LA Times: Autism hidden in plain sight (article about adult autism)

[steve2470]

When autism researchers arrived at Norristown State Hospital near Philadelphia a few years ago, they found a 63-year-old man who rambled on about Elvis Presley, compulsively rocked in his chair and patted the corridor walls.

Ben Perrick, a resident of the psychiatric institution for most of his life, displayed what the University of Pennsylvania researchers considered classic symptoms of autism. His chart, however, said he was schizophrenic and mentally retarded.

Delving into the file, the researchers learned that as a 10-year-old, Perrick had seen Dr. Leo Kanner, the psychiatrist who discovered autism. In his notes from 1954, Kanner described Perrick as “a child who is self centered, withdrawn, and unable to relate to other people,” and recommended that he be committed.

Later, other doctors relabeled Perrick. The autism diagnosis was forgotten.

link here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/autism/la-me-autism-day-four-html,0,6403471.htmlstory?track=lat-pick

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. link?

[steve2470]

2. sorry ! brain fart !

here it is:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/autism/la-me-autism-day-four-html,0,6403471.htmlstory?track=lat-pick

[StarsInHerHair]

3. so ultimately how well does ABA therapy work? It seems the jury is still out on that

[boppers]

4. We fix your computers.

We write your encyclopedias. We engineer your machines. We built the internet, and the atomic bomb.

We also are the ones who love, pure and true, without care for social convention, caste, or class.

Our brains have more neurons in different areas, less in others. Sometimes that makes us different. or "disabled"... but I'm tired of it being labelled a disease. We have always walked with you, advancing our shared humanity by legions more than all of the people who learned how to be "social", "popular" and "persuasive"... but they didn't do shit, because they were spending so much time on being popular.

JFK wanted to go to the moon, ASD folks are the ones who made it happen. NT's took the credit, and for the most part, ASD's didn't even care. We make the world work, and generally don't give a fuck about social credit.

We've been called many names over the years: Nerds, Geeks, Eccentrics, Retards, Obsessives, Autistics, ADD, ADD/HD, Compulsives... but we are the driving engine that makes humans more, and different, than other social primates.

We are the "hidden" 1%. We don't do it for money, though, we do it for love. Love of dinosaurs, or rockets, or stamps, or camera angles, or bacteria, or dishware, or whatever.

So, hug a "retard", thank a "geek", give a moment for those who created civilization, and continue to nourish it by thinking on the edges, and being so far outside the existing norm.

[BeHereNow]

5. Bravo...

bhn
Who loves one autistic who knows EVERYTHING about airplanes, and another who carries the
complete history of pirates in his brain, and yet another who knows the birth date of everyone he has ever met.
Autistics ROCK.
And shame on a society that does not value unique intelligence.
I am the aunt of two autistic boys, and I can not find anyone I'd rather
talk to...XO

[mmonk]

6. +1

[Odin2005]

8. +1,000,000,000,000,000,000

If it weren't for us society would be full of do-nothing socialites.

[Ikonoklast]

12. I take a little umbrage at that asessment.

I am neither autistic or a 'do-nothing socialite', I am an intelligent human being who has accomplished a few things in life.

There are a few shades of gray you seemed to miss.

[boppers]

13. ASD is a huge range.

Part of the OP's point is about those who have accomplished much, without having a popular "disease".

If you already self-identify as an "intelligent human being", by social normative factors, something may be 'wrong' with you. Normal people have, by definition, "average intelligence". It's not something they notice.

[Odin2005]

15. What Boppers said.

[IDemo]

9. Interesting, that would explain a lot

After reading your post and recognizing the description of myself (I've been an electronics tech most of my life), I did a quick search for "adult autism symptoms". Along with the issues with establishing social connections or maintaining conversations, I found this:

I'm 3 for 4 of the following (and working on the guitar):

About 10% of people with autism have some form of savant skills-special limited gifts such as memorizing lists, calculating calendar dates, drawing, or musical ability.

Maybe a self diagnosis based on a Google search wouldn't exactly gain me a medical degree, but it does make me wonder.

[boppers]

11. There's a lot of self-diagnosis out there.

That's because there's *huge* cluster of indicators.

...Many of which are common to growing up in modern society.

So. if you did get diagnosed, one way or another, what *should* that change? Does that make you sick? Well?

[IDemo]

14. It would just help my understanding of myself

I doubt much would change except for having another angle of view on my life, perhaps with a little less self condemnation.

[Odin2005]

7. So much for the BS spewed by the Anti-Vax idiots.

[boppers]

10. Kick for more opinions eom