To make a long story short, I strongly suspect my friend "Priscilla" to be an Aspie. She displays more Aspergian qualities than I do, in fact.
Priscilla watched some violent Aspie boy on Dr. Phil, and came to the conclusion that Aspergers = violence, and people that hurt themselves and others without realizing it.
Says she, "Well, if I do have it, I must have a very mild form of it because I never hurt others or myself!"
What, and I do? Um, no. Think before you speak, my friend. That was offensive on her part.
Did anyone see this Dr. Phil episode? I didn't.
Ha, ha - I like that analogy, rglovejoy.
I saw that particular episode of Dr Phil and noticed that the parents were continually tormenting the poor boy so it is no wonder he got stroppy. I think he also had ADHD as a co-morbid with his Asperger's.
Unfortunately, most people lack the critical thinking skills to realize that Dr. Phil is shilling out a lot of crackpottery. If the promo for the episode shows a panel of aspies doing what they normally do, such as expounding on a favorite topic, nobody would tune in. So, he needs to find someone who acts out violently in order to draw in the viewers.
In my view, Dr. Phil is as much a psychologist as Elmer Fudd is a race-car driver.
I love that last line! I totally agree that people who like Dr Phil don't have the critical thinking to realize that he's full of it. Once I told one of his followers that I had Asperger's, I had to cut off our friendship because this person thought I'd be violent as that's what Dr Phil says about us. That's not me at all, in fact I hate violence and would rather die myself than harm another person.
I'd love to tell my friend this stuff without offending her.
I saw part of it, and it is fair to say that the child featured was nothing like a typical Aspie, if there is such a thing.
I don't believe there is.
Right now in New Zealand, Doctor Phil has episodes on at the same time as Doctor Who. No competition, really. 
I haven't seen that episode (it hasn't aired here yet.) But I have no surprise that he said the things he said. (Have known for some time that he was some kind of uber-curebie.)
By the way, OsirisLord, I love your avvy. Is it from "Sen to Chihiro / Spirited Away"?
Another thing. Why does he perpetuate the untruth about polygraph tests (ie, that they are any better than chance at spotting liars)? You'd get more accuracy by flipping a coin!
Did anyone see this Dr. Phil episode? I didn't.
A parent shouldn't ever shout in a child's face to say stuff like "You can't do anything like anyone else!" Or other things that only compute as "you are pathetic, everyone else is better than you..Don't bother trying, I know you'll fail anyway!" That is child abuse, and that is what the parent characters sort of did to him.
Miss Jane's friend is only one example of a sad fact. People believe whatever the media speews out, whether it's true or not.
Don't worry about Priscilla as long as she does not hate herself for being an Aspie, but rather believes she is not an Aspie because she is not violent and Aspies are. While that is the case, she is only holding a misconception, something which all of us do at some time or another; were she to hate herself for being what she is, she would have much bigger problems.
In her eyes, most likely you are accusing her of being "a nut case"... The popular perception of autism in general and AS in particular negatively colors the perception of the statement that someone might have AS.
Now that you know Priscilla is not open to the possibility that she may be an Aspie, do the next best thing and simply show her, in any way you can, that you like her for who she is. If she's an Aspie (or even if she's not), she may not know that you notice and appreciate her extraordinary qualities. Just make a note of them--you needn't flatter her; Aspies aren't good at flattery anyhow. Just state fact.
Eventually, chances are that Priscilla will begin to understand that there is nothing very wrong with her; later, if it turns out that she does have Asperger's, she will logically also know that AS cannot be such a very bad thing to have after all.
To make a long story short, I strongly suspect my friend "Priscilla" to be an Aspie. She displays more Aspergian qualities than I do, in fact.
Priscilla watched some violent Aspie boy on Dr. Phil, and came to the conclusion that Aspergers = violence, and people that hurt themselves and others without realizing it.
Says she, "Well, if I do have it, I must have a very mild form of it because I never hurt others or myself!"
What, and I do? Um, no. Think before you speak, my friend. That was offensive on her part.
Did anyone see this Dr. Phil episode? I didn't.
I saw that episode. Other than that one on obese children a few weeks back, that was my favorite. Your friend said quite an offensive comment, indeed. Even [i]I'd[i] be insulted (normally, I'm very hard to insult)!
My mother-in-law taped that for me. It was mentioned, once, and very quickly, that he was not a "typical" case. That he had other mood disorders and stuff going on. I think they quickly threw that out there to cover their butts, because the rest of the episode did seem to provide many misconceptions. What made me the angriest about that episode was the parents. I'm not denying that things can be frustrating sometimes, but they were actually yelling stuff at him, and accusing him of doing things on purpose. "He knows how to push our buttons" and stuff (that's not necessarily a direct quote. It was sometime last year that I watched it). I was also disppointed that there was no mention of how difficult adolescence is for pretty much all children. I do have issue with temper. And my teenage years were horrible for my mother and I. But that certainly doesn't mean everyone does. I've never seen my mood swings in any real description of Asperger's. It's just something comorbid that I have to deal with.
"He knows how to push our buttons" and stuff (that's not necessarily a direct quote. It was sometime last year that I watched it).
Well that's the case with just about all kids. It's only because he has something unusual that the parents are attributing all his bad behaviour to that ont thing.
I was also disppointed that there was no mention of how difficult adolescence is for pretty much all children. I do have issue with temper. And my teenage years were horrible for my mother and I. But that certainly doesn't mean everyone does. I've never seen my mood swings in any real description of Asperger's. It's just something comorbid that I have to deal with.
Yeah. Me too. Seems to me that mood swings in adolescence are more a symptom of TS (teenager syndrome ) than AS.
In my teenage years too, TS combined with AS (and not to mention PMS) meant STAY AWAY!
Somebody said he didn't have true medical qualifications and that the Dr was just a courtesy title. Does anybody know what qualifications he does have?
Well, if it helps, Mr. Phil doesn't have as much a ring to it....!
The parents certainly weren't the best role models for this boy and it was strange that they said he was "pushing their buttons" when it was so obvious to me at least that they were continually stirring him into adverse emotional responses. If they weren't so controlling and just left him alone more often, he would surely have settled down.
Those parents are the REAL problem...
Somebody said he didn't have true medical qualifications and that the Dr was just a courtesy title. Does anybody know what qualifications he does have?
From what I hear, he does not have an MD and is not a psychiatrist, but he does have a PhD in psychology, which would still technically make him a "doctor" in the same way that many university lecturers are doctors.