Aspies For Freedom

My cousin and I used to put on puppet shows all the time at family gatherings. Even if we didn't have real puppets, we'd make some out of paper, or use stuffed animals, or even just objects and figureines.

My perspective, just me, ignoring any global goals and implications:

As a parent, I consider the lists a good thing.  It was seeing lists like these for the first time that solidified for me that my son's condition could be positive for him.  That if I did my job as a parent right (exactly what that is and how is always open to discussion but is not the purpose of this thread), he would become an adult with the ability to live a successful and fulfilling life, and that the concept of "disability" would never enter into it.  That my goal should be to help him manage his frustrations and channel his gifts but not squash any of the things that make him unique and amazing.

I'm not expecting him to grow up to be Albert Einstein or Bill Gates.  Seeing a list with their names doesn't make me expect that.  When my child talks about wanting to become an inventor, I think more along the lines of, "yes, a job in an R&D department is probably something he would love and do well at," and I think of how I might help him remove any obstacles he might face, and talk with him about the schooling he will need.  If he is destined to become Albert Einstein or Bill Gates, I can only hope I will help him have the self-confidence to pursue it, but that isn't a vision any parent can ever have (or should have) for their own child.  Who the heck knows who is raising the next genius?  I know that I am raising a bright and creative child who can grow up to do positive things.  That is as far as I need to go in looking towards my child's future; the rest is up to him.

Oooo, when I was young, I (almost) believed I was the Princess in said story. I say almost, because I knew I wasn't, but that she was a fictional character that was like me. I even put things under my mattress to test if I was that sensitive. Of course, if I put stuff under my mattress, I knew it was there, so I couldn't really test it. But, I fully agree that it seems to be about autistic sensitivities.

I think the kid in the new Mac commercial may have an ASD.

I think that the kid in the new Apple commercial may have an ASD.

You know, I kind of agree with Simen here.

If it weren't for having some of these physical traits, I probably would just consider myself to be nerdly rather than aspie. To me, it's the weird assortment of these that, imo, tip me into the aspie camp.

I have a fantasy that one day I can ask Bill Gates what he thinks of the fact that some people have diagnosed him with AS. (This is far-fetched but not totally out of the realm of possibility, since he occasionally shows up in my workplace.  I've been within about 6 ft of him--he looks pretty normal to me but consider the source.)

What are Caplan's qualifications on this issue?

Okay, thanks.

A lot of people aren't able to make the distinction between a person and his or her ideas. So a criticism of the latter is interpreted as a criticism of the former.  It can get pretty annoying, I agree.

LOL, Batman.
Your habit of public self-criticizing or attention-seeking does indeed at times annoy me.
Sometimes, it seems to me as if you decide to feel attacked when none such was intended.
It's in conversations like this:

Poster A:  "I (or some other aspie) experience(s) bla bla bla"
Batman:  Well, I don't experience bla bla bla, so does that mean I'm not an aspie?

I confess. I find this kind of interruption to a thread irritating.

It's pretty obvious that not all aspies share all aspie-ish characteristics, and I personally find the discussions of different types of experiences to be interesting and informative about the whole "aspie" landscape.

But anyways....the reactive response to criticism of an idea is something I deal with in real life on a regular basis. I often wish that people were more thick-skinned.

Grin!
How big a grain?

I strongly believe Andy Kaufman was Autistic.

I do not know many famous people's biographies to an extent to make an judgement on if they could have likely been Autistic. However I strongly feel the following famous persons were; Issac Newton, Andy Kaufman, Nikola Tesla, Kurt Cobain (I had a discussion with another autistic online saying she believed he was).

I think it depends to a great extent on your family and social environment as you're growing up.

My life has been very different to that of a lot of Aspies.

Due to circumstances beyond my control as a child and teenager, and sometimes beyond my control in my twenties, I've experienced a lot of change.

I'm aware that the general stereotype is that Aspies don't like or can't cope with change, but for me, I think a constant state of change has become my constant.

I can imagine that if an Aspie is forced into a situation where they experience a lot of change, i.e. a musician, gigging a lot at different venues, touring on the road, then their 'habit' their lifestyle might involve living out of suitcases and sleeping in different hotel rooms.

I think some Aspies can be quite adaptable if they are absolutely forced out of their comfort zone.