Aspies For Freedom

OK I was in this chatroom related to the norwegian board I'm on (it's rarely used anyway) and then there came a visitor (which have happened numerous times heh). In this chat I try to explain what autism is to this Pakistan girl.

[11:50] *** #bokstavbarna: @erkolos
[15:17] *** arifa has joined #bokstavbarna.
[15:18] arifa: hi
[15:18] erkolos: 'ey
[15:18] erkolos: Norwegian?
[15:18] arifa: which lang.?
[15:18] erkolos: Norsk
[15:18] erkolos: But I can do English
[15:19] arifa: ok gr8
[15:19] erkolos: It's just that this chatroom is meant for norwegians related to autism spectrum
[15:19] erkolos: NP if you wanna talk
[15:20] arifa: thnkz
[15:20] arifa: can i know ur asl/
[15:20] erkolos: I don't know what asl is
[15:20] arifa: age/sex/location
[15:21] erkolos: 16 male Stavanger
[15:21] erkolos: you?
[15:21] arifa: 15/f/pakistan
[15:21] arifa: where's stravanger?
[15:21] arifa: in usa?
[15:21] erkolos: Norway
[15:22] erkolos: Europe
[15:22] arifa: oh i see
[15:22] arifa: the capital of norway is oslo
[15:22] arifa: right?
[15:22] erkolos: Correc
[15:22] erkolos: *Correct
[15:23] arifa: ok
[15:23] erkolos: You know anything about autistic ppl?
[15:23] arifa: nope
[15:23] arifa: sorry
[15:23] erkolos: Ah
[15:23] arifa: but u tell me pl;z
[15:23] arifa: plz*
[15:23] erkolos: Autism is a wide span of conditions
[15:24] erkolos: I have AS
[15:24] erkolos: Some would say that means I have mild autism
[15:24] arifa: what's AS?
[15:24] erkolos: Asperger Syndrome
[15:24] arifa: wat?
[15:24] arifa: a disease
[15:24] erkolos: It's very similar to ADHD sometimes
[15:24] erkolos: Not a disease
[15:25] arifa: wat's adhd?
[15:25] erkolos: Hyperactivity including some other traits
[15:25] *** arifa has signed off IRC (Web Browser closed).
[15:25] erkolos: AS does not include hyperactivity though

What did I do wrong and how could I have done it better?

What you want is an elevator speech. A quick, accurate way to describe what it is that can be accomplished before the elevator doors open -- about 30 seconds.

Here's a go at it:  'Autism' describes a perfectly normal difference in how some brains work when compared to an average brain.

You all try to think of something.  That still seems a bit long for a chat room.

LOL I think the only reason she came one is to find an american that can marry her or something

I don't think you can explain any ASD in a chat room from scratch in a short time and do it justice. Best thing you can do for starters is point them to a web link. The ones at Wikipedia are pretty good - especially for Aspergers.

i've thought about this a lot, because i tell ppl i have it and they say "what is that?" and then i'm at a loss for words because there's so many things that go with it but only a few symptoms are the really important ones because they cause the other ones and i know about the textbook definition but every case is different.....and AS affects my life so many ways, day in, day out, so it's really hard to sum it up a few sentences.

so i thought "ok, next time, i'll be prepared.  what will i say?  what are the major characteristics?"  basically, these:

brain processes words slowly
brain thinks in pictures instead of words
can't read body language
don't have normal body language
take things too literally, don't always understand sarcasm
need more alone time than most people

and these (for me) are secondary, and i'd only list them if i had more time:

hyper-sensitive to sound & light & touch
stimming (foot tapping, leg shaking)
not sensitive to pain
brutally honest (can't tell when it's better not to be honest)
terrible short-term memory
better than average long-term memory

but anyway, basically, just figure out which symptoms affect you the most and list them

Don't worry about it. Chatters surf chatrooms at random and leave quickly. It means nothing more than someone flipping through television channels.  It doesn't sound to me like she was seeking information on that topic.

the best thing i've found is to say some thing like this: "its just mean my brain works differently than the majority of people, it doesnt really give me any serous disabilitys, it just works differently." thats the best i've come up with.

I just had a thought.  An Aspie chatroom would be a good place for someone trying to marry a Westerner in order to get into a Western country.

Aspie social skills means increased chance of someone without a SO that may want one, plus Aspie inability to "read between the lines" and trustfulness means easier for that someone to pull a fast one and get away with it.

On the other hand, Aspies are often asexual and may not be interested.

Be careful out there.

"It just means he thinks differently from us", is what I said to my eldest son when he asked me about his autistic younger brother.

Erkolos,

Maybe the next time you can ask what they want to know and why they visit a chatroom related to autism. When you get a clear question, answering is easier.
You did not do anything wrong, she did not seem to have questions at all.

I try to use words the other person will understand easily and demonstrate some of the symptoms. I also tell them how they can confront me tactfully. I did a health presentation on AS and allowed an open discussion time for my audience. It felt great, the audience learned more about AS, became more accepting and I learned how to self-advocate ^^
One tip I have is avoid Aspie jargon or medical jargon, just speak simply such as "I have Asperger's Syndrome, it is like autism and sometimes it causes me to behave inappropriately such as...
I feel... when...
This is how you can help me...
Do you have any questions for me ?
Both you and the other person will feel more comfortable.

I usually refer people to AFF if they have any questions, and I can't be arsed explaining ASDs to some NT fuck.

Same here. Especially not to some ignorant, probably 12 year old girl, who's probably not even interested.

I wouldn't personally be found anywhere in the vicinity of an ignorant 12yo girl, or any 12yo girl for that matter.

Annoying tossers, at least, the NT ones almost always are.