ishyface | Help me with my learnings!

Questions for... well, everyone, I guess:

1) How big is the gap between Asperger's Syndrome and high-functioning autism? (From what I understand the two overlap a lot. Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

2) What is the Baptist Church's official stance re:stigmata? (Any info about the Baptist Church would be useful, actually- I know very little about it.)

3) What does it feel like to have a nosebleed? (I've never had one.)

4) How do you know when "coffee" is not just coffee but coffee? (Because I just made plans to go for coffee with a friend, but I think said friend may be under the impression that these plans are for coffee instead of coffee. And, um, that could be problematic!)

5) How much does Thomas Hobbes suck? (Like, a lot, right?)

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ETA: From the essay I am currently writing on Hobbes' theory of the state of nature:

"Hobbes would have us believe that people tend not to murder their children because of the power of law and the state, but this is nonsense: anyone who has ever been in the same room with a fussy baby for more than ten minutes is sure to wonder why its parents do not simply drop it into the nearest lake and tell the authorities that dingoes ate it."

I don't even care if I am grossly misrepresenting Hobbes here,* I am not cutting that sentence.

* I am, but only because I don't like him.

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LMAO @ the Hobbes bit. I did a presentation on some work of Jonathon Swift's (I think it might have been Tale of a Tub) examining the potential dialogue between Swift and Hobbes, with a focus on Leviathon. It was a pretty intense presentation, and reading Hobbes was not easy. I love philosophy and early political theory; however, I don't think I actually retained much of what I read. Good luck with your paper, what is the subject?

As for having a nosebleed, sometimes you don't really feel anything at all and just realize that blood is trickling out of your nose. Other times it hurts slightly and is rather disgusting. I don't get very bad ones, so I might not be the best person to answer that question, but at least you have gained one person's perspective on the issue.

The Asperger's/autism overlap question is rather difficult. I won't get into specifics because I am too lazy right now, but people with asperger's syndrome have a specific set of traits or habits that differ from other people within the autism spectrum. I think intelligence might also be a factor. There are plenty of people with Asperger's syndrome who are quite brilliant and focused, but lack the ability to relate well to others. My mother's best friend has a daughter with Asperger's syndrome and if you didn't know her very well you would think she was absolutely normal if a bit shy and traditional. On the other hand, my cousin has autism, and a significant speech impediment. He can barely take care of himself, but he is not at all stupid. He reads, retains information, and can explain what he knows as long as he feels comfortable. He will never go to univeristy (unlike my mom's friend's daughter) but he does have, at the very least, an average IQ. I can look into the more psychological/medical specifics and get back to you if you want.

btw I like Hobbes as well and look forward to having time to review what I read and possibly pursue the topic of that presentation once I return to school. *digs through filing cabinet to find contents of presentation*

Ooh, that presentation sounds nifty. Do you still have it? After four years of philosophy I am beginning to hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand suns; I stopped retaining anything somewhere in second year. The subject was the Hobbesian state of nature (that "nasty, poor, brutish, and short" meme). I think I kind of botched it, but that is because at this stage in my academic career I am more interested in filling my papers with comic references and dead baby jokes than actually writing a thesis. I'd like to think this makes me a more interesting student. It probably just makes me a slob.

Is there a large correlation between IQ and autism, or is it more a factor of autistic people finding it difficult to communicate?

Actually, people with autism can be highly intelligent, or average, or deprived in the IQ department. From what I learned way back when I was still a psych major, girls with autism tend to be more severely disabled and have a lower IQ; however, the majority of children diagnosed with it are male. At the time some researchers believed that the higher variability in males was due to the larger number of those affected, and due to some of the mechanics behind the causal factors. Another major difference is the development of language. Children with autism often experience difficulty developing language skills and may never be able to communicate effectively; however, this is often not the case with those affected by Asperger's syndrome. On IQ tests children with Aspergers usually score within the average or above average range and show improvement with age; whereas children with autism often show cognitive impairments that do not improve. Apparently, children with Asperger's syndrome, much like my mother's friend's daughter, want to be social but are highly awkward and often overly formal. They are also known to become obsessed with things and have to find out everything they can about them. I read a really great article in a psychology magazine about a brilliant Ph.D. student with Asperger's syndrome. She could spend hours putting together a puzzle and was more interested in research than people. They often carry their interests over into communication (which I have also observed), finding it difficult to talk about anything else.

In regards to my presentation, yes, I kept a copy. I try to keep everything I worked on. In this case I was especially careful to do so because the professor suggested that I consider revisiting and expanding upon the topic in graduate school.

I think it's largely a communication thing. There are starting to be blogs of people previously or currently considered "low-functioning" that found a medium to show that they're actually really smart and cool, eg Amanda Baggs. On the flip side, a disproportionate number of people ACTUALLY DIAGNOSED by the man (lol) seem to have low IQs, and it's definitely at least partially a disability insofar as it's an interference-fest.

http://autisminnb.blogspot.com/2010/02/discrimination-against-persons-with-low.html <- mocking the "neurodiversity" movement and making good points

http://ballastexistenz.autistics.org/ <-Amanda Bagg's blog

My best friend was told all his life he was diagnosed Aspergers, but he found out about a year ago that he was actually diagnosed classically autistic. So who knows?

So it comes down to bias in standardized testing? It wouldn't surprise me given the other problems with standardized testing (potential gender and racial bias due to test questions and criteria). I will have to check out the links to see if there is anything I can find out for my cousin.

Well, I've never been tested for autism, so I don't know for sure. I would imagine that a test could tell if you were autistic all right, but not much else.

hmm well I was specifically referring to the standardized IQ test which really doesn't diagnose autism, it is just a way of stratifying those who have the syndrome and looking at potential issues where intelligence is concerned. It is a test that can be administered to every member of the populace and just because a person who isn't affected by autism scores lower than average doesn't mean they are autistic. In fact someone with autism or aspergers could conceivably score higher than someone without the syndrome.

Help me with my learnings!

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