Aspies For Freedom

YES! That is the problem when the world looks at everything through the DSM lens -- everything is seen as a deficit model. That's what Positive Psychology is about -- redefining who we are as individuals by assessing, realizing and developing our positive characteristics.

"Social Neurotype" could be a much better description of what gets called "Neurotypical" -- a term that started, lest we forget, as a satirical bit of comedy -- which is constantly misused and misunderstood, but used none-the-less because we don't have a better term.

Thanks for the insight.  The problem I have here is partly the attitude of the Aspies who DO have Math brilliance, thorough understanding of scientific theories, well-read in philosophy (a lot of the hyperlexic types have this as a forte)...  they do not seem to acknowledge those of us who lack the intelligence/knowledge.  They do not seem to understand that there could be Aspies who don't have the same gifts they have.

There seems to be an uppity nature about these Aspies; they seem to think you're not "all that Aspie" if you're not on their wavelength.

So what happens is people like me end up feeling like they don't really belong to Aspergia.

Well, my rants are usually tied in with certain issues/deficits I have, and this is a rant thread, so I hadn't stopped to think that I was derailing it... if I really am, then I apologize.

Zakkie, are my posts in this thread really a disturbance for you?  I have read your posts here and found them thought-provoking, I hope my rants haven't distracted from that.

Sure, math/science gifted Aspies are who they are, but they generally don't understand how others (esp. other Aspies) couldn't have the same gifts they do.  I noticed this quality among several folks who I observed as very Aspie-like in high school; they couldn't understand how anyone could be lacking the same kinds of intelligence they had, and were very egotistical about their cognitive gifts.

It is this overly prideful/oblivious attitude about intelligence that I have noticed (both in real life and on here to *some* extent) which can be harmful to Aspies who are not gifted (as myself), as we will feel like we don't belong.

The idea that IQ has nothing to do with core intelligence is bollocks; a study had been done (sorry, no link for the time being) that showed the spending patterns/career success of folks with various IQs (from 100 to 150, etc.) and there was a very significant difference between those at 100 and those at 150, etc.

Yeah, and don't listen to them.  Find something of a middleground if possible (do the homework AND play the games, can be tough), but don't take such advice literally.  If there's something you enjoy, then you happen to enjoy it.  Time enjoyed is time not wasted.

Yes, you certainly do have a lot of great ideas, Zakkie--you are a creative writer.

Who needs *** Academia when mastering the art of "The Idea" is just as effective, if not moreso.  I say, Do it Yourself.

I don't know precisely what this means, but a lot of words and frequently used phrases seem to have their own personality for me.  I have an entire list of words in my head that, quite frankly, are simply "ugly."  Hence I hate using them, or reading them.  I do think there is some sort of odd sensory component, partly behind this.

Anyone else know what this is?

Well, it is probably the latter.

There are some words I don't like because they seem ugly and then remind me of bad smells. Some noises remind me of bad smells too. Colours can remind me of good smells, except really yukky and horrible colours, which again remind me of something smelly. I wonder if this is an example of synaesthesia.

You're right about this, but it ought to be pointed out--generally speaking--that NTs are more trouble for us, than we are for them.

How to tell if these brief "bursts" imply interest or are simply coincidental, though?  This is a problem for me, being AS.  I can't read these signals for beans.

There's been some attempts to set up social aspie clubs for adults in Townsville but it can be like herding cats sometimes. I was also disappointed to find that I was being left out of informal activities earlier in the year because I am a woman and older than most of the others. It's bad enough to already be marginalised in society but to be marginalised within a marginalised group is truly horrible

There are two support groups that I know of but they are mostly for parents with young aspie kids and you get a lot of strong personalities and personal agendas and for those reasons, I don't feel comfortable about going to those groups.

The main issue I have is organising repairs/getting the lawn mowed (an ongoing saga which I won't go into here means that my lawn is usually unmowed) because of severe phone phobia.

However, apart from that, it would be better to have a primarily social group of adult aspies.

I thought there was an adult aspie group in Brisbane but that was a while ago so it could have folded.