May 22nd, 2004, 09:13 PM
Jeannette, why don't you shelf your self-righteousness for a while. It's getting really tiring.
And check your own ignorance at the door before bitching, because at least then you might be justified. Just because I have a sense of humor doesn't mean I'm being spiteful. (I am in this post, though).
Let's go through your diagnostic criteria and see who's full of shit.
A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
Two, remember.
1. marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction
Check. I only make eye contact when I manage to remember. It's not difficult for me to look at someone's eyes while speaking, but it feels unnatural. I speak in a monotone unless I modulate my voice (fortunately, three years as a camp counselor helped me learn to speak better) or I'm excited about something. I don't take body language or vocal cues well, and I can barely begin to monitor my own.
2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
Check. It was *almost* fun being the misunderstood nerd through elementary school, high school, and one year of college. Almost.
That's two. I qualify for the first criterion.
B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
One of the following. I'll give you two for good measure.
1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
I don't know what it means by stereotyped, but picture a seven-year-old kid who could read issues of Nintendo Power magazine for six hours straight on a Saturday afternoon. Then a twelve-year-old who could mess around with a complex strategy computer game (not that I was ever good at it) from after school to bedtime. Then a twenty-year-old who just watched an entire season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer without getting bored and who spent two hours looking at his last Musician's Friend catalog. Abnormal focus, isn't it?
2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
To this day, I very rarely step on cracks in sidewalks unless I'm thinking hard about something else, and on tiled floors I walk in weird patterns and make people look at me funny. In many places I walk frequently, there is a specific pattern of steps I take to maneuver through all of the cracks, bumps, and marks on the floor/road.
C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
I didn't have a girlfriend until I was almost nineteen, and the two girls I was involved with were needy and desperate when I met them. I never stood a chance with anyone normal, even though I went through my share of teenage crushes. Not that I know what constitutes clinically significant, but it was pretty significant to me, considering that none of my high school friends had the difficulties I did.
D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)
This is included to avoid misdiagnosis, so it's not important. But no, I didn't have problems learning to speak.
E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood
See above, and I didn't have any problems here, either.
F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia
I don't think I'm schizophrenic. Let me get back to you on that one.
There you have it. It's a self-diagnosis, but it's pretty convincing, isn't it?
Jeannette, fuck you. You're interesting from time to rare time, but no one wants to read your ignorant, pretentious bitching, and that's mostly what you provide. Educate yourself, learn not to jump to conclusions, or shut the fuck up.
"Aspie" is still a retarded word, even if the DSM-IV says I am one.
|