closest but not Nicky because I hate romance movies

They all have weird body language and diction. I don't, so I couldn't relate to any of them. Some reminded me of Rainman. Sorry to be so blunt, but I'm very disappointed that I wouldn't fit in with other Aspies either

When I watched the video I noticed the same thing. I don't think I have that type of body language and diction either. I would most closely relate to John Carley.

By posting this I was curious if other fellow Aspies would notice this with the body language and diction of the Aspies depicted here in comparison/contrast to yourself.

Don't be disappointed by not fitting in Greentea---because you do fit in. We are all so different.

I personally believe the video depicts Aspies seeking counseling for problems that many of us would perceive as severe. But yet, I am undergoing counseling for issues relating to socializing. Issues I have that I struggle with may not be an issue with those on the video, and vice versa.

hi glider 18. great you put this up.
I related to the women by virue of the fact they are women..so the presentation cna be a little different sometimes.
i also related to john carley
i also related to the guy with glasses talking abou ttv and also star trek (and i hate start trek,) but i liked his discussion of tv.

i have always concealed my addiction to tv as if it were a "bad thing." I watch a lot of tv. very important part of my life.

Good point millie about choosing the women by virtue that you are a woman. I wondered about the gender issue playing into this. So I am glad you also selected the Star Trek guy and ignored gender there. I think I will edit my post to state that we should try to ignore gender when selecting. Thanks.

Thank you, glider. That's a huge relief.

But you know, each time there's a video on the forums, it's always someone with the odd diction and body language, so I panic... Except for one vid, all the others were like these...

I chose the older guy with white hair and glasses... I remember before knowing about aspergers watching tons of tv just to watch and analyze how people interacted with each other.. mainly because I was the kid in school that was somewhat ostracized and I wanted to know why I was different. So tv was what I turned to.

I am seeing a lot of you have chosen the older guy with white hair and glasses. The more I think about it, that might be who I would relate to more so than Carley. I would feel quite awkward speaking like that in front of any group like Carley does. I am trying to imagine one more seat in that group of people with me sitting in it. What would I look like?

We are often drawn to those who act in manners different than our own particular individual manner. If you do not act at all like Nicky, the new guy in the front row, you probably become quite aware of him. But if you look at the video again, notice all the members of the group who really do nothing that "unusual" and just basically sit there like anyone would.

You might be interested in a YouTube video that was made by a mom of an autistic boy. It's called "The Mad Hatter."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8fm46b3Z68

That is a most interesting video that Didymus linked here. I especially liked the captions near the end that state:

"autism is not a disease...it is a neurological difference." That is so true. It supports awareness and tolerance.

Very good video indeed. I found the interlacing of the cartoon with the pics of the boy to be most interesting.

I couldn't watch the whole thing. Can't focus that long on discussions that don't interest me, and everything they were discussing was not of my interest. Also, for me to be able to focus on someone talking, they must have an animated fluctuating voice, and it must be a subject that I am am interested in.

I related to the guy with white hair and glasses who talked about Star Trek. He seems to really care about the Star Trek characters, just like how I care about my favorite fictional characters. Also, I think it's really interesting how he has white hair and glasses, because my favorite character, Abel Nightroad of Trinity Blood, has white hair and glasses.

well, the guy with glasses who was quite articulate was pretty similar to me (except for the fact he was male and liked data!!) i talk a lot faster at times and i also have a rpblem with losing the thread of my words i fmy internal movie screen distracts me too much. SO, i can be very articulate and get distracted suddenly by apparently NOTHING. (but i knwo it is the techniclour moveis going on upstairs in the old mind.)
i also have some strange stimming at times - in therapy sessions i rock back and forth. i always fidget and do this weird thing with my fingers...and seeing me on a youtube vid (i have not put any up as yet....) - you would notice my stimming and some quite unusual facial expressions (which i believe are almost tourettish - tics, same thing wth my shoulders and my back twists.)

Good one this glider, I'm sure many can relate to the different types in the video. Funny thing is that I was searching for videos on the subject aspergers, before I joined the WP and downloaded the whole video with utorrent. I did not quite relate to the main person or any other in the movie. I speak quite well and don't have any weird moves. The only thing I know, is that I walk pretty fast and can have a slightly monoton way of speaking, depending on the stress level, or how I feel. Every day is not the same. In fact you can hear me speak in this vid I shot, when playing with my dog. I speak norwegian, but you can hear how I sounds like

http://mosez.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album04&id=p1000078

I don't think there’s enough information in that video to tell whether I could relate to any of those people or not. I'd have to see more to know for sure.

I've met with someone on the autism spectrum who I felt I had many things in common with. This was despite the fact that he appeared a bit abnormal in his speech and body language while in most settings I come across as nothing more than an unusually quiet introverted NT - no weird body language or diction at all. I'll admit that I sometimes feel a little uncomfortable around this person as I'd probably feel uncomfortable around some of the people in that video. But being uncomfortable doesn't necessarily mean you can't relate at all.

I sense that some NT's experience that same kind of discomfort around people with very mild symptoms as we do around people with more visible differences. In that way being around other aspies helps me see things from the NT perspective a bit better. I see why it might be difficult for them to overcome their unspoken prejudices against us. Even the smallest social faux pas make NT's uncomfortable, perhaps even on a subconscious level that they aren't fully aware of.