They sure do have a lot of studies about Autism and Aspergers these days. I have to say I am paying attention to see if they end up concluding it is fundamentally an expression of human variation such as hair color or if it is some kind defect such as being born with no left arm and maybe having a more adept right arm as a result. I am certainly pulling for the former "explaination". I like to think that it is a trait built into the human genome that guarantees that a certain percentage of people born will have in order to perform certain tasks that society needs. I liken this to a colony of ants where some ants were born to be workers and others born to be soldiers. So, I like hearing about genetic factors, but cringe at possible environmental causes. But reguardless of its source, I do know God gave us all different "talents" and "gifts" for a reason.
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Purpose and Cause of Aspergers
- Thread starter AndyTheVulcan
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On National Geographic, they posted an interesting article about a species of Finch seen to "evolve" a smaller beak in a single generation due to environmental factors.
I also wonder if Asperger characteristics may be partially driven by environmental factors, such as our increasingly technological society. There may be a need for more people with certain technical skills, and so more people are being born with ASD.
Of course, this is just wonderings, I don't know if there's any more
people with ASD than there was 500 years ago.
I also wonder if Asperger characteristics may be partially driven by environmental factors, such as our increasingly technological society. There may be a need for more people with certain technical skills, and so more people are being born with ASD.
Of course, this is just wonderings, I don't know if there's any more
people with ASD than there was 500 years ago.
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HeatherLst
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Just last week I saw a story on a research at the University of Louisville. Evidently he's been studying Autistic brains versus normal brains, and found that the autistic brain has a much higher concentration of brain cells than the average brain. Such a high concentration of cells that the extra information that they process get logjammed in the brain connections that just can't handle the load.
So here's what I wonder too...is it a developing brain, changing to handle our now information based society? Does that explain the sudden jump in number of AS children?
Taking that further...girls are known to have more connections in their brains, allowing the right/left brain to talk to each other better. (One article I read said women have almost 10 times the number of connections.) Does that explain why boys have autism at such higher rates? And maybe why verbal kids who have autism are Asperger's? I'm not a neurologist, but my understanding is that more brain connections = better verbal skills. (There are studies that show that kids who learn sign language or other languages early in life have more brain connections; more verbal people have more brain connections.)
And if that's true, then do we teach our autistic babies sign language to encourage not only communication but brain connections that allow them to climb further out of the autism darkness?
Like I said, I'm not a scientist, just a mom of an Asperger's boy. One who learned sign language when his speech was delayed, and now his verbal skills test off the charts.
So here's what I wonder too...is it a developing brain, changing to handle our now information based society? Does that explain the sudden jump in number of AS children?
Taking that further...girls are known to have more connections in their brains, allowing the right/left brain to talk to each other better. (One article I read said women have almost 10 times the number of connections.) Does that explain why boys have autism at such higher rates? And maybe why verbal kids who have autism are Asperger's? I'm not a neurologist, but my understanding is that more brain connections = better verbal skills. (There are studies that show that kids who learn sign language or other languages early in life have more brain connections; more verbal people have more brain connections.)
And if that's true, then do we teach our autistic babies sign language to encourage not only communication but brain connections that allow them to climb further out of the autism darkness?
Like I said, I'm not a scientist, just a mom of an Asperger's boy. One who learned sign language when his speech was delayed, and now his verbal skills test off the charts.
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TheMissus
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My husband is an Aspie, and his theory is that the Aspie brain is a forerunner for an evolved human (theoretically called "Neo-Sapiens"). Those with AS have the way of thinking and functioning that is becoming more and more useful in society. Perhaps it's where we as a species are headed.
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Well i do not agree with the evolving theory, as i believe that we are all created by God, in God's image, as stated in Genesis ( of The Bible.)
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I have read that people with low- functioning autism are often more content than those with high- functioning autism , which i think is an interesting point .
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R
*Rob*
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scientists are trying to link autism with the measals jab i think, they say kids who have the jab are more likely to get it. I dont agree with that, i believe God has given me aspergers for a reason
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createcoms
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I don't believe God "gave" me aspergers, but that his plans for me are based upon that person that I became because he knew what I would become before I was born.
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createcoms
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drifter5, of course you were born with Aspergers/autism - I've not read of people somehow "getting it" at a later developmental point?!?!?
Again, God doesn't "give" you any sort of affliction of the body or mind - instead he often chooses to allow it with the infinite foresight showing that despite it or even BECAUSE of it you will do great things to bring glory to him. Afflictions (as demonstrated with Paul in the Bible) can have (if you so choose to allow it) that wonderful effect of bringing you *closer* to God.
Again, God doesn't "give" you any sort of affliction of the body or mind - instead he often chooses to allow it with the infinite foresight showing that despite it or even BECAUSE of it you will do great things to bring glory to him. Afflictions (as demonstrated with Paul in the Bible) can have (if you so choose to allow it) that wonderful effect of bringing you *closer* to God.
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Some people do believe that you can become autistic after birth, (e.g MMR injections, mercury ,etc.) I do not believe that autism is an affliction.
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createcoms
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Tell me something, are there struggles you have, inabilities or impairments you face that fall under the umbrella of Autism?
Because if the answer is Yes then you are contradicting yourself, and if the answer is No then you simply don't have Autism.
I do suspect you are playing a semantics game with me, simply because I'm using labels for Autism such as "affliction" "disorder" which have negative connotations you obviously are refusing to accept as having relevance in your life. Which is really quite silly IMHO, because that denies the thrust of the issue we are here in this forum to deal with - the struggles of dealing with and being Autistic or Aspergers
Because if the answer is Yes then you are contradicting yourself, and if the answer is No then you simply don't have Autism.
I do suspect you are playing a semantics game with me, simply because I'm using labels for Autism such as "affliction" "disorder" which have negative connotations you obviously are refusing to accept as having relevance in your life. Which is really quite silly IMHO, because that denies the thrust of the issue we are here in this forum to deal with - the struggles of dealing with and being Autistic or Aspergers
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I am able to seperate the autism itself from the co-morbids that can be classed as an affliction. I know first hand that having autism can be very tough, and i am not trying to deny this. Would you class someone without autism as "having an affliction" just because they struggle with afflictions sometimes, or would you see them first and foremost as a person in their own right, who struggle sometimes ? We all have different strengths and weaknesses.
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createcoms
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Do you realise that the question makes no sense? If someone is struggling with an affliction are they not also having an affliction?
Struggles in the wider sense tend be be periodic and non-repetative, so this is why people that "sometimes struggle" (without adding any further detail or context) cannot be said by that alone to have an affliction.
However Autism doesn't spend time with you on Tuesdays but take the Wednesday off for coffee with friends - it is part of you and is there every second. That is why it is an affliction.
Yes Humanity in general is full of people with strong and weakpoints, but most weakpoints are generated often by a lack of need for strength in that area or a compromise where it is weak because another area is strong (example I am good at Computers because of the sheer focus on developing the skill over my life, but this has been at the expense of other skills that could have been developed using that time). Autism however, creates weaknesses by neurological hindrance (and this is *not* discounting the strong points that still emerge in an Autistic or Aspergers person).
I'm starting to ask myself why I'm arguing against this however, because at the end of the day - you don't want to accept Autism is an affliction, and there's only so much effort that is reasonable to be put into convincing anyone (including yourself) otherwise.
Struggles in the wider sense tend be be periodic and non-repetative, so this is why people that "sometimes struggle" (without adding any further detail or context) cannot be said by that alone to have an affliction.
However Autism doesn't spend time with you on Tuesdays but take the Wednesday off for coffee with friends - it is part of you and is there every second. That is why it is an affliction.
Yes Humanity in general is full of people with strong and weakpoints, but most weakpoints are generated often by a lack of need for strength in that area or a compromise where it is weak because another area is strong (example I am good at Computers because of the sheer focus on developing the skill over my life, but this has been at the expense of other skills that could have been developed using that time). Autism however, creates weaknesses by neurological hindrance (and this is *not* discounting the strong points that still emerge in an Autistic or Aspergers person).
I'm starting to ask myself why I'm arguing against this however, because at the end of the day - you don't want to accept Autism is an affliction, and there's only so much effort that is reasonable to be put into convincing anyone (including yourself) otherwise.
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I can not seperate my autism from who i am as a person. To destroy the autism would be to destroy me ! We will have to agree to differ, my brother. God bless.
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