Autism

[Oroficus]

Talkin of nutters, there was this guy at a place I used to work at, if you whistled a tune or any uttered sort of whistle,
he'd walk straight up to your face and go "You takin the piss eh? Wanna step outside and sort it out" Apart from that he was a really good bloke to get along with.
In my opinion he was either a right proper fruit n nut job or normal with an evil distorted sense of humor, nobody ever took him up on the offer of stepping out side for as well as being mad he was also built like a barn door n ugly with it.
Talk about NOT whistling while you work.

[JDC]

I dunno, it worried me momentarily, so I got my missus to do it. She got 9, and then wanted to know what I'd got. I was a bit sheepish, but she just fell about laughing saying "I thought you would, I took a bit longer because I was imagining how you'd answer at the same time..."

Look at it another way, Andy, at least you've got a missus.  That must be a positive sign that you're capable of interacting with (some of) humanity.  :lol:

Having a missus also increases his life expectancy by 5 years which is about the same increase as my health obsessive way of living.

When I originally did the test I was rather worried at first, I also want every advantage possible when I start my degree as part of my super duper life plan of awesomely awesome awesomeness

[Oroficus]

Having a missus also increases his life expectancy by 5 years

My ex tried to put a machete through my head, bless her. She was well into her weapons.
And I'm not talking about a petite dainty woman here she was the sort that knocks blokes out.
Took after her dad who was a local hardman and sort of unofficial bouncer at the pub where he drank. If you want pay
your dues and learn to play the blues for real shack up with ball breaking Redhead one way of becoming a better
guitar player, if you survive.

[nfe]

I got 14. I'd put very little faith in it, I'd imagine Baron-Cohen who devised it would say himself it's only really meaningful if conducted with a psychologist and under the correct conditions.

A good friend of mine is autistic and my cousin has asbergers. The former gets on well enough, studying a PhD and is managing to do the lectures he has to give. Does have some anxiety problems as a result of his discomfort with large groups of people and stuff, but manages to go to the occasional gig and festival provided he can get home easily and has a good friend with him. Often has to ask if he's offended you if you don't respond to an email or text or whatever for a while but just needs reassuring. Good lad.

My little cousin is still a bit young to really know how he'll get on later in life, but going to a special school made a world of difference. He's not keen on big groups and doesn't like people laughing but so long as he can sit and read or watch pixar films he's perfectly cheerful. Just prefers to do it in the company of one person rather than a group.

[Oroficus]

I gave in finally did the test 25.
A better way of assessment would be to do the test 3 times and take the average ( then again it may not  :roll: )
Ether way that test has just got to be fake or to be done for amusement only

[nfe]

Well it's been compiled by Simon Baron-Cohen who's one of the worlds foremost psychologists regarding the autistic spectrum.

If you score much differently over time it simply means the test doesn't work, however, taking an average is meaningless. For it to be considered reliable you should score the same (or very nearly the same) when retaking the test even over large periods of time.

[AndyR]

OK, now you're worrying me nfe - this could be me:

Does have some anxiety problems as a result of his discomfort with large groups of people and stuff, but manages to go to the occasional gig and festival provided he can get home easily and has a good friend with him. Often has to ask if he's offended you if you don't respond to an email or text or whatever for a while but just needs reassuring. Good lad.

Apart from the "Good lad" bit mebbe :lol:

But it didn't kick in until I was in my early thirties. Or at least I don't remember having problems of this nature before then. But I didn't think autism was something you "developed" later on? Thinking about it though, for the front-man of a band, I was always regarded as strangely anti-social when not on stage or focused on creating music (or whatever hobby happens to be taking up all my attention or effort at the time).

Still, I don't regard it as much of problem - I just do anything I can to a) get out of large gatherings, eg family occasions of more than 5 or 6 (Christmas can be a real trial), or b) having to travel too far to something, without looking too much of a nob! :lol: If I can't get out of it, I can manage it, but I'm usually fairly depressed leading up to it.

Having someone else there (usually my missus) who knows I might have a panic attack is usually a big help. And I think most of her family now know it's not that I don't like them! :roll:

Some of you have met me at two BKP meets - for both of them, even though I'd wanted to go originally, when the day dawned it was my missus that talked me into actually setting out. But I've been through enough things like this over the years that I can say "I know I'll enjoy it if I do go" and almost believe it... still doesn't get rid of the "Oh sh1t! Why did I agree to doing this??!"

Mebbe I'll look into this a bit more - a lot of this stuff I've just got used to and found my own way of dealing with things (the biggest one was learning "I'm me... you can blather on as much as you like about "you think too much" or wotever... you aren't me, I am, and what I am is normal for me..."). But if there are some other helpful ways of looking at things and I can learn some easier paths to tread it might brighten up my old age... (and that of those around me! :lol:)


I just read this before posting - and it might sound a bit depressing, don't know, but I'm actually smiling away while typing. I started with "now you're worrying me", but I'm not actually worried at all :D - just rather interested now that there might be some answers/theories that I hadn't considered and that could possibly apply to my experiences ...

[JacksonRR]

Well Andy, you and I are in the same boat. Started around the last year of High School for me. Really made that last year horrible. I did have friends and did things, mainly the band I was playing bass for, but the classroom was a nightmare. I didn't sit in the back because I was a cut up or a clown, it was because I couldn't stand anyone being behind me in addition to the amount of people and the size of the room. When asked to do math on the front board, I about cr@pped myself. Sweating and shaky. I did the math correctly, but the experience has been engrained. I retreated majorly after graduating. Barely left the house at all. This is why I'm 27 and just now going through College. Took that long to realize I just need to breathe and everything would be fine. I'm not doing anything too much more differently than anyone else. I shower, brush teeth and all that, put on clean clothes and go to class or work. Same as everyone else. Not everyone is going to be your friend or think you're cool and that's fine too. The major difference between us and them isn't the thoughts that cross our minds, it's how deeply we care to torture ourselves with them. I still hate getting haircuts because of the small space, the proximity issue and the fact that most of everyone in the place is behind me. I have learned to manage and develop somewhat of an emotional skin and try to trust that people are mainly not concerned with me. They have enough cr@p to deal with and are most likely a fairly good person with normal, predictable emotions (in a public setting).

[Oroficus]

" Excusez-moi "    Ian Price, AndyR, and Telerocker there's a post for yer's to look at in,  Tech/Buzzing tele.

[AndyR]

" Excusez-moi "    Ian Price, AndyR, and Telerocker there's a post for yer's to look at in,  Tech/Buzzing tele.

Seen it :D


JacksonRR - actually sounds like you've had a harder time than me. Mine, whatever it is, feels more like a mild annoyance nowadays. There have been huge panic attacks in the past, usually in crowded situations, sometimes leading to me losing my temper :roll:. But I can count them on the fingers of one or maybe two hands, and I haven't had one for a long time (the missus might have a different tale to tell, though - but I'd put that down to my increasing "grumpy old man" syndrome, I have to acknowledge that I'm becoming more like Victor Meldrew as I get older, but I do think that's probably a natural thing for most blokes :lol:).

[Philly Q]

I can relate to your comments, Andy - I get a bit panicky in crowded pubs and tube trains, especially if people are milling around in lots of different directions and I have to keep trying to get out of their way (thereby putting myself in someone else's way...).  It doesn't bother me so much at something like a gig, because everybody tends to be focused on the same thing (i.e. the stage!) and even though I don't like being in the crowd leaving the venue, at least everyone is going in the same direction.

I get uncomfortable in social situations, too - especially hate noisy pubs where everyone is "supposed" to be having a good time, but it's impossible to have a normal conversation; I tend to just clam up as the evening goes on.  And I'm terrible with parties where there'll be people I don't know - I can think of at least two occasions where I took long train journies to go to parties, got as far as walking to the house/venue but then chickened out and went all the way home again!  :roll: :lol:

I was apprehensive about the BKP meets, too, but they were fine as it turned out... I don't think I'd have turned up if it was 20 years ago.

[BigB]

Another 36 here - but I can't say it's a big surprise :mgreen:

[JacksonRR]

Andy- It just goes to show that even very bad situations can make a turn around towards normality or at least functionality. I did have to start slowly and I did have help when I decided I'd rather have different life experience. There are studies that have been done with a medication for tuberculosis. It's called D-cycloserine and it has psychological side effects. Helps ingrain new memories and emotional ties to experiences. Had a much higher improvement with patients with the fear of heights than a similarly administered placebo. Helps the brain create a faster link between a situation and safety. I suppose it's all a matter of suppressing the fight or flight response or altering the triggers.

Ah, fukk. We're a bunch of messed up monkeys, huh? I think we are still having remnants of cave days when these fast reactions to potential dangers kept us alive and able to mate.

[Afghan Dave]

I got 17! ....

So you can be f**kin' well sure I mean to be offensive to all you mentalists when I post on this board... PDT_008 PDT_002

[JDC]

I have been thinking on and off a lot recently and one thing that really confuses me is some of the behaviour mentioned I can easily relate to from old memories. Less so now as before I wasn't a social person and now I am but I don't know how I went from one to another other than obsessive researching self help rubbish trying to filtering out the good stuff. I got so much stuff going in my head I dunno what I'm trying to say, trying to avoid going off on random fluff incase it doesn't relate.

First BKP meet up I was slightly on edge but second one I was fine due to expecting familiar faces but whenever I do something completely new I do over plan every detail but not as much now.