Re: Re: Is AS just an inch or kilometer from NS?

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srabande wrote: "I often think being NS/AS is no different than gay and straight inmany ways. But, that is just "my" humble opinion. Is AS just an inchor kilometer from NS? Some say yes and some say no. This would be aninteresting topic for discussion. Just me. Other's? I think we haveto be careful here as no 2 are alike...... It is hard for many likeme

to compare someone with the label of autism coupled with mentalretardation living in a residential placement with those like BillGates and many on our list. There are also many with the AS labelunable to live on their own so many times it is like comparing applesto oranges at least for me. "That's exactly it, ...and yes, I think a discussion regarding howfar AS is from NT would be an incredible discussion. There is noliterature even hinting that AS can slide into NT and/or back again. As we saw from my exchange with Bill, I find it difficult to compareas well. me here: anita there isnt literature, there is thou however a broad description of AS as a "spectrum" disorder. all the currently accepted criteria for diagnosis lump AS into various descriptions and reduced development along the 3 criteria. at the moment, for you, there is "that all AS

feeling" for some of us, who can diffferentiate between AS behaviour in ourselves and compare it to the NT motivations of others we can understand where it ends and the NT behaviour begins. apart from adapting, some AS can within themselves differentiate between an AS view of an event, and compare this to a non AS view of same event. this is why a lot of adults with newly diagnosed AS are often confused as schizotypal personalities. there IS nt in there somehwere. my advice to you would be to . ....as part of your accepting all that is AS feeling, do just that, accept what is "normal" for your husband and allow him to differantiate this between what he thinks and what you thinks....i think it was tim channon a while ago who coined the term...my "feelie" you are your husbands feelie and it is improtant for him that he can allow you to interpret things for him and help him undo 61

years of what may be maladaptive but normal behaviour for him, it is these habits that like all habits are hard to break. in time thou, he will be in a position where he too can differentiate in himself what is normal AS behaviour and what is normal NT behaviour and within himself can chose to act accordingly. it is the next step of self awareness. and this step takes a long time. for some. took me 4. years you said:There seems to be plenty of literature that speaks about copingskills, adaptive behaviors and rote learning. Tons of informationactually...but never even a hint that an AS diagnosis with all thenecessary criteria to make such a diagnosis, also has an open doorwhere NT is present in the diagnosis and can be identified as well asaccessed as NT. me here: think a straight line, on th left of this line is the diagnostic criteria for AS , on th emiddle of the line is the

NT set of behaviours, on the right hand of this line is the UBER AS abilities, these abilities too are not discussed in any diagnostic criteria , just briefly...a short hint that "people with AS may have a higher than normal IQ" now...at one end of this straight line is the AS criteria defining "behaviour" at the other end of this staright line is the uber AS abilities , and in between is NT, or non-AS behaviour. now, if you join up the two ends of this line to make a circle, you have the AS spectrum. you said:It would be a great topic of discussion, but I fear it is filled withland mines. The moment my husband was diagnosed AS, I immediatelywanted to think this meant some small part of him was AS. This wouldallow me to continue to think I married an NT with a little sprinklingof AS, odd or eccentric behavior. I wanted to think little sprinklingcould be fixed easily with a little

medication, a bit of psychology orpsychotherapy and viola, the whole problem would go away.Then I learned it was a Pervasive Developmental Disorder (it's whatit's called in the United States)...I think it's called AutisticSpectrum Disorder in Europe and/or other countries of the world. Itruly loathe the word "disorder" but that's the way it is referred toin much of the literature. Much of what I have said here is because my understanding of the words :"Pervasive: to become spread throughout all parts of""Spectrum: a broad range of related objects or values or qualities orideas or activities"You are correct , no two AS, or NT for that matter are alike. However, it is my understanding that even though NT's can be differentas night and day from one another, those differences do not make them AS.Conversely for all the differences between AS, those differences donot make them

NT.This is my understanding, and there is no literature to the contraryto my knowledge. Regards,Anita NT 55me here: Anita you seem to be grasping at all the literature and making generalisations and challenging people, when it suits you, to prove you wrong, and then you enjoy the combative phase of the sequence of events you incite. try understanding what your talking about. 36 m diagnosed AS

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