Jonathan Riddell is the interviewer, and Tristan Jones is Newchum. Corrections welcome.
Jonathan Riddell: It's my pleasure to welcome to the program a Bendigo student named Tristan Jones. Tristan is studying commerce at La Trobe, Bendigo but what is making him well worth interviewing this morning is that Tristan is living with Aspergers and he's pretty keen to meet other people with the same thing. It's not a diease, it isn't a disorder, how would you describe Aspergers?
Tristan Jones: It's a condition.
JR: It's a condition. Thank you. So Tristan Jones is living with condition wants to meet other young adults who are living with Aspergers and is with us to now to tell us a little bit about this syndrome as well as how to get in touch with him. Good morning Tristan, how are you?
TJ: Fine.
JR: A'kay, look, can we do some basic homework, because it's still something I'm not complete sure of. How do you describe someone living with Aspergers, what is it?
TJ: It's a form of autism. However, unlike a lot of people's perception of autism, people with Aspergers are high functioning. They're people with normal intelligence but have difficulty with social communication, making friends, relating to other people. Probably the communication and body language, they seems weird. And repetitive behaviors and interests, like doing the same thing over and over, and plus a lot of people with Aspergers have obsessive interests. Somebody might be interested in computers but a person with Aspergers takes it to the extreme.
JR: And so some terms used for high functioning people with Aspergers, everything from nerds and geeks to those sorts of things. In some ways people with Aspergers seem to have [unclear] don't they, they can be very single minded in some things.
TJ: Yes, indeed.
JR: Okay. Now, of course, the issue with me is that you look around the world and see people different to you, that must be something that's difficult to come to terms with.
TJ: Indeed.
JR: So, how do you ...
TJ: I think I just adapt, you know. The wrong planet community is an internet community that I have visited for several months which is full of people full of Aspergers syndrome and they helped me realize more about my condition and how I can adapt.
JR: It's really interesting in that you know I've seen other web pages with people with common interests but I've never seen anything quite like WrongPlanet, which by the way if you are interested in what living with Aspergers is like a great place to visit is called wrongplanet.net because it actually brings out those sorts of things that those people without Aspergers take for granted. Things like the fact that we had small talk. And I'll say "Hi, how are you Tristan" and you might say, "Fine, how's it going?" and you think, why are you asking me this. Well other people thing you are being polite and actually interested in who I am. So do you have to just adapt your behavior and think, this is what other people are expecting of me?
TJ: It's really difficult because I don't understand really what small talk is, you know. I just think it might be gibberish a lot of the time.
JR: You know what, you might be right. But that doesn't mean that we're not meant to do it. And the other side too, as you said, body language. Again, you know, hopefully you've seen me leaning forward, looking very interested in what you're saying. It's something that we do naturally, people with aspergers.. what do you do? Do you actually have people coach you or do you observe the world and think, Oh that's how I'm meant to be behaving in a sense.
TJ: No, no for me, and a lot of older people, if you realize it, you just notice other people and you just copy it without actually understanding what it means.
JR: Okay, there are certainly some real challenges for you. Now 20-30 years ago, Aspergers was how did we talked about?
TJ: It's non-existant.
JR: Nowadays it is certainly a well recognized condition. A lot of people have been diagnosed with it. What does it mean for you to know that there is a name for what you are going through?
TJ: It's a realization that I'm not alone of course. That I have people who are similiar to me who the same challenges in life.
JR: And you're actually in Bendigo, studying at La Trobe, and you'd like to set up some called it more of a face to face rather than a virtual network.
TJ: Actually I've already set one up and I've already gotten my second potential member.
JR: Right.
TJ: And he's gonna try and get a few more people in.
JR: Do you know roughly, you know, if you go through population statistics, how many people you know say between 15 and 25 would there be in our region living with some form of Aspergers?
TJ: I'd say several hundred.
JR: Okay, so it shouldn't be so hard to create call it a face to face adjunct to the virtual world that you've been visiting.
TJ: Yeah, but a lot of people with Aspergers don't realize that they have it.
JR: Really? Still..
TJ: I don't think it's so much amongst the younger generation but certainly amongst the older generations. Either they are either ignorant of it or deny it.
JR: Really? And thats the kinds of people who wish to avoid the labels of special or different and...
TJ: More eccentric and weird.
JR: Alright, you be blunt, I won't be. And so where we go from here then Tristen, obviously the condition is out there. You've certainly came to raise some awareness and cross people's paths. As you say, you recommended me to a place wrongplanet.net. That's actually an American site.
TJ: It's global.
JR: It's global. Based in America.
TJ: There's quite a few Australians on the site.
JR: For sure, would you like to refer me to another place though? To visit if you are interested in perhaps a more local community?
TJ: It's the Bendigo Young Adults Aspergers Group. It's http://www.freewebs.com/byaag
JR: byaag?
TJ: Yep.
JR: byaag stands for Bendigo Young Aspergers Group?
TJ: Yep.
JR: byaag. And that's it?
TJ: Yes.
JR: Okay. Well what we'll do is -
TJ: And also I have a phone number if you want to contact me.
JR: Please give it to me.
TJ: 0412233884
JR: 0412233
TJ: 884.
JR: 884.
JR: Well it's been really nice speaking with you Tristan. And look congradulations. I would imagine that what you're doing is not that easy, to come out stand out to be counted.
TJ: Indeed.
JR: Well congradulations on doing it. And look maybe we'll catch up in six months to see how things are going.
TJ: Sure.
JR: Nice to meet you.
TJ: Thank you.
JR: Tristan Jones is living with Aspergers, he's studying at La Trobe, Bendigo, and if you are keen to perhaps share your experiences, maybe you'd like recommend him to somebody you know who is living with Aspergers, then those bits of information will be up at our world wide web at abc.net.au/centralvic. Very very shortly Tristen Jones will just worked out the web page. Got that phone number 0412233884. If you would like to, as I said 5th day and 25, share some common experiences....
22 Dec 2005, 7:41 pm
