This was in Algebra class:
I was sitting at my desk, pretending to work on the assigned set of logorithms while actually doodling pictures of a mad-scientist type woman in goggles flying a dirigible. The two boys (neither of whom I know well) who were also sitting at my table, and also not really paying attention to the class, started talking. At some point, for some reason, their conversation came around to autism, and:
Boy A: Autistic kids, yeah, they creep me out, they won't look at you or talk to you, but you know they're smarter than you are.
Boy 2: My mom works with disabled kids. There's this autistic girl in her class, she just sits in a corner all the time, reading the same book over and over for, like, four hours. She never looks up.
Boy A: Oh, like Julia! ::pokes me::
Me: Eh?
Boy 2: No, I mean, she won't respond to anything . You can wave your hand right in front of her face and she won't notice.
Boy A: Like Julia! Seriously, I've seen her do that. Are you autistic, Julia? Hmm?
Boy 2: Stop teasing her. She's not crazy.
Me: Mmmm. No, s'fine. Let him. Actually, while I'm probably sane, I am--
(brief, somewhat vague explanation of AS and the autism spectrum)
Boy 2: Oh. Huh. So, you're probably, like, crazy good at math then. Do you know how to do any of these problems?
Me: No.
So kids these days are now casually tossing around the word "autistic", I take it?  I've heard that "geek" and "nerd" are still considered insults among kids, but that they don't have the intensity they did when I was in school in the 1980s.  ("Geek" is not an insult among adults.  I consider myself to be a geek... with pride!)  I thought maybe that's because it's become somewhat fashionable to fit the "geek" stereotype, but what you describe indicates that it could be because the kids have found a word with more "shock value".  (A clinical word would definitely have more impact that a couple of one-syllable slurs.)
You probably have something here. "Geek" especially no longer is much of a pejorative. It's more used in a benign, affectionate, even complimentary sense (at least among the people I know.
I don't think the encounter was premeditated, though, and if it was designed to make me uncomfortable or shamed, it failed miserably. I just thought it was funny.
If anyone, the two boys were embarassed and nothing more's come of it.
All my cats were autistic, then. Or possibly they just hated me.
<hugs>
Athie
who now associates only with guinea pigs
I tried not to say anything in work but someone was saying about their young son how he is quiet and withdrawn and when he speaks he seems to come out with unusual or inappropriate comments
I tried not to say anything in work but someone was saying about their young son how he is quiet and withdrawn and when he speaks he seems to come out with unusual or inappropriate comments
That's happened a couple of times and I've said "have you considered that he could have Aspergers?". It's been grandparents of kids who have seemed a little "odd" and they've then told me the parents were thinking of having their children tested for autism. I've also offered to give them any information I have on the subject.
The thing that confuses me so much is people such as my mum and my siblings and some of my workmates say my AS is so mild that it's hardly noticeable but aspie friends (who I would consider worse affected than me) say I'm really severely affected. Who do I believe here?
I don't miss school one bit, I miss some of the peopel I knew and most of our teachers were really good but teh whole concept of being in a year with like 120 kids, most of who are idiots, does not and did not appeal to me back then.
School days are not the best days of your lives.
I've got mixed feelings about the idea of ever going back to school. If I knew then what I know now, maybe.
I don't miss school, but apparently I have to be at school 8.00 AM next morning.
What's it like being at school with AS? I would imagine that it could be difficult sometimes? I remember when I was at school, theres a LOT of pressure to conform ... and thankfully (at the time at least) I managed to pull it off (mind you, now its conpletely different ... conformity sucks
). If you've got AS I imagine that fitting in could be quite difficult?
I'm at an alternative high school, so it's not bad. People are willing to accept extremely eccentric kids without much comment. There are a few exclusive, self-labelled "cool" cliques, but they don't make up the bulk of the student population.
I do not envy anyone at school dealing with this. At school I felt so left out, but I made close friends with some very decent people but I have lost touch with them since then which is a damned shame as they were such decent individuals.
I'm accepted among the goth/emo crowd.
I've heard this a lot here, actually. I wonder if "the Goth/emo crowd" is somehow more accepting of aspies than other groups are? Or are aspies somehow more susceptable to being labeled/ being atracted to the goth/emo crowd?
I'm accepted among the goth/emo crowd.
I've heard this a lot here, actually. I wonder if "the Goth/emo crowd" is somehow more accepting of aspies than other groups are? Or are aspies somehow more susceptable to being labeled/ being atracted to the goth/emo crowd?
It may just be outsider groups/fringe subcultures in general...for instance, most of the people who are willing to hang out with me are considered either nerds/geeks or hippies.
I'm accepted among the goth/emo crowd.
I've heard this a lot here, actually. I wonder if "the Goth/emo crowd" is somehow more accepting of aspies than other groups are? Or are aspies somehow more susceptable to being labeled/ being atracted to the goth/emo crowd?
It may just be outsider groups/fringe subcultures in general...for instance, most of the people who are willing to hang out with me are considered either nerds/geeks or hippies.
They are probably the more interesting people though.
people at my school accept autistic people in the sense they will not outright make fun of them to their face. But it's used as a derogitory word such as:
(someone did something stupid)
"wow..are you autistic?!"
IT REALLY BOTHERS ME WHEN PEOPLE SAY THIS!!!