Lets talk about asperger's.

[HuBBs5150]

I have no idea if this is appropriate for this board.

I'd figure it'd be a nice thing to talk about here. I have it and within the past year, finally accepting it. I was diagnosed with it sometime between 5 and 8 years old. I've also done more research on it in the past year to understand it than I have my entire life. Mainly because I didn't care, was too proud and stubborn or thought it wasn't something major in my life.

Until I started dating my gf back in feb 05. Since then I've noticed how many things I've said have truely upset hear. Like for instance, she is in the army reserve(active at the time) and she was issued orders about possible training in Alabama before being possibly sent to Iraq. She was quite upset but I kept trying to make her see "the light" that it was her duty and that she was doing some good by helping people less fortunate. This for a time made her very upset and I never relly understood why. I thought she was being selfish honestly.

Like I've stated, I have said some thngs that may have made sense to me but would hurt her feelings. Which is why I have been so harcore about understanding it and myself lately. It doesn't stop there however. I realize that my social skills with trying to have friends kinda sucks too. In other words I have like next to no friends and myh guess is its because most of them they can't tolerate me or won't bother to understand me.

However, I must say that I am blessed with having a rather mild condition of asperger's. I'm not erradict or twitchy as the usual cases of an asperger's case may be (a perfect example would be "Hands" from Boston Legal) but I still have my issues cut out for me.

Anyway I feel I am dragging this on. Its probably not as interesting a read as the thread about voivod's nephew being emo.

[Axxman300]

http://www.aspergers.com/

They tested me for this, turns out I'm just strange.

Plus I had mild Cerebral Palsy, which accounted for my lack of coordination as a child.

Although the obsessional interests is me to a T. Once I get hooked on a subject I will read everything written on the subject, do anything to endulge/immerse myself in it. That can be good (as in writing my book) bad as in risking my life and (maybe) breaking the law.

Anyway, what are you doing for it? Therapy? Meds?

The fact that you post on this board, have a girlfriend and seem to be aware of your situation HAS to be a positive thing.

[HuBBs5150]

well I did have therapy for awhile back in high school. But what they mostly did was hang around with me for like an hour a day and observed what I did and told me what they had observed in terms of my behavior and social skills. hich I must say rather annoyed me and this did little to help me. So I ask my mom to get rid of them.

However I have made an interesting observation. I've been taking meds for my ADD (sometimes comes with certain AS cases) my attention span mostly centered on videogames, especially when I started college.about a year into college I got off the ADD meds because the doc put me on Aderal and it did nothing more but made me fall asleep in case.

So since sometime in 01 to just a couple weeks ago I have been ADD med free and I have found that my ADD keep some of my Asperger issues at bay. However I have plans to return to school if I cannot make it into a butcher apprenticeship at ACME. So a couple weeks ago I went to my new doctor and he has me on a trial run of Strattera. I got bumped up to 25mg today and I'm just obersving my behavior for now while on the stuff.

And for some reason I posted all of this on THIS board is probably doe to there being more understanding and mature people here than most boards( probably has something to do with 70% of you are adults and/or parents)

[WinterlessIceness]

At least you had it diagnosed with a help of your parents. It's not like what you find out on your own when you're basically an adult. Ironically enough you've mentioned voivod's nephew.

So.. you're saying it never worked to pretend you don't have a disorder, and it would eventually always let know of itself?

[KT]

I have a nephew with Asperger's and have had several students who've been diagnosed with it while in my class. It takes an understanding of the disorder by the parents, teachers, and everyone involved in the child's life so that the correct modifications can be made in order for him/her to have success in the classroom (and outside the classroom). It's a learning difference where I have to meet the child at "his/her level" and understand how their mind processes information (just as I do with gifted/talented students, those with ADD/ADHD, etc.). I'd love to know (from your experiences) what has worked for you in the classroom---even though my students are very young. My nephew has a severe case and although therapy and meds have helped, his worthless piece of crap mother has not in keeping him on a strict routine and schedule (not to mention skipping his therapy appts., meds., etc.). Hopefully it's not TOO obvious that I'm a little bitter towards the skank! Anyway, from an adult point of view, I'd love any advice you could offer me as a teacher.

[SactoFan]

I have a nephew with Asperger's and have had several students who've been diagnosed with it while in my class. It takes an understanding of the disorder by the parents, teachers, and everyone involved in the child's life so that the correct modifications can be made in order for him/her to have success in the classroom (and outside the classroom). It's a learning difference where I have to meet the child at "his/her level" and understand how their mind processes information (just as I do with gifted/talented students, those with ADD/ADHD, etc.). I'd love to know (from your experiences) what has worked for you in the classroom---even though my students are very young. My nephew has a severe case and although therapy and meds have helped, his worthless piece of crap mother has not in keeping him on a strict routine and schedule (not to mention skipping his therapy appts., meds., etc.). Hopefully it's not TOO obvious that I'm a little bitter towards the skank! Anyway, from an adult point of view, I'd love any advice you could offer me as a teacher.

Good post...being dad to an autistic boy, the biggest thing I ty to help folks understand is that some of the ccompulsive behaviors are no different than what other folks do...stuff like pen clicking, drumming, hair twirling...those are all self-stimulating behaviors and not that different from what asperger's kids or autistic kids do...

[HuBBs5150]

to winterlessiceness:

I never really ignored it so much as I just continued living never caring to knowing or understanding what it was. It wasn't until I started becoming self-conscious about what others would think as I got older. Ya know or jobs and stuff I want to be on their good side.

to ktgiles:

all my schooling I was in different situations. For my elemtary schooling, I was in BIC classes. Classes designed for kids with learning disorders and the like. I was pretty much stuck in a room with a teacher and a couple of teacher aids for 5 years.

For midle school it was different because I was in a DODDS school (overseas school for kids of military families) and I had the usualy mulitple classes like all the normal kids. They had to assign an aid to follow mne around and help me with studying and taking notes. I found myself usually finishing my work before everyone else and spent my time drawing and such. I was also taken away from time to time to talk to a school psych for some stuff likew to help me coop socialy and stuff.

In High school, they had to hire a teachers aid because they never really dealt with someone of my needs before. they have classrooms with kids who have learning disorders but i was beyond that. The teachers aids (Mrs. Fritz) usually went with me from classes to class to help me with notes and studying just like in middle school. After a couple years I was able to goto several classes without the Mrs. Fritz later on.

For your kids I would say to keep interacting with them to have them work on their social and communication skills. They'll do fine in their studies its the social part that will need tuning to help them in the world. I had some therapy and while it helped me become aware of some of my actions I still from time to time have a slip where I will do something odd, inapropriate (even if it didn't seem that way to me) or not make any sense with what I am saying.

[HuBBs5150]

Hey its small update time. Plus I somehow think ktgiles didn't get a chance to read my reply.

Anyway, its been 5 weeks since I started taking Stratera. The doc knocked me up to 40mg and I think its working. I've noticed some small changes in my thinking and personality. I can actually concentrate on one thing now for an unknown period of time, ranging from 30 minutes to over a few hours. I finally finished the last 60 pages of a book(Shadow puppets, orson scott card) I started reading nearly a year and a half ago. Read them in a few hours at work when it was dragging really slowly.

I've also noticed in a sense, I am a bit more hyper at times. Not like bouncing off walls hyper, but just enough energy that I have no clue at times of what to do with. Plus now it seems all enegery drinks actually affect me. I had a Monster the other day and I had such a rush that I nearly broke down. Up until I started taking the meds, the only energy drink that could give me a rush was the Sobe No Fear. Go figure.

As for the butcher apprenticeship... well I am on the second list of people to be interviewed. And the thing is my store manager and I don't know when the interview is either. But thats easily remedied, my issue is being interviewed. I always go in and know the answers to their questions, its just my delivery sucks which makes me look unprepared, nervous, and unprofessional. Oh well, maybe god will be nice to me for once...

[muffdiver]

My buddy has assburgers, and we poke fun asking if asburgers comes with assfries or not....true story....

Btw, Don't be offended please , it's just a joke,sometimes a laugh is good....

Yes , I been drinkin'...

[G3fan]

My buddy has assburgers, and we poke fun asking if asburgers comes with assfries or not....true story....

Btw, Don't be offended please , it's just a joke,sometimes a laugh is good....

Yes , I been drinkin'...

Did you get that from watching Linda on Becker (the TV show)? I can't help but hearing her say that when I hear of asperger's.

[AimHigh64]

I found out a couple of months ago my son has Asperger's. The first 13 years of his life he was diagnosed with "Pervasive Developmental Delay - Not Otherwise Specified". He takes Adderall for his ADHD and Risperdal keeps him on a fairly even keel. A great book to read, not only for parents, but for teenagers with Asperger's, is called "Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger's" It was written by a 13 year old with the syndrome and give some great insites into what his world is like.