Interesting article about Aspergers and college

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lkonantz
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04 Mar 2007, 12:19 am

My mom emailed me this article that she found. Its about Autism and college and this guy experience. It's very interesting.

Here it is: http://www.wiretapmag.org/education/43008/#comments.



hyperbolic
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04 Mar 2007, 12:21 am

Interesting. Also, I'm surprised that the guy got kicked out of his dorm.



abstrusemortal
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04 Mar 2007, 12:42 am

The real goal of the future should not be that people with Asperger's, or any disability for that matter, need to wear a sign on their shirt that says "Hey I have Asperger's"; the real goal of the future should be one where soceity shows an increasing amount of tolerance.

This is much easier put in words than put into action, because if it were that easy than maybe most of the world's problem's could be solved with some understanding and compassion.

Daniel, the author of the article, says himself that he doesn't blame the NT's for pretty much ostracizing him. It's what they have learned to do through intuition of societal rules. The whole point that I derived from the article was to show some tolerance. Speak to the person that not everyone usually speaks to. Listen, that person might have some inspiring to say. Or that person could have nothing better to say than the people that are considered "norm" and who are not ostracized. We'll never know until we travel out of our own world's into someone else's.



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04 Mar 2007, 12:45 am

I thought that Daniel being expelled was ridiculous. Although we don't know all of the details and how he was considered "dangerous" by his peers, there should have been better communication between the staff of the school and Daniel.



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04 Mar 2007, 2:51 pm

It kind of reminds me of high school, since people sometimes call me a creep or that I do creepy things, and even a stalker sometimes. I don't recall literally stalking anybody, but maybe I was trying to be too close to people when I didn't know them. Maybe it was because I didn't establish an actual friendship but was trying to be friends. All this social stuff is complicated for aspies! lol Anyways, I totally agree that Daniel shouldn't have been expelled from the dorm, since they didn't even have proof that he was stalking them or even how he was making them feel uncomfortable. It's good, however, that he was able to feel proud of being an aspie and that he wants to help people with disabilities instead of being ashamed of himself the entire time. I also agree that it's important to let people know about your Asperger's with people that you know, plus have them know that you have problems in the social area and that you just need to learn some of the social stuff (like how we aren't born with the ability to understand some social ques or expressions, so we need to learn it throughout life). I've let people know about it, and I think that less people view me as a creepy individual. I'm more outspoken instead of drawn in. I say that if people don't know what you think or what you're trying to accomplish by being around them, or that you have a disorder like Asperger's, it's almost easy, yet sometimes mean, to assume that people are trying to harm them or stalk them. So it's important to be outspoken to people that you know or see on a day-to-day basis, and it's incredibly important to let the college know about your disability, since they can still provide help with disabled individuals.


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07 Mar 2007, 10:57 am

I had a similar experience in high school, before I was diagnosed. I went to a boarding school for two years, and my first roommate was a disaster. For one she played heavy metal so loud that the room next to MY wall were complaining, she didn't have anyone on the other side of her wall. She refused to turn it down, EVER. So that really sucked, because every night I'd try to sleep while dealing with Overload. But about two months later she moved out without a reason. I'll admit that I was glad to see her go.

I was not happy about the rumor she started about why she felt she had to move out. She thought I was staring at her while she was getting dressed and undressed and came to the conclusion that I was "A Lesbian Pervert" and spread that all around school. Now this boarding school was an All Girl's boarding school, and I was already having difficulty relating to my classmates, so I ended up being double ostracized.

What I WAS doing, was sitting up so that my feet touched the floor as soon as my alarm went off; this prevented me from falling back asleep. Due to lack of sleep( the Heavy Metal music ) it would take me roughly 5-10 minutes for my brain to kick in enough to stand up and begin my morning. During that time I kind of just stared blankly into space. Because her bed and closet were directly opposite to mine she interpreted that as watching her get dressed and undressed.



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08 Mar 2007, 3:15 pm

I think Aspies are the true test of society's tolerance. But the concept has turned into a label-honoring exercise. If you have an approved, specifically cited label for your particular shunned group, then there is a mechanical effort to honor and respect you. It's a "special-status group" fest, instead of a "Let's be kind to ALL" group. So if you're an Aspie these days, you'll be shunned by "tolerant" and "intolerant" alike.



Space
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08 Mar 2007, 7:43 pm

Ragtime wrote:
I think Aspies are the true test of society's tolerance. But the concept has turned into a label-honoring exercise. If you have an approved, specifically cited label for your particular shunned group, then there is a mechanical effort to honor and respect you. It's a "special-status group" fest, instead of a "Let's be kind to ALL" group. So if you're an Aspie these days, you'll be shunned by "tolerant" and "intolerant" alike.

I think you're right. The only benefit that I get from my college is that I get to write my exams in a room alone. That's it. I love learning, but I hate virtually everything else about University. It feels impossible to make friends there too, everyone is so shallow, if you aren't something special like an athlete or good looking/popular, then no one seems to want to get to know you. There is a subtle systemic discrimination against people with AS, because there are different, especially socially. It seems like one by one, (almost) every group and person shuts you out, because you can't advance them socially, or get them anything simply by association with you. An NT friend of mine once told me that most people don't want friends to just "hang out" with, they want people that can get them ahead in life, and people with AS will not do this.



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12 Mar 2007, 1:15 pm

xon wrote:
Interesting. Also, I'm surprised that the guy got kicked out of his dorm.


I am too.

I'm also suprised at the behavior of his fellow students. I think some of those people need to go back to high school!


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