On the spectrum, but facing no issues.

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AS is a life-long condition, and if you have no impairments, then you don't have AS.

The is matter of viewpoint, white skin would be considered an impairment in a sun soaked environment, yet no one would ever suggest that is a major impairment.

If you have issues with sensory intergration issues, or learning disabilities sure it'd be fair to say you have a impairment I simply do not.

My issue is a lack of empathy, and an generally obsessive nature. From my viewpoint, there perfectly fine traits, and in this modern world very advantagous. I do not wish to see these traits as problems, I embrace em, which is why I'm here.

I do not see any of my issues as problem with me per se. The problem is a lack of cultural understanding between us and them.

I find myself agreeing with XFilesGeek on this matter, though perhaps I would have phrased it a bit differently.

You mention that most of the issues you've had with your AS, are in the past. Much the same goes for me. As a 9-year old, I was an unusually introverted child, taking comfort in my own rigid routines and special interests, and throwing temper tantrums at the slightest provocation. I understood very little about the people around me, and their strange ways and mores. But as I grew through my teenage years and my early twenties up to the point where I am now (25), I learned to cope with those traits of my autism that were very much impairing me and hampering me in certain ways.

In my personal opinion, I feel as though I am the man I am today because I managed to control those aspects of my neurology that caused impairments in my functioning. In my opinion, much of my personal growth came from compensating for my autism.

The reason I enjoy reading the Wrongplanet forums and participating on them, is in part to be among kindred spirits, certainly, and to compare notes. BUT another important aspect is that, in reading the experiences of other autistics, I can learn how I can cope even better in certain aspects of life, and I also try to provide other posters who may find themselves in a jam, with my own insights to serve as advice.

You'll find plenty of other posters who are 100% positive about their ASD, and who will find no fault in it, and do not view it as an actual disorder, but merely a neurological difference. PLENTY of posters here on WP. I'm not one of them. You've only joined 2 days ago (I don't know for how long you've lurked, though). Don't write the forum off on such a glancing encounter with it.

My two-bits:

What is the point of having an AS community, or any community for that matter, if you cannot discuss both the good and the bad? I think both are covered here, from what I see. I think one very important role is having a place to go where people actually understand you. This does not happen in the NT world, at least not as holistically as one might need. I worry that denying people a place to express pain, vent, air difficulties is in fact another way of invalidating their experiences - too common in a the broader world and a contributor to greater isolation, alienation, depression, etc. Personally, I have been so exhausted from so many years of trying to cope under a tightly-fitted social mask that I am greatly relieved to find a place I can be both heard and understood. I appreciate that I have already had some good laughs here, nodded in understanding, felt less alone by other people's candid sharing of their own struggles, etc. If this were strictly a 'Pollyanna' site, I would not come. Of course seeing the positive, finding mentors, and all those good things are equally important, but denying and minimizing struggles - in my opinion - can be really damaging. Sometimes you simply need someone to say: hey, me, too. Ups and downs are part of life and AS ups and downs have certain particulars. If it didn't, then we wouldn't have AS. We are not NT. This is a 'whole' experience. If you have little or few problems as a result - bravo! That is to be celebrated and validated as well. But that does not mean that other people are not struggling, sometimes very greatly, and it does not mean we should gloss over these struggles. There are areas of the forums here that are more topically driven, are fun, and may relieve loneliness. There are still other areas that make for honest talk about day-to-day issues. I'll stop now because I feel myself going into more or a ramble than a rant, but please - embrace yourself as having a more positive experience and embrace others as well for where they are at - you can probably use your unique understanding and positive experiences to empathize with and encourage others - okay, I have to stop now - best always - LM

I seriously don't understand who dx ppl who never had problems?

What's the need in that?
Then there might be tendencies and a shrink can write that down, but there is absolutely no need to dx.

Of course WP is also there for problems and if you don't have any, you can open a thread and say about what you want to talk.

I see no need in that, to open up an own area for ppl who have no problems.
Psychiatric dx are there for ppl WITH problems...!

You could start a site, but since the autism spectrum is kind of considered a mental disorder I don't see how someone would find it surprising people on an autism forum discuss difficulties related to it. Though its a bit more than a mental disorder its a type of neurology/genetic make up or something so basically uncurable(in my opinion). I guess I'd kinda be moderately functioning because I am not high or low more in between. Though as a human in general I'd say I'm quite low functioning/dysfunctional due to other disorders that cause more problems for me.

Anyways autism is a difference any way you slice it and I agree with the learn to live with it, and encourage society to accept people with differences like autism rather than ostracizing them. Also though I've read of a lot of cases of 'low functioning autism' in which it was clear there were other disorders like mental retardation or even physical stuff like digestive issues going on as well.....gives me the impression sometimes people lump all the issues someone has under autism if they happen to have autism but it can exist along with other disorders and sometimes those other disorders can be more of an issue than the autism.

Though if you have no autism related difficulties why is it you'd want to try and identify with the autistic community or whatever anyways?

So, you're not diagnosed?

If not our personal lives or special interests, what are we supposed to talk about? I thought that was how people started conversations was talking about things they were interested in...

Nope I went to shrinks in the past, but didn't want to let on about it. They assumed I just suffered from anxiety.

Anyhow at each point I jumped ship before it got into the real questions of my life.

No.

An ASD is an impairment. If you are not impaired, you do not have an ASD.

The category of ASDs are specifically designed to diagnose people facing actual impairments in their lives. That is the difference between what is considered "normal" behavior and "abnormal" behavior.

Unfortunately, we seem to have a lot of people who can't tell the difference between garden-variety introversion, and an Autism Spectrum DISORDER. This is bad because LABELS MEAN THINGS and what "label" a person carries does, in fact, carry socio-political consequences. Autism is a disorder in which many people require various forms of support from both personal and government entities, and this is typically only possible when we use the label "ASD" as it was INTENDED, meaning, for people with impairments.

As for the, "It's just a difference," stuff, there comes a point where a label becomes so water-down as to be practically useless. The DSM-IV, et. al. were not written in order to define "personality styles." If you just want to discover your "inner-self," try taking the MBTI test available all over the web, but don't flip through manuals meant to describe mental disorders.

I repeat, if you're not actually impaired/disabled, you don't actually have an ASD. IMHO, people trying to hijack the label to use as a form of personal identity aren't doing the ASD community any favors.

Last edited by XFilesGeek on 10 Oct 2012, 5:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Exactly.

Well said, and in fewer words than I used.

So people with just AS as a personality trait shouldn't have the chance to discuss things that are important to them

They can discuss whatever they want to and wherever they want to, but usually they wouldn't get a diagnosis.
Those are two totally different things.

I believe some cases of AS are not genetic and can be treated.

What about the genetic ones

Heh. You're sort of correct. See...there's a reality where people vary a fair bit - one way in which they vary is the strength of their autistic traits. To a certain extent, depending on the situation, those traits can be strengths. I'd argue that having absolutely no autistic traits is a weakness, or at least unlikely to make me your friend.

But, they can also be weaknesses. Some strongly autistic people have issues. Some don't. (And in ways you might not expect. Being completely asocial and having language issues is sort of okay, assuming you have a job that allows for alone time.)

Now, enter the medical establishment. The medical industry, in theory, is funded by the government. The government basically cares about having productive citizens who make more productive citizens. (Young adult males are worth over 250k, so there's a real advantage to people not dying.) Please notice that I didn't mention happiness. The government is also mostly interested in keeping you off the dole.

As long as you aren't having problems that interfere with you working - with other people working - or that interfere with your children becoming productive adults, you aren't a problem. Now, some diagnostic criteria are based on you having a problem and some are based on association with strength of autistic traits...things are mixed. Oh well. The point is that, if you have good coping skills and a decent support network, you probably shouldn't be diagnosed with Aspergers even if you are strongly autistic.

So, yep, if you aren't having any issues - you probably won't qualify for a diagnosis of Aspergers. I suspect that highly sensitive people are more likely to qualify for diagnosis because meltdowns tend to create problems. Asperger's diagnosis is binary, but the traits aren't. You may have strong autistic traits and may meet people here who are pretty similar to you. In practice, because woman tend to be more sociable than men and get divorced a lot nowadays, there's been a real trend towards overdiagnosis. 'My husband is weird and doesn't talk - it is a disorder!! !'* Overdiagnosis is (in my book) basically diagnosing someone with Aspergers when they're capable of living independently successfully. The changes in DSM V move in this direction. In general, because diagnosis is used to qualify people for assistance, people shouldn't use the ASD label unless they actually qualify. Of course, some people will innocently use those label because their S/Os are quite keen on them not minimizing the R/S issues that their personality style creates.

That said, there are plenty of people who live independently for whom autistic traits make it difficult to maintain relationships and/or create great unhappiness. This forum is a decent place to discuss those issues or just to talk to like minded souls. (And really strongly autistic people may often not have much interest in these forums.) I personally find these forums useful as research material to understand some of my wife's odder behavior.** It'd be nice to have a label like 'autistic tendencies' available on the forums.

The forums are a bit self-selecting too - as people who are happy and busy with their lives often have other things to do.

Personally, I'm mostly happy with my life. I also grew up in a pretty Aspie family - and it is a happy place, by and large. I like my job, where I live, my family, and I'm pretty healthy. I tend to lowered emotional affect - but that makes life easier. My marriage is a bit problematic and I'm looking for advice from other couples, but, eh, my wife's a good, honest person who means well. She just tends towards the highly-sensitive, rigid side of Aspiedom which creates lots of meltdowns - and tends to feel a bit lonely around me. Other than that (knock on wood), life is good.

--Argyle
*In the old day, this R/S issue was solved when the woman realized that she and her children would starve to death alone. It wasn't better - but there were fewer divorces. That's basically why my wife's parents are still together.

Nowadays, some people use a diagnosis as a method of allowing them to accept that their S/O have significantly different personalities and are unlikely to change. Personally, I've always opted for: 'People are different, and unlikely to change, you're better off working around differences than bashing your head against the wall.' I feel a bit of sympathy for these people, but, not that much. Whatever gets you through the day, I guess, but common sense wouldn't go amiss.

**Eh, we're both odd, and have autistic traits. I strongly suspect that neither of us would qualify for a clinical diagnosis - but our traits don't always, or even usually mix well. I was pretty sure neither of us would qualify, but, um, when we started speaking openly, I think we weirded out some of the diagnosed people at a self-help group, so there's some doubt in my mind. We did really like them all - fitting in with NTs can be a strain.