Autistic Daily

Adam

We’ve mentioned how television is picking up on the trend to display autistic characters on primetime.

Now, BBC News magazine has touched on the fact that autism is often portrayed in the most optimistic of ways.

Brilliance and savant skills make for good ratings from the audience, but these roles rarely give the reality of how difficulty the disorder can be for those affected.

And stereotypes fail to show those on the spectrum can have diverse abilities, not just in math or other quantitative areas.

“By far, the majority of people with autism do not have any kind of savant ability,” said Dr Stuart Murray professor of contemporary literature and film at the University of Leeds and author of the book Representing Autism.

Dr. Murray says the films tend to focus on two types of story lines:

* the disability provides some kind of incredible skill or quality that “makes up” for the negative, or
* the person finds a way to “rise above” adversity

“It’s a very sexy way of looking at autism,” says Jonathan Kaufman, president of Disability Works in the US and technical consultant for Adam, a movie in which an Asperger’s man falls in love.

Sexy sells, even if it’s for a disability. But are your everyday autistic individuals in society paying a price because they can’t live up the Hollywood standards in real life?

Read the entire article at news.bbc.co.uk.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Breast Still Best, Even With Autism Risk? Doc Weighs In.
• Enhansa: An Effective Autism Supplement?
• Loopey The Pig + City Ordinance = Autistic Boy’s Heartbreak
• Autism Rate Now One Percent Of All Children?
• Robots Now Reading Emotions Of Autistic Children

strollers on Flickr

Sue Pederson, a psychologist, and her colleagues at the Fraser Child and Family Centre in Minneapolis have recently found that ipod use can help those with Asperger’s learn to fit in socially.

They’ve come up with the idea to program an ipod to act as an “inner voice” or prompt, telling those with Asperger’s how to interact in various social situations.

Basically, short videos and slides would appear on the electronic devicea, and similar to a “Social Stories” type of teaching, these videos and slides would guide Asperger’s individuals in daily interactions.

“I think it’s going to spread like wildfire,” said Pederson.

Source

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Sexy Stereotype Of Autism In Hollywood
• Robots Now Reading Emotions Of Autistic Children
• Adams’ Max Mayer Tells About First Asperger Experience
• Asperger Male Scott James Will Be X Factor Hit
• Aspergers Need Prompts In Social Interactions

festival.sundance.org

Max Mayer is the writer and producer for the movie Adam, about a man with Asperger’s who finds love.

Mayer has recently revealed how he first discovered the syndrome and what attracted him to write a film with the theme.

Listening to a National Public Radio show, Mayer learned firsthand from a man who was suffering from the syndrome.

“He was talking about his sense of isolation in the world, of kind of peering in at human relationships and behaviour and trying to figure out how everybody knew when to smile and when to talk or not to talk,” Mayer said.

“Most people with Asperger’s have difficulty reading non-verbal signs and also have difficulty with what psychologists call ‘theory of mind,’ which basically means the instinctive ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes. I was really moved by what this young man said.”

Read more about Mayer’s first Asperger experience at cbc.ca.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Sexy Stereotype Of Autism In Hollywood
• iPods May Help Those With Asperger’s
• Asperger Male Scott James Will Be X Factor Hit
• Aspergers Need Prompts In Social Interactions
• Asperger’s Syndrome And Legal Disability

The Mirror

A 21 year old man is expected to be the next great hit on Britain’s reality talent show, X Factor.

Scott James stunned the judges with his voice and renditions of “You Raise Me Up.”

Scott said he Asperger’s was so bad, he stayed at home as a recluse for seven years.

Judge Dannii Minogue said, “He came on stage and told us he hadn’t left the house for seven years because of his Asperger’s and being picked on.”

“Then he started singing. You will not believe his performance.”

Scott is being compared to Britain’s Got Talent star Susan Boyle, who was a quirky, but talented character.

via mirror.co.uk

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Sexy Stereotype Of Autism In Hollywood
• iPods May Help Those With Asperger’s
• Adams’ Max Mayer Tells About First Asperger Experience
• Aspergers Need Prompts In Social Interactions
• Asperger’s Syndrome And Legal Disability

mavi on Flickr

While some individuals with Asperger’s syndrome have difficulty perceiving other people’s states of minds, new research has indicated that a little “push” might do the trick in helping them understand what the other person is thinking.

In the Sally-Anne False Belief Test, an actor places an object underneath a box and leaves the room. Another actor comes in and places the same object underneath a different box. When the original actor returns, researchers track eye movements of the subjects to see if they follow where they think the actor will look for the object.

Normal individuals look underneath the box the actor placed it originally. But the eyes of those on the autistic spectrum look at the box the object was moved to after the original actor left the room, which researchers suggest indicates autistics have trouble understanding the first actor doesn’t have the same viewpoint as they do.

In an experiment using the Sally-Anne False Belief test with Aspergers individuals, researchers found those with Asperger’s looked randomly from box to box unless they were prompted to verbally express which box the actor would look at, which would result in a correct answer.

Researchers suggest this new data could result in programs designed to train Aspergers and others on the spectrum to make more conscious efforts to assess others’ motivations.

via scientificamerican.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• Breast Still Best, Even With Autism Risk? Doc Weighs In.
• Autism Rate Now One Percent Of All Children?
• The Sexy Stereotype Of Autism In Hollywood
• iPods May Help Those With Asperger’s
• Thimerosal Induces Autism-Like Neurotoxicity

ashkyd on Flickr

Jake Crosby, contributing editor at Age of Autism, has taken a moment to discuss why Asperger’s Syndrome is a legal disability.

Apparently, someone commented on one of his earlier posts on the blog that Asperger’s Syndrome is not a disability because it is not legally defined as one.

Geez, talk about simplicity!

Given the fact that laws change every year based on both public and legislator opinion, new data, and culture, it seems rather silly to dismiss the plight that Asperger’s often carries in education and employment situations as not being a “disability.”

A few excerpts from Jake’s article:

“People with Asperger Syndrome are covered by the Individuals with Disabilities Act to receive accommodations in both work and in school.”

“One contradictory element in such views is the claim we do not qualify for “most” disability programs as opposed to all of them and then make the argument that just because we can’t put handicapped stickers in our cars that we are therefore not disabled. Yet, “disability” is a legal term, not open to interpretation. Someone is either disabled or they are not. If he qualifies for any disability programs, he is still disabled, regardless of whether or not he qualifies for “most” of them, much less if he has permission to park in a handicapped space.”

Continue reading Jake’s post at ageofautism.com.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Sexy Stereotype Of Autism In Hollywood
• iPods May Help Those With Asperger’s
• Adams’ Max Mayer Tells About First Asperger Experience
• Asperger Male Scott James Will Be X Factor Hit
• Aspergers Need Prompts In Social Interactions

Donna Williams, host of Oddpod, had the chance to sit down with Asperger’s expert Tony Attwood for an hour long podcast.

Here are a few clips from the interview where Tony discusses the problems that occur when a neurotypical partner might feel abandoned in a relationship with an Asperger. Tony suggests that NT partners might benefit from changing their beliefs that their partner is responsible for all their social pleasures.

“And so, with a couple, I’m very concerned that anyone would make the suggestion that that those with Asperger Syndrome are by nature then unable to have good relationships with their partner or be good parents. I mean, that’s a terrible insult to those with Asperger’s because some of my friends and people that I know with Asperger’s Syndrome, I know that they are very good parents, they are exceptionally good parents, and they can be exceptionally good partners. So having Asperger’s Syndrome means that there are certain interpersonal confusing areas and difficulties, but they’re not insurmountable, and you can work on those.”

“It’s a problem of…A difficult relationship may make one or both partners depressed. But that’s a typical phenomenon. I don’t think it necessarily needs a specific label that is exclusive to those with ASD.”

“It’s putting a lot of responsibility onto one person, who then becomes confused over, “What does my partner expect me to be? She’s expecting me to be someone that I find very difficult to be and is artificial.” So, if the person wants a greater social life, etc., well, they get a social life, but [go to a?] party on your own.”

Read the entire transcript of the interview or listen to the podcast at oddpod.donnawilliams.net.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Sexy Stereotype Of Autism In Hollywood
• iPods May Help Those With Asperger’s
• Adams’ Max Mayer Tells About First Asperger Experience
• Asperger Male Scott James Will Be X Factor Hit
• Aspergers Need Prompts In Social Interactions

Pink Sherbet Photography

We’re trying to keep this as professional as possible, but a big WTF comes to mind after reading this story.

An eight year old girl was arrested on suspicion of battery, handcuffed, and taken to juvenile detention where she was held in custody until her parents picked her up.

The third grader allegedly spit on and inappropriately touched two of her instructors.

The county prosecutor later dropped the charges. Well, at least someone here has good sense and judgement.

It’s not stated whether or not school officials knew the girl had Asperger’s, but if they did, the story makes even less sense.

Besides the fact, that, oh, dunno, she’s only 8 YEARS OLD, why wasn’t her condition taken into account before placing the arrest and placing her in the strange and foreign environment of a detention center that, no doubt, only contributed to whatever unpleasant emotions that made her allegedly commit the “battery” to begin with?

Most eight year old girls don’t “inappropriately touch” adults, but if they do, jail obviously isn’t the place to put them during “time out.”

The parents are suing the Lake Pend Oreille School District and Bonner County for $500,000 in damages.

via seattlepi.com

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Sexy Stereotype Of Autism In Hollywood
• iPods May Help Those With Asperger’s
• Adams’ Max Mayer Tells About First Asperger Experience
• Asperger Male Scott James Will Be X Factor Hit
• Aspergers Need Prompts In Social Interactions