Slashdot Mirror

What Is NT?

Neurotypical syndrome is a neurobiological disorder characterized by preoccupation with social concerns, delusions of superiority, and obsession with conformity.

Neurotypical individuals often assume that their experience of the world is either the only one, or the only correct one. NTs find it difficult to be alone. NTs are often intolerant of seemingly minor differences in others. When in groups NTs are socially and behaviorally rigid, and frequently insist upon the performance of dysfunctional, destructive, and even impossible rituals as a way of maintaining group identity. NTs find it difficult to communicate directly, and have a much higher incidence of lying as compared to persons on the autistic spectrum.

NT is believed to be genetic in origin. Autopsies have shown the brain of the neurotypical is typically smaller than that of an autistic individual and may have overdeveloped areas related to social behavior.

Help find a cure!
http://isnt.autistics.org/

You just described all politicians.

What Is NT?

Neurotypical syndrome is a neurobiological disorder characterized by preoccupation with social concerns, delusions of superiority, and obsession with conformity.

Neurotypical individuals often assume that their experience of the world is either the only one, or the only correct one. NTs find it difficult to be alone. NTs are often intolerant of seemingly minor differences in others. When in groups NTs are socially and behaviorally rigid, and frequently insist upon the performance of dysfunctional, destructive, and even impossible rituals as a way of maintaining group identity. NTs find it difficult to communicate directly, and have a much higher incidence of lying as compared to persons on the autistic spectrum.

NT is believed to be genetic in origin. Autopsies have shown the brain of the neurotypical is typically smaller than that of an autistic individual and may have overdeveloped areas related to social behavior.

Help find a cure!
http://isnt.autistics.org/

anyone know of any good books about girls and Aspergers? By an author who isn't a anti-vaccers, it';s all in the poo, 'god can fix it', nut job?

I find that the most effective first step by far is to scrap the terms autistic and aspergers, as they tend to permanently confuse neurotypicals.

Next, ignore anything written by an advocate of "autism prevention"; if the author's "solution" is death by abortion, then ignore. Autistics get along well with other autistics, and to try to kill us all is literally like the holocaust.

Realize that every autistic's experience differs wildly from everyone else, and that absolutely nothing other than complete isolation is going to "solve" the problem - that is, make an autistic socially acceptable to neurotypicals.

My advice? Don't force contact with neurotypicals, don't force consumption of television/media, consider a GED as soon as it is an available option, and support careers friendly to autistics, such as nursing, medicine, science, technology, or farming. Avoid sales, marketing, customer service.

Read more at www.autistics.org.

Finally, don't take advice from neurotypicals about what an autistic needs or wants. You already know one; why not ask her?

I'm autistic, and I can tell you the last thing autistic kids need teaching them how to act neurotypical is a robot mentor.

The dirty secret of Autism Speaks and just about everything else (such as the developers of these robots) is that they advocate for exhausted parents, annoyed relatives, and the profit motive of Western medicine; they don't do anything for actual autistic people.

www.autistics.org

You need to join the Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical. Too bad it's just a joke.

• Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical
• Blogging Autism
• Dr. Temple Grandin

Yes, but greed does exist.

Greed exists for those who allow it to exist. Like any other emotion, it's just a shared mythos among the Neurotypicals.

I am sorry that you think you are not a person, but you are. You are neither more nor less than any one else.

What an extremely Neurotypical thing to say- assuming that everybody else's motives are as base as yours.

This is used against autistic individuals on all levels of normal function.

The general argument goes like this:

"It's okay for us to torture autistics, because anyone who can object isn't a real autistic. Therefore no one objects."

http://www.autistics.org/library/whoisautistic.htm l

Unlearn.

From: http://www.autistics.org/library/dontmourn.html

Autism isn't something a person has, or a "shell" that a person is trapped inside. There's no normal child hidden behind the autism. Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive; it colors every experience, every sensation, perception, thought, emotion, and encounter, every aspect of existence. It is not possible to separate the autism from the person--and if it were possible, the person you'd have left would not be the same person you started with.

This is important, so take a moment to consider it: Autism is a way of being. It is not possible to separate the person from the autism.

Therefore, when parents say,

        "I wish my child did not have autism,"

what they're really saying is,

        "I wish the autistic child I have did not exist, and I had a different (non-autistic) child instead."

Read that again. This is what we hear when you mourn over our existence. This is what we hear when you pray for a cure. This is what we know, when you tell us of your fondest hopes and dreams for us: that your greatest wish is that one day we will cease to be, and strangers you can love will move in behind our faces.

Institute for the study of the Neurologically Typical

Two links for you:

The Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical, is a satirical site by AS people, and the place where that quote probably came from.

and the Reciprocality Project is a site with a more serious theory that the neurotypical mentality may in fact be a real mental disorder (sections 0, 1, and 2, and the special introduction linked at the top, will be of particular interest on this topic).

Actually, in a way, I agree with the original comment. At least abortion for convenience is not based off the idea that disabled people are less worthwhile people. Abortion for convenience is just descriminating on one level, whether you're born yet or not, abortion due to disability is descriminating on two levels, whether you're born yet and whether you're normal.
Ettina
PS: Apparently I have to wait a bit before posting again, so to pass the time I'll talk a bit more about ableism. I'm writing a book which will be titled The Normal Person's Burden - an analogy to the "White Man's Burden". One chapter will be called Modern Day Eugenics, and will be about prenatal screening. The whole point of eugenics was to reduce the number of "defective" babies born. Their method was by modifying the reproductive rates of people based on whether or not they were "defective". Now, most people think controlling the breeding of people is immoral, but support the basic goal of eugenics. So they challange eugenics on the peripheral things - limited understanding of heredity, harm to the disabled people(eg euthanasia under the Nazis), a "right to reproduce", comparison to breeding cattle, etc. So they thought up a new way to try to prevent the birth of disabled people - prenatal screening. Don't get confused, I'm not doing a conspiracy theory. It wasn't some group deliberately planning it out, just demand and scientific advancement. One of those societal things that happen without anyone actually trying to make it so. But anyway, that's how it is. A lot of disabled people oppose it. Some Down Syndrome people crashed a prenatal screening conference to tell them they opposed trying to prevent DS babies from being born, http://www.autistics.org/ and http://www.lpaonline.org/ posted position statements saying they opposed it, etc. And I'm going to explore how it clashes with the idea that everyone is of equal worth.

After all, the other children were not interested in counting the fence bars at all. Weird, that's what they were. Weird neurotypicals. Perhaps they were unhappy and should not have been born?

It's a mental illness.

That doesn't mean it requires work to overcome.

Unless you mean that being on the spectrum isn't something that's overcome, any more than, say, being left-handed is. You learn to live as a lefty in a righty world. 'Course handedness is mostly a matter of physical obstacles to your preferred anatomical orientation. On the spectrum, it's your mind--your consciousness--that's wrong. That's different. That makes acting normal so hard, makes it seem like everyone else on the planet knows things, takes things for granted, that just aren't available to you. Are you paranoid if everybody you know seems to be in on secrets that you can't share?

So yeah, don't work to overcome it, work to deal effectively with what can amount to major, permanent culture shock. NTs probably aren't going away any time soon.

There's also Tetanus on Drugs, for PC and Game Boy Advance, written by former classmate of mine

I am the author of TOD, a GPL'd tetramino game that simulates the effects of hallucinogens. Unlike Spew, which has two effects (roto and zoom), TOD has eight effects (roto, zoom, fuzz, roto3d, constant, linear, quadratic, and cubic) to throw off your perception of the tetramino field, all powered by Mode 7 (or in the PC version's case, a high-level emulation thereof).

If you missed the link to the GBA version of TOD, which I consider more polished than the Allegro version (for PC), you might want to look here. If you don't have a GBA flash card, I recommend running it in VisualBoyAdvance.

he was already crazy when he wrote it, but it'll send any sane person over the edge.

I'm only as crazy as my Asperger syndrome lets me be. It's the neurotypicals who are crazy ;-)

• Bram Cohen (author of BitTorrent) has Asperger's Syndrome (sometimes called High Functioning Autism)
• Steve Silberman wrote about the increase rate of incidence of Asperger's/Autism in Silicon Valley
• For family needing to deal with a member with Asperger's Syndrome or autism, try OASIS
• If you're curious enough, there are sites, such as this one, that are created by those dealing with autism.

"Believe me, it's heartbreaking to see a child locked in his own world unable to communicate with others or even unaware WHY he should."

It's even more heartbreaking as an autistic to have people assume that my not relying on speech/pointing/other 'normal' communication methods means I'm 'unable to communicate' or 'unaware.'

(Before you leap to any conclusions about my functionality, make sure to read a letter to those that feel autistics capable of typing are magically more functional in any other way than those that currently aren't typing. I am a *lot* like the friend of mine that wrote that.)

"And don't give me nonsense about humans who can't speak - that's always either a physical problem, or deafness so they never learned how. Fix those problem and they can speak."

Not in the case of non-speaking autistics -- there's no mechanical failure involved, our brains (like those of other species) simply aren't designed to communicate via spoken words any more than non-human species are. We don't consider that a problem, and happily communicate in other ways; we have no interest in "fixing" the essence of who/what we are just because the average human happens to be different from us.

"And don't give me nonsense about humans who can't speak - that's always either a physical problem, or deafness so they never learned how. Fix those problem and they can speak."

Not in the case of non-speaking autistics -- there's no mechanical failure involved, our brains (like those of other species) simply aren't designed to communicate via spoken words any more than non-human species are. We don't consider that a problem, and happily communicate in other ways; we have no interest in "fixing" the essence of who/what we are just because the average human happens to be different from us.

Not everybody that knows a language thinks in it. Most autistics (including myself) think in motions, tones, colors, textures, music, images, combinations of those, or other sensory-based information. My particular type of thought is the spatially-based colors and textures.

Yes- having a certain level of arrogance about the ability to figure out complex traits is a part of having Asperger's Syndrome. For how those of us who are high functioning autistic view normal society with it's lack of integrity, lack of intelligence, and lack of common courtesy I suggest you go to The Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical which turns the whole conversation on it's head and shows why we should pity so-called "normal" people.

Yes, actually, there's a pretty wide variety of alternatives; ABA is *presented* as the only way to deal with autism, but it's not. (If it were, then my non-ABA-trained autistic butt wouldn't have a bachelor's degree from Berkeley. Note that I am what's known as a "classic" autie that even loses speech/literacy if too stressed, but because I know how to handle my autism, I can often function as if I were just an Asperger's autistic instead.)

I'm a bit too drained at this point to deal with writing a big post -- being autistic, sometimes language just doesn't work right -- but all I'd be doing is restating what others have said. So instead, I'll give you some of my favorite links on the subject. :)

Our Story: Life On The Spectrum Jypsy wrote about raising her autistic (as in "did not even speak until late in childhood") son Alex, with non-ABA methods, and their amazing success. She's supposed to update soon, as he's now a track & field star mainstreamed in high school with top grades.

Autistic Advocacy Essays about autism, including many explanations of why ABA is harmful and the preferred alternatives.

Autistics.org Library Essays on a variety of topics about how autistics are treated. (Autistics.org is a great place for info in general, but the Library is the best for quick learning.)

Autism and Assistive Technology One autistic discusses using assistive technology so she can live a fuller life rather than waste energy looking non-autistic.

If you're really interested in the topic, AutAdvo has a ton of parents & autistics that love explaining this, and would do a better job than I'm capable of this evening. :)

Yes, actually, there's a pretty wide variety of alternatives; ABA is *presented* as the only way to deal with autism, but it's not. (If it were, then my non-ABA-trained autistic butt wouldn't have a bachelor's degree from Berkeley. Note that I am what's known as a "classic" autie that even loses speech/literacy if too stressed, but because I know how to handle my autism, I can often function as if I were just an Asperger's autistic instead.)

I'm a bit too drained at this point to deal with writing a big post -- being autistic, sometimes language just doesn't work right -- but all I'd be doing is restating what others have said. So instead, I'll give you some of my favorite links on the subject. :)

Our Story: Life On The Spectrum Jypsy wrote about raising her autistic (as in "did not even speak until late in childhood") son Alex, with non-ABA methods, and their amazing success. She's supposed to update soon, as he's now a track & field star mainstreamed in high school with top grades.

Autistic Advocacy Essays about autism, including many explanations of why ABA is harmful and the preferred alternatives.

Autistics.org Library Essays on a variety of topics about how autistics are treated. (Autistics.org is a great place for info in general, but the Library is the best for quick learning.)

Autism and Assistive Technology One autistic discusses using assistive technology so she can live a fuller life rather than waste energy looking non-autistic.

If you're really interested in the topic, AutAdvo has a ton of parents & autistics that love explaining this, and would do a better job than I'm capable of this evening. :)

That's my guess.

Unbelievable. I was sure this was a troll, but discovered that Wired Magazine [wired.com] ran a story in December 2001 called The Geek Syndrome [wired.com] addressing this phenomenon. Amazing.

It's a crock of shit. I happen to have Asperger's syndrome (i.e.: "high functioning" autism), diagnosed and all, and my parents are not particularly technical. There are also plenty of completely non-technical people who have autism and related conditions, I am helping one of them with his computer, he is as clue-resistant as my NT co-workers. The idea that autistic people are statistically better with computers and technology than the general population is a myth.

In addition, the idea mentioned in the grandparent post that you should not have children if you have a slightly elevated chance of having a child with a disability smacks of eugenics and is reprehensible. Even on the off chance that it does happen, a disability is not the end of the world, although it can be the beginning of a different world.

This may not be case for every condition labeled a "disability"; just speaking up for my own circumstances :-)

If you suffered from it, more than likely you would know it by now.

This is a long way of saying that if you are living a relaticely healthy life right now, you are not going to be diagnosed as sufferring from "Asperger's Syndrome".

If you were having actual socialization problems on the level of Asperger's, you would have seeked out professional help a long time ago.

As the author of one of the writeups in the Asperger's syndrome node at E2 (look at my email and guess which one), I scored a 42.

Going through school was hell, and forced me to learn about how normal people actually work. Like you have, I know when someone's lying through their teeth. Not being able to naturally (dontcha love split infinitives?) "read" people, I learned that skill the hard way, through much trial and error, against my own will.

I've had strong interests. My special interests right now are computers and roads (roadgeeking: take a look at Gribble Nation some time). My first "obsession" was vacuum cleaners. I had to go to the janitor store every Sunday to look in the window at the vacuum cleaners. My fourth birthday cake had a Hoover on it. My next special interest was dead-ends. My dad and grandpa drove me all over town hunting out all the dead-ends. This gave way, naturally, to roadgeeking. When my grandpa got a computer (Pentium MMX 166) in April '97, when I was in fifth grade, I quickly learned everything about that machine, and became a computer nerd.

In my eyes, Asperger's is definitely not a bad thing. In fact, I'm proud I have Asperger's, and I don't want to be normal. You might be interested in this website:

The Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical, a satirical parody of how Asperger's Syndrome is looked down upon by the neurologically typical.

I am tremendously amused that neurotypicals find themselves as difficult to understand (emotional, illogical, unpredictable) as autistics have been claiming all along. And yet you get to define what is "normal" behavior for humans.

You might also be amused to view this discussion from our perspective. A good introduction is available here at the parody site for the Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical".

I was given a dual High-Functioning Autism/Asperger diagnosis by TEACCH in 1994, when I was 46. The dx was confirmed by the University of Pittsburgh when I participated in its autism study. (This is why my nick is the diagnostic code for autism.) FWIW two accounts of my experiences with autism, presented at an AS conference in Sweden in early 1998, are here and here. There is also a huge amount of Asperger info and resources here.

From my perspective, labeling autism as a "fad" or an "excuse" does no one any good. While it might be possible for neurotypical folks to mimic autistic behavior, that is very different from an autistic person being unable to consistently emulate nonautistic behavior and having to put up with the consequences of that 24/7.

There seems a huge amount of misunderstanding regarding autism, much from folks who have a great many expectations of, or assumptions about, autistic folks' behavior. Motives are imputed to our behavior and appearence, as when my often-flat expression and tone of voice are taken as signs that I am upset. (By that interpretation, Data is pissed off nearly all the time.)

IMO what is needed most is a sociological approach to autism, to complement the existing medical/psychological one. This is already underway at a grass-roots level by various folks on the autism spectrum - one early example, a message to parents of autistic children, may be found here.

This has cause and effect arse backwards. The "inability to read routine human nonverbal cues" is the cause not effect. These kinds of misconceptions can be very offensive. The inability goes both ways; The Neurotypical often mis-read the nonverbal and verbal communication of those who are autistic.

High Functioning Autism (HFA) is not a clearly defined diagnosis. Rather, it is a label given when
someone meets (or met as a child) the diagnostic criteria for autistic disorder but is able to speak and
has an average or above average IQ. The primary distinction between High Functioning Autism and
Asperger Syndrome is early development - primarily of language. High Functioning Autistics are often
mis-labelled with Asperger Syndrome if speech is adequate at the time of assessment.

Autism is a very misunderstood condition, and one which has been repeatedly mischaracterized, misdiagnosed, and mistreated.

I strongly suggest that before anyone jump to conclusions on what it means for some "geeks" to be characterized as "autistic", "borderline autistic", "Asperger's syndrome", or "shadow autistic", that you familiarize yourself with some of the material available at www.autistics.org. Something which might be especially appropriate is "Autistic Adults and Adolescents", an essay by a woman with "atypical autism" who might also very well fall into the "geek" category some ways.

You will find that "autism" does not mean "mental retardation", nor does it mean "insanity", nor does it mean "inability to function in society". As for what it does mean, well, that's still rather up in the air ....

Autism is a very misunderstood condition, and one which has been repeatedly mischaracterized, misdiagnosed, and mistreated.

I strongly suggest that before anyone jump to conclusions on what it means for some "geeks" to be characterized as "autistic", "borderline autistic", "Asperger's syndrome", or "shadow autistic", that you familiarize yourself with some of the material available at www.autistics.org. Something which might be especially appropriate is "Autistic Adults and Adolescents", an essay by a woman with "atypical autism" who might also very well fall into the "geek" category some ways.

You will find that "autism" does not mean "mental retardation", nor does it mean "insanity", nor does it mean "inability to function in society". As for what it does mean, well, that's still rather up in the air ....