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Mihaela

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Everything posted by Mihaela

  1. The children's interests should come first, and no child should be forced to take part in sports days - or even in lessons. Many children long for their parents and friends to see them perform in sport - and would be very disappointed if they were banned. (I should know; I taught gymnastics for 20 years). Banning their parents would give them an even more confused view of the adult values. Anyway, what would prevent parents watching their children from outside the school boundary. I have a friend with a child who goes to the school next-door to her and she can watch from her bedroom window! There are much better ways of educating children, but the institutional nature of schools, combined with fear of change, prevent this. However, I don't agree with a policy banning parents, simply because such policies are a very recent Anglo-Saxon phenomenon considered by European countries as being rather ridiculous - not to mention damaging to children, schools and the community as a whole. These dystopian policies primarily exist to protect the school rather than children (the ostensible justificaton that would no doubt be routinely trotted out). They are among many child-unfriendly, and adult-unfriendly, policies found in this country today - insidious little symptoms of a malaise in British society which, unless checked, will lead us down the primrose path to a joyless totalitarian fascism. I recently spoke to some East European visitors who simply can't understand how child-unfriendly this country has become - so unlike their own. But no, no child should be forcibly humiliated. They should be free to be individuals.
  2. It sounds like tics caused by increased anxiety. I get them, sometimes quite severe. If the cause of the anxiety goes, the tics will go.
  3. It's part and parcel of the human condition, where good and evil potentially reside in us all. However, the most powerful force in the world today is the influence of US capitalism largely driven by white Anglo-Saxons. Not necessarily Protestants, for a disproportionate number are Jews. Capitalism relies upon the negative qualities of ruthlessness, greed, selfishness, etc. and so attracts those with narcissistic or psychopathic personality disorders like bees to honey. The NT world is run by such people, and that's why is such a total mess. They create a world of hypocrisy ruled by greed, and then we wonder why there are wars, starvation, poverty, cruelty. The personality traits found in unbridled capitalism, nationalism and religious fundamentalism are the cause of all the world's avoidable suffering.
  4. Cephalophore ...such as St Eurosia (Dobroslava) - patroness of the demonically possessed.
  5. The problem as I see it wouldn't be in organising or creating it in the real world but in the financial requirements as a lot of us don't work because are not given that opportunity. This would be a problem unless outside financial support was available because relaying on the welfare state as most do traveling costs would be more than a lot of us could afford even if the issues of travelling could be overcome. I wouldn't expect money to come into it at all, and I'd prefer that it didn't. Money complicates things enormously. We may not have money, but we do have something infinitely more valuable: our time and our collective experience. From what you have said would you be thinking of a national group consisting of smaller localised groups combining to be part of a larger nationwide movement. I'm thinking more of ad hoc local loosely-knit groups operating on similar lines and having similar aims. It would be an active movement (a shift in direction) rather than an organisation. Those of us who feel passionately about the way we are being treated by mainstream society and officialdom would reach out to support our suffering brothers and sisters - for I'm sure many of us have the time and ability to do it. As for travelling, I thought that anyone on the autistic spectrum was entitled to a free bus pass - at least that's the case in my part of the world. For those who have difficulty travelling, we can still help in other ways - such as by making phone-calls, sending emails, even creating petitions... and, as you say, contributing to non-autism-related chat-rooms and forums. Like you, I'd have barriers to overcome too, but my passion for this would help make that happen. It would give me a new purpose in life.
  6. They even lack the decency to be open about their lies and trickery. They publicly present themselves as caring, considerate and as having the best interests of the child (or client) at heart. This is nothing more than propaganda designed to win over the majority - who fortunately will never need to deal with them. As long as the majority fall for this ruse, the hypocrisy will continue. All 'authorities' work in the same way. The corruption extends right up to the top - CEOs, MPs, ministers, judges, royals, etc. With very few exceptions they're all in it for themselves and will stop at nothing to cover-up the unpalatable fact that they're ruthlessly exploiting us all. They need us to maintain their power over us, while cunningly deceiving us that we need them; we don't. Hypocrisy would seem to be the key distinguishing trait of NT society - a society that is ethically bankrupt.
  7. I know just what you're going through, Dekaspace. Whichever way we turn, it seems we just can't win. What we need is active support from others. In situations like this we need people to speak up for us - whether on the spectrum or not or whether professional advocates or not, makes little difference. As long as we're fighting alone we'll very likely fail, for our persecutors will always twist things to make it appear that we're in the wrong.
  8. They are secretive avoid answering anything you ask or respond in a way that makes no logical sense and makes the situation less clear than before they spoke. It's no surprise that so many people distrust authorities and have no belief in them they do not inspire confidence it's about covering up the facts so you are not aware so they can implement what they want rather than what you need. So very true; I've had years of it. Their power lies in their secrecy - which protects them like a shield. Take that away and they have no power. Let us know how you get on, Sparkle. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you
  9. I've posted this under 'Education' because getting people to understand and accept us is all about educating them out of their ignorance. The Âutistic Ûnion was founded in 2012 as a reaction against discrimination of autistic people on Facebook. I find its aims very positive. What does the Âû after my name mean? 1. I am Autistic (or) I support those who are Autistic. 2. I embrace my Autism as a very significant part of my identity. 3 I embrace those who would sacrifice to protect all Autistic life. 4 I embrace the belief that Autism doesn’t need any “curing”. 5 I embrace the self advocacy goal of “Everything about us, with us.” 6 I embrace the definition of Autism as a neuro-social difference . 7 I embrace measures directed at protecting Autistics from attack. 8 I embrace a person centred approach to all Autism issues. 9 I embrace rigorous scientific approaches to co-occurring conditions. 10 I embrace Autistics leading their own welfare organisations. Reflecting upon my own life I know that if I was given the chance to start again and change anything I wanted to, I wouldn't do it. I feel that everything I've experienced up until now (good and bad) has made me wiser, more aware, more open and more caring. I strive to use all the trauma and suffering I've endured by learning from it and turning it around to my advantage, so that it helps others like me who suffer at the hand of NT society - simply because we were born autistic and will remain so for all our lives. Although Âû is a Facebook group, I think there's a need for something similar in real life. We need to organise into local groups and influence the NT world, but to do this we must first try to overcome any fears of meeting one another. We all either have our autism in common or care for someone with autism. It's of little use just fighting for ourselves and can be very lonely and stressful. We'd be far better off, and a lot more effective, working together for one another than struggling alone.
  10. That sounds awful! Unsolicited gossip and bright lights really irritate me, so I can well imagine what you had to endure. I can't walk into a hairdressers, let alone wait in such a place. I can't even stand the smell that wafts out of the doorways onto the street. I've never bothered about hairstyles, dyes, etc. and wear unobtrusive clothing. I have no interest in fashion, and can't understand why so many people do.
  11. Mihaela

    Hello

    Hello Mike and welcome! I suppose you could say that my overriding ambition is to change the world too. I'd have done it by now it wasn't for my executive dysfunction... Oh well, I'd better keep trying.
  12. Yes, I'm sure you're on the right track, Mr Salvador. "I do have a particular skill for computers and fixing broken technology, and think that cryptology is fun" I was a computerphobe until 2006, but I do have a skill for obscure radio communications equipment. I could memorise complex circuitry even as a child - and maps too. I'd laboriously reconstruct the circuits of complex equipment by tracing every single connection and component, then I'd analyse it and work out what it did and how it worked. At 17 I had a friend who built her own radio transmitters, and at 14 became one of the then very few female radio amateurs. She was androgynous, had no time for peer groups and was without doubt an undiagnosed aspie. As for cryptography. I've spent many happy hours playing with it! I've cracked the code of a highly complex encrypted book written in French in 1886, and so far I'm the only layperson who has done it. It's based on rimes, squares and triangular numbers as well as very clever puns and something known as the Aquarian cabala. I've yet to be publish my findings. My savant skills mainly revolve around my memory and list-making abilities. I can reel off long lists of anything that may interest me - covering a very wide range of topics, some of them obscure and highly specialised. My interest in number theory and patterns is equalled in my interest in words, language, languages, grammatical rules, etymology, etc. By the way, I've just scratched the surface... MiddleEarth - Your story is so very, very familiar to me. I've known many girls and women, who I now suspect were on the spectrum, and just about every one of them had the androgynous trait. Since I was diagnosed I've met a few through autism groups, and they too have that trait. Out of six, three of them do martial arts, and you're another! Like you I have little interest in my appearance, make-up etc. and I've had some interests which tend to be seen as of a male type - weird stuff like valve radio technology, espionage communication networks, Cold War planning, the rare earth elements, cryptography, number theory, science in general, etc. I'm attracted to complexity whether in science, art, languages, maps, etc. I have savant traits. I don't know how much someone needs to be classed as a savant. Neither of us are savants, for that requires islands of extraordinary but very narrow ability which contrast with a general lack of overall ability, but we seem to be on the way there! I have a photographic memory for numbers and patterns and I can take any 3D object and rotate it around and open it out in my head. My photographic memory creeps NT people out. But I have Asperger's so I'm not low functioning. Unlike you I don't have a very good spatial ability, and have to really concentrate when it comes to mirror images and rotations. My memory for facts (and sometimes numbers) creeps people out. So does my logic, and some don't like it. I've heard professional talk of low-functioning Asperger's. These labels can get so confusing when even the experts can't agree
  13. Yes, it was Rainman, Mr Salvador. Savantism isn't confined to 'LF' autism but very rarely occurs with 'HF' autism. It can be caused at any stage in life due to brain trauma. About 10% of people with autism have some savant skills (including me), and about 50% of savants are autistic. It's found in people with non-autistic learning difficulties or brain injury much less than in autistic people (only about 1%). I have traces of it for I have a prodigious memory for facts - noticed by others ever since my childhood. Savantism always involves such a memory, but it is very narrow. Mine is very wide, and not as spectacular. The very obscure skill of calendar calculating seems to be restricted to savants
  14. Mihaela

    Hello

    it's not uniquely directed at us it's these same people who can be racist and any other kind of bigotry that's encountered at least in the majority of people who have been outspoken against me. I agree. It's a particular type of NT personality that takes pleasure in bigotry, and there are a lot of them about. They are the ones with the problems. They often have personality disorders - especially narcissistic, histrionic & sociopathic/psychopathic. They parasitically 'feed' off anyone who they feel is inferior or weaker than themselves or who is vulnerable to manipulation. Without a constant supply of satisfaction gained from the suffering of their victims they are empty and lost.
  15. I've been following this thread with great interest. When I eventually realised that I was on the autistic spectrum it was due to reading about 'female-type' Asperger's (FTAS), something that went unrecognised until very recently. This made me wonder why this odd gender distinction existed in the first place, so I began to study the genetics of autism and came across the Neanderthal theory on the way. However, another dimension soon became evident: the high incidence of gender dysphoria and gender fluidity among Aspies - seemingly much higher than in the NT population. Related to this is the commonly-listed 'androgynous' trait of FTAS, and having met and been in touch with quite a number of female Aspies of this type, virtually all of them have this androgynous trait. Many males too have this trait. Another odd factor is that unusual sexual orientations and asexuality are disproportionately common among Aspies, 'object sexuality' being very strongly linked to autism. It's now well-established that gender dysphoria in early childhood is a neurological condition - as is autism - but it is not inherited. It is genetically programmed before birth, and results from abnormal hormone releases during pregnancy at a crucial time in foetal development - which may in turn be triggered by drugs - notoriously diethylstilbesterol (now banned for it often caused genital defects). Autism is often inherited, but can also be caused by hormone imbalances during pregnancy. Significantly, all this would seem to indicate that having autistic genes occasionally predisposes a developing foetus to gender dysphoria in early childhood. It also suggests that the affected genes are in the same group of genes that are linked to autism. Another odd correlation exists between so-called 'high functioning' autism and 'giftedness' in children. Giftedness shares elements in common with savantism, another condition but which mainly associated with 'low functioning' autism. Much more research is needed in this area, but it's clear to me that there are strong genetic links here and that autistic neuro-atypicality extends into other atypical areas too.
  16. I'd completely go along with the other replies. It's all so very familiar to me and makes perfect sense. Decades later I've still barely changed in that way. It seems likely your daughter is on the spectrum. Being a girl, her traits are likely to differ in certain significant ways to 'classic' Asperger's - where the traits are more noticeable. Please be aware of this if you feel a diagnosis is needed. Many girls on the spectrum are misdiagnosed or go undiagnosed, which causes all kinds of problems in later life.
  17. I've just looked it up on Wikipedia, and It's enough to put anyone off: Side effects include: neuroleptic malignant syndrome, a movement disorder known as tardive dyskinesia, and high blood sugar in those with diabetes.In the elderly there is an increased risk of death. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a life-threatening neurological disorder most often caused by an adverse reaction to neuroleptic or antipsychotic drugs. NMS typically consists of muscle rigidity, fever, autonomic instability, and cognitive changes such as delirium, and is associated with elevated plasma creatine phosphokinase. Autism - Short-term data (8 weeks) shows reduced irritability, hyperactivity, and stereotypy. Adverse effects included weight gain, sleepiness, drooling and tremors. Long-term outcomes are not clear.Abilify, Aripiprex) is an atypical antipsychotic. It is recommended and primarily used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Other uses include as an add-on treatment in major depressive disorder, tic disorders, and irritability associated with autism Side-effects: Very Common (>10% incidence)Weight gain Headache Agitation Insomnia Anxiety Nausea & vomiting Akathisia — a sense of unease and restlessness that presents itself with anxiety Lightheadedness Constipation Common (1-10% incidence)Dizziness Dyspepsia — indigestion Somnolence — which is usually mild and transient and less severe than that seen with most antipsychotics.[6] Fatigue Restlessness Dry mouth Extrapyramidal side effects (e.g. dystonia, parkinsonism, tremor, etc.) Orthostatic hypotension Musculoskeletal stiffness Abdominal discomfort Blurred vision Cough Pain Myalgia Rash Rhinitis Uncommon (0.1-1% incidence)Leukopenia Neutropenia Thrombocytopenia Bradycardia (low heart rate) Palpitations Orthostatic hypotension Dry eye Photophobia Diplopia Eyelid oedema Photopsia Diarrhoea Gastritis Dysphagia Gastroesophageal reflux disease Swollen tongue Oesophagitis Hypoaesthesia oral Face oedema Gait disturbance Chills Discomfort Feeling abnormal Mobility decreased Self-mutilation Heart rate increased Blood glucose increased Pyrexia Blood prolactin increased Blood urea increased Electrocardiogram QT prolonged Blood bilirubin increased Hepatic enzyme increased Increased appetite Nocturia Polyuria Pollakiuria Incontinence Urinary retention Sexual dysfunction Amenorrhoea Pruritus (itchiness) Photosensitivity reaction Urticaria Rare (<0.1%) Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (Combination of fever, muscle stiffness, faster breathing, sweating, reduced consciousness, and sudden change in blood pressure and heart rate) Suicidal ideation and behaviour Depression Painful and/or sustained erection (Priapism) Seizures Rhabdomyolysis Agranulocytosis Cardiopulmonary failure Myocardial infarction (heart attack) Atrial flutter Supraventricular tachycardia Ventricular tachycardia Cardio-respiratory arrest Atrioventricular block Extrasystoles Sinus tachycardia Atrial fibrillation Angina pectoris Myocardial ischaemia Pancreatitis Diabetic ketoacidosis Prolonged QT interval (less common than with most other atypical antipsychotic drugs[6]) Speech disorder Electrolyte abnormalities including hyponatraemia, hypokalaemia, hypocalcaemia, etc. Thromboembolism Hypertension Dysphagia Oropharyngeal spasm Laryngospasm Hepatitis Jaundice Hypersalivation Chest pain Urinary retention or incontinence Alopecia (hair loss) Photosensitivity reaction Rash Xerostomia (when given by injection) Tardive dyskinesia (As with all antipsychotic medication, patients using aripiprazole may develop the permanent neurological disorder tardive dyskinesia.[7][8][9]) Stroke Transient Ischaemic Attack Increased body temperature Angioedema Cardiorespiratory arrest Cardiorespiratory failure Sudden unexplained death has been reported, however the frequency is unknown. Reading all this hardly reassures me,so I think I'd give it a miss and let the manufacturers make their millions without my help.
  18. I agree with all the points you made Canopus. Seeking the truth in any controversial or actively hidden matter can be very difficult. Livelife - I agree with you about human nature. I'd say that this darker side of human nature is something associated with neurotypical thinking. It's what makes the world such a scary and confusing place for us - at least that's how I see it.
  19. I understand what you mean about where you fit in. Female-type Asperger's is something only recently discovered, because it's not as easy to recognise - and it's not really Asperger's at all, but it doesn't have a proper name of its own, and I think it should. You say you're not allowed to live on your own without support. I only wish that applied to me. Just getting them to accept that I can't manage without support has been a battle This is exactly what I meant when I said that often those of us at the 'high' end receive inadequate support which only makes our difficulties worse. How someone wants to say what they want should be what they want to say. I was diagnosed in the middle of the autism scale. Of course, but we all need to understand what mid-functioning means. It means different things to different people. I'm not criticising you at all. I'm criticising the professionals who use these terms in different ways - or don't use them at all. I wasn't diagnosed with Asperger's as I 'didn't fit the criteria'. I was diagnosed as simply being 'on the autism spectrum' - nothing more - no mention of functioning level at all. I don't understand what u say most of the time I try but its hard . I am way below my learning for my age which upsets me. Sorry about that. Don't worry about what stage of learning you have. It's your feelings that really matter, your humanity - not intelligence or learning ability. A lot of very intelligent people are really horrible people. The confusion over diagnosis between different psychiatrists is so obvious. Now they've scrapped the Asperger diagnosis altogether - in theory at least. So does that mean that all those people who were diagnosed with it no longer have it? It's a mess because autism is such a difficult thing to measure, and now there's the 'female type' AS to take into account too.
  20. This low/mid/high-functioning thing confuses me. When used it tends to refer to IQ, but in real life we can be highly intelligent yet low functioning in the sense of being able to live independently. It's very misleading term. Executive dysfunction is understandably to be expected among those on the spectrum who cannot speak or read, but it's also very common at the other end of the spectrum, and seems least common among those of average IQ. It's common among 'gifted' people generally - think of the stereotypical absent-minded professor! Such people need support over mundane matters of day-to-day life. Often those of us at the 'high' end receive inadequate support which only makes our difficulties worse, while those at the other end have relatively less stressful and more contented lives. I'm just the same as you over social situations, ST123. I always prefer one-to-one than groups. If they're NT's it's harder still.
  21. Hello, and welcome to the forum. Girls on the spectrum tend to present differently, and are better at learning social cues, so it's not unusual for a girl with AS to appear sociable. Not playing with any toys, unless a friend is present is more unusual. Although girls with AS tend to be more imaginative, it doesn't mean that this applies to them all. What are Bella's interests? Does she enjoy lining things up, or sorting them into groups? The fact that her only good friend is a boy may mean nothing, but it also rings bells with me too, for it's common among aspie girls to have unconventional gender identities. Is she something of a tomboy? Without more details of her traits, it's not easy to say whether I think she may have AS, but it's possible....and no, you're not being over-anxious. You know your children better than anyone else, and if Evan has been diagnosed with ASD, it's only natural to wonder when you begin to notice similar traits in his sister.
  22. I'm back now, and have more time I find the Neanderthal theory very convincing for several reasons apart from those that you give. It's now been established that Neanderthals contributed 2-4% of the non-African genome, and a big survey in the USA shows that the incidence of autism in Afro-Americans is only 1/6 of that in non-Africans. I suspect that Neanderthal genes would most likely account for the much higher incidence of autism in non-Africans. The adult human tradition of drinking the milk of other mammals is also linked to this, and our lactose enzymes would have evolved in parallel with cattle domestication. (The most adapted people are of European and especially Scandinavian descent). Lactose intolerance, and other digestive disorders are disproportionately common in people with autism. I was allergic to milk and cream as a child, and suffered bad car-sickness. (This has never really affected me since I became virtually vegan at around 21 - for ethical reasons). Neanderthals are the prime candidate for original animal domestication, and autistic people tend to show a preference for animals over people - and many claim to be able to sense the feelings of animals. Other factors relate to the Neanderthal theory of autism such as: Preference for cold weather Seasonal affective disorder Picking at skin Seasonal breeding Slower maturation Emotional immaturity Collecting of similar things ADHD traits Unusual eating patterns Urges to climb and jump over things Fascination with slow-flowing water Faceblindness Language difficulties Eye contact Poor executive functioning Difficulties with verbal instructions High sensory processing sensitivities (needed for hunting prey) Solitude Unusual sexual preferences Asexuality All these (and more) can be very convincingly accounted for by this theory. According to Prof David Reich in a recent paper published in Nature, interbreeding with Neanderthals has passed on genes that influence disease in us today (such as chronic depression, Crohn's and type 2 diabetes) as well as evolutionary adaptive advantages. "It's tempting to think that Neanderthals were already adapted to the non-African environment and provided this genetic benefit to (modern) humans". In the case of Crohn's, Neanderthals passed on different markers that increase and decrease the risk of disease. Could this Neanderthal inheritance account for the disproportionate levels of depression and digestive disorders in people with autism?
  23. I'm so sorry to hear this. Well my mums response was pretty hurtful tbh. She said that the child pyschologist we saw when I was 6 said that its 'middle child syndrome' and that they said theres nothing wrong with me. It was once common for psychologists to dismiss any concerns in this way, especially with girls. It still happens today, but with increasing awareness of the female AS presentation, I hope it's happening a lot less. There's no such thing as 'middle-child syndrome' and using the term is a poor excuse for doing nothing. It's a pity you are a middle child, for they'd have been unable to use it otherwise. Does it actually say this in your records, or could it just be your mum's interpretation of what may actually have been said? Obviously there was something 'wrong', for most middle children don't suffer from anything that could be called 'middle-child syndrome'. For those who do, the causes must be sought elsewhere. Just feels as though she doesn't care, I also now know for sure that she's never going to understand me because she doesn't want to. Exactly! She's in denial, and as you say, she doesn't want to understand you. I know of other parents who have reacted in this way. It's counterproductive and helps nobody. Unfortunately, I lost my own parents before my diagnosis, but I know that it would have come as a relief for them, for they always knew that I was 'fragile', but never knew why. My sister said that for mum to admit to something would mean to admit she failed and she will never do that. She could be right, for this is a common reaction. It comes from a lack of basic understanding of the condition, which is unconnected with poor parenting, but rather is genetic and unchangeable. It's not a personality disorder. Its cause isn't psychological, but neurological. It doesn't make me feel any better. It took me 2 years to say that out loud to her which was a huge deal for me and thats how she takes it. I'm sure it doesn't. It must be really upsetting, especially after waiting so long and finding it so difficult. Maybe if you showed her this post it would make her think, and change her attitude... or maybe not. If she has the kind of personality that isn't open to change then I suppose nothing would convince her.
  24. That's very good news, Jeanne! I've hit myself on the head in similar situations. It's a sign that I'm totally frustrated at how I'm being treated and misunderstood. At such times, I simply can't find the words.
  25. Yes I have, and I find it very intriguing, and have my own theories about it too. I have to go out soon, but I'll have more say on this later.
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