Please read this, for your own safety.

[Ana54]

http://mainestategop.blogspot.com/2009/05/falsehood-and-danger-of-asperger.html


If this happens, it's all over. We're dying, and we're going to hell.

 

[umbrellabeach]

Wow... that's terrible. It's also why I don't tell anyone about my AS unless I really trust them.

 

[krisi]

Wow. What kind of uninformed idiot writes such articles? He makes some clear, important points (and very articulately gives the reason I am not going for an evaluation for AS). The author demonstrates insufficiency both cultural and psychological knowledge and sensitivity (did you SEE the second-to-last paragraph? I'm from the US, and I'm ashamed of what this author implied about other cultures!).

Overall, this article just makes me really, REALLY angry.

The real problem is not the AS diagnosis, it is parents, psychologists, and peers reactions to the diagnosis and to people who have the traits. Why give medication when someone has Aspergers? To treat the co-morbid symptoms is the correct answer. People with AS should receive anxiety medication if anxiety is the primary problem for that person. Why might a person with AS be so anxious? Possibly because of years and years of being mistreated by their peers because they are a bit different--because they communicate differently, play differently, and relate to the world around them differently. This brings me to another point, when it talks about the traits being the result of bullying--they may be partially correct, but it's more that bullying intensifies certain traits (such as high levels of social anxiety), and it has been shown that kids with AS tend to be bullied more than NT kids. I doubt this is a chicken-and-egg situation (which came first?), but rather, a simple downward spiral: Child has AS, child behaves differently from other children, other children tease and bully child with AS, child's traits become more evident (intensified interest in restricted areas, as it brings comfort; increased stimming due to increased anxiety at school, decreased participation for the same reason...etc). Back to the medication, if the primary problem is depression, then use medication to treat that. Why might a person with AS be depressed? See above. If the person who has AS's main problem is attention, use medication that has been affective for kids with ADHD.

All that aside, our society is so over-medicated it's almost comical. Some things (as mentioned above: severe problems with attention, depression, anxiety, etc) can and often should be treated with medication, but milder problems can be dealt with in other ways.

This part also makes me really angry: "In all of Kyle's jobs, he was required to perform tasks that someone with Aspergers couldn't. He had to recognize faces, communicate efficiently, socialize ETC. But despite being able to do that he was diagnosed anyways."

It's not that people with AS can't do these things, it's moreso that the process for learning these tasks is different from what is typical. It takes a little more time and a lot more cognition--we can do it, it just doesn't come naturally.

 

[Ana54]

Krisi: Sometimes it DOES come naturally but we either suppress it or it's just not one of some particular people's symptoms.


I know this is awful, but I'm relieved you're angry like me; it could save our lives and our freedom.

 

[hmkey:)]

Lets think positive guys
Oh and we know better then the negative talkers right!!