Topic : 01/17 Extreme Disorders

I too have a son with Asperger's.  I don't think we were watching the same show.  Dr. Phil mentioned many times that Alex was an extreme case.  My husband and I watched and saw a lot of our son in Alex.  Asperger's is a disorder with extremes, whether it be anxiety, anger, OCD, negativity, and paranoia, just to name a few.   After reading your message, I am saddened.  AS is a disorder.  That is made clear when you look at all of the social and abstract struggles that my son goes through on a daily basis.  He is a wonderful, caring, brilliant soul that can look and act just like Alex when he is anxious about the situation around him.  You yourself mentioned that you were bullied and ate many lunches in the bathroom.  Was that normal?  Of course not.  Your disorder prevented you from socializing "normally" with the world around you and if you had been given social therapy, maybe you wouldn't be so angry today.   

My son is getting help (therapy and medication).  The right medication does not change the child's personality.  It helps him to focus and survive in a world that is not forgiving of differences.  It may not be right, but that's what it is.  We can do nothing about the world but we can help our son assimilate into our society so that he may one day showcase the many talents that we see everyday!!!    

Children with AS are a gift from God, and with the right help, they can one day shine. 

Cathy C.  

I am 28 years old and discovered that I have Aspergers only 18 months ago.  I'd like to encourage all parents out there with a testimonial.  Find something for your Aspie children!  Something that they can focus into, that they will be able to channel that energy, which manifests as rage many times.  It isn't a cure all but it can help tremendously.  

Being born in 1977, and Aspergers not on the books until 1994, I was a Junior in high school, there were no standard diagnostic criteria, I was into the real-world long before anything really was publicized.  I am of above average intelligence but have never had my IQ tested.  I did terrible in school because I was bored out of my mind.  I tied for highest ACT scores in my graduating class.  I went to a private school that was more challenging than most public schools, I was still bored.   

By the time I was 12 I had an incredibly advanced knowledge of Dinosaurs and Astronomy, being my 2 favorite subjects.  My dad had an 8" diameter telescope and subscribed to some Astronomy magazines.   I began to learn about the mathematics of orbits, how comets interacted with planets, and how the gas giants were formed in our solar system.  I knew how fast light traveled, and had a very good grasp of Einsteins theory of relativity.  I did everything I could to learn more about Astronomy.  Dinosaurs were 2nd.  Then when I was 13 for Christmas my parents purchased a PC for the family.  That was "all she wrote."  I latched on to that PC more than anything I had in my life.   I devoted every last second to learning how to exploit the technology in any way.  I worked so hard I gained the attention of a local company that needed some basic programming done.  So I got my first job the week of my 16th birthday.  I far exceeded their expectations and began to work on their higher level software development.  They were developing one of the first digital cameras and I began to implement advanced image processing.  Work became my school and school was my prison.  I was tortured by the unspoken language of social interaction.  I did not get it and I was called a geek/nerd/dork/moron/idiot/...  Every minute of school was a minute of torture, weather it was because I was teased or because I was in a foreign land and could barely speak the language. 

When I got to the University, for computer science, I was quickly disillusioned because the first 4 years, I was going to be learning everything I had learned while working.  I had achieved what was required for a bachelors degree, from the technology perspective.  I helped seniors work on their senior projects... 

I do not say this to brag, unknowingly my parents introduced that "thing" that I could pour everything of my self into.  My rage drastically decreased.  I would think about programming or whatever on the computer when things became to overwhelming.  I did play games, but I worked more than I played.  Games can be a good distraction but if they are played too much then they can exasperate the problem.  Luckily I learned this and cut back on the games I was playing.  The intensity of the work I was doing soon attracted the attention of the dot boom.  I got a tremendous contract working for a large firm doing software development for more than what my dad was making, at the time I was 19.  I was thrown to the wolves.  Socially I did not fit in, though there were a few like me, and I was accepted for what I was and allowed to work.  I put my nose to the grind stone like I never believed I could.  My social graces were totally lacking and so I could not climb the corporate ladder.  So I began to work on them.  I began to watch what other people did and learned social interaction like I would have learned how to do math.  

Over the next 6 years I worked on developing my social skills.  Even today I "recite" the liturgy of social interaction when I come in contact with people.  I met my wife 2 years into this, we got married one year to the day later.  She has been a huge asset in helping me develop my social graces.  Of everything that I am she is totally opposite and we celebrate that together!  She was with me when we discovered why I was so "different" and logical.  Anyway, while I was working I noticed a few things that I could do better than anybody else so I started my own company.  That was 8 years ago and for the past 2 years we have been totally self sufficient working for my business.  The stresses are tremendous, of dealing with the people.  Everything else is very easy. 

Currently I have a patent pending on what seems to be a very exciting technology.  I have gained the attention of a few multi-billion dollar tech companies that are interested in purchasing the technology.  This is where I stand.  I have a wonderful wife that I've been married to for over 6 years, we have our first child on the way.   I cannot wait to be a father!  I may be selling my business in the realization of "The American Dream."  I have Aspergers. 

I SAW THE SHOW ON THE 17TH AND I WAS RELEIVED TO HEAR THAT I AM NOT ALONE IN SEARCH FOR ANSWERS FOR MY SONS "TIC". 

WILLIAM (WE CALL HIM BILLY) IS AN ACTIVE 15 YEAR OLD IN HIGH SCHOOL WITH VERY GOOD GRADES. HE'S ACTIVE IN BASKETBALL, AND THAT IS HIS  PASSION.  ALTHOUGH, BECAUSE OF THESE TICS (HIS BLINKING EXCESSIVELY AND THROAT NOISES) HE DROPPED OUT, THE NIGHT OF TRYOUTS.  HE WON'T EVEN GO OUT WITH FRIENDS MUCH ANYMORE BECAUSE OF THIS. 

WE'VE BEEN TO THE NEUROLOGIST AND HE SAID HE THOUGHT MEDICATION WOULDN'T HELP BECAUSE IT WOULD TAKE HIS LUSTER FOR HIS GUITAR PLAYING AWAY. THAT'S ALL HE HAD TO SAY, BECAUSE WHEN BILLY PLAYS THE GUITAR IT RELAXES HIM.  HE HATES THAT HE HAS NO CONTROL OVER IT. HE'S RECENTLY MISSED SEVERAL DAYS OF SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED INTENSITY.  THE DR WOULDN'T GIVE HIM AN EXCUSE FOR SCHOOL, BECAUSE HE SAID TICS AREN'T SOMETHING TO MISS SCHOOL FROM. (EASY TO SAY, BUT TELL THAT TO A 15 YEAR OLD, WHOSE SOCIAL LIFE MEANS ALOT IN HIGH SCHOOL) 

I'M WONDERING WHAT TYPE OF MEDICATION HE'D BE ON AND WHAT THE SIDE EFFECTS WOULD BE.  HE DOESN'T YELL OUT OR SEEM TO HAVE TOURETTES, BUT HE TRIES TO SUPPRESS HIS EYES FROM BLINKING AND HE SAYS THAT'S WHY HE MAKES THROAT NOISES. 

MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE TRIED TO MAKE THINGS VERY CALM AND UNSTRESSFUL..BUT WE DO HAVE A 10 YEAR OLD THAT OFTEN WANTS TO SEE HIS "BIG" BROTHER IN HIS ROOM WHEN HE'S TRYING TO CONCENTRATE ON HOMEWORK OR PLAYI8NG HIS QUITAR. SO I KNOW THAT GETS HIM WORKED UP. WE TRY NOT TO FOCUS ON HIS PHYSICAL TICS, BUT LATELY HE PUTS HIS HEAD DOWN ALOT.  HE'S CARING, SINCERE AND HAS ALOT TO GIVE TO OUR SOCIETY I JUST WANT HIM TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE. 

SLEEP SOMETIMES HELPS, BUT HE ALREADY GETS 9 HOURS , MORE ON WEEK-ENDS, AND THIS IS JUST GETTING WORSE. 

DOES ANYONE HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND CAN I GET SOME FEEDBACK? 

THANKS SO MUCH,  

A VERY WORRIED MOTHER 

I don't know if we can post websites..i see so many doing so. 

Famous geniuses with Asperger's... 

http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Stonewall/4502/famousac.html 

For a humourous fake diagnosis of socalled normal people Neurotypical shows the humour and wit of people with Asperger's. 

http://www.isnt.autistics.org/ 

Neurotypical syndrome is a neurobiological disorder characterized by preoccupation with social concerns, delusions of superiority, and obsession with conformity. 

Neurotypical individuals often assume that their experience of the world is either the only one, or the only correct one. NTs find it difficult to be alone. NTs are often intolerant of seemingly minor differences in others. When in groups NTs are socially and behaviorally rigid, and frequently insist upon the performance of dysfunctional, destructive, and even impossible rituals as a way of maintaining group identity. NTs find it difficult to communicate directly, and have a much higher incidence of lying as compared to persons on the autistic spectrum. 

NT is believed to be genetic in origin. Autopsies have shown the brain of the neurotypical is typically smaller than that of an autistic individual and may have overdeveloped areas related to social behavior. 

• The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Normal Disorders: 666.00 Neurotypic Disorder

Tragically, as many as 9625 out of every 10,000 individuals may be neurotypical.