Asperger's Diary

Life through the lens of Asperger's Syndrome.

by Lynne Soraya

Sorting out Synesthesia

“You know, it’s sad,” my father wistfully remarked to me one day, “Before MTV, you had to come up with your own pictures in your head when you listened to music.” I didn’t think there was anything unusual in his comment. After all, everyone saw pictures when they listened to music. Didn’t they? Read More

Pity, Respect, and the We/She Dynamic

In my last post, I talked about “othering” autism. What exactly is othering? Some who responded to the post seemed to feel that othering and ill will are synonymous. I disagree. In my experience, it can often be done by those with the best intentions. Read More

Stigma and the “Othering” of Autism

There’s been an ongoing debate in the autism community. One about ideology, one about words. It’s about what it means to support an autistic child (or adult), and it’s about how one feels about the word “autism.” Is it something to accept, or something to fight? Read More

The Damaging Legacy of Parent Blame

When I read explorations of many possible dynamics that may have caused the increases in the rates of autism diagnosis, I am pleased to see the diversity of causal factors considered. But there is one dynamic that I have yet to see covered, and it's one that's very personal for me. It's the legacy of parent blame. Read More

What Does Authenticity Look Like?

Authenticity. It's a simple word — but for some of us, it isn't so simple. When it comes to those of us who have different methods of expression...what looks like authenticity may not be, and what looks like inauthenticity may actually be the opposite. Read More

Re-Playing the Past

Since I learned about Asperger's, I've done a lot of "time travelling"...reviewing my past through a new lens. In this process, I made some very surprising discoveries, some of which I've written about previously. Sometimes these discoveries have come from places that I least expected. Read More

Social Justice and the Autism Spectrum

As the debate about the DSM 5 proposed revisions rages on, the focus of the media turns more and more to the upsurge in autism diagnoses. What does the increase in autism numbers mean? Are the standards for diagnosis too lax? Is autism really becoming more common? Or, is it that we are getting better at recognizing it? Read More

Is Asperger's Overdiagnosed?

In recent months, the New York Times has gotten a lot of positive press in the autism community for Amy Harmon's series of sensitive articles regarding the many issues that impact those with autism and their families. But two recently published pieces are causing a great deal of anger in the very same community. The thrust of these two op-eds: Asperger's is over-diagnosed. Read More

A Dream That Leads to a Nightmare

Last night, I had a dream. I was in a store with family, and I had an outburst, what we in the autism community call a meltdown. As the stress and frustration boiled over, I had to get out. So I ran. Read More

Love, Identity and Disability

Early this month, the Susan Baer of the Washington Post wrote a wrenching piece about the life of Page and Robert Melton. In 2003, Mr. Melton, a former WP reporter, experienced a stroke which resulted in an anoxic brain injury, and significant cognitive disabilities. Billed as an uplifting story, for me it brought up strong feelings in me which I am still struggling to sort through. Read More

A Letter to the Lonely

It's the holidays again. A time for togetherness. For family and friends. That's what they say, right? Unfortunately, that's not the reality for many of us. Several years ago, I wrote a post about the way in which loneliness and the holidays often seem to mix for me, and many others like me. Read More

Autism, Ability, and Adaptation: Asking The Right Questions

Recently, 60 Minutes did a moving segment called, "Apps for Autism." In it, they demonstrated the impact that the iPad has had for many people with autism who are unable speak. The segment demonstrated clearly how new tools and information can lead to breakthroughs that parents and professionals might previously never have expected. Read More

Views of Disability: Seeing the World through Another's Eyes

I was still catching up with my own thoughts when my stepmother and I left the car and knocked on the door. The door opened, and in the dark interior, I saw the outline of a person. My stepmother greeted her friend, introduced me, and he invited us to enter. We were ushered into the dark entryway, as our host reached to flip on a light. Read More

The Dark House: Assumptions and Attitudes Regarding Disability

A few years ago, I was having a conversation with a coworker about her husband's passion for the television show CSI. "Did you know," I asked, "that the actor who plays the medical examiner, has a disability? His legs were amputated due to an accident." "Really!" she exclaimed, "I wonder if my husband knows that!" Read More

Adventures in Cross-Cultural Communication

One afternoon, while I and a group of coworkers were huddled around our laptops feverishly laboring to meet a deadline, I heard a chuckle next to me. "You're so impatient!" my coworker said. Startled out of a deep focus, I was confused. Where did that come from? Read More

Finding Meaning in Muppets

In a recent post, Elaine Hall, the founder of The Miracle Project, wrote about special interests in autism. In it, she wrote about the importance of working with a child's special interests and how these interests may lead to employment in adulthood. Read More

Sometimes What Looks Like Empathy, Isn't

Change isn't easy for those of us on the spectrum. The beginning of a new school year is replete with it. Given this, it's inevitable that students with Asperger's would run into a few bumps along the way. Jeanne Holverstott recently wrote an interesting post about some of the challenges she's experienced through the eyes of her clients, young men with AS. Read More

Business Lessons from The Asperger's Community

In my last post, I listed some of the behaviors that can make the workplace difficult for those with Asperger's. In response, a reader wrote: "Some of the items on the list (such as not talking much/at all during meetings) are typical of standard introversion. Do you regard the person as having Asperger's if he has most or all of the characteristics on the list?" Read More

15 Ways To Exclude Associates with Asperger's

As an advocate, and as a person with Asperger's who's been employed out in the world for some years now, I've had a lot of opportunity to observe the effects of common workplace behaviors on those of us who live on the spectrum. Read More

Disability, Discrimination, and Disclosure: Being "Out" In The Workplace

Living with Asperger's, as with many other "hidden" disabilities, can be a lonely prospect. At times, telling others about your disability can be a help. Other times it can be a disaster. It can be hard to know whom to trust. Do you tell? Or don't you tell? Read More

Empathy and Advocacy: Closing the Gap

Sitting in an IKEA Cafe, a quick movement catches my eye. I see a girl, probably in her teens or twenties, running in a way that is distinctive. It's familiar to me, because it's one I've seen in myself - her hands are drawn up against her chest, and flap in time with her steps. I see her run, turn back toward a woman who is obviously her mother, then turn back to run again. Read More

Smoldering Shelties and Smoking Yorkies: Visual Processing in Asperger's

During a recent trip, running through the airport, I caught a brief glimpse of something that made me stop dead and burst out laughing. I know it must have seemed strange to those around me - but that's not unusual. The unique way my brain processes sensory inputs had played yet another trick on me. Read More

Hollywood: The Ultimate Social Skills Tutor?

Recently, I watched one of my favorite movies, Apollo 13. As I watched I couldn't help but notice how many of the movie's suspenseful moments hinge on social cues, like facial expression and body language. While I get the emotional power of such moments, at times they confuse me.

I have a confession to make. I hate American Idol. Since its debut, I have avoided it, seeing it as an example of all I've felt was wrong with our culture. Bullying. Ugliness. Cruelty. Mean behavior. Strangely, tonight I found myself tuning into it...just in time to see a performer with Asperger's wow the judges. Read More

Dogs and Autism: A Healing Combination

I first became aware of the story of Cowboy and Wills in September 2009, when I read the "two-minute memoir" featured in Psychology Today's print edition. I shied away from it at first, and once I did read it, I was left with mixed feelings. Monica Holloway's tale about her son's relationship with a special dog, Cowboy (and his subsequent loss), hit way too close to home. Read More

Media and Autism: Two Autism Favorites Win at the Golden Globes

Regular readers here will know that I'm a huge fan of both Temple Grandin, and The Big Bang Theory. Given that, I was glad to see both Claire Danes and Jim Parsons (as Sheldon Cooper) won Golden Globes in their respective categories. Read More

Developmental Disabilities and the Community: Why Inclusion Is Important

Some months ago, I chanced upon a wonderful video, of a remarkable woman, Karen Gaffney. In 2001, Karen was the first person with Down Syndrome to swim the English Channel. In 2010, she swam Boston Harbor. She is a speaker, self-advocate, and President of the Karen Gaffney Foundation, which advocates for full inclusion of those with developmental disabilities into society.

If you can't read facial expressions, how can you judge sincerity? Read More

The Pain of Isolation: Asperger’s and Suicide

A few years ago, there was a an article published about raising a child with Asperger's entitled, "My 10 Year Old Wanted To Die." I wasn't a fan of the article, which was tinged with a tone of pity/sensationalism that seems endemic to much media coverage of autism, but the title caught my attention. Read More

Self Awareness And The Difficulties of Being Different

Michael John Carley, in his book "Asperger's From The Inside Out," talks about how many adults with Asperger's, post diagnosis, take "long walks" through their memories, re-evaluating them in the context of Asperger's. During the course of these "long walks," there are times when you find your perceptions change dramatically, and pieces fall together in a way they haven't before. Read More