Aspies For Freedom

Dashing to help Asperger's sufferers

A SWINDON charity is hoping to uncover the hidden suffering of people with Asperger's Syndrome.

The charity, Discovering Autistic Spectrum Happiness (Dash), has put together an information pack with a £500 grant from the Mid-Counties Co-operative.

The booklet, which was launched at the charity's base in Victoria Road yesterday, gives a range of information about the autism condition.

Anne Billingham, honorary secretary of Dash, said: "In a town the size of Swindon there will be about 700 people with Asperger's.

"We are hoping to provide support for three key groups.

"They include young people who have been diagnosed but do not have support, and those people receiving mental health support who do not need it.

"There are also people who have not been diagnosed and do not receive support."

Dash was founded in August and has been granted funds to survey the need for Asperger's support in Swindon.

Anne, 54, said: "We have plenty of people with Asperger's who have made careers in the town and we want to get the message across to employers that people with Asperger's make great workers.

"They are extremely loyal and have a tremendous capacity for work, provided they can be catered for a few simply procedures.

"For instance, simply writing down instructions for the job can make all the difference between someone panicking and calmly doing their job."

Sally Grubb works with Support for Carers of Adults with Asperger's Syndrome (SCAAS) in the same building.

She has a son and a daughter who both have Asperger's, so knows what their lifestyle requires.

Sally said: "They are highly intellectual people who lack the ability to read non-verbal communication.

"It is amazing to see through their eyes just how much of our language is based upon movements and pauses.

"The neurological map of someone with Asperger's means that they will always find it difficult to make friends, but they can communicate with others using computers."

Over the coming months the volunteers at Dash will speak to people with Asperger's to ask them what support they want in the town.

Anne said: "We want to make sure that the service we provide is based upon what people have asked for, rather than what we have assumed."

So this is meant to get people with AS support in the workplace? That would be a good thing... just so long as the person with AS is allowed not to get the support if they don't want it, and if it's their choice whether the AS is disclosed to anyone.

"They are extremely loyal and have a tremendous capacity for work, provided they can be catered for a few simply procedures."

They are making us sound like some kind of breed of dog that just needs "to be trained" in order to be useful.

It doesn't say. Someone should research that.

Some group calls themselves "Discovering Autistic Spectrum Happiness" but they aim to "uncover the hidden suffering of people with Asperger's syndrome". Is it just me or am I getting a mixed message here?

Why oh why are NTs who involve themselves with autism issues unable to restrain themselves from using ridiculously emotive language?

If these organizations were operating in my city I'd be especially careful to hide my status as an aspie, as the information that they are disseminating probably makes some aspies seem less employable than they actually are. These well-meaning but uninformed NTs are in my opinion peddling aspie stereotypes. The woman from SCAAS is quoted as saying " They [aspies] are highly intellectual people who lack the ability to read non-verbal communication." Actually there isn't anywhere at all in the DSM-IV criteria for AS that says that aspies can't read body language. The DSM does have one non-compulsory criterion about being impaired in using body language to regulate social interaction, but that is certainly not the same as being unable to read body language. It could include people who do not perform body language or those who are not interested in body language or people like me who have an attentional style that doesn't focus on monitoring the body language of others. As we have seen in an AFF poll about one of the ARC facial expression reading tests, there definitely are aspies who can read facial expressions just as well as anyone else.

Good Doggy (sarcastic)

Actually, writing down job instructions is not a bad idea. Saves the endless monologuing of bosses.

Yeah, I had a lovely boss once who wrote down everything he wanted me to do. But then, he had three autistic sons, and he knew I was an Aspie... so he wasn't exactly your typical NT.

They ALWAYS use ridiculously emotive language. Just watching five minutes of TV ads is enough to tell you that. Just once, I want to see an ad that simply states the product is effective, durable, works well, or some other practical consideration, rather than selling everything from the perfecly-run household to the blond bimbo draped over the sports car! And political campaigns? Sheesh! You have to use tweezers to pick the facts out of all the "ridiculously emotive language"!

Yeah, I'm like guardian001- I can read tone of voice well, body language not as well.

It was an NT communication to other NT's who don't 'get' us.  They aren't going to get us any time soon without a brain transplant.  I read the artical and translated it as - "we have people who have problems whom we must help more and feel sorry for - or we are sh**e human beings".

Ick ick ick ick ick.  

I am not a loyal worker.  I don't believe in being a loyal worker; companies aren't loyal to their employees.  Why do people insist on treating work and employment as some sort of character identity issue instead of what it is, a financial transaction?  

"Good Aspie, have a treat!"

Ick.

I'm not a "loyal worker", either. Why should I arbitrarily support one company, because it happens to be the one I work for? No, all they'll get from me is my best work, my skills, and my time, in exchange for pay. I like doing a good job--but I don't do that NT-ish "unthinking allegiance" thing. Of course, not all Aspies are like me; I'm sure there are fans of sports teams or those who prefer one brand over another with the same quality. Maybe there are some who would consider being loyal to a company to be an honorable thing.

Sorry--this is a complete and total non-sequitor.....Normally_impaired, I love your avatar!!!!!!
Anyways....
I came out as an aspie a few months ago at work (in a well-attended seminar!) and except for a couple of people telling me I was brave and one guy saying he was sorry I had this disease (I set him straight on that one), it seems to have had no impact.  I'm guessing that most people didn't know what I was talking about or if they did know, had a "that figures" reaction.  I think that there's a pretty high tolerance for differences in behavior in general, at least in relatively sane workplaces.  It might depend somewhat on what each individual has difficulty with.  What I said was that I needed to learn intellectually what many others learn intuitively about how to do social interactions with some degree of finesse.  And I still have people often say to me stuff like, "That was a joke, energeia."

The only thing I'd suggest for helping undiagnosed people, is to increase public awareness. Once they know they could be Aspies, then they can choose for themselves whether it matters enough to get a diagnosis. Lots of Aspies learn enough by adulthood not to need services... and if no services are needed, why a diagnosis?

Yay Lily!!! Thanks for expressing what I've been trying to find words to say for ages.

("When I'm in the Castle, I leave the office behind me." -- Great Expectations)

Mmm, I get a bad vibe as well.  That bit about "not diagnosed and not getting support" had me worried.  It sounded rather like they wanted to make a record of everybody who has Aspergers, diagnosed or not, and keep it for future reference.  I prefer to fly under the radar in that case; it just feels creepy.  And I get on just fine at work, since I've started my new job.  Everybody (bar two who I don't come into contact that much with anyway) seems to accept me, if not like me, and that's fine by me.  I don't have to be hugged and kissed and oohed and aahed over at work, but I DO expect politeness and the same consideration to be offered to me that's given to everybody else.  So far I've found that, so am quite content.

Alison