Asperger's, not what you think it is Krister Palo TEDxYouth@ISH

[LiberalArkie]

Published on Jul 9, 2015
Krister Palo is a 15-year-old student at the International School of the Hague who just happens to have Asperger's syndrome. In his talk, he shares misconceptions about people with Asperger's syndrome, and breaks down some of these popular stereotypes and assumptions.


This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedxe

[Warpy]

1. MIT was Aspie Central and I quite enjoyed them

Some had more limitations than others, like the math whiz who couldn't quite manage to order a pizza.

This TED points out some important things about not pigeonholing people, no matter what the diagnosis. When I went to school, they were just labeled nerds and geeks if they were smart, less complimentary thing if their talents hadn't yet been discovered.

Now they're pretty good at diagnosing boys and adult men. Where they're running into real trouble is with the diagnosis of women, in whom Asperger's is expressed very differently.

[ret5hd]

2. How is Asperger's expressed in women? I guess I've never thought about it.

[Warpy]

4. Start here

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/autism-it-s-different-in-girls/

Then do a Google search for handy dandy checklists.

[LiberalArkie]

5. There is this

Always a good place is https://www.reddit.com/r/aspergers/

[LiberalArkie]

3. I read recently where a uni up in the NW is starting the first ever study of Seniors with Aspergers.

Thats me at 69. Trying to find any info on what to expect is about impossible. Been trying to find a shrink in Arkansas that I can see has just about been impossible also.

[Warpy]

6. It's about bloody time! Women over 50 are invisible, anyway

and women over 50 with Asperger's are even less visible than that.

[LiberalArkie]

7. It gets to be fun. I never knew I had it until I retired and noticed changes coming about.

I was getting younger it seemed. It seemed like I was channeling a 13 year old.

Once all the stress from conforming my whole life was over, the real me started coming out. My blood pressure is down now. I live alone with my feline and canine overlords. And live is good.

I found out why life unfolded as it did for me. I found out why I drop things, and bang into door frames, and why I hate to have plans change on me.. It all makes sense.

[Warpy]

8. Understood

I sort of fit it and I sort of don't but at my age I'm just plain out of fucks to give except I hope they'll step up the effort to diagnose girls and get them some appropriate treatment in coping strategies to decrease the hidden misery.

[LiberalArkie]

9. I think they will. They will have too. There are way too many hidden people struggling with it.

I have been lucky being born with a bad heart and lungs, bad eyes and ears kind of kept me out of the loop for a long time, but I still wondered why I was so much more different. I am blessed to have found jobs that needed the kind of thinking that most aspies have. I and glad that I found the reddit group. It was there that I really narrowed it down, like the dropping things and banging into door frames and tripping over air molecules. I think most of the traits fit either sex, just not all people will show all the traits.

Since in follows the paternal side of the family, I guess that is why the female side was really ignored for awhile.

There seems to be a lot of therapists out there for the younger set, the older, they figure we have it figured out already I guess.

[hunter]

10. My rocket scientist grandpa was clearly a high functioning autistic.

He was recognized for his work as an Army Air Corp officer in World War II, and his work landing men on the moon, but his personal life was always a flaming exploding never ending catastrophe.

He understood exotic metals, but he didn't understand people in any conventional way.