Understanding the Autistic Mind

Living in a concrete world

2012-03-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

http://www.thewesternstar.com/Wellbeing/2007-10-20/article-1465785/Living-in-a-concrete-world/1

Rituals and routines take over life for man with Aspergers syndrome

Tom Jackman lives in a concrete world.

It's a world with walls no one else can see.

The tall 30-year-old is soft-spoken, but articulate; both shy and gregarious. His personality often leaves people who meet him finding it hard to believe he has a form of autism.

Jackman wants to develop a network of peers, but as someone who's dealing with Asperger's syndrome, it's been hard at times to make friends.

Like other people with Asperger's, Jackman has a daily routine that, in his mind, must be strictly followed - that's his concrete world. Unfortunately, that trait can make it difficult for people with Asperger's to find work.

"People with Asperger's are obsessed with routines and rituals," Jackman explained.
"I almost see that in places I go to - I'm almost going to the same places every night. You would think you would go to different restaurants or try something different (but) you don't like change.
"I was living in a certain place and moved out. Even though I kind of hated living there, my mom literally had to drag me out of it."

Jackman is one of about 20 people with Asperger's - also known as high-functioning autism - who uses the services of the Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, and its facilities, including the Elaine Dobbin Centre for Autism and Shamrock Farm, both located on Clinch Crescent behind the Janeway Children's Hospital in St. John's.

Heather Bartlett, the program manager at the facility, said they don't know how many people in the province have Asperger's. It often goes undiagnosed, more so than other forms of autism, because people with Asperger's have high levels of communication.

Bartlett said students who have it can find it difficult to shift their focus and attention from one concept to another. Such behaviour can be mistaken for defiance. It can lead to a lack of social interaction, and can be misdiagnosed as a learning disability or a form of mental illness.

"It was difficult fitting in with a group," Jackman acknowledges.
"It was hard making friends. You get a lot of acquaintances, but it's hard to make friendships."

Jackman was diagnosed two years ago and said he's only now beginning to realize that many problems he had when he was younger stemmed from Asperger's, which is considered a developmental disorder.

People with Asperger's can have trouble with the subtleties of communication. They can have difficulty maintaining eye contact, for example. And while they may possess a great command of language, they often don't understand nuance, taking sarcasm and metaphors literally.

Those with Asperger's can also find it hard to express emotions. Another common trait, according to Bartlett, is that they find it extremely difficult to be untruthful, even in terms of polite white lies.

People with Asperger's are also often loyal, dedicated, knowledgeable people with good memories.

"Kids in school (with Asperger's), cognitively, they are on par with their peers. … when young, they might be a little shy or awkward," Bartlett says.
"Unless they're disruptive, there's really no red flags."

Jackman is enrolled in vocational programs and supported-living arrangements, with the help of the Autism Society. His goal is to find full-time employment, and a level of independent living. He said he simply needs someone to check in with him periodically to make sure he's keeping his life on track.

The autism centre, meanwhile, is pushing for funding so it can offer its services right across the province. Shamrock Farm is intended to eventually be a fully functioning agricultural operation, providing employment to those with autism.

ASPERGER'S SYNDROME - The Boy Inside

2012-03-09T08:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.cbc.ca/thelens/theboyinside/asperger.html

ASPERGER'S SYNDROME

Asperger Syndrome is an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and was first included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (American Psychiatric Association) under the general category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs) in 1994. In Vienna, pediatrician Hans Asperger wrote about this cluster of characteristics as early as 1944.
Although research on the prevalence rate for Asperger Syndrome is ongoing, it is thought that as many as 60 individuals per 10,000 have some form of an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Based on current population statistics for Ontario, this prevalence rate translates to 74,356 individuals in Ontario living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Asperger Syndrome traits may make it difficult for children to function well in school and for adults to find and keep employment.
Many individuals with Asperger Syndrome exhibit extensive knowledge of a specific interest and therefore are capable of major accomplishments.
Although Asperger Syndrome can be first detected in childhood, many individuals are not diagnosed until well into adolescence or adulthood.
The cause of Asperger Syndrome is not yet established, but a leading theory at this time points to genetic causes. Many individuals diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome identify similar traits in their family members.
Treatments for people with Asperger Syndrome may include counselling, psycho-education, social skills training, medication, family intervention, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, special diets, and others.
Without diagnosis, support and intervention, children, adults and their families struggle to understand their puzzling profile of strengths and deficits.

Common Traits of Individuals with Asperger Syndrome

Social/Communication Traits:

Despite a desire for friends, difficulty in initiating or maintaining close relationships
Problems reading non-verbal or social cues or understanding/using social rules
Very socially naïve and as a result are often taken advantage of, rejected, or bullied
Social contact may be directed by them (e.g. play is “on their terms” or not at all)
Poor (or intense) eye contact, atypical use of gestures and flat or inappropriate facial expressions
One-sided conversations, and little ability for “small talk”
May appear overly shy or overly extroverted, but inappropriately so
Unaware of others’ thoughts, feelings or perceptions resulting in inadvertently appearing rude or inconsiderate
Literal interpretation of communication from others
Avoidant of social contact or events, and may experience heightened anxiety in social situations
Language is learned and used in "chunks" (e.g., phrases, dialogue from TV shows, etc.)
Communication is used for delivering information or requesting, not as a way of interacting socially

Behavioural Traits:

May respond poorly to changes, sensory stimuli, transitions, lack of structure, and restrictions
Repetitive movements (e.g., jumping, rocking, pacing) and speech (i.e., talking about favourite topics, interest)
Rigid, inflexible and rule-bound behaviour
Inappropriate behaviour given the social situation (e.g., speaking too loud in place of worship)
Exaggerated emotional response to situations (e.g., tantrums when asked to something that they don’t want to do)
Superior ability to focus on favourite activity or area of interest (e.g., spends hours mastering video game to the exclusion of other pastimes)

Cognitive Traits:

Average to superior intelligence
Detail oriented approach to tasks which may result in missing the “bigger picture”
May have associated learning disabilities (e.g., non-verbal learning disability)
Often have high verbal scores in a cognitive assessment, and low performance scores
Difficulty seeing “parts-to-whole” and “whole-to-parts” relationships
Prefer technical/factual information over abstract

Associated Challenges:

Anxiety and depression
Attentional difficulties (e.g., shifting attention; attending to unimportant stimuli)
Tics or Tourette Syndrome
Gross and fine motor deficits
Poor organizational skills (e.g., time management and planning, partializing tasks)

See list to the right for external links.

Aspergers looms over many marriages

2012-03-09T08:24:00.002-08:00

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/article/1021434--aspergers-looms-over-many-marriages

Teary Nasheed about Autism - true story [Eng subtitles]

2012-02-26T20:00:00.002-08:00

Losing the safety net: Adults with autism

2012-02-21T12:09:00.001-08:00

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/losing-the-safety-net-adults-with-autism/10805/

Professor Beaten to Death by Autistic Son.”

2012-02-21T11:52:00.001-08:00

http://abcnews.go.com/US/AutismNews/story?id=6848289&page=1

The Autism World

2012-02-13T19:54:00.001-08:00

I am spending lots of time listening to my autistic nephew. Everyday I wake up thinking that I really understand him. Then, he says something so totally out of this world and I realise I will never get it. People with autism live in their own world. They will never understand our world, so we have to try to understand their world....

I see my son with Asperger’s and see potential

2012-02-08T07:54:00.001-08:00

http://www.irishexaminer.com/news/i-see-my-son-with-aspergers-and-see-potential-182903.html

Headphone for $350.00

2012-02-07T18:46:00.001-08:00

Ray ran over to Nellie's house. He rang the door bell. He told Nellie at the door that he wants to chill for a few mins. He comes into the house, took his coat off and was about to sit when he starts telling Nellie about his new $350.00 headphone and $250.00 Ipod that he bought today. Nellie was furious when she heard the cost of the item. She told him that she cannot tolerate it and he doesn't know how many hungry and homeless people there are out there.

"Ray, you should be thinking about the poor people and don't buy such wasteful things", she told him.
"My mom takes care of the poor", Ray said.

"Ray, you have to leave to leave right now, I can't deal with this nonsense right now", said Nellie.

Ray continues talking with Ande, not paying too mucj attention to Nellie. This made Nellie more upset. After a few minutes Ray leaves with Ande to go back home. After he left, Nellie was wondering if she handled that the right way. Should she have just listen to Ray's story about his $350.00 headphone and $250.00 Ipod ?

My Mom didn't cook for me today

2012-02-07T18:32:00.001-08:00

Ray is 17 yrs old and lives 3 houses down the road from his called his Uncle Ande and Aunty Nellie and cousin Nelson...

Ray:              Uncle Ande can let Aunty Nellie know that my mom didn't cook any food today.
Uncle Ande: Ok
Ray:              Can you ask her for the explanation for this, please. You can bring the answer over
                      when  you come to bring my tablets.
Uncle Ande : Ok

Nellie listening, trying to come up with an answer that an Autistic mind will understand. She told Ande to tell him that somtimes she was tired today also ans she didn't feel like cooking also. So, she told Ande and Nelson that they have to east left overs and Ande should not buy any take-out for Nelson. Ande went over to Ray's house and try to explain to him.

Ray:              Well, that's a one off situation, but this is an on going thing here !!

Nellie laughs when Ande told her.

Autism: a puzzling disorder

2012-02-06T20:56:00.001-08:00

A surge in autism cases among children has been attributed to better diagnostics, which poses the question: What of the thousands of aging adults who were never diagnosed?

By ALAN ZAREMBO, MCTFebruary 5, 2012

Tips for Angry, Rebellious Teens

2012-02-06T07:04:00.001-08:00

http://www.focushelps.ca/topic/rebellion?gclid=CP2WhM7Oia4CFSaFQAodVQND2g

Teen with autism shot to death by police

2012-02-02T09:43:00.001-08:00

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-calumet-city-shooting-20120202,0,6999817.story

Dealing With Violent Teens - Effective Punishment for Teenagers

2012-02-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.troubledteens.com/anger-and-violence/dealing-with-violent-teens-effective-punishment-for-teenagers.html

Aspergers College

2012-01-31T07:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.experiencecle.com/home.aspx

Students with ADHD have legal right to supports in school

2012-01-31T07:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/news_and_events/child-mental-health-news-id-2001.htm?id=2001&print=1

- Oakville psychiatrist Dr. Kenny Handelman

The categories of autism

2012-01-26T08:42:00.001-08:00

The categories of autism
There are several ASD categories – autistic (classic) disorders, Asperger’s syndrome; Rhett syndrome, pervasive development disorder (not otherwise specified) and childhood disintegrative disorder.

Classic autism – the most severe disorders on the spectrum – is characterized by impaired social interaction, difficulty communicating verbally or nonverbally, and unusual or severely limited activities or interests, which are often obsessive or repetitive. These characteristics manifest themselves in a variety of different behaviors, such as a lack of language and eye contact, extreme withdrawal and violent or repetitive behavior. Many participate in self-stimulatory behaviors, such as hand flapping, rocking and unusual noises. Those diagnosed with classic autism tend to be low functioning, which means that they are unable to care for themselves.

Asperger’s Syndrome is the mildest form of autism. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes reports that two of every 10,000 children have Asperger’s, and that it occurs three times more often in boys than girls. Individuals with Asperger’s tend to have good language and cognitive skills, average or above average intelligence and are often gifted in areas such as art, drama and music.

Unlike those diagnosed with classic autism, who tend to isolate themselves, people with Asperger’s often want to connect with others but don’t know how. They generally lack the ability to read facial expressions and body language and tend to be clumsy and uncoordinated due to underdeveloped motor skills. Those with Asperger’s are considered high functioning, thus they need little assistance.

Rhett’s Syndrome is a rare autism disorder, occurring in one of every 10,000-15,000 live female births. While babies with the disorder initially develop normally, signs generally appear between six and eighteen months. The early signs of Rhett’s include a regression of previously learned skills, such as walking, crawling and sitting up, inappropriate infantile crying, teeth grinding, loss of muscle tone, delayed head and brain growth and severe dementia.

Like Rhett’s Syndrome, children with Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) initially begin developing appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills, social relationships and behaviors. However, they begin showing signs of regression in the areas of language, as well as social and motor skills, between the ages of two and ten, with average age of onset occurring between the ages of three and four. Other common signs of CDD are problems with bowel and bladder control, seizures, very low IQs, and the loss of language, which is much more severe than other disorders on the spectrum.

Individuals with specific behaviors – difficulties interacting socially and communicating with others that cannot be applied to other identifiable disorders on the spectrum are diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD).
Reposted from : http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-9579-help-and-hope-for-autism.html

Neck Rub

2012-01-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

Ray who is 18 yrs old, has been diagnosed with High Functioning Austism

Ray calls Nellie house at 7pm

Ray: Aunty Nellie , why doesn't my mom want to rub my neck, its really paining?

Nellie: I am not sure, Ray.

Ray: Can you get her to rub my neck?

Nellie: Can you ask Grandma to do it

Ray: Ok

Ray calls again at 7:15 pm

Ray: Aunty Nellie , why doesn't my mom want to rub my neck?
Nellie is now thinking how to answer

Nellie: Uncle Ande will rub your neck when he comes over
Ray: Ok, tell him to bring a high quality rub ( ointment), thanks

Uncle Ande took the 'rub' and rubbed his neck for 5 mins. Ray was happy for the night