Aspies For Freedom

I don't watch shows like that, but it's great that one of the contestants has AS.

Tim

She's clearly a borderline or mild Aspie if she's on America's Top Model and likes to be touched and get here makeup done, etc.

Aspie nonetheless, though!

Interesting.. the way she talks/fidgets reminds me of a female first cousin of mine...  coincidence?

I meant in the inflection/tone of voice, there's a certain "droll" monotone to her voice which I notice is the same kind of voice my cousin exhibits.  My cousin is the daughter of an introverted scientist and a highly aloof woman who doesn't dress like NT women, good with her hands/fixing things, and apparently has no interest in showing empathy...

Gee, I wonder what could be going on there..?  As of now I have decided not to bring up my "discovery of AS in the family" to her.  As of now she is an NT with AS traits, from my limited observations.

I wasn't disputing that your older sis couldn't be autistic, I was saying it looks like my cousin has more than just a few traits.

That's another problem I have:  I switch between fluent paragraphs with formal words in my speech, to jumbles of words that simply can't carry across the point I'm trying to make.  There's not much of a middle ground there.

Can you tell me what channel this show is on, and what time it's on?

I am on the East Coast of the USA.

For the most part I don't like to be touched, but it's strange how sometimes I like the touch and other times I hate it... depends on the day.

I missed all the episodes so far, perhaps I can download them...?

I checked out the wikipedia link, Heather's still in as of 31st October and she has won the most 'covergirl of the weeks'

Pete Bennett may have had Tourettes but he wasn't the housemate that swore the most that year. There was a Chinese girl from Manchester, I think, and she swore like a trooper. In one 20 minute diary room session she swore 88 times and it consisted mainly of the f-word, b-tard, b***h and when she was evicted she had managed to clock up in excess of 30,000 swear words in her time spent in the house

I never said nothing about making anyone less mature, just merely suggested that it is best to not avoid things as a general response to anxiety that is a recogonised behaviour treatment goes for social anxiety as much as any other anxiety.  There are some things I can't help avoid, that probably because early on I was not able to deal with my thoughts and behaviour associated that flying by the way.  Just saying I wholey agree with what Heather says.  I have not been around people as much since I stopped working and socialising as much I have lost skills, I never did this by choice, so as alternatives I voulunteer and go to autism/mental health social groups and have met new people at gigs.

[quote=dinosaur heretic]
sarahjoke, this thread got me thinking about my perception that she seems "too high functioning" to be representative of aspies.  It did occur to me that her diagnosis was done more than a decade when she was a child.  Perhaps she would not even meet the criteria at this point.  

I thought it was the development history that is important as an adult, she seem's as aspie as I am, some areas she is better than me and maybe other's worse, esp the eye contact.  I am getting fed up of this oh she's very high functioning... I get that a lot, that goes a long way to ignoring the struggle and the pain that I have had to get this far, the people I meet who have far worse than me that some of you compare to I have met such people and recognise myself in them at a younger age.  

I personally feel that Heather represents myself as a woman with an ASD and I hope she goes on to do well for herself, she represents a more real persona of someone like myself who could be anyone sister, neighbour, co-worker and this is good that the media has show this.

Maybe the reason Heather is able to "push herself all the way out" is that she's not Aspie. It seems she's using claiming to have Asperger's Syndrome to play on the victim nature of it.

Come on, do you know anyone with Asperger's Syndrome who would subject themselves to a show like Top Model? Has it occured to anyone she might be just trying to get an edge on the other models, by targeting a disenfranchised group of people who are desperate to see they're approved of?

It's easy to mimick a lack of eye contact and not understanding things, if you're an actor/actress. It's also easy to cry on the phone, claiming to be upset when it's obvious one subjected themselves willingly to the nature that they are upset over.

She didn't have to go on Top Model, I would've had more respect frankly if she didn't. At least then I can say, ok she's acting like a real Aspie. She's just using the nature of Asperger's Syndrome, to build herself up as a victim on the show. If it wasn't Asperger's Syndrome, it would be something else.
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I do not think it would be that easy to act asperger's and certainly not for the length of time that Heather was in there, what do you have a problem with aspie women? I see hear a brilliant role model for women like myself and you dis it?  Do we not want NT to have more of a realistic idea of what ASD's are especially high Functioning to get away from the stereotypes, I know for myself when I found out I was different because I have HFA I found it hard to find many female perceptives of HFA/Asperger's.  I really think you should think before you post your comments have upset me and I am sure that if Heather read them what would she think from such a discussion within the autistic community.

So we should all be computer porgrammer's? (sarcasm), Violet girl what the hell is wrong with being a model, as a woman on the spectrum I am hit with loads of comments based on stereotypes and get the impression that younger people have a can't do this because I have asperger's attitude drilled into them.  I could see Heather doing something very interesting within the modeling industry, she has more talents than just being pretty.. I believe she is artist too.  I think you ought to learn to understand that other people have different opinions, I respect you have your opinion and I have mine geuss we will agree to disagree.

I pushed myself all the way as a social care worker, geuss that makes me NT?