[kistar]

My father has Aspergers and although I'm certain there are many degrees of it Abz must have .00003 of a degree of it. Does anyone else have experience of this condition?

[Vicky.]

My best mate at school had mild aspergers. She was just a bit..strange :/

Like, she would randomly sit in puddles when we were out if she fancied it, and once jumped off durham bridge to 'swim with the ducks'

She wasn't too good in social situations though, she would be extremely quiet in groups, but was fine one to one, or in a group of people she knew well.

[Vanessa]

I didn't know he had aspergers. Poor guy.

[Redway]

I know someone with Asperger's and I remember a while back when he was completely withdrawn from social situations and never seemed to be able to detect sarcasm/banter from being genuine...

He's still a bit like that but has gradually learned to deal with it over the years.

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by Redway

I know someone with Asperger's and I remember a while back when he was completely withdrawn from social situations and never seemed to be able to detect sarcasm/banter from being genuine...

He's still a bit like that but has gradually learned to deal with it over the years.

OMG yes this is a main one

When we were last year at junior school..our teacher was saying something, and said to my mate 'oh the penny has dropped'

And she started looking on the floor for a penny...

No concept of sarcasm or anything. She used to get quite upset if we were sarcastic to each other (never did it to her as she took it as insults)

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

OMG yes this is a main one

When we were last year at junior school..our teacher was saying something, and said to my mate 'oh the penny has dropped'

And she started looking on the floor for a penny...

No concept of sarcasm or anything. She used to get quite upset if we were sarcastic to each other (never did it to her as she took it as insults)

Yeah, and their understanding can be quite literal as well. I remember a while back our teacher told us to not rush through our work and he took it very literally, barely doing anything within the 45 minutes. :/

[erinp5]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

OMG yes this is a main one

When we were last year at junior school..our teacher was saying something, and said to my mate 'oh the penny has dropped'

And she started looking on the floor for a penny...

No concept of sarcasm or anything. She used to get quite upset if we were sarcastic to each other (never did it to her as she took it as insults)

Just read a post about a mum telling her son to travel light so he took an empty suitcase.

[boomoo]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

My best mate at school had mild aspergers. She was just a bit..strange :/

Like, she would randomly sit in puddles when we were out if she fancied it, and once jumped off durham bridge to 'swim with the ducks'

She wasn't too good in social situations though, she would be extremely quiet in groups, but was fine one to one, or in a group of people she knew well.

How strange. 'extremely quiet in groups but fine one to one' I must have had asperger's syndrome all my life but undiagnosed. We called it shy.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by boomoo

How strange. 'extremely quiet in groups but fine one to one' I must have had asperger's syndrome all my life but undiagnosed. We called it shy.

So...you think people with aspergers are just shy? Or you think shy people all have aspergers?

[boomoo]

Originally Posted by DanaC

So...you think people with aspergers are just shy? Or you think shy people all have aspergers?

Not at all. Just wondered how I would have been diagnosed today.
I think too many children are being diagnosed as autistic or asperger's. I began teaching 50 years ago and I never came across a child who could not communicate with me. There were plenty of children who were afraid of a teacher and could not speak to them. The child did not have a problem the teacher did.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by boomoo

Not at all. Just wondered how I would have been diagnosed today.
I think too many children are being diagnosed as autistic or asperger's. I began teaching 50 years ago and I never came across a child who could not communicate with me. There were plenty of children who were afraid of a teacher and could not speak to them. The child did not have a problem the teacher did.

From what I have heard from parents of children with aspergers or autism, or indeed other cognitive issues, like dyslexia or dyspraxia, it is quite difficult to get a diagnosis, and even more difficult to translate that into meaningful in-school assistance (such as learning assistants).

Back when I was teaching adult lit, we had a number of students with developmental disorders of various kinds. Most of them had gone through their schooling without any kind of diagnosis or recognition of what was going on in their brains that was different to the other kids. They were just seen as awkward, particularly those on the autistic spectrum. Awkward and insolent, even rude (that literal view of the world and lack of social grace). Some were probably thought of as shy, or nervous.

If they exhibit only mild signals these can easily be misread. And however they manage at primary school, most of them seem to have found secondary school a much harder trial.

Maybe you have had kids come through your class that were on the autistic spectrum, but only exhibiting mild and easily misread signs. And in the intimacy of a primary school class, with a teacher they trusted, they may well learn to cope with that setting quite quickly (I assume you are talking about primary school age kids?). Those same children who coped ok in primary school may not then fare so well in the less intimate setting of secondary school.

Often, the people I was working with had begun to have early issues at primary school, in terms of falling behind and feeling different, but it was often the move to secondary school that signalled a break down in their schooling.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by boomoo

Not at all. Just wondered how I would have been diagnosed today.
I think too many children are being diagnosed as autistic or asperger's. I began teaching 50 years ago and I never came across a child who could not communicate with me. There were plenty of children who were afraid of a teacher and could not speak to them. The child did not have a problem the teacher did.

Wow. I work in a special school and to qualify for the higher rate of disability allowance you need to fit into one of the following..



1. You are unable to walk.
2. You are virtually unable to walk.
3. The exertion required to walk would constitute a danger to your life or would be likely to lead to a serious deterioration in your health.
4. You have no legs or feet (from birth or through amputation).
5. You are both deaf and blind.
6. You are entitled to the highest rate care component and you are severely mentally impaired with extremely disruptive and dangerous behavioural problems.

Which of the above do you think parents fake so they can get a free car?

[kistar]

Finding social situations difficult is the obvious one , I can't believe he would want fame or even be in a band if he had this condition.Also he would say exactly what he thought Aspergers sufferers have no filter as far as thoughts and saying it is concerned, so I am sceptical tbh.
Maybe if he sits in a puddle I might be convinced!

[RodHull]

Originally Posted by kistar

Finding social situations difficult is the obvious one , I can't believe he would want fame or even be in a band if he had this condition.Also he would say exactly what he thought Aspergers sufferers have no filter as far as thoughts and saying it is concerned, so I am sceptical tbh.
Maybe if he sits in a puddle I might be convinced!

It would explain why he spent 90% of his famous days off his t**s on his drugs. It was probably the only way he felt comfortable in that world.

[daniel-lewis-1985]

Originally Posted by kistar

Finding social situations difficult is the obvious one , I can't believe he would want fame or even be in a band if he had this condition.Also he would say exactly what he thought Aspergers sufferers have no filter as far as thoughts and saying it is concerned, so I am sceptical tbh.
Maybe if he sits in a puddle I might be convinced!

Abz was forced to live that very public life but shared it with 4 other guys so that probably gave him the confidence of support in social situations and he was pissed most of the time, it was just a worldwind.

He now lives on a secluded farm and doesn't socialise that often hes only doing BB to get a house.

Just because you know one person with the illness you shouldn't really imply others are faking it (which I think you may be trying to do here).

[reece(:]

Waiting for the generic *he's playing the Aspergers card for votes*.

[Vanessa]

He does seem to struggle a bit in there.At least now we know why.

[Videostar]

Originally Posted by reece(:

Waiting for the generic *he's playing the Aspergers card for votes*.

It wont do him any harm in him trying to win tho...GBP love a sob story...as we found out again on Monday.

[Videostar]

Has he ever mentioned this before?

It's a funny old show to go on if he has that condition.

[Vanessa]

Originally Posted by Videostar

Has he ever mentioned this before?

It's a funny old show to go on if he has that condition.

No idea, but it explains a lot. Remember he went straight to the tree house on the fist night?

[Josiah.]

I have Aspergers syndrome. I really do; I was diagnosed in '09.

[kistar]

Originally Posted by Josiah.

I have Aspergers syndrome. I really do; I was diagnosed in '09.

Hey Josiah great it has been diagnosed , thank you for sharing.

[kistar]

Get this when I was 14 my Father told me I was never going to beautiful so best I make the most of my personality and study hard at school.!

[DanaC]

My mother, brother and I have thought for some time my dad might have been undiagnosed aspergers.


[eta] I phrased that badly. We thought for a time that he may have been. Ended up thinking maybe not.

[G1dds]

I was pretty irritated when he said "I've got a condition called aspergers"

FFS - it's not a "condition". I have 2 sons, a husband, father, brother and sister with aspergers.....

Maybe I just don't like him, but the way he said it wound me up