List something you don't understand about Autism

Post Reply New Topic

Few things I do not understand about autism. I wonder why is it that some autistic people lose their abilities as they get older like the ability to speak, the ability to take care of themselves, and losing their social skills? It's like they get lower functioning as they got older. Why does this happen?


Another thing I don't understand is why is it that some autistic kids are able to go from having severe autism to mild when they are older but yet other autistic kids didn't get that far? My guess is those kids who went to mild got the help they needed and they were lucky their parents were able to work with them and teach them while the other kids weren't so lucky. Maybe their parents didn't work with them enough because they were lazy or didn't have the time to teach them or they couldn't find the help their kid needed and couldn't afford the therapies?


Another thing I don't understand is why some autistic people are verbal but then other times they are non verbal. How does that happen?

Something of losing one's faith? The older you get, the more you realize your dreams went in vain. Already limited resources are further strained.


Or the parents can't help because they also have traits of some mental disorder, incl. autism. Not every parent, even NT, has the ability to care for the special needs of an impaired kid, and it even worse, when the disability is not so outright obvious. My mother is a teacher, so I'm fortunate in a sense.


Mood fluctuations?

Wavefreak...watch this, my daughter loves it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oQfagXfBqE

I think what I struggle to understand is how come we all have similar issues in some areas, but can be so incredibly different in other areas! I think I can answer this actually... we've got personalities...

I suppose the whole thing confuses me really!

How come I remember interacting normally with my peers when I was a kid, even after being officially diagnosed?

We're puzzling. It seems to me that people on here tend to be very emotional and many would consider ourselves to be extremely sensitive or thin skinned. Yet during the last conversation I had with an NT, about Aspergers, she said people with Aspergers don't display emotion. Is that right, as a norm, or does she just not know anything about it?

I think it's caused me problems over the years. If someone has said something to upset me, I've tended to keep my feelings in - I'd rather do that than speak, because I'll start to cry or my words won't come out as I intend. The other person probably thought their words had no effect on me, but the opposite was in fact true.

How come I seem to know exactly what the ''social mistakes'' I make are, but I still do them?

Why do I still take things literal even though I knew what the person meant? Why do I choose to answer rhetorical questions even though I knew they were rhetorical?

Why am I able to learn cues but still miss them in the real world?

How come some or most Autistics are in our own world, yet we're alert to crowds and noise?

Why are autistic children afraid of noise, yet they make more noise themselves when they are screaming in a meltdown? My autistic brother used to hurt my ears terrible when he was little!

I think there isn't consensus if there is a single reason, but the most common one I hear is that it's the suddenness of a loudish sound that is unbalances autistic people (mainly kids) with sensitivity to sound. More so than the pitch or amplitude.

Most of this can be explained by the autistic brain being wired differently and our exposure to stimuli and different experiences makes connections in our brain that are unique from any other brain. But we have symptoms in common with others which is why there is an autistic spectrum.

As for why do people get worse as they get older - stress. I've had long term shutdowns due to stress and exacerbated by health issues. As a result I have regressed in my social communicative skills, even in some independent skills I once had. My sensory issues got worse and now I barely leave the house.

As for sensory issues our sensory cortex is a jumble of connections. I like to think that the primitive brain was more alerted by these sensory sensitivities and as society evolved our senses dulled, but we with SPD still have that part of our ancestors brain activated.

And honestly: "why do autistic kids hate noise but make even more noise?" Because it is coming from them. Because noise that comes out of you isn't as loud to you as the noises around you. The noise from around you is sudden and uncontrolled.

We all have different levels of severity. Those that are non-verbal are more affected in brocas area than those that can speak. Some of us really want to socialise and some of us barely give a thought to it. Some of us are curious to our surroundings and some are oblivious. It's all about how our symptoms affect us and just how different physically our brains are.

What don't I understand about autism? Very little. I know why I hate change, need routines, have fixed interests (although probably can't pinpoint the reason in one area of the brain), struggle to socialise and get sarcasm.
I understand most of my symptoms and behaviour. From my not wanting to get out of bed because I'm too comfortable (change bad) to I have to wait for the right time to get out of bed. I know why everyday I feed the cats the same amount everyday, followed by the same breakfast followed by the morning routine done in the same way everyday.
I know why I feel uncomfortable to frustrated by change, even at times panicked. I know why I feel angry at people if they are just standing in the same room.
I know why I have poor motor skills and why I can't speak clearly.
I know when something will build into a meltdown. I know why I have meltdowns and shutdowns. I even know when symptoms of a seizure are on the way. Well I am learning to spot them. Visual distortions and phantom smells are a big giveaway.

Most of your questions can be answered by reading up on research about how the autistic brain works. Seriously, I could answer every one of these posts. Nothing surprises me anymore.

Do you have any literature that explicitly states this? I have never come across any research that supports non-verbal autistics having an impaired Broca's area?

You sure your not getting mixed up with Brocas Aphasia? this is frontal lobe damage. No indication that autistics have impaired frontal lobes or Brocas,
http://www.neurologyupdate.com.au/news/ ... -to-langua

We have emotions, but we do not show them in a typical way.

If Aspies like or need routine, then how come it is known for them to have no concept of time or organisation?
I think NTs have no concept of time. When I met my friend the other day (who is NT), I told her that I want to get the 3.05 bus home. So we went shopping, then at 2 o'clock my friend said, ''now let's go and have a McDonald's'', and the closest McDonald's was about a 30-minute walk away, so I said, ''that wouldn't leave us much time. My bus is in an hour.'' So my friend said, ''don't worry - we will make in time. If we walk fast.'' So we walked fast, which took us about 20 minutes. We ate our McDonald's, and we had about 25 minutes left, so I said, ''we'd better start heading back now - it's half past 2.'' My friend said OK, then she wanted to have a quick look in a nearby shop, so we did. And she took ages looking at the same thing, and it was soon quarter to 3. My friend then asked, ''how long does it take to get back to the bus-station again?'' And I felt annoyed because she knows how long it takes, but has just forgotten something so obvious. I said, ''it takes 20 minutes!'' So we rushed back...and I missed my bus. And my friend said, ''we weren't long in the shop at all. I only nipped in and nipped out again.'' But she WAS bloody taking her time in the shop!
She doesn't seem to realise that when you've got buses to catch, you need to be aware of the time. She uses buses too, so she should know that.

I have a theory on this one. Routines are a common human need usually taught through a social medium. We create routines to try to simplify our lives. NTs don't have to create as many of their own since society just tells them what to do.


What I really don't get is why can't I just let go and stop caring about Asperger's Syndrome? My social skills at this point aren't that bad and if I just stopped worrying about it I wouldn't be having so many problems. I've got lots of people in my life who love me and I'm on the road to almost guaranteed success. I want a more active social life, but then I get afraid "what does X guy think?", "did that come off as Y?" even though in theory I know it's ridiculous to dwell on these things or even to care about some of them(and for the ones that I should care about it would be better if I just noted it to myself and moved on).