http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...complexity

I was doing a quick search on these different studies and found this one: not sure if this is a good thing or not, but considering the NT's attitude towards the A.C., I'd say its not good news for us, one way or another.

They mentioned this on the news ticker during the Today Show, and I was like "OMGsh, I have to get to Aspies for Freedom and see what people are saying about this!"

It's disturbing, to say the least. Given that NTs still are insisting Autism Spectrum conditions are a disease not a difference.

Well, obviously something is diseased about a child who is obsessed with trains and is afraid of darker clouds in the sky.

That was sarcasm of course. Autism in itself is by no means a disease, and usually little more than a neuro-biological difference. It can be a disorder, however, depending on a few things.

Some of the comments sadden me.

A couple of points to raise:

# 1) Is there something wrong with an NT who's afraid of snakes (I mean ALL snakes as opposed to the dangerous species)?

# 2) Is there something wrong with an NT who's afraid of heights and flying?

My take on #1 is that it is normal to be afraid and repulsed by ALL snakes.  To have a different attitude about snakes; you'll be perceived as weird or strange.  For somebody who might have a special interest in snakes, it will definitely be considered an "abnormal" trait of the person's character by many.

My take on # 2 is that there are a number of people afraid of heights and flying in an airplane.  Such phobia, I'd think, is generally frowned up by society at large (especially towards men who might have such a phobia).

If I compare #1 and #2, it is not only OK but perfectly acceptable to have an aversion to snakes.  It is less OK to say, have an aversion to heights/flying although if this phobia is manifest enough in the NT population; is probably more acceptable than phobias typical of Aspies (such as a 6-year old Aspie boy being afraid of balloons because they might pop).

Running with the balloon thing, I was considered 'odd' because I had a phobia of sorts involving balloons. I was in first grade and had to have a surgery for my tonsils and adnoids. As any kid has happen, I received some balloons as a 'get well' present, and for the most part they were a source of entertainment. But I saw them more like 'balls' rather than a balloon. When they were 'out of air', so to speak, I recall I found myself shocked and dismayed. Ever since, I can't stand balloons being anywhere near me. ONe of the reasons I avoid big parties at new year's, beyond the obvious.

Hmm ...  a genetic cause ... not vaccine-related ...

Does Autism Speaks know about this?

Yeah, they do. And they're trying to get publicity from it. Here, check it out:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/autism...nature.php

Is it just me, or does Autism Squawks tend to ham up to the press any chance they get?

It only becomes a disorder when one cannot function at all in a society hostile to us. Its genetic, nothing new there.

Not just you.  Even some of the NT people I know.

Autism Speaks will spin even this to their advantage.

To me, the research, not the article is good news.  The genetic complexity of autism is proving more and more impossible to map.  It seems like the more genetic research is done, the more hopeless it is to pick the needle of autism out of the haystack.  I think that will rule out any genetic testing.  Autism Speaks trying to say that this study gives new light on how to map it or isolate the genetic makeup is just their spin.  The study seems to do the exact opposite.  I think it is in our favor.

One other thing they seemed to overlook was the difference between autistic types, specifically, Aspergers individuals were not mentioned at all.  They seem to be concentrating on those people who are so-called "classically autistic" instead.  So far we're still managing to stay under the radar, since the general public don't really seem to "get" that there are differences in the way we express our various autistic traits.  I fear that the larger studies they are threatening will undo that.  Once we are included in any studies, they will be able to begin pinpointing how we Aspies differ from both NTs and classic Auties and that will be another piece joined up in this damn "puzzle" they are always going on about.  

The ironic part is, the very researchers who are spending years, even decades, on finding the genetic causes of autism are probably mildly autistic and probably un-dx'ed themselves.  Who else has that sort of hyperfocus?  Oh dear, they know not what they do ...
Alison

This post was last modified: 06-12-2010 04:13 AM by Alison.

It's an irony just as much as the premise that Adolf Hitler was Jewish.  Adolf Hitler was born to an Austrian Jewish couple.  With his regime's laws against Jews and defining what constituted being a Jew (such as being Jewish even if not by faith but having had a Jewish parent or grandparent).  I've always wondered how Adolf Hitler would not be considered a Jew in accordance with Nazi doctrine.

Hitler's parents weren't Jewish.  Hitler wasn't Jewish.  It's an urban myth.

Really? I heard that he had brown hair himself since the beginning, but I only heard he was Jewish himself this year, and I was wondering if it was true...lol.

I could not find a Snopes article referencing this specifically, but WikiAnswers has THIS ARTICLE (link).

Sould this even matter?  Adolf Hitler's been dead for 65 years, his Third Reich ended with his death, and Nazi Germany lost the war to a superior force.  Even the youngest person to have actually fought in WWII is 80 years old or more, if they're even still alive.

So how relevant could Hitler or his ancestry be to the current thread?

Or is it time to invoke Godwin's Law?

This post was last modified: 06-12-2010 09:43 PM by Fnord.