Aspies For Freedom

Yes, sorry Batman.  It seems I was misled by WIRED magazine that Asperger is correlated with those "math and science genes" (you know, algebra), or to put in a Marsh way, chemistry uncle and math teacher uncle.

A great many HRs would rather hire a second or third rate person, an NT they can relate to, rather than a first rate person, if it is an Aspie they can't relate to (or if it takes "too much trouble" to learn to relate, better rephrased)

If you can't relate to an NT, you're disabled, you're unemployed, it's your fault.
If an NT can't relate to you, he or she is normal, he or she is employed, it isn't his or her fault (but it is)

NTs are disabled if they do not know how to relate to Aspies (if they only know how to relate to "easy" people like themselves).  The norm in business is to "learn" how to get along with everybody, no exceptions for ethnicity, national origin, religion, philosophy, disability, and so on.

There is money at stake people start learning!!!!!!

I'm glad I ran into DTI Associates, but it took a few dozen interviews to get there, so obviously, 10 years ago at least, DTI Associates was the exception not the rule as far as learning to get along.

Coming off as such.

If you remember Meg Murray in A Wrinkle in Time she learned maths easily with the shortcuts her dad taught her, but had learning disabilities when the school taught her their way.

Maybe you learn your way.  Or your dad's or your uncle's way.

I really don't know if the math and science proclivities are essential to Asperger.  I know those Computerworld articles of 1999 seemed to think computer proclivities seemed essential to Asperger.  Maybe they were just trying to drum up good (false) PR to hire Aspies?  I dunno.

We can't have a bunch of Aspies with computer skills spreading rumors that, or implying that, all Aspies have strong technical or math or science skills or aptitudes just because they want jobs in the field.

Hype!  Hype!  Hype!  Hype!  Hype!
Hire an Aspie!  Hire an Aspie!  
We write code!  We write code!
Hire an Aspie!  Hire an Aspie!  
Hype!  Hype!  Hype!  Hype!  Hype!

It is selfish, it is a lie, it is a fraud, and it is harmful to people like Batman55.

For the longest time, my brother (suspected Aspie, 15 years experience as a computer programmer and 1 year experience as a Web developer) and I (diagnosed Aspie, nearly 9 years as a Web developer and database designer) could not understand why M. (diagnosed Aspie), with honorable Navy service and a Bachelor's in Computer Science, was NOT working with computers.

The two of us worked the same damned jobs.  We worked in a Toys R Us distribution center, we worked in a Fujifilm disposable camera cracking factory, we worked in another factory, sharing rides from Martinsburg to Hagerstown or Buckeystown when gas was 85 cents a gallon.

He deprecated (insulted) his degree, boasting of his 2.14 GPA more than once.

I gave him my old Power PC (MicroCenter MEI, no USB) when I bought a Dell Dimension 2350, my brother begged him to get online and learn some new computer languages from the plethora of Web sites put up by Good Samaritans.

Maybe M. is not the computer type of Aspie.  Maybe that is it after all!

What if I was not a computer Aspie and my dad said, your brother is a computer whiz, you're an Aspie, be a computer whiz?

Batman, your profile says you are self diagnosed.  Perhaps you are incorrect and you are not Aspie?

If we are going to criticize the statements made by WIRED magazine, we have to start with the facts, and make sure the facts are solid.

Then we need to see if WIRED maybe would be correct in saying instead: "well...... nine Aspies in ten are computer programming material."

or, 9 of 10 randomly-selected officially  dxed Aspies passed a computer curriculum and were employed a year later, whereas only (for sake of argument) 15% of NTs become computer programmers.

So then WIRED and Computer World say... don't grab an Aspie off the street and send him or her to computer school, it would be kidnapping.  But you are several times more likely to strike oil looking for computer talent if you recruit from Aspies.

To the best of my actual knowledge, my brother himself does not believe he has Asperger's, or really believe in Asperger's.  
He believes Asperger's is a label NTs invented to stick on us to put us down because we are different.

He will go as far as use the concept "Geek", such as in his proposed idea of a "Geek House" where multiple "geeks" would provide mutual economic defense against the kind of employment difficulties Aspies typically face.  The idea bounced off his friends OK, but without their actual help, it didn't fly.

He is also sensitive to the harm of one woman telling another not to go out with him (or any geek) out of fear of what that would do to her reputation or something.

So, no, I think my brother would take what I suspect about him being true for an insult.  But he has complained about being socially isolated at work and in the flat, much like all of you.  Minus his work in Web design, he seems to have the same Aspie complaints of being on the outside looking in (I don't know what women are doing in his life).  

Back in college, before my junior year, I had the same social isolation challenges.  I learned to find better acceptance in years later in undergraduate and graduate school.  I learned to be generous and giving.  When I do something positive to make someone happy (like telling the woman I am dating last night I would pray for her because she has politics issues at work), it makes me smile too.  I am reminded that I can cause love and good things to happen and I can shine like all the luminaries that have shown me the light and led the way for me.

My flat is much smaller (garden style, 6 units on three floors, but I can generally call my neighbors by name on sight, at least the four single adults living alone (one who moved out).  The Hispanic family has so many last names on their mail box I am afraid to guess.)

I can name maybe half the folks at church on sight.

I can name practically everyone at work on sight and I try to be chatty when I see them.

I could ask WIRED on what basis it was determined that math, science, (computers), and Asperger were significantly correlated, and especially whether or not the Asperger needed to be officially diagnosed.   Science, formal definitions, you know: without a solid definition: every scientist who disagrees with you with be after you.

Christopher Marsh didn't use officially-diagnosed Aspies in his research?  How did his paper ever make it into the Journal of Neuodiversity and Career Counseling?

See if Mr. Marsh has a brown nose?

Didn't he ever read the American Psychological Association publication manual?

No wonder he got a D in Experimental Psychology.



Whenever you debate, you have to know if you are standing on firm ground.

What we would have to do is assign every officially dxed member a number (so the findings could not be challenged by other researchers), and then randomly draw 100 to see how many have computer aptitude.

Representative samples are randomly taken and must be of sufficient size for statistically valid results.

It is possible some may not choose to respond.  That could contaminate the final results.

Thanks, EvilZakkie for clearing that up.  

I didn't mean to be rough, Batman, but a fact is a fact, and we need to be solid in our facts if we are to take on WIRED magazine.  Self-diagnosed Aspie, that is not going to impress WIRED magazine much.  When you debate, or you are in court, you need solid facts to fight with, like, Chris Marsh was diagnosed and re-diagnosed at Marshall University in 1996 and 1997, and again by the state of Maryland in 1998.

So, EvilZakkie, where does WIRED magazine get off saying "math and tech genes" and Asperger if only 10% of Aspergers have math and tech?

"get off".... sounds like they're enjoying it, but they need to get off our back.