My high-functioning autistic friend FREAKS OUT whenever he's wrong about something (this isn't related to his imaginative reality that I discussed in past posts...or at least I think it's unrelated...). For example, he told me his doctor was one of the most authoritative researchers on high-functioning autism and I asked for the doctor's name. He started flipping out when I tried to verify it. I explained to him that I wasn't merely trying to verify it but I wanted to read some of his research and he calmed down. THen when it turned out that his doctor was mentioned absolutely nowhere, he started flipping out again and tried to get me away from the computer, as if it was what was making him wrong. I concluded my google search and told him (nicely, respectfully) that he was mistaken about his doctor. My friend then burst into tears and started jumping around (he's 18, so it's atypical).
It's not just a problem because I feel like I have to pretend he's correct (and therefore lie to him) in order to not upset him, but it's also frustrating when conversing with him. If I'm fairly sure that his fact is incorrect when we talk, he claims his facts are correct beyond a shadow of a doubt. He never is "fairly sure" of something; if he thinks something, he knows something and is positive that what he knows is correct, regardless of whether that is the case.
My questions:
(1) Is this something other autistics commonly struggle with or is this probably related to some other comorbid condition?
(2) Does anyone have advice on what are the best ways to deal with this so that I don't risk making him think I don't respect him?
Anything else would also be helpful. I really appreciate it.
The more I hear about your friend, the more I think he has something more than autism. Such actions are rare among Aspies/HFA (though we often get unusually upset when told we are doing something wrong). He seems extremely paranoid and possibly schizophrenic to me.
I've also been thinking schizophrenia, although I don't know all that much about it.
There's an overlap between the "negative" features of schizophrenia - catatonia, flat affect, etc. - and behaviors of autism, such that autism was once considered a form of schizophrenia. It sounds like your friend is displaying a lot of the "positive" schizophrenia symptoms - delusions, hallucinations, paranoia - nowadays. Perhaps it's possible to actually have both and not just be misdiagnosed as one if you're the other, but it's something I've not really heard of.
Thanks! I've done some online research on schizophrenia and I think you really may be correct. I know he had been diagnosed as schizophrenic in the past but was later diagnosed as autistic after they did imaging of his brain. I think that they shouldn't have dropped the schizophrenia diagnosis and just added it to the autistic diagnosis.
Hearing that it may be schizophrenia is comforting for me because that at least might be treatable. Is it wrong for me to think like that? I consider his autism a difference but I've always classified schizophrenia as a disorder. Should I view it as the same way that I have autism? Obviously medicating, etc. would be a choice left up to him (and maybe his family), but I don't know if it would be wrong for me to sort of be rooting for treatment (if he does end up being diagnosed with schizophrenia).
Also, any advice on how I can suggest to him that he should consider getting diagnosed again?
My high-functioning autistic friend FREAKS OUT whenever he's wrong about something (this isn't related to his imaginative reality that I discussed in past posts...or at least I think it's unrelated...). For example, he told me his doctor was one of the most authoritative researchers on high-functioning autism and I asked for the doctor's name. He started flipping out when I tried to verify it. I explained to him that I wasn't merely trying to verify it but I wanted to read some of his research and he calmed down. THen when it turned out that his doctor was mentioned absolutely nowhere, he started flipping out again and tried to get me away from the computer, as if it was what was making him wrong. I concluded my google search and told him (nicely, respectfully) that he was mistaken about his doctor. My friend then burst into tears and started jumping around (he's 18, so it's atypical).
It's not just a problem because I feel like I have to pretend he's correct (and therefore lie to him) in order to not upset him, but it's also frustrating when conversing with him. If I'm fairly sure that his fact is incorrect when we talk, he claims his facts are correct beyond a shadow of a doubt. He never is "fairly sure" of something; if he thinks something, he knows something and is positive that what he knows is correct, regardless of whether that is the case.
My questions:
(1) Is this something other autistics commonly struggle with or is this probably related to some other comorbid condition?
(2) Does anyone have advice on what are the best ways to deal with this so that I don't risk making him think I don't respect him?
Anything else would also be helpful. I really appreciate it.
(1) I was like this when I was younger, but not as severe as to jump around and burst into tears. As I grew up, I eventually grew out of my obsession with being right.
(2) The best way to deal with it is not to prove him wrong. I know that it's difficult, but you have to assume that he is right.