request help in designing a poll.

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I have a follow up to my "freak out" when I had the possibility of fixing my Asperger syndrome.

Many people shared their thoughts and they all agreed with the things I gave. Do not want to change - want to change - ... as I have both - ergo the reason I found myself confronted with "If this works, I could fix my condition."

If I did not desire to fix it - I would not have worked out a possible method.
But then I was confronted with "If I did fix it" - and my major freak out.

But it made me think.
Who set in the desire "to be normal" whatever that is ...
Me? Society? Family?

And what would I change if I could?

And finally - what would I keep if I could?

What I need is a set of questions for the polls.

Heck - if you feel like it - you can set your own polls - I want the info, not "it is my poll"

Thanks in advance.

Unfortunately I only vaguely understand what you want. I think I understand the gist of what you are saying but probably only because I have mental issues myself, and I know that change is the only possible way to change them. I certainly don't understand enough of what you are asking to make a poll about it. I don't know what I'd put on the different options.

Who controls your desires in general? Does it actually -matter- where a desire came from? If it resonates with you, then that's all that matters. Most things I do in my life do not resonate at all with me-this is a problem I have. It is normal to have freak-outs when there is or are going to be major life changes, for everyone. Sometimes the freak-outs stop people from making changes, which sounds like might happen to you, but sometimes you have no choice but to follow change (eg: people you love die, a war breaks out, you stop getting financial aid/lose a job, etc.)

What is your option, what are you considering doing? I was not privy to whatever other posts you're referring to.

I, like cavernio, am not entirely sure of what you are requesting.

Going off of the rhetorical questions you posed at the end of your post, though, it seems that you'd actually need to do multiple polls if you are using the poll function on WP (although, if you are just putting these questions into a post format like we are currently doing, then you should be able to keep it as one post).

It seems that Question/Poll 1 is "Who or what do you think is responsible for your desire to be 'normal'?"

Possible responses may include:
1. I don't desire to be normal
2. My parents
3. Other family members
4. My peers
5. The media/entertainment
6. Society as a whole
7. Myself
8. My therapist(s)/counselors/psychiatrists/doctors
9. My teachers/professors
10. My religion/Church group

Question/Poll 2 may be "What would you [most like to] change about your Asperger's/autism, had you the means?"

I'd recommend leaving this one as an open-response post, as there are likely more answers than a poll can give per-determined responses to (this may actually be a good idea for the first one, as well), but, if this were to be a poll with set responses, some of the possible responses may include:

1. I wouldn't change anything
1. Sensory issues
2. Emotional dysregulation
3. Inability to tolerate change
4. Executive functioning deficits (i.e. difficulty with organization, planning, time-management, short-term memory, ect.)
5. Obsessiveness/ overthinking
6. Not knowing what to say in conversations
7. Being unable to make/maintain friendships/relationships
8. Not being able to understand the emotions/thoughts of others
9. Meltdowns
10. Difficulty sleeping and/or excessive sleeping
11. Motor difficulties
12. Stimming/ unusual movements
13. GI difficulties


Thus, Question/Poll 3 may be "If you were to eliminate some aspects of your Asperger's/autism, which aspects would you keep?"

Again, this may be best left as an open-response question, but possible responses to a poll may include:

1. I wouldn't want to keep any aspects
2. Strong passions
3. Special talents
4. Unique thinking style
5. Sensory sensitivity
6. Ability to notice small details/ details that others may not notice
7. Unique style of interaction with others/ unique relationships
8. Stimming/ unusual movements
9. The ability to be content with what others may consider to be "simple" or "small" things
10. The ability to experience strong emotions
11. Special relationship with animals/nature

It seems as though you may also be interested in asking a question/poll along the lines of "Which holds more weight for you: the benefits of having Asperger's/autism or the benefits that can be gained from no longer having Asperger's/autism?" Those responses would thus be something like:

1. The benefits of having Asperger's/autism strongly outweighs any benefits of not having Asperger's/autism
2. The benefits of having Asperger's/autism fairly outweighs any benefits of not having Asperger's/autism
3. The benefits of having Asperger's/autism only slightly outweighs any benefits of not having Asperger's/autism
4. I do not feel that one state of being confers any more benefits or any benefits with a greater "weight" than the other
5. The benefits of not having Asperger's/autism only slightly outweighs any benefits of having Asperger's/autism
6. The benefits of not having Asperger's/autism fairly outweighs any benefits of having Asperger's/autism
7. The benefits of not having Asperger's/autism strongly outweighs any benefits of having Asperger's/autism
8. I do not believe that such a decision is mine to make

If you know how to use Google Forms, you may be able to set up the questions to where the user can select from a set of responses (a plus to Google Forms is that one can set up the poll in a way that allows users to select more than one response to each question, i.e. "Check all that apply"), much like a poll here would allow, or also select an "other" option with a text box that would allow the user to type in their own answers.

Not quite sure I get what the OP is asking.

But if he wants to make a poll here on WP, and if he wants the information that I THINK he is after then what I would suggest is that he postulate a hypothetical story.

Something like saying: what if there was a magic pill that could instantly totally "cure" your autism? Would you take such a pill?

But further- lets say that there were a buffet of magic pills! That if there were pills that could eliminate parts of your autistic condition, but not others. Would you go for something like that?

And/or- what if there was a drug that would temporarily suspend your autism/aspergers- but would wear off after say four hours (kinda like most real drugs-both over AND under the counter- work)?


Maybe layout the poll options something like this:

1)Magic pill that totally instantly and permanently and safely eliminates your autism.

2)Having a choice of magic pills that target specific autistic issues you have, but allow you to retain your basic autistic personality. The effects could be either permant, or temporarary (thats a whole different set of options for later).

3) A mind bending drug that causes you to be temporarily NT (kinda like a pot 'buzz'), but that wears off.

4) No kinda of cure, partial, total, temporary, nor permanent. Leave me and my autism/aspergers alone!

Then ask which option is the most appealling to reader- comes closests to what they would go for if it existed.

For me its between three and four. Rarely yearn to be "cured" (though I might have yearned for that when I was young if I had been dx'd when I was young- conceivably) . But three would be kind of intriguing.

You could even have an equivalent pill for NTs to cause temporary aspergers. Aspies could pop the NT buzzing pill to ace job interviews ( to make shaking hands, and small talk, and smiling effortless and unstoppable). And NTs could become temporary aspies to do school term paper research, or to design computer games, or take the test to get on Jeopardy.