06-18-2005, 05:06 PM
06-20-2005, 02:20 PM
"Experts point out that unlike normal people, the severely
autistic lack the urge to explore the world. Hmm. This could
explain a few things about certain posters in these newsgroups,
who claim to lack a drive to explore.
"And how do you educate severely autistic children? How do you
teach those who, for the most part, have no language, and no
particular compulsion to acquire it, who are BORN WITHOUT THE
NEED TO EXPLORE THE WORLD, who would rather spin round and round
in a circle, or do the same jigsaw over and over again, than
play games with their peers, who won't make eye-contact, or
copy, and who fight bitterly (and sometimes literally, with
nails and teeth and small fists) for the right to remain sealed
in their own world?" - Nick Hornby, renown expert on autism "
What the *&^&^$^$%* is this guy talking about? Must be a lack of empathy. He just can't figure out what those autistic children must be thinking of.
autistic lack the urge to explore the world. Hmm. This could
explain a few things about certain posters in these newsgroups,
who claim to lack a drive to explore.
"And how do you educate severely autistic children? How do you
teach those who, for the most part, have no language, and no
particular compulsion to acquire it, who are BORN WITHOUT THE
NEED TO EXPLORE THE WORLD, who would rather spin round and round
in a circle, or do the same jigsaw over and over again, than
play games with their peers, who won't make eye-contact, or
copy, and who fight bitterly (and sometimes literally, with
nails and teeth and small fists) for the right to remain sealed
in their own world?" - Nick Hornby, renown expert on autism "
What the *&^&^$^$%* is this guy talking about? Must be a lack of empathy. He just can't figure out what those autistic children must be thinking of.
06-20-2005, 02:43 PM
He is not seeing the full picture. We used to go swimming every week with a man and his son and daughter, both LFA, adult autistics, with no language at all.
His daughter would explore everything! She loved playing with the water and really enjoyed it, she used different containers to fill and spurt the water out,
she observed everything around her, but had no interest in talking to people.
His daughter would explore everything! She loved playing with the water and really enjoyed it, she used different containers to fill and spurt the water out,
she observed everything around her, but had no interest in talking to people.
06-22-2005, 10:38 AM
It's making the same mistake of defining behaviour as action. Autistics are masters of covert attention, observing things whilst no one else knows they are even looking.
I could be observing a smell, touch, sound and taste, even my own thoughts and no one would ever know. It's more people failing to identify learning.
I could be observing a smell, touch, sound and taste, even my own thoughts and no one would ever know. It's more people failing to identify learning.
06-22-2005, 11:30 AM
Good to have you back Lucas, did you see the cute pandas in the cats and kittens thread in general?
06-22-2005, 02:24 PM
No, but I'll have a looksy.
06-25-2005, 08:32 PM
Maybe I'm just an exception, but this statement seems to be in the same field as the "Aspergers are a cold, mechanical, unfeeling people" stereotype, and just not true at all. As a child, while all my NT peers were dawdling about exploring their immediate vicinity (the room for most, the building for the braver lot), I was always wont to wander off into the forest or hike through nearby hills and get some REAL exploring done. The majority of my childhood was spent hiking nearby wilderness, and most of my teenage years were spent traveling all over North America with my family. Even today my desire to see the world has only grown with me. Travel and experiencing other cultures is one of my biggest interests and desires. Am I an exception? All you adventurous Aspergs stand up! Or is travel simply my Aspergian 'interest' that I focus on completely? :wink:
I think a lot of the origin of this theory is just a difference in the nature of the exploration, as my childhood memories suggest.
edit:
I think a lot of the origin of this theory is just a difference in the nature of the exploration, as my childhood memories suggest.
edit:
Amy Wrote:
...but had no interest in talking to people.
You know, thinking about that, I think you hit the nail on the head. Most of the time, all the other children (even the braver lot who couldn't be contained in one room for too long) would gravitate toward the other children, and form groups to explore together, while myself... I formed a group eventually when hiking, but that came about simply because I'd wander off and another child would notice that I liked to do that, and would join me next time.