Phillip made a comment at Tim’s asking for a description of Asperger’s. I gave technical descriptions of Asperger’s and personal testimony during the Blogathon but here’s a different way to describe it. Aspergers is Autism Light. Autistic people have the wrong kind of sensory input filters. Sights, sounds, touch, language and everything else are likely to be perceived differently than in non-auties. The trick is that no two people have the same set of filters, so everyone interprets and reacts to the world differently. A hot stove may be burning the skin while no pain is felt. People with Aspergers have symptoms of dozens of different diagnosis in the DSM, but they usually shouldn’t be diagnosed ADHD, ODD, OCD, Bipolar or Schizophrenia. Those are all just symptoms of their Aspergers and result from the mixed-up input they receive from the world. Most people with Aspergers are very intelligent but unlike other people, Aspies focus their intelligence on subjects they choose rather what educators would like them to choose. It may be something useful like Astronomy or dinosaurs but it could also be something like memorizing the script to movies or racing through books as though they were desperately needed oxygen. Aspergers is extremely frustrating because there is so much potential to succeed as well as to fail. Aspies have their own set of rules and don’t understand why others don’t follow them.

Does any of that make sense? I live it and I still get confused and overwhelmed.