It's amazing how a lot of NTs are actively trying to think in a more autistic manner while trying to cure autism at the same time. Really amazing.
What's so amazing about it? NT's want to cure autism because of the associated disadvatages that autism brings. If they could have the advantages with few, if any , disadvantages then I believe their would be a de facto movement to cure neurotypicalism. Or, in other words, a regime change of what is considered neurotypical.
This is why some people think that autism represents nature's attempt to evolve a better human-if NTs could have all of the benefits of HFA without the nasty disadvantages, AND pass it on to their kids, I think that you would see the definition of "neurotypicalism" undergo a dramatic shift, and you would see "old-style NTs" die out fairly quickly, within a few generations.
Evolution doesn't attempt to do anything. It's a directionless process. Also, it would take quite a while for a new kind of human to predominate as there are currently 6.5 billion people on this planet. Unless this new kind of human is planning to kill the rest, it would take quite a bit longer assuming normal breeding.
That's not exactly true. Species can and do evolve due to a change in environment. They adapt. Humans are very complex, so our adaptations would be much more fraught with problems than those of a mouse.
(I read a story about a young aspie woman who could hear electricity running through the walls and hear flourescent light fixtures)
People cannot hear electricity. There is no way to hear electricity. Electricity is not sound. Electricity is electrons flowing through a conductor through the conduction band. Fluorescent lights, however, rely on electricity flowing through a vacuum tube exciting the atoms of the gas. That can be heard and is often heard by lots of people. They are quite loud.
The story was posted on AFF. Shall I go dig it up for you? She said she could hear electricity, or sense it in some way I guess.
If nature could produce a human with super-senses and super-memory without the problems, I'm fairly confident that the new and improved human would wipe out the NT human within five generations or so.
Are you saying that these new super humans would launch a genocide?
Why not? Some archeologists believe that the sudden disappearance of Neanderthal man was due to Cro-Magnon man wiping them out deliberately. There have been at least three attempts to eliminate Jews that came frighteningly close to success (the Roman response to the Bar Kohkba Rebellion in AD 140, during which 9 out of 10 Jews died; the Chmelnitzky massacres in the 16th century; and the Holocaust). Hitler almost wiped out Gypsies (Rom) in Europe via the death camps. I once read a theory that said that if the existence of superpeople such as proposed in X Men really happened, that either the superpeople would wipe out the regular people or vice versa. Two forms of human seem incapable of coexisting. Heck, white people have a hard enough time coexisting with black people, even though the true genetic differences between the two groups are negligible. Why do you think NTs are so hot on aborting all fetuses testing positive for ASD? NTs don't want to coexist with us, they'd rather resort to eugenics and genocide to get rid of us.
Genocides typically only work when you outnumber the people you're killing or you have a large technological advantage. The superhumans would lose and badly.
That or if you're carrying some disease that your targets have no immunity to (this is what happened to many Amerindian populations after 1492).
erkolow, great drawing, did you do that? whoever that is looks identical to my brother when we were youths - and really close to one of my sons - {in other words- good looking, like my family :O) } is that you? (Asking for curiosity purposes, genetics and all that)
I just called my local librarian to borrow the book Last Chld in the Woods, looking forward to it. Sonds worth a read. I came across a blurb last year about some strategies that really expensive private schools for (spectrum kids) use. Some brilliant idea about spending more time outside in nature and less in classrooms as having positive impacts on a kids general outlook and therefore learning and development. I didn't chase the story down any further cuz it seemed pretty obvious to me. I did remember feeling happy about what (we) were doing (and had done particularly when they were nont school aged) with our 3 kids - one who is an aspie. As a stay at home mom, it was just part of a regular proper upbringing and for good health, that I took my kids to many parks, every day for hours and hours. Open space, fields and flowers, trees and tree climbing, also parks woth other kids at them and palyground equipment. They love nature and learning about nature. I don't know what my kids would be ike if we hadn't naturally been that kind of family....I do know that honestjohn's delvelopement is recently being stymied by being in doors, inside school too much...
P.S. The point of the above post was to say, in my opinion, Nature is a better mood elevator than drugs and without the side effects. My gut, first reaction, and second reaction, I think, will always be to say no to drugs...
We allowed ourselves just last summer to be convinced that John was ADHD (non hyperactive type) - and that Straterra would fix that inability to focus that was being a drag on his ability to learn some of the more complex, multi-step concepts that he was encountering as a 4th/5th grader (particularly in math). Without too much detail. they were wrong, It's the Autism, not ADHD that changes the way he learns. The straterra was awful for him -he stopped acting like himself, he had lost his personality (he has always been sociable and interested in others, and then had no interest) and his unique perspectives and opinions just stopped, there were many things that changed... And it gave him a sour attitude - almost dark... (we tried it for 6 weeks and then stopped - by the way no difference at all in focus... enough said, I think....
All drugs put stress on the kidneys, the racetams are no different. I've been taking piracetam for a while now by the way - the effects are quite subtle after the first dose (the first time I took it in a high dose my IQ shot up 30 points overnight on standardised tests). I also found some of my old obsessions much much more interesting again.
There's a whole range of substances which have similar effects, but piracetam (and other racetams) very specifically seem to induce more autistic-type symptoms.
Gareth, it is recognized that there are disadvantages as well as advantages to having autism. Did you/Do you notice any these disadvantages increasing as well or were the mental effects purely beneficial?
The sensory overload is not a universal side effect. Piracetam is something that's fairly cheap with no longterm negative side effects (except in RARE cases) so my advice would be to just try it and see what happens. Always ask a doctor's opinion on this kind of thing first though.
As to sensory overload, there's nothing at all wrong with curing sensory overload in itself. That's the same as you can cure testicular cancer without giving a sex change operation.
I am currently residing in the UK. Where can one find Piracetam here?
NHS prescription or importation. Try the site I linked earlier:
http://www.relentlessimprovement.com
Order some alpha-GPC too for the choline (NEVER take piracetam without choline)
Also speak to your doctor first, especially if you are on any other medications.
You can get it on the NHS? From a pharmacy or somewhere else?
NHS prescription, you'd need a doctor to prescribe it and then get the prescription filled at a pharmacy.
That's what I thought. Danke.
NHS prescription, you'd need a doctor to prescribe it and then get the prescription filled at a pharmacy.
I'm curious. What would they prescribe for? Is it by request? It is curious that it is available off the shelf in most countries.
Wondering1 can take whatever he wants if he so chooses. The vast majority of "gifted" people do have weaknesses in some areas, and if he wants to work on those weaknesses (and see if a nootropic will help with that), then good for him.
It's people like me who need this stuff the most...
Then buy some.
Indeed. I'm actually interested in trying it for the purposes of creative rather than intellectual activity. If it aids concentration that can only be good.