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Are you Autistic?

softtarget
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Posted 04/19/08 - 11:20 PM: Subject: Are you Autistic?	#1
Is anyone here autistic, or fall somewhere along the spectrum? Or do you have certain undiagnosed qualities similar to Asperger's Syndrome, or other higher functioning forms of Autism? I wonder... in a world where direct human interaction is becoming less necessary for human survival, if conditions which do not necessarily limit human intelligence, but heighten some characteristics (such as attention to detail, letters, numbers and images), but lesson the importance of social skills, are natures way of balancing the that which is immediately profitable to the species. In other words, has the rise in Autism been a phenomenon which has occured gradually- perhaps in the very subtlety of modern society, is only now diagnosed as it becomes more obvious? Are we, who sit at these machines and absorb this data merely the fore-runners to a future where the social fabric becomes just a little bit more autistic? I have twins, almost four, who are almost certainly high-functioning Autistic... perhaps having Asperger's. They are also savants, and with the right guidance have true potential in whatever life they pursue. But they are different. Yet I see a reflection of myself in them. The social awkwardness, the attention to some other world.... Is there something deeper happening here?
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Inthedark
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Posted 04/20/08 - 12:48 PM:	#2
Although it existed before the first diagnosis of Autism was made in the 1940's. Perhaps the increase in diagnoses is more to do with the condition being more widely known? I don't think its healthy to diagnose conditions in yourself or others I spent the latter part of my childhood certain that I was autistic when I was just shy and quite simply terrible at talking to people. Sometimes a personal difficulty is just something your bad at and not indicitive of a disorder.

mikmak
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Posted 04/22/08 - 05:11 PM:	#3
I think that perhaps the use of diagnocese to identify someone who has different qualities, gets missused by society to establish and tag a weakness on someone. I thought and sometimes still think that I have some degree of OCD or autism, but when I find myself thinking about it, I ask; "So what if I am?" Where it sounds as though your children have been formally assessed, I am sure it is important so that you can consider different ways to approach their development. It is possibly more dangerous when specific conditions have been identified, as many experts try to indicate ways that people with specific syndromes etc, should be taught certain ways. Really, what I apply to my children is assessment of their behaviour and then increasing experience in that which is deficient. My friends son was recently diagnosed as having some level of autism and he cannot really talk. He had about 20 words which he has now lost. I saw him for the first time in about 12 months on the weekend and he was very receptive to my interaction. I realise that some cases of autism mean that they have deficient communication skills so I ramped up my communication. Patted him on the head every time he walked past, touched him on the shoulder or the back when I talked to him andlooked at what I was talking about when I talked to him. I'm no expert but it seemed to work and he kept coming back to me. I do believe that besides there being more awareness, there is a sharp rise in incidences and it is feasible that these are a product of our environment. Likewise, where physical labour is being replaced with data analysts, so too will mesa morph body types become less prevalent.
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Kreius
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Posted 04/24/08 - 05:42 PM:	#4
Question; What exactly is an Autism Spectrum Quotient?
"Challenge your professors, even when you agree with them." -Herr Iosity

kris
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Posted 04/25/08 - 08:16 AM:	#5
softtarget wrote: I wonder... in a world where direct human interaction is becoming less necessary for human survival, if conditions which do not necessarily limit human intelligence, but heighten some characteristics (such as attention to detail, letters, numbers and images), but lesson the importance of social skills, are natures way of balancing the that which is immediately profitable to the species. ....... Are we, who sit at these machines and absorb this data merely the fore-runners to a future where the social fabric becomes just a little bit more autistic? ...... Is there something deeper happening here? It comes down to how we make sense of the world we live in. I think there are two basic approaches which are inverse of each other. One approach resorts to causation as explanation of everything. In this approach every cause produces effects and every effect follows from some causes. This is what ancient Indians called the principle of karma. A second approach resorts to teleological reasoning. In this approach effects drive causes. In other words, causes come about to serve the effects that are either necessary or inevitable. Thus karma explains the present state as a consequence of the past and teleology explains the present state as an anticipation of the future. (I think the two approaches can be reconciled, but that is an entirely different topic.) Your explanation of increased incidence of autism falls into second category. I find the first approach more satisfactory or in any case more helpful. I think the increased incidence of autism is the result of how many people choose to live their lives these days. Simply put, we grow into what we want to be. We as a society are shaping the social fabric with our actions and conduct. If that fabric becomes more autistic, we are responsible for it. It is up to us is to reverse this trend towards autistic behavior. The first step to do that by learning or perhaps relearning to relate with each other meaningfully and not allow ourselves to become automatons. That is my social commentary.
kris http://kris10846902.tripod.com/

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Posted 07/07/08 - 04:45 PM:	#6
Culture of Narcissicism by Chris Lasch is a really interesting attempt to conduct a broad psychoanalytical thesis about the consequences of social and economic change. I disagree with the hypothesis in the OP, as (a) in an information economy, interpresonal skills are actually more important given the centrality of communication and the diversity of modern workplaces (b) I don't think the declining importance of interpersonal communication could be a sufficient causal mechanism to generate large scale change in common personality structure. That said, I think you can trace the effects of large scale structural change to the deepest levels of individual experience and, when done well, attempts to do this are absolutely fascinating.
"The men of the future will yet fight their way to many a liberty that we do not even miss? - Max Stirner "The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." - JS Mill "I'd rather be a crying little pussy than a faggy Goth kid." - Butters

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Posted 07/28/08 - 08:00 PM:	#7
Really though, what is autism other than introversion? The culture of the U.S. is quite extraverted and as such any failure to conform to that gets labeled dysfunctional in some way. Introverts have it rough here, as do autistic people, even if they've got some "syndrome" called Asperger's (which they say is just a mild form of autism). Obviously there is such a thing as autism, but I'd wager that it is overdiagnosed due to the above reasons. Someone who is an ecclectic, creative, introverted individual could probably get diagnosed with autism.
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt". Bertrand Russell Man has forgotten how to die because he does not know how to live. (Rousseau)

BeatsMeWhy
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Posted 07/30/08 - 02:15 AM:	#8
softtarget wrote: I wonder... in a world where direct human interaction is becoming less necessary for human survival, if conditions which do not necessarily limit human intelligence, but heighten some characteristics (such as attention to detail, letters, numbers and images), but lesson the importance of social skills, are natures way of balancing the that which is immediately profitable to the species. Who sais direct human interaction is less necessary? Maybe it's just starting to begin to fit in its place... Anyway, maybe it is now possible to choose not to be in company, but I think that such a choice being usual only means it's normal not to know how to be with others. I think it is only a matter of time that we learn, once artificial reasons to be together are weakening, how important is cooperation. Then let's hope we'll learn how to do it.

FreeRadical
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Posted 08/03/08 - 06:40 AM:	#9
Asperger's and autism are, to be entirely precise, completely different entities. They are, however, related. They are a part of the ADS. I think that AS is more an informal diagnosis: it is a means by which one identifies a particular personality, one that is primarily introverted and intellectual rather than social and emotive. Autism can seriously impede one's activities. AS is better understood in terms of extreme eccentricity. I myself have been "tested". I was classified as "borderline AS". These psychoanalytic tendencies can be harmful, part of an taxonomic reflex. It enables our society to create a more sophisticated and, by extension, potentially dangerous typological structure. The "medicalisation" of personalities should be considered cautiously, though it is a certitude that such things as psychological pathologies do exist. We must navigate between curative and preventative strategies, favouring reconciliatory rather than authoritarian methods. Edited by FreeRadical on 08/03/08 - 06:45 AM

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