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Eccentric

Aspergers: How we see it

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I'm quite well read on the subject of Asperger's Syndrome - the 'trio of impairments' etc, but do people find they disagree with what the psychiatrists say? I mean about AS generally, not you as an individual if you've had a diagnosis. I think there are important things they tend to leave out.

 

One of these is that AS people, including me, tend to see the world as just a lot of images, sounds etc, without being able to feel part of it, as if you are in the cinema watching a film. The nearest to this I hear about is the 'glass cylinder' effect: the feeling that you are trapped inside a glass cylinder, so you can see and hear what's going on around you, and talk to people, but you can never - metaphorically - reach out and touch your environment.

 

Another thing I find is I can never identify myself as part of any group like non-AS people can. Humans have a natural inclination to identify themselves as group members according to what they have in common: family members, age groups, national or ethnic groups, religious groups etc. I can accept on an intellectual level that I have things in common with certain other people, but only like the set theory in mathematics, which categorises and sub-categorises things. I don't have that sense of 'togetherness' that other people have - not even with family members who I have known all my life.

 

And if someone sees the world like that, it's perhaps not surprising that they have problems with that 'trio of impairments' - social interaction, social communication and social imagination (or social adaptability, as I prefer to call the last one). Instead, psychiatrists concentrate on trying to explain our differences through complicated technical analyses of how our brains are structured.

 

I think this would be a useful thing for the psychiatrists to learn.

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Hi Essentric,

 

Thanks for interesting observation, I’m trying to understand.

What do you mean by saying ‘you can never - metaphorically - reach out and touch your environment’ ? Does it mean that we’re not capable to learn a new experience?

You might find some answers in Patsy Rodenburg’s Second Circle. There’s her model ( you use the word ‘metaphorically’) of connectedness - ‘presence’. There’re also a practical piece of advice and plenty of exercises to get connected to the world around, so you feel present.

 

 

 

 

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Well here's a thought - this passed through my head a few weeks ago. The "real" world only exists in the head of neurotypicals. Our inability to "connect" is because we don't inhabit the same mental space. I am connected with the actual world of things rather than the world of human relationships. Unfortunately I also feel separation - emotional loneliness, even within my own family.

 

Well, I suppose the trio of impairments is defined by people who aren't autistic, so perhaps we should define it instead. I am only just starting to get the hang of it.

 

Have you read Donna Williams' jumbled jigsaw? She has a rather useful perspective on the whole situation of being autistic.

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Scumble, do you have an issue with NT's? I ask as it seems to be a recurring point you make in posts. I can understand resentment sometimes - but it creates an unrealistic viewpoint if built up over time. Educating and raising awareness when you can is a good way to break down what you might perceive as barriers. There won't always be the opportunity to do that obviously, but accentuating the positive might work out better than assuming no one understands. Personally I think there shouldn't be 'them and us' - we're all human aren't we?

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I’m fairly new on here, and diagnosed myself not that long ago, so I’m not as knowledgeable about AS as some. One thing that strikes me about this forum is that all the posts seem to be public? I suppose that is a good thing in a way, but I feel like I have to be careful to put a positive spin on everything, and that doesn’t feel honest, but more like an exercise in public relations! I have nothing against people who don’t have AS – how could I have, as that includes everyone I know, including my lovely partner! But I have to admit I do have some kind of rage thing going on inside, after all these years of blundering along socially and getting rejected. By that, I don’t mean I feel like a victim, as I realised long ago that I was the one getting it wrong, not everyone else. As Matzoball says, being bitter doesn’t get anyone anywhere, but sometimes I just feel like I want to let off steam to someone who knows what it’s like, just to feel understood!

 

Sorry, this strayed off the subject of Eccentric's post! I meant to say I see the world in a similar way, though I don't feel 'trapped' in a glass cylinder, more like an observer watching a movie. Also relate to not identifying with groups. I used to pride myself on being an 'individual' because I wasn't part of any group (I had an aversion to them) but in hindsight, I think it makes life much harder, having no group support. I don't know if this outlook on life causes social problems though, or is caused by them? Or maybe they perpetuate each other in a loop ... or just run parallel. I don't know anything about the psychiatric point of view. Would they just see things in terms of making a diagnosis and nothing more?

Edited by Gina3

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Gina - I don't think that's the case, at least as far as I am concerned. This forum is lightly moderated, and only so when asked by other members. Everything on here is opinion, conversation and advice - which as far as this mod is concerned, everyone is entitled to regardless of what it is! (as long as it's not breaching the guidelines of course ;p)

 

I can ask the admins about setting up a private area for venting things that members wouldn't be comfortable having the general public see (which is an excellent idea) - I know other forums can do it as they have similar software - it may be a case of tech skills and how much of them the admins have!

 

Post what you like on here, but as with other forums - for now it's open to the public to view(if they know where we are), just be careful of what personal identifying details you do post - pretty much internet safety etiquette :)

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Thanks for clarifying that, I guess I should have read the guidelines first, before diving in! (just found them). About the 'venting area' idea: there's another forum I'm on, not related to ASD, and they have a button which allows you to post things for view by members only if you wish. If you don't tick the box, it is public by default (some of their members would prefer it the other way around). I hadn't noticed the PM button at the top here (being unobservant again!), but that's different because that's just to send a message to one other member? Thanks again for explaining things :)

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Thanks for those replies.

 

Tanya, when I say AS people find it difficult to reach out and touch their environment, no I don't mean they can't learn from experience. I mean you are aware of what's going on around you but find it difficult to feel part of it. Thanks for that Patsy Roden video, but I'm not clear what she's talking about really.

 

Gina, on your bit about not identifying with groups, I'd be interested to know what you mean when you say you had an 'aversion' to groups. On the psychiatric point of view (and I'm no expert on that either), what I'm trying to say is they look at AS very much from an outsider point of view without much effort to identify how we see the world. If I'm not making myself clear, that's because it's not an easy thing to explain.

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Hi Essentric,

 

Thanks for your reply. Patsy is a voice/acting coach, one of the best in the UK. Her book Presence: How to use positive energy for success in every situation, is a manual how to navigate in social interaction with focus on self-development. This model of connectivity with environment called ‘Presence’. I thought it might be compatible with your description of feeling a part of it.

 

What can I say? It’s different. Her methodology might seem as a bit laborious( breathing excesses, posture exercises and lots more) but one might find them beneficial and fun to lean. This lady is coaching some of the most celebrated actors, prisoners, severely disable people, you name it –she’s done it. Unfortunately for me, a few years ago she moved to LA and doesn’t teach in the Central Voice and Drama in London any more. They do personal coaching and short courses .

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi Eccentric

 

When I said I had an ‘aversion’ to groups, I meant I used to think people acted like sheep, and I didn’t want to be a part of it. It could be any kind of group, from a load of girls all going to the ladies loo together, to whole religions. I don’t have the ability or desire to be a leader, and I find it too horrendously boring to be a follower, trailing round after everyone else. That's how I used to rationalise it .. actually, I think I get bored in groups because I'm kind of invisible and people ignore me, so it's really no fun for me!

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