I'm hoping the contact with Chandler & Macleod will help here also as, in their system, "autistic" is just one of seven major components of personality and aptitude that everyone has! Even better, the sub categories include concepts like creativity and imagination and so, to be strong in these desirable comodities, one must be autistic!!!
It would seem to follow that the weakness in these categories, displayed by many NT's (particularly the movers and shakers) is basically the cause for what's currently wrong with this world!
Is that positive enough for you AspieBoy?
Very interesting thoughts Aspieboy.
I'd be interested in what you (or Nietzsche) thinks about word art (poetry, fiction and theatre, film and stand up comedy to an extent) in this context.
I see it as describing experience in words. But the way people use words to describe experience must have an influence on how they percieve the truth. I see writing as the attempt to make language accurately describe experience. Of course this is impossible. It's not impossible to make language more accurately describe experience though.
Doesn't Nietzche use fictional and dramatic techniques in his philosophy? Sartre certainly did.
Have to hugely disagree on that, there are some amazing art works being produced all the time. Have a look at the site of our own member Raeth for instance, hes excellent. Just as one example.
Drawing is art. High quality drawn pictures are art.
But some of them are really good original art.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, have you watched "salad fingers" on the weebls website. Its unique, haunting and creative. And it is art!
Its something personal that the art speaks to you of. You have to find it for yourself, if its Monet, Degas, or rusty spoons.......
Art is more fluid than that, its not just what the artist intended, it can be a feeling that flows, an atmosphere, a memory....and if it was dead that would still be a personal feeling.
Back to the point, "art" has the same derivation as "artificial" and so, anything which is man-made can be considerred art, including language! Rather confuses things doesn't it? There's a lot in the idea that language controls things, for instance, look at how words like "ambition" have a positive connotation (but how many profit by another's ambition?) because we are told by the media it's a good thing, and most just accept that without question.
You see similar with concepts like "the work ethic" (which is certainly a good thing for those in a position to cream of the profit...) and the fact that televison news makes such a big deal of share-prices, which have little to no direct impact on most people; the exposure exist for no reason other than to get people to work harder or tighten their belts, when things get slow (so the bosses can carry on getting their annual 15% pay rise, come what may!).
The establishment certainly knows the importance of controlling language, and it's distribution!
Doesn't stereotype mean there's two of them?:? I don't take words too seriously as the exact meaning varies fom time to time, context to context, person to person:
That I'm autistic, according to the original psychological definition, is certainly true! That it's a good thing I also consider true, if not I wouldn't have a fraction of the imagination and creativity which currently makes my life a constant adventure! Would I miss it if Ididn't have it? A moot point! Am I an "Aspie" as Tony Atwood uses it, very likely! Does every one diagnosed AS fit the bill? No chance!
What's the real problem here? It's that, by focusing on words that're widely misused, most of us end up not getting the particular help that would aleviate our own particular conditions! Accurate labeling of the various sub groups, using practical distinctions, would definitely be a good thing, but untill we get there (long way off) no one should fixate on the current mislabeling, other than where it pertains to ways we can correct the situation!
There is discontent amongst one or two of the top and well respected experts on the continued use of the term high functioning. They are all clear on one thing over the recent months, there is NO mild when it comes to Asperger Syndrome, you either have it or you don't.
What depicts the way it affects an individual has a lot to do with their personality, their upbringing and social/environmental factors. It cannot be argued the Autistic Spectrum is broad and varied in it's presentation again what brroks no argument is that you either have it or you don't.
In light of the debate I now say I am Autistic I have Asperger Syndrome - how I present within those context's is all down to my personality and my life experiences.
When you look at NT's and the broad range of the IQ's among that group do we EVER hear anyone say that those with lower IQ's are low functioning and those with the higher IQ's high functioning? No I don't believe we do, so I have to agree with the experts on this one I'm afraid and how insightful for a group of NT's to reach this conclusion :shock:
Debs
You must be at the desk next to mine
Now I see where the Higher Functioning is still coming in - ok. Actually as studies are progressing they are learning that the percentage of actual retardation is not as high as it was once thought - in fact those Autistics who are *** are more likely to have suffered a trauma of some sort in addition to being born with Autism. Then there is the group who later 'become' Autistic through trauma in early life although that's being seriously debated at the moment, the term high functioning didn't come about because of the percentage of those with retardation it was concluded by someone who felt that those of us who are autistic but function should be classed as high functioning.
As I said that was debated and dismissed although there are still the old school experts who are determined to resist changes is ideas, theories and even blatant evidence. To be honest some of us 'old' Aspies find the term high functioning totally unhelpful when it comes to getting recognition because it allows NT's to dismiss the fact that we have needs at all due to the Autism. But, this is of course my personal belief and whilst it's shared by some Aspies it's all about sharing and making up your own mind on what you prefer.
After all are we or are we not fighting for the right to be accepted as equals and have the right to choose what we need and how it should be delivered? How refreshing to have an open and honest debate without some bull head butting in and causing waves <<<G>>>> Sorry was thinking of another forum, not Aspie but MSBP where this happens regularly.
Debs
all it takes is people standing up in public and claiming their pride in being autistic. i've recently started to move away from the term aspie and refer to myself as autistic more and more simply because there seems to be this "aspie=not autistic, but similar" idea. So i have autistic pride, not just aspie pride. One thing i've noticed about autism is impaired development: people with LFA given the chance can develop HFA/AS. But in order for this to happen people must accept that an autistic will be autistic for life - there is no way to rewire an autistic brain and make it NT. ABA programs have attempted this, but they're actually doing the equivalent of training a cat to wag it's tail and calling it a dog.
when we start having autistic pride parades, then we know we have won. in fact, that's not a bad idea.....
Well, I'm diagnosed with PDD-NOS, but I call myself the AutisticPsycho :wink:
it was concluded by someone who felt that those of us who are autistic but function should be classed as high functioning.
I expect this is largely due to the fact that autistics who function normally simply get overlooked? I fall in this category to the extent nobody ever suggested I should get therapy for anything whatsoever!
The fact remains though that, though in normal functioning and interaction too, I wouldn't be regarded as disfunctional by most people, my non integration in the subtle social games high status types insist on applying to me has blighted my entire life, and ended my employment prospects. There's no doubt about my autism, but I have serious doubts whether managers will ever set aside their (pointless?) status competitions, and simply employ people like me at the technical work we do far better than most!
What are Companies for anyway? If their main function is to satisfy the desires and aspirations of control freaks, then why don't they come out and say so, then we'd all know where we stand! That they so determinedly pretend otherwise surely proves what a sordid and perverse game it all is?
We have to defend ourselves against both of those notions. We are not broken to be fixed by ABA, nor defective to be aborted.