Article in The Sun today

[annie]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article394147.ece

[Mumble]

Wow - an Asperger article in the mainstream press that I don't feel the need to rip to shreads or to write a strongly worded letter to the editor . Yes there are a few semantic issues I would pick up on: I don't 'suffer' from AS and their criteria of 'an inabiliy to understand emotions' actually falls down in the article because Daniel talks about how he does - but in a systematic, logical manner - it's an entirely different type of understanding rather than no understanding, . . . and the reference to Rainman .

 

But, I thought there were some very good aspects - particularly in their characteristics box, they temper items with 'usually', 'sometimes', 'can' etc. rather than perpetuating a strong stereotype. And, despite it being an article about a individual with these skills, they state that amazing skills in AS in actually incredibaly rare - they are not forcing the genius idea but neither are they forcing a 'helpless' idea (although the making a cup of tea, I do wonder, may be an exageration).

 

In fact, if I had to say one problem with the article, it's not with their reportage of AS at all but with the way they portray the Chinese education system, which is, I believe, rather different from the way it is described here.

 

EDIT: Forgot to add - the last sentence I'm a bit unsure about: "Yan doesn't judge me because she doesn't have an understanding of Asperger's - she just accepts me for who I am." Acceptance great, but I'm just a bit hesitent on the idea of sharing his life with someone who doesn't understand something that is a fundamental part of who he is

Edited October 27, 2007 by Mumble

[annie]

Hi Mumble ,

 

My thoughts were very much the same as yours. I thought it was a pretty good article in comparison to many that are printed.

 

Annie

xx

[smiley]

Great article

[baddad]

Hi all -

 

Yes, I thought it was a good article too.... couple of minor points, but there always are and they really are quite minor.

1 was the cup of tea - 'unable to perform simple tasks' - yes it WAS an exaggeration. In the tv prog he offered to make the cameraman/interviewer a cup of tea, and said he hoped it was alright because he'd never done it before... they asked why, and he said there was always someone around at home who made it for him! not quite 'unable to' then!

2 was the phrase "suffers from autism" - something of an NT "subjective" IMO, begging all sorts of questions, but...

 

Mumble, good point on the last, but i suppose what really matters is her understanding him. Perhaps the fact that she has no preconceptions enhances that understanding(?) Dunno, but very thought provoking!

 

 

L&P

 

BD

[summertime]

great article, my only comment would be about the comment

 

But 20-year-old Daniel not only reached last year?s annual International Mathematical Olympiad in Slovenia, he won silver ? and all despite suffering from Asperger?s Syndrome.

 

I wonder if he would have been able to do this without his AS.

[sesley]

great article, my only comment would be about the comment

I wonder if he would have been able to do this without his AS.

 

 

I think its a lovely story,and a positive one for all of us. He's a good looking young man too, do you all find that all your children are very attractive? my son is and the children of the people we went on Earlybird course,with were also good looking.

[Canopus]

I like the bit about the uneven profile and how the teachers forced him to focus on other subjects. It reminds me of my time at school.