digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover and share the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

Asperger's: the IT industry's dark secret

computerworld.co.nz — "Jeremy" excels at being able to see an engineering problem from the inside out,What Jeremy is not good at is suffering fools or dealing with bureaucracy. If someone is wrong — if their idea just plain won't work — he says so, simply states the fact. That frankness causes all manner of upset in the office, he's discovered.

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • Fangsinmybeard, on 06/23/2008, -9/+72Typical selection process doesn't pick out those who are socially integrated and can understand social intricacies; they are looking for a genius automaton that can optimize a system in under 72 hours. Bill Gates is an example of an Asperger's sufferer. To think that the Richest man in the world is autistic, who would have thought it.
    • alecks, on 06/23/2008, -18/+161Plus, what the ***** is wrong with telling someone they're idea is bad? This is one thing I don't like about America, everything is so ***** sugarcoated from the day you start Kindergarden. Kids are never told they did something bad or they're work is simply below par... and this apparently grows right up into the workplace.
      If you come up with an idea that sucks, I will just tell you that it's bad and won't work. I don't have time to sugarcoat what I say to manage your feelings. If you feel insulted or whatever from what I say about your idea, then YOU are the one with problems, IMO.
      • thebza451, on 06/23/2008, -22/+49your comment is bad.
        • somestranger26, on 06/23/2008, -9/+1 Your hair... is bad.

          (from Anchorman)
        • MrMinit, on 06/23/2008, -5/+4We have a button for that, the little red one. You see?
      • GrantTheGr8, on 06/23/2008, -7/+124There = location
        Their = possessive
        They're = contraction of "they are"

        Normally I wouldn't bother correcting you because you'd probably just get offended and tell me to piss off, but since your comment is denouncing said behavior, what the hell.
        • bluenash, on 06/23/2008, -0/+6They're pissed off at you, sitting there at their keyboards.
        • LeonidasStokely, on 06/23/2008, -0/+4There != location. There indicates location.
          Their != possessive. Their = possessive pronoun.
          They're = contraction of "they are" (well done)

          I feel like the most despised man in Britain.

          Ah ***** it, I feel liek teh most hatest man in englandland.
        • GrantTheGr8, on 06/23/2008, -2/+1@LeonidasStokely:
          All you're doing is clarifying what I said. I assumed people would be smart enough to figure it out on their own but I do have a tendency to put too much faith in the intellect of the common human being. Regardless, I'm still correct.
      • katiekatekate, on 06/23/2008, -3/+45There is a difference between sugarcoating and diplomacy, though. While it's not necessary to pat people on the head and constantly reassure them, it IS possible to tell the truth without being rude. Telling someone their idea won't work is fine. Telling someone that they or their idea sucks is just unnecessarily aggressive.
        • guntario, on 06/23/2008, -5/+31Actually, it's almost impossible to tell someone the truth without them thinking you're being rude. Most people are instantly offended. It's either they'll think you're rude, or self righteous and break out with the "Don't judge me!" defense.
        • katiekatekate, on 06/23/2008, -1/+28That's true, and that's why you have to leave the people out of it as much as possible. Instead of saying "Your idea, x, is flawed because of situation y." you could say "Situation y makes plan x impossible." That way it's phrased just as plain facts and there are no people or ideas involved.

          I still maintain that this is not sugarcoating, it's just tact. The second sentence doesn't take any longer to say, so I never really understood the argument of "I don't have time to coddle you." Not being a jackass isn't the same thing as coddling.
        • AnarkeIncarnate, on 06/23/2008, -0/+17Katie,

          The problem with your idea is that people with Asperger's don't even think like that at all. It would almost never occur to them to think that way. It is a foreign concept to think of things as people issues when they are simply factual/rational issues. I know this from experience.
        • katiekatekate, on 06/23/2008, -3/+8Anarkel - I wasn't referring to people who actually suffer from Asperger's. I was responding to alecks and others who share the sentiment that our society has become too sensitive. While I don't actually disagree with that, I don't think it's right to go the opposite direction and say whatever hateful thing comes to mind in the spirit of toughening people up, or just plain mean. I guess I was being too diplomatic in not calling out any names ;). Sorry for the long thread, guys.
        • LeonidasStokely, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Agreed. Good manners cost nothing. Do not excuse your rudeness or laziness by saying you wear your heart on your sleeve. Be polite. God save the Queen.
      • TremorX, on 06/23/2008, -3/+13You're 'Spergin there buddy
      • MikeSD34, on 06/23/2008, -0/+22It should also be mentioned that if you want them to learn you should tell them why their idea doesn't work rather than just saying that it doesn't work. They're less likely to be upset and if you've done you're job, they now agree with you.

        Just saying "Your idea sucks" is argumentative and non-productive.
        • cJw314, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3It also doesn't hurt a damned thing if you're NOT a *****-holster in the process.

          Tone doesn't take any extra time to be aware of and use politely.
      • buba1243, on 06/23/2008, -5/+10I have the same problem. I just tell people what I consider the truth of the situation and peoples feelings seem to get hurt and I can never figure out why. I have told my boss his ideas are stupid then I wondered why he tried to get me fired. I tell my fiance that her cooking isn't good then wonder why she is pissed at me. I am lucky with my fiance she gets over it with my boss I got lucky cause he got fired but could run into serious issues later in life.
        • theutopian, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1Well, when dealing with the old lady and food, one must be vocal. I don't want to get stuck eating food I don't like for the rest of my life. As for everything else with women, lie your ass off when it comes to them (you're not fat, you're hair looks great, no I wouldn't run you over with a pickup truck). You'll be better off.
      • JonLatane, on 06/23/2008, -1/+9One of the first things you'll learn in any elementary software engineering lab or class is that when critiquing a teammate's work, you critique their IDEAS or CODE and not THEM. Thus, "Your code is wrong" or "You shouldn't have used a linked list here" becomes "This code could be improved" or "A heap is better suited to this problem than a linked list."

        It makes for better team dynamics and makes projects infinitely more fun to work on.
        • thailand1972, on 06/23/2008, -3/+3Your comment is flatout wrong. It assumes people can separate themselves from what they created. It is a part of them. I bet you were instantly stung (even just a little bit) when you read "Your comment is flatout wrong", even though I didn't directly criticise you.
        • tech42er, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2But that's exactly what he said. Instead of saying "your comment is flat-out wrong", say "that doesn't seem to be the case". His whole point was that you should try to separate peopleand their ideas as much as possible.
        • ufee, on 06/24/2008, -2/+1"But that's exactly what he said. Instead of saying "your comment is flat-out wrong", say "that doesn't seem to be the case"."

          Why would I ever want to be polite on Digg? The point of Digg is to spread assholism.
      • TedTschopp, on 06/23/2008, -1/+6Your ideas on communicaiton are wrong, stupid and Bad.

        Did that work, are you going to change your behaviour?

        No probably not.

        The purpose of communcation is to transmit an idea from one place to another. In the case of a rebuke or a critique you are trying to communicate the quality of an idea. Your methodology of communicating your superiour knowledge leads to poor communication, and the reciever will probablt not accept your proposition.

        Part of being a top problem solver is being a top communicator. Identification of a problem and communicaiton of that problem are two seperate things, but without the communciation of the problem you will never solve a problem which is larger than yourself.

        If you want to solve big problems then you will learn how to communicate better. In the mean time people who are better communicators but less talented in technical skills will have to make due as they work on those large problems.
        • AnarkeIncarnate, on 06/23/2008, -0/+7Hey, why don't you tell somebody who has leg braces they walk funny? The point, that was missed by so many, is that people with Asperger's do not think that way and usually have little to no idea the pitfalls they are walking around and into when it comes to interpersonal communication.
      • TimDigg, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3Often times higher ups in business are social skilled people, not smart people.

        Often times these people have inflated egos. So if you don't know how to deal with them, out the door you go.
      • NonLeftistDiggr, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2I don't know, but I have met a lot of people like you in the engineering world, and most of them need some serious intervention on the clothing, and that's coming from a person that doesn't care that much about clothing.... yet none of us are usually that brutal, like you are suggesting.
      • sooperspook, on 06/23/2008, -0/+0Right off the bat I can tell who here is going to get a promotion and who is going to be stuck in the same cubicle for the rest of their career.

        The people who get promoted are those who show they can work with other people without causing disruption. You are not an island. You are a member of an organization and if you don't have at least a little courtesy for other people, nobody is going to want to work with you.

        It is entirely possible to correct someone without insulting them. I don't see why you wouldn't. It lets you show your intelligence without putting down someone elses.
      • known, on 06/24/2008, -0/+1If you want to tell people the 5truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you. --Oscar Wilde

        BTW, I am autistic.
    • GorfTron, on 06/23/2008, -4/+32The gimpy high school nerd who had his head flushed in the toilet can be a TERROR to work with later in life. He now makes 100k and has an axe to grind and a lot to prove.
    • cfuse, on 06/23/2008, -11/+45Bill Gates is a person with Asperger's. An Asperger's sufferer is anyone who is around Bill Gates.
    • pAq6Swad, on 09/16/2008, -3/+31It's popular to view Asperger's as a sort of latent illness that some people have but aren't diagnosed with, and is only evident in asocial behavior. The truth is, they're actually quite a bit more eccentric than your average asocial person. . .I was also one of the myriad of self-diagnosed Aspies until I read a lot of material about them and discussed it with a professional. Do you have any habits that you hide, such as collecting years of fingernails or habits that many call superstitious but you think are well-founded? Some such eccentricity is extremely common in Aspies. The point is, if you don't have it, you should be very happy--the idea that aspies are highly intelligent asocial people is a gross simplification of disorder that is still very vague.
      • Gutterpunk, on 06/23/2008, -7/+6Aspies are highly intelligent asocial people, but highly intelligent asocial people might not be asperger. They might just be dicks.
        • AnarkeIncarnate, on 06/23/2008, -0/+18Aspies are not asocial nor anti-social. They are socially stunted in ways that make then naive about their surroundings in regards to how communication is projected and received.
      • tech42er, on 06/23/2008, -2/+2"habits that many call superstitious but you think are well-founded"

        Thanks, now we get to have a religious flamewar :(
    • Tyrghast, on 06/23/2008, -2/+12To be honest, I was positive this 'dark secret' was 'some IT people prefer Star Wars to Star Trek'.
      • unjustend, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1This is merely a religious vs scientific approach to science fiction. Some people can't deal with the idea behind a overly binding force that connects all people even though its explained via an actual organism, so they cling to their individualism and grouping more than a actual connection.

        /some people say I rattle off to much BS, I say I have too much fun doing it.
    • ligyron, on 06/23/2008, -7/+44Bill Gates has Aspergers disorder? Was there a confirmed diagnosis of this because I've never heard of it. Most people that really have Aspergers can hardly take care of themselves, let alone start a business and marry...

      There's a lot of misconceptions about Aspergers. A lot of people diagnosed themselves and seem to think that because they spent most of their childhood on the computer rather than socializing, they have a disorder.

      I don't remember where I read it, but I found it funny and true for a lot of people, "Aspergers is a disorder that is contracted after reading the Wikipedia article about it."
      • Pacificblue, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2yeh, actually many people believe Bill Gates has Aspergers disorder, but i guess there is no such proof or reports etc.
        For a person being shy and introvert, doesn't always mean Aspergers.
      • CSharpSauce, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Of course, not everyone with aspergers is on the extreme side. As the article pointed out, diagnosis is a subjective analysis of the spectrum.
      • Dhekke, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3You should read Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison before making assumptions about what people with Asperger's can and cannot do.
        I was diagnosed 2 years ago, and I can mantain long relationships with relative ease as long as things are adapted to some extent.
        Asperger's, even on a subconscient level, adjust themselves and some of their behaviors to avoid the "left out" feeling that was constant during childhood
    • Pittance, on 06/23/2008, -8/+24*****. Every nerd who has trouble socially says they have Aspergers. Most of these people are just socially inept. I tell people in my office when buerocratic decisions are stupid and will not work. The difference is that real engineers and people who want the company to work will listen. Only fools who want to maintain the status quo will be angry.
    • WeaponAlpha, on 06/23/2008, -3/+2Well the “typical selection process” is flawed then. Team work and communication skills should be weighed just as heavily as academics.
      • JorgeGT, on 06/23/2008, -2/+2Uhm, no. You don't want the people designing the safety of your next airplane to be cheerful and friendly with their peers, you want them to ensure the aircraft is safe at all cost - broken hearts and offended egos included.
        • WeaponAlpha, on 06/23/2008, -1/+0Sorry, I thought intellectual competence was implied when talking about Engineers. One individual would not be responsible for the entire design safety of an airplane.
          Cheerful and friendly are not necessary parts of Good Communication / Team Work.
          The Quebec Bridge Collapse of August 29, 1907 is a prime example of what can happen when communication goes wrong.
    • dazparkour, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Bill is no longer the richest.
    • DarkDx, on 06/23/2008, -9/+4Commentjacking just in case the article goes down (and I think it just went down):

      "Ryno" is a 50-something ex-sysadmin, by his own account "burned out and living on disability" in rural Australia.

      He loved the tech parts of being a system administrator, and he was good at them. But the interpersonal interactions that went along with the position — the hearty backslaps from random users, the impromptu meetings — were literally unbearable for Ryno.

      "I can make your systems efficient and lower your downtime," he says. "I cannot make your users happy."

      Bob, a database applications programmer who's been working in high tech for 26 years, has an aptitude for math and logic. And he has what he calls his "strange memory". If he can't recall the answer to a question, he can recall exactly, as if in a digital image, where he first saw the answer, down to the page and paragraph and sentence.

      Bob has some behaviour quirks as well: He can become nonverbal when he's frustrated, and he interprets things literally — he doesn't read between the lines. "I am sure [my boss] finds it frustrating when I misinterpret his irony," he says, "but at least he knows it is not willful."

      "Jeremy" excels at being able to see an engineering problem from the inside out, internalising it almost from the point of view of the code itself. He's great at hammering out details one on one with other intensely focused people, often the CEOs of the companies he contracts for. To protect his anonymity, he doesn't want to mention his programming subspecialty, but suffice it to say he's a very well-known go-to guy in his industry.

      What Jeremy is not good at is suffering fools in the workplace or dealing with the endless bureaucracy of the modern corporation. If someone is wrong — if their idea just plain won't work — he says so, simply states the fact. That frankness causes all manner of upset in the office, he's discovered.

      These IT professionals are all autistic. Bob and Ryno have Asperger's Syndrome (AS); Jeremy has high-functioning autism (HFA).

      Though the terms are debated and sometimes disputed in the medical community, both refer in a general way to people who display some characteristics of autism — including unusual responses to the environment and deficits in social interaction — but not the cognitive and communicative development impairments or language delays of classic autism.

      People with Asperger's, widely known as "Aspies," aren't good at reading nonverbal cues, according to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. They can have difficulty forming friendships with peers, they form a strict adherence to routines and rituals, and they may exhibit repetitive and stereotyped motor movements like hand or finger flapping.


      Dr Tony Attwood, a world-renowned Asperger's clinician and author in Brisbane, Australia, defines Asperger's in a more human context: "The [Asperger's] person usually has a strong desire to seek knowledge, truth and perfection with a different set of priorities. ... The overriding priority may be to solve a problem rather than satisfy the social or emotional needs of others."

      Problems over people? Hmm, sounds like a techie.

      A paper on Asperger's from Yale University's Developmental Disabilities Clinic continues down the same path: "Idiosyncratic interests are common and may take the form of an unusual and/or highly circumscribed interest (such as in train schedules, snakes, the weather, deep-fry cookers or telegraph pole insulators)."

      Or technology. When Ryno spoke with a receptionist to make an initial appointment for an evaluation with Attwood, she asked him, what is your "Big Interest?"

      "She inadvertently gave me a diagnostic question I have found invaluable," he recalls. "The Big Interest is a great start to Aspie-spotting."

      Ryno's Big Interest is computers and communications. He's not the only one, not by a long shot.

      The Asperger's-IT connection
      Autism, though first identified and labeled in 1943, is still a poorly understood neurodevelopment disorder, and nearly every aspect of its causes, manifestations, research and cure is mired in controversy. Asperger's and HFA, being hard-to-define, often undiagnosed or underdiagnosed variants on the high end of the autism spectrum, are even less quantified or understood.

      Diagnoses of autism, including Asperger's, have skyrocketed in the US in recent years — the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates that one in 150 8-year-old children has some form of autism.

      It's not clear if the increase is because of better detection, a change in the diagnosis to include a wider range of behaviours, a true increase in case numbers, or some combination of those or other factors.

      It's even less clear how many adults have Asperger's. Because Aspies are usually of average or above-average intelligence, they're often able to mask or accommodate their differences socially and in the workplace, meaning many of them make it well into middle age, or live their whole lives, without being formally diagnosed.

      A spokesman for the National Institute of Mental Health says the agency is not aware of any government organisation or academic research that tracks the incidence of AS in adults.

      Where statistics come up short, anecdote is happy to take up the slack. Ask an Asperger's-aware techie if there is indeed a connection between AS and IT, and you're likely to get "affirmative, Captain".

      When the question is put to Ryno, he emails back a visual: "Aspies--> tech--> as fish--> water."

      And Bob, the database applications programmer, says, "Yes, it is a stereotype, and yes, there are a higher than average number of Aspies in high tech."

      Nobody, it seems, has more to say on the subject than Temple Grandin, a fast-talking PhD Aspie professor who's the closest thing Asperger's has to an elder stateswoman.




      Grandin made her mark designing livestock-handling facilities from the point of view of the animal; she now has a thriving second career as an Asperger's author (Thinking in Pictures, Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships) and speaker.

      "Is there a connection between Asperger's and IT? We wouldn't even have any computers if we didn't have Asperger's," she declares. "All these labels — 'geek' and 'nerd' and 'mild Asperger's' — are all getting at the same thing. ... The Asperger's brain is interested in things rather than people, and people who are interested in things have given us the computer you're working on right now."


      Career opportunities, career limitations
      Grandin has compiled a list of jobs and their suitability to Aspies and autistics according to their skills. No surprise, tech jobs are cited early and often. Her list of "good jobs for visual thinkers", for example, includes computer programming, drafting (including computer-aided drafting), computer troubleshooting and repair, web page design, video game design and computer animation.

      Grandin's "good jobs for nonvisual thinkers", which she further defines as "those who are good at math, music or facts," includes computer programming, engineering, inventory control and physics.

      Why do Asperger's individuals gravitate to technology?

      "Adults with Asperger's have a social naivety that prevents them from understanding how people relate. What draws them in is not parties and social interaction, but work that allows them to feel safe, to feel in control," explains Steve Becker, a developmental disabilities therapist at Becker & Associates, a private practice in the Seattle suburb of Des Moines, Washington, that conducts ongoing small group sessions for adults with AS, among other services.

      "What's better for that than a video game or a software program?" Becker asks. "When you're designing a software program, there are rules and protocols to be followed. In life, there is no manual."

      While careful to protect his clients' confidentiality, Becker confirms that he sees many adults and children of adults who work for the region's tech powerhouses — Microsoft and Boeing — and the hundreds of smaller companies that orbit around them.

      Some of the Aspies he counsels are at the very top of their tech game: software and aerospace engineers, computer scientists, PhDs. But for every research fellow with Asperger's, he says, there are a legion of fellow Aspies having a much tougher time in the middle or lower ranks of the industry.

      "The spectrum of success is much broader than one would expect," agrees Roger Meyer, the Oregon-based author of The Asperger Syndrome Employment Workbook who runs one of the oldest peer-led adult Asperger's groups in the country. "Adults who have grown sophisticated at masking and adaptive behaviours can either bubble along at the bottom of the market or do very well at the top."

      It's that "bubbling along at the bottom" that has Becker, Meyer and other Aspie specialists concerned. Employees with Asperger's might do well for years in data entry or working in a job like insurance claims, where knowledge of ephemera is a prized work skill, only to flounder when they're promoted to a position that requires a higher degree of social interaction.

      "The more technical the job, the better they do. But for some, managing people in a supervisory capacity can be a problem," Becker says.

      That can leave Asperger's employees stuck on the lower and less remunerative ranks of IT, sometimes in jobs that are vulnerable to outsourcing, says Meyer. For example, certain tech support situations, where sensory distractions are minimal and human interactions are reduced to a screen or a voice on the phone, are a natural fit for some Aspies.

      "They're good at diagnostic work. They can get in and slosh around in the computer, use their encyclopedic knowledge of applications and work-arounds, and arrive at a solution that may be unorthodox but effective," says Meyer. As those jobs increasingly become automated and/or outsourced, Aspies' chances for employment are diminished as well.


      IT's dark little secret
      Becker and Meyer say they have yet to hear of a single corporation that has any kind of formal programme in place to nurture and support employees with Asperger's and HFA, aside from covering the costs of therapy through standard health care plans.

      Which begs the question: If Aspies are everywhere among us, why isn't the IT industry doing more to support them or even to simply acknowledge their existence?

      High-tech companies, after all, have been at the forefront of supporting workers with nearly every type of social, ethnic, physical or developmental identification. Microsoft, to take just one example, sponsors at least 20 affinity groups — for African Americans, dads, deaf and hard of hearing, visually impaired, Singaporeans, single parents, and gay/lesbian/bisexual and transgendered employees, to name a few. Just nothing for autistics.

      A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed that the company has no group or formal, separate support for Asperger's. On rare occasions, an employee with AS has requested accommodation, she says. When that happens, the employee is paired with a disability case manager to determine "reasonable accommodation" on a case-by-case basis.

      Intel and Yahoo didn't respond to requests to discuss their policy toward Asperger's employees, and a Google spokesman says the company was "unable to accommodate the inquiry".

      To be fair, the question of whether and how corporations should support Aspies is a thorny one to untangle.

      For one thing, unlike a disability that confines an employee to a wheelchair or the language barrier that a foreigner faces, autism is something others can't see or easily understand.

      "A readily visible disability is easier [for co-workers] to cognitively take on board, it seems," Ryno laments. "Ah, if only Asperger's made one turn green!"

      "If you meet someone from another country," Jeremy elaborates, "people know they're from a different country and they cut them some slack."

      And by their very nature, Aspies are not uniters. Microsoft's clubs and support groups are all initiated and chartered by employees. That leaves Aspies out by default: It would be highly unusual for an employee with Asperger's to voluntarily organise any type of social group, with or without other autistics.

      Finally, many Aspies aren't "out" in the workplace; they haven't acknowledged their condition publicly or to more than one or two individuals.

      Whether they should is a matter of contention. Ryno revealed his Asperger's at only one job (his last) and lived to regret it, even though his boss happened to be a young Aspie as well.

      "It's the first time I've had an AS person as a superior," he says. "It was definitely a refreshing change not to have to explain why I didn't do eye contact, hated meetings and could not suffer fools, let alone feign gladness."

      In retrospect, however, Ryno regrets having told anyone he has AS. "I'd say there were many disadvantages and few gains. The gains were short-lived, too." Specifically, systems that Ryno and his boss had designed both to help users and to minimise interruptions to their own workdays were resented and little used.

      Now that Ryno is gone — he quit after being ordered by an executive to restore internet access for an employee caught downloading pornography against company policy — "the other AS employee is being forced into meetings, crowded social gatherings and many of the situations we had previously been allowed to
    • GMH24, on 06/23/2008, -2/+4I interned for MS last summer, and had the chance to go to Bill's house with a bunch of other interns and speak with him. He demonstrated normal, if not superior, communication and social skills from what I was able to gather.
      • LeonidasStokely, on 06/23/2008, -2/+3I'm sorry this is *****. Nice try, I'm not five. Besides, my dad's an MI5 super secret lie detector man so I always know when someone's lying.
  • rcnevada, on 06/23/2008, -8/+15http://www.aspergers.com/
    • culbeda, on 06/23/2008, -0/+5Whoa! When I opened that page, I immediately started looking for the "Created in Notepad" logo.

      • unjustend, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3Best kind of webpage if you ask me.
      • akatherder, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1I was looking for the "Best viewed in Notepad" logo.
    • UltraDavid, on 06/23/2008, -2/+1Haha aspergers.com? Is someone selling me asperger's? Cause I think I'll probably pass.
    • Iztikeit, on 06/23/2008, -1/+0I have a mild case and I don't understand how people can't be as direct as possible.....But I definitely don't expect different treatment.
    • salomejones, on 06/24/2008, -0/+1No. Asperger's Syndrome is not nearly as widespread as the people who are making money off of this scare tactic/excuse generator would have you believe. There is such a thing as a person who is confident about their intelligence and decision making abilities and who at the same time is not willing to suffer fools.

      There is not one thing wrong with that---in fact, there's *everything right about it*.
  • fudged71, on 06/23/2008, -3/+87http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aspergers_ ...

    "t's a familiar joke in the industry that many of the hardcore programmers in IT strongholds like Intel, Adobe, and Silicon Graphics - coming to work early, leaving late, sucking down Big Gulps in their cubicles while they code for hours - are residing somewhere in Asperger's domain. Kathryn Stewart, director of the Orion Academy, a high school for high-functioning kids in Moraga, California, calls Asperger's syndrome "the engineers' disorder." Bill Gates is regularly diagnosed in the press: His single-minded focus on technical minutiae, rocking motions, and flat tone of voice are all suggestive of an adult with some trace of the disorder. Dov's father told me that his friends in the Valley say many of their coworkers "could be diagnosed with ODD - they're odd." In Microserfs, novelist Douglas Coupland observes, "I think all tech people are slightly autistic."

    Though no one has tried to convince the Valley's best and brightest to sign up for batteries of tests, the culture of the area has subtly evolved to meet the social needs of adults in high-functioning regions of the spectrum. In the geek warrens of engineering and R&D, social graces are beside the point. You can be as off-the-wall as you want to be, but if your code is bulletproof, no one's going to point out that you've been wearing the same shirt for two weeks. Autistic people have a hard time multitasking - particularly when one of the channels is face-to-face communication. Replacing the hubbub of the traditional office with a screen and an email address inserts a controllable interface between a programmer and the chaos of everyday life. Flattened workplace hierarchies are more comfortable for those who find it hard to read social cues. A WYSIWYG world, where respect and rewards are based strictly on merit, is an Asperger's dream."
    • Narcism, on 06/23/2008, -0/+12dugg because this link is better then a mirror.
    • CiXeL, on 06/23/2008, -9/+4regardless how geeks hate religion

      "A WYSIWYG world, where respect and rewards are based strictly on merit"

      that is biblically-sound and the basis for our civilization.
      only shady corrupt civilizations allow for you to go around that system.
      did you think we got to the moon by merit and hard work or because you and your buddies promoted each other and gave your friends jobs?
      it takes skill and merit to actually accomplish something. nepotism and the 'do this for me on the side' culture is rot.
      • Terr01, on 06/23/2008, -4/+7>>> " 'A WYSIWYG world, where respect and rewards are based strictly on merit' that is biblically-sound"

        WYSIWYG is distinctly Old-Testament. Were you rich and had many sons? Obviously you were virtuous. Poor? Obviously being punished by God.

        By WYSIWYG rules (or should I say, YHVH? :P ) the rich man who gave a lot to the temple should be praised more than the poor lady who gave two pennies. I mean, you see more, you see less, so the reality must be that he gave more, and she gave less, right? Jesus rejected that interpretation, framing their donations in relative terms. What you saw was NOT what you got. The materially rich wouldn't necessarily be the spiritually rich.

        As for the second part about "strictly on merit"... Tell that to Job!
        • elhaf, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3Indeed, the New Testament heaven is reached by faith, and that is an ongoing thread throughout. Believe in him and you shall be saved; Faith, not works; "Your faith has cured you", etc. Little merit involved.
        • Terr01, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Just playing devil's advocate here: That's probably some equivocation over "merit". God's just using a different rubric for judging what constitutes meritorious action.

          Regardless, there are some huge non-WYSIWYG constants. For instance, ideally you "get" heaven and by definition nobody alive can see it beforehand. Ditto for hell.

          You see "person X murdering someone", you get "person X going to hell", but those are quite different things.
      • auto98, on 06/23/2008, -0/+12"what you see is what you get" is about as far as it is possible to get from religion - since religion is based on "what you DONT see is what you get"
      • UltraDavid, on 06/23/2008, -0/+5No idea what you guys are talking about. Religion or something? What?
    • robweber, on 06/23/2008, -0/+12I think a world where respect and rewards are based strictly on merit would be damn near anyone's dream.
      • chewbie, on 06/23/2008, -0/+7sadly you're wrong. There's a lot of people who find pride and joy in cheating the system
      • Ikulus, on 06/23/2008, -0/+15It's a dream only to people with merit.
  • davidjunit, on 06/23/2008, -14/+215What's wrong with telling people they're wrong when you know very well that they are? Not being open is what's wrong with people; political correctness and over-politeness doesn't accomplish anything except for allowing you to get walked all over. Maybe the people that don't speak up have the real disorder.
    • scsp85, on 06/23/2008, -10/+26"What's wrong with telling people they're wrong when you know very well that they are?"

      When telling someone they are wrong will cause more harm than help. Why not suggest a better (correct > incorrect) method of solving a problem without insulting someone's intelligence.
      • sparsely, on 06/23/2008, -2/+60Telling someone they're wrong isn't an insult to their intelligence. It's correction.
        • Otto, on 06/23/2008, -0/+26Exactly. Everybody is wrong at some point.
        • Spudster, on 06/23/2008, -2/+7Yes, but keep in mind that people also have feelings. Thats why people feel a need to compassionatly explain why someone made a mistake rather than blatantly correct their mistake. It's about having communication skills. I can understand your logic in a serious situation where the stakes are high (emergency, political legislation) but in everyday settings, taking a few moments to (nicely) inform why someone is mistaken can go a long way to improving social relations with others while preventing resentment.
        • zephyr42, on 06/23/2008, -7/+4Spudster that's what's wrong, if you worry about what their mental state is when you tell someone they're wrong, they shouldn't be in that position to begin with. I'm sorry but if you don't have communication skills and the understanding that "hey, my way may not be correct" then you shouldn't be in an industry that changes *ALL THE ***** TIME*
        • lolinyerface, on 06/23/2008, -3/+8And right there is the answer to the problem.

          People have a difference of opinion and suddenly they feel personally attacked, instead of examining the real issue. Grow a pair and accept constructive criticism.
        • derek20cali, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3It can, depending on how you do it.
        • sodoh, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3You are an idiot.

          Your comment made no sense at all.

          You are wrong.

          While you are right it is a correction, in most cases the person will take it as an insult.

          ... Now which of those answers where I disagreed didn't insult or wasn't rude?
        • unjustend, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3I agree with the correction method. It was a bit of a rift between myself and a girlfriend. She's make a mistake, I'd casually correct her and she'd ask me why I want to make her feel dumb. I'd reply that I was just helping her be correct. I stand by my side.

          /not an aspi
        • Spudster, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2I think Sodoh hit it on the head.

          It's not about hiding the truth or preventing correction, but it's about having some tact. Don't be a dick when you correct people and they'll feel a lot better when you correct them. Additionally, don't correct people all the time over the tiniest of things. If someone flubs a small detail of a story or event, you don't *have* to correct them you know. No one cares about small details and people will sense that such an interruption is more about the fufilling of your ego than the noble pursuit of truth.

      • Pake, on 06/23/2008, -3/+20Because half the time, they'll feel you're insulting their intelligence just by making suggestions in the first place.
        • Rikkochet, on 06/23/2008, -5/+14That shows their own emotional immaturity and is something they should deal with...
        • Iztikeit, on 06/23/2008, -3/+0That's their own problem and insecurity. If you can't handle directness get the hell out of the tech industry!
        • Spudster, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1They should leave the tech industry... I have another idea: Your black and white attitude will force you to leave the tech industry when clients stop coming.

          Start learning communication skills or have fun finding a good job.
      • trying2hide, on 06/23/2008, -4/+13I concur. There is such a thing as "Tact". That is where those with aspergers sometimes lack functioning.
        • sparsely, on 06/23/2008, -6/+7a LOT of non-tech, non-asperger people I encounter have no tact. I think aspergers is *****.
      • gryphon50, on 06/23/2008, -4/+3the problem is not telling someone they're wrong. It's a lack of tact, a lack of diplomacy. This may seem like a waste of time to you but it is how society functions. In other words, you are still getting your point across but because you're socially adept, you will end up talking to someone receptive to your criticism, instead of just greatly offending people and meeting a wall of resistance. The other thing about Asperger's people is that they don't even know they give offense, so it's not like it's even an option for them to be diplomatic. It really is a disability.
        • jerichobp, on 06/23/2008, -1/+7There's the key difference between someone who has asperger's and someone who is socially inept. Someone who has asperger's will correct someone flat out and not think that there was anything wrong about what they said. A socially inept person will correct someone flat out so that they can feel better about themselves and give themselves some sort of confidence boost.
        • unjustend, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1Do you feel better about yourself? =P
          hehe
      • buba1243, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1I would if I could figure out how.
      • DavidThaGnome, on 06/23/2008, -0/+4It's often about telling people they are wrong with some tact and social grace. We have to work together and blunt efficiency is best coupled with an understanding of how humans work. Surprisingly people will often opt to work with less qualified, but more enjoyable partners rather than work with a talented *****. We aren't robots...yet, and truly valuable workers are for the most part well versed in the balancing act that is social graces and in your face efficiency.
        • tony23, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Sometimes, people just don't get it when you try to use tact. I've worked with some managers who wouldn't get it no matter how directly they were told.
      • kiss079, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1Ya that's right, and then give them a hug, and a trophy for playing cause everyone's special inside. What a crock of *****. davidjunit hit the nail on the head. People are too nice and polite for there own good.
    • johnnynapalm, on 06/23/2008, -10/+25sounds like you have the assburgers
    • alpha94, on 06/23/2008, -2/+7It's how you present yourself and introduce your ideas and opinions. It makes a world of difference, especially in the higher levels of IT management.
    • Narcism, on 06/23/2008, -4/+9Have fun telling your boss he's wrong.
      • aliengoods, on 06/23/2008, -1/+11I have before. I had to justify my position with concrete facts, but once you realize the worst thing they can do is fire you, it's not that difficult.

        Sometimes you have to call a duck a duck, and let the chips fall.
      • ell0bo, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3I often do, and he tells me he doesn't care. I just say "can i have that in writing, shoot me an email". Often when things bomb later, i go "i told you so". I have a whole folder dedicated to just these emails.
      • esfisher, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3It's fine telling the boss he/she is wrong, but just make damn sure you have the right answer memorized and backed up when you do.
    • iKnowKungFoo, on 06/23/2008, -3/+12In Corporate IT, it all depends on how you say it.

      Good way to begin discussion: "Sir, we can't do that for reasons {X}, {Y} and {Z}."

      Most engineers I know, "You're a f**king idiot! Do you know what would happen if we did that?! The system would f**king die in no time. Who made you the f**king boss around here? They're a f**king idiot too." and then they get fired.

      . . . not that I have any first hand experience with this mind you.
      • tony23, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3I did that. My boss got fired.
      • PakoBedejo, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2The behavior you've pointed out is brought on by years & years of constant frustration with such situations. Some of us process problem solutions much faster than others, so the obviously wrong solutions flabbergast us to the point of being very rude...mostly because it's so obvious to us that we see the others as complete morons.
        • actionscripted, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1Exactly. The hardest lesson I've had to learn recently is that when someone at my company makes a web-related suggestion that is incredibly, painfully wrong I have to keep my face in a locked, smiling position and then proceed to casually explain in superfluous language why we might want to try something else.

          Old me: " (face falls into a scowl) No, that's terrible. "X" would ***** all over itself."

          New me: "Yea, maybe. The only thing that concerns me is that implementing "X" would take weeks and we're on a tight schedule for the new few months."

          Bury the correction in a diversion of blame, or start by saying yes/maybe and slowly meandering into the correction.
    • chewbie, on 06/23/2008, -4/+8I just call it being brutally honest. And I find it a trait because it keeps the ignorant people from being my friends.
      • kevincannon, on 06/23/2008, -1/+8Saying everyone who doesn't find your lack of tact are ignorant is just a defensive reaction than most of us nerds develop to some degree or other.

        It's something you should grow out of though.
        • chewbie, on 06/23/2008, -4/+1They are ignorant because I didn't insult them. They're just hanging on the fact that I corrected them.
          I don't feel good about the fact that I corrected someone and that I'm somewhat "better". I feel good about it because I know from then on that there's another one who can't handle the facts and I know what to expect from them (not much)
      • funk13, on 06/23/2008, -1/+4wow, can you say 'elitist.'

        there is a huge difference between honesty and brutal honesty. though you may feel you are "better" than others by knowing everything, this is simply not the way to engage other people. it is unfortunate that some people are given less faculties than others, but there is absolutely no reason for an "intelligent" person such as yourself to put down those less intelligent with your own brand of "brutal honesty." there are different facets of personalities that draw people together, and personally, it comes down to ethics and humor. alienating those around you through brutal honesty is a trait of the arrogant intelligent.

        have fun dying alone.
        /brutal honesty - doesn't it feel good?
        • funk13, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1EDIT LAST SENTENCE: alienating those around you through brutal honesty is a trait of the arrogant intelligent whereas the use of honesty is a trait of one who is humble, which is one of the great virtues that has been lost these modern times of ours.
        • jacenat, on 06/23/2008, -4/+1"wow, can you say 'elitist.'"
          wow, can you say 'insecure'.

          i am happy to be in the position to not let certain people become my friends, because i know that their company would drive me crazy.
        • funk13, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2so i'm insecure because i prefer to be nicer to people and think that i may not always be right...

          ...well i guess you're right then: i am insecure, but that was not the point i was arguing. i was arguing that brutal honesty will eventually anger those around you, and honesty, if used in conjunction with humility, will build stronger bonds between people and thus make one's life easier. if that is not what you are looking for in life, then so be it, but with all things being equal, there are people that i do not want my friends and they don't have to be. i'm not going to be an ***** to them, that's just not my thing.
      • bjs3171, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3then you're probably autistic. sorry. you don't convince people they're wrong by saying "YOU'RE WRONG. All that does is activate their self-defense mechanism. You convince them by suggesting other options, and letting them see for themselelves how it could be done better.
        it's called functioning in a society. if, by age 20, you havne't somewhat figured it out, there's something wrong. with you.
      • ell0bo, on 06/23/2008, -2/+2tact will help you get girls, just saying. They, much like your boss, you will have to lie to from time to time.
    • jimmies, on 06/23/2008, -1/+9It's not just what you say, it's how you say it. That's the difference between an IT professional and an IT asshat that everyone wants to stab.
    • cfuse, on 06/23/2008, -0/+14Sure, answer honestly when she asks: Do I look fat?

      The issue is that social behaviour is just another rule-set (or system). However, as it can literally make or break your career, social status, or any other area where people's favour is required, I would think that it would be important to learn. I certainly thought so, and I've researched and tested for many countless hours (feeding people unexpected or incorrectly formatted data is also very enlightening - most people are totally on autopilot and don't even notice when you say something totally outlandish).

      Human beings are the most expensive (based on wage) and buggy pieces of IT equipment that you can use - it pays to know how to operate and conduct maintenance on them (and, when necessary, EOL them). You can't expect a system to work well if you totally ignore a huge chunk of it.
      • jgzman, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2The issue is, that social interaction is a constantly changing ruleset with countless variables. Normal people do it without conscious thought.

        Aspergers types, however, can't deal with it. I tend to divide people into about five groups, and that's it. I have trouble, for example with the 'boss who wants to be your friend.' You deal with friends by this set of rules, and bosses with this set. The only time I have managed to do it well is either A) my boss NEVER asked me to do anything at work anyway; or B) at work my boss was my boss. Out of work, he wore different clothes, and the environment was drastically different. I was then able to, basically, break him into two people.
      • chewbie, on 06/23/2008, -2/+2If she looks fat, why is she your girlfriend?
      • IllBeBack, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3Yes, you look fat. Now hit the gym, fatty.

        /aspergers
      • chewbie, on 06/23/2008, -2/+2what I really meant is that you shouldn't lie and if your gf asks that, she knows she's fat and wants you to make her feel better about it. Sorry for coming off as a prick. I thought it was funny
    • JQP123, on 06/23/2008, -2/+4"What's wrong with telling people they're wrong when you know very well that they are?"

      POP QUIZ: Bottled water --- Good or bad idea?

      To an environmentalist looking to save the planet, it's a bad idea. To a soft drink company looking to make money, it's a good idea.

      The point being that it's kinda arrogant and foolhardy to immediately classify it one way or the other without a full understanding of the surrounding scope, perspective and objectives. This is what technical people are often guilty of --- quickly passing judgment based solely on their own limited and narrow perspective --- without any awareness or consideration for other possible angles.

      Imagine all the techies at Coke Inc. when they first heard that the company would start bottling water and selling it. Did they say ... "brilliant! --- our company will earn billions" ... or perhaps something more like "what? --- our company is run by idiots". My guess is mostly the latter ... and they were dead wrong.
      • Spudster, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Exactly.

        And while bottled water is a ridiculous concept because tap water is just as clean, there are times when bottled water may be warranted. People who cast absolute negative judgement are missing the situational relavence of everyday life. Nothing in life is black and white.
        • mplumb, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Well...let's just say that at least some things are black and white.
        • Spudster, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1List one?

          Murder, as we all know, may be perfectly justifiable. While we all look down on child pornagraphy, there is a movement with some interesting philosophical arguments that suggest the act is not as morally wrong as society implies that it is under certain conditions (granted, it IS wrong still). Abortion is clearly an issue that is not black and white. Theft may be justified when we view that theft in the form of taxation or punishment.

          Even issues that we hold to be absolutes are often not-so-absolute when you dig deeper.
      • zeromous, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3in your example (Coca Cola), I would surmise most techies within the company actually said:

        "This is brilliant, most people are idiots."

        So basically I'm more inclined to believe they are astute, rather than narrow minded or lacking perspective. Usually I find its regular people who actually lack broad perspective. Breadth and Depth just sort of comes with the GEEK territory.
        • JQP123, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1"Breadth and Depth just sort of comes with the GEEK territory."

          The problem is that all that "breadth and depth" (such as it is) was collected from a computer keyboard and monitor. Believe it or not, you simply can not learn all of life's lessons from the internet.
        • zeromous, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1JQP123: That's a conflicted definition at best.

          Depth and Breadth != acquired through a computer screen.

          On one hand you say that one can't have depth and breadth without social interaction- yet say its been collected geek-style, via terminal operations only.

          That's simply ridiculous- the idea that someone couldn't possibly be well rounded in a particular area, while failing socially. The definition of being a geek in a particular subject is precisely grokking the subject in a broader sense than the average person.

          Band-geek
          Drama-geek
          Techno-geek
          Car-geek
          Aviation-geek
          Gamer-geek.

          Being a geek has nothing to do with life lessons, just depth and breadth in their intellectual zone.


        • JQP123, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1"Being a geek has nothing to do with life lessons, just depth and breadth in their intellectual zone."

          In other words, they're highly trained ... but poorly educated.
        • zeromous, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1What are you even saying?

          Again, best I can tell is you are making wild assumptions that are more unlikely than they are true.
        • JQP123, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2"Again, best I can tell is you are making wild assumptions that are more unlikely than they are true."

          Assumptions? Not really. I've spent my entire adult life around geeks. I used to be one ... but I've moved on.

          As you said, being a geek is all about being focused on one particular area (the article calls it the "Big Interest", you called it their "intellectual zone").

          But having a high degree of knowledge or technical proficiency in one particular area only means that you're well trained. It does not mean that you're particularly well educated ... nor does it mean that you are particularly astute, broad minded, or a better decision maker than others. In fact, all too often it indicates just the opposite.

      • chewbie, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1this is a pretty bad example. I doubt that people with Aspergers would ever refer to it as "good" and "bad". They'd just tell you why it would/wouldn't work
        • JQP123, on 06/23/2008, -2/+1"They'd just tell you why it would/wouldn't work"

          Yes, and they'd probably do so quickly and confidently --- but based solely upon their own limited experience and ideas. And much of it would ultimately prove to be dead wrong ... but that wouldn't stop them from doing the same again in the future.

        • zeromous, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1THat's so funny, aspergers people with limited experience and ideas.....because JQP123's broad experience, and 50,000 foot view says so.

          Sounds like so many clueless managers, and techno-weenies I encounter on a day to day basis.

          One couldn't possibly have a broader view than their narrow vision allows!
        • JQP123, on 06/23/2008, -2/+2"Sounds like so many clueless managers, and techno-weenies I encounter on a day to day basis."

          And you sound like so many smart, know it all geeks I encounter on a day to day basis who are destined to spend their entire life stuck behind a keyboard and monitor working to make a clueless manager look good.
        • zeromous, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1Right, of course, silly me, you have the monopoly on wisdom JQP123, with your narrow minded vision of people who are not you.

          Do you "have aspergers" or are you just a complete dick full time? I suspect the later, since you are trolling an aspergers thread after all. It's like a kid in a candy store for you, obviously.

          I don't mind defending the down-trodden and undermined. I watch people have difficulty expressing themselves all the time, and I do my best to help. But you've already made up your mind about me.

          News flash: The are clueless managers who just sort of ended up doing management because they sucked at everything else (clueless managers), and there are non-technical people who just ended up doing something technical (techno-weenies). Add to that all ranges of keeners, can-doers and won't-doers you get as you run the gamut of the office.



        • JQP123, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1"But you've already made up your mind about me."

          But do note that it was *after* you'd made up your mind about me.

          Have a nice day basking in the glow from your LCD.
    • elhaf, on 06/23/2008, -0/+4I'll try to be nicer if you'll try to be smarter.
    • slaizer, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1""Jeremy" excels at being able to see an engineering problem from the inside out,What Jeremy is not good at is suffering fools or dealing with bureaucracy. If someone is wrong — if their idea just plain won't work — he says so, simply states the fact. That frankness causes all manner of upset in the office, he's discovered."

      So... "Jeremy's" real name is actually Gregory, he works in Princeton Plainsboro and rocks a cane and a Vicodin habit?
      • trollhunter, on 06/23/2008, -0/+0And has his own TV series.

        We learn by example and now we're ALL brilliant doctors with questionable (yet somewhat amusing) social skills.

        Viva la electronic tutor!
    • sodoh, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1It is how you tell people. There is constructive and destructive criticism.

      The first is productive, the second isn't. Aspergers tends to fall with the latter. It is hard to find another persons opinion as a point of view. Even if the premise is wrong most people who exhibit constructive criticism are able to work with that to spin new ideas/systems/methods to accomplish a goal.

      That aside, phrasing your response can help elicit your required response from the person you are telling is incorrect.
    • Stupidumb, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1Maybe some people correct other people in a rude way/ it's probably a little rude if they say something like "WRONG, YOU STUPID *****". My example is extreme, I know that. But it's an example that I think everyone would see as "rude". That's just my opinion. Maybe you want to live a world where everyone is just "open"
  • ironeus, on 08/01/2008, -5/+10I think it's great to read about successful Aspies in the corporate workplace. One symptom a few of the aliased employees have in common is that they "... could not suffer fools". I think we can all relate!

    Like many other obstacles it's simply a matter of education before it stops being taboo.
  • Jolos, on 06/23/2008, -26/+8not real
    • mobbo, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1Tom Cruise? I didn't know you posted on Digg.
  • scsp85, on 06/23/2008, -21/+137This article introduces the same old: "I'm different, treat me different" and "Where is a special program to help me?" I'm am all for people overcoming their handicaps, and even using them to their advantage but don't expect me to dole out special treatment to those who are struggling at a position that doesn't fit them. Go ahead, bury me, I'm sure all you diggers are self diagnosed anyway.
    • trenchcoat, on 06/23/2008, -7/+56Amen brother. I have nothing against Asperger's patients but the self-diagnosed ones are just socially inept looking for something to blame it on but themselves.
      • thailand1972, on 06/23/2008, -1/+5Absolutely. I think it's often used as an excuse for social ineptness. Don't blame me, I'm made this way! You lose the responsibility and you get the sympathy of others at the same time.
      • ApolloBoy, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2Seconded. I'm getting sick and tired of all these people who self-diagnose themselves with Asperger's just because they're shy. I was professionally diagnosed with Asperger's at a young age and I can tell you, it's *a lot* more than just being shy.
    • zadadka, on 06/23/2008, -0/+12I know where you are coming from, but to offset that, like me, you too are probably surrounded by incompetents who think they deserve more than they get, when we know they mostly deserve being fired.......somewhere along the way, it balances out....
    • terribly1, on 06/23/2008, -15/+10Must be nice to be perfect, up there on that high horse...
      • scsp85, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1I am perfect? Thanks, I guess. We all have our ticks that make us unique. I am obsessive sometimes, sometimes I don't know when to quit, or when to admit I'm wrong, but I never thought for a moment that I am an example of a perfect human.
    • Stryfe, on 06/23/2008, -13/+13My son and I are both diagnosed. By a psychiatrist. For real.

      I am tired of the self diagnosed aspie crying about his problems. Get out, get laid. It's possible.

      Life sucks, get a helmet. Social interaction is best for me on the net, where I don't get the urge to tell you that you are an idiot, and then punch you in the face for not agreeing with me. If you can't work in a social environment, move ON. Don't take that type of job.
      • scsp85, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1Exactly, there are jobs out there that would use the strengths of someone with Asperger's. It's actually good advice for everyone, if you hate your job and know you can do something else better, then why stay?
    • symbiot, on 06/23/2008, -2/+5Ok, once you've gotten these people to blame their condition on themselves and to quit the jobs that they love and would be good at if it weren't for their quirks what are you expecting to happen? Are you expecting them to change? These people are subjected to the same social pressures that cause everyone else to abandon or at least sublimate their personal quirks, and yet they have not abandoned their own. What if, even after becoming jobless and marinating in self-loathing for awhile, these people still don't change?

      Don't we, at some point, have to admit that the exertion of more pressure will not affect the change we desire? At some point we have to recognize that some people cannot be assimilated and that they'll either have to be accommodated or cast aside. What we've found as a society is that accommodating people with Asperger's in the tech industry is really profitable because the condition gives them the ability to do work that normal people can't comfortably do.

      Not that there aren't positions that Aspie folks shouldn't be in. They often rise to management positions because of their technical acumen which makes everyone miserable. But again, that calls for accommodating their disabilities in order to exploit the abilities that they do possess.
    • edd17, on 06/23/2008, -1/+19I'll have you know i took an internet quiz for my diagnosis.
    • euriphides, on 06/23/2008, -2/+9The idea of a genuine "Aspie" asking for help and special programs sounds rediculous to me. For the most part, based on the ones I know, they could give a flying f*ck about what anyone else thinks about them, and they don't care to "change" or "adapt." They just want to do their jobs and be left alone to do it. "Self pity" is not a phase that goes with "Aspergers".

    • PakoBedejo, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Asperger's Syndrome merely gives a convenient label to a vast array of symptoms. It does not attempt to label the causes...as indicated by the presence of the word "syndrome"

      Lern2Lern b4 you get upset.
  • charlesray, on 06/23/2008, -36/+111Asperger's is in the same league as ADD in that it MIGHT be a real condition, but 95% of the people "diagnosed" with it are completely normal. Quit using illnesses as an excuse for your own inability to function in society, and quit "diagnosing" famous people (e.g. Bill Gates) to try to make yourself feel better.
    • Otto, on 06/23/2008, -13/+25I agree that ADD is *****, but Asperger's is indeed a real condition, closely related to autism.

      • trenchcoat, on 06/23/2008, -4/+19But like ADD it's been completely overdiagnosed. I would say less than half of the people walking around that claim to have it actually don't.
        • Smuikas, on 06/23/2008, -2/+1The people that claim to have it because they've seen some article on it and the people who actually go to behavioral therapy for it are completely different people. Sometimes overlapping, but not always. The people who trumpet it are likely to not have it at all. You would understand if you were close to someone with it.
      • betasp, on 06/23/2008, -2/+26I have been fighting labels such as ADD, ADHD, and Aspergers (I used call it ass-burgers to my parents) since the age of 10. Today, I am 32, Married with kids and working as an IT Manager that is known for his people skills and his ability to communicate with non-technical people. I have never taken any medication. My parents insisted I learn to cope... and I am glad they did.
      • Flummoxer, on 06/23/2008, -1/+6No, autism is like a tree and Asperger's is one of its branches.
      • Spektr4, on 06/23/2008, -2/+9ADD may be over-diagnosed, but it's not *****. Some people just can't focus on one thought for any length of time. The rush of thought-distraction is overwhelming. It is hard to get work done. Hard even to finish thoughts you have in your head.
        • thedarkwolf, on 06/23/2008, -1/+7Agreed. I know people who legit have ADD. I have talked to them both on and off meds and the difference is astounding. It is definitely a real condition.
        • IllBeBack, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1Sometimes, AD(H)D's due to sleep apnea or other causes of lack of sleep.
        • du4l1ty, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2IllBeBack do you have a link to any documents that link sleep apnea and AD(H)D? I'm really interested in this.
        • xaogypsie, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2Yeah - I avoided any kind of testing for ADHD until I was 22. I had already finished my undergrad and was a year into my grad degree program. Once I was diagnosed and started taking meds, my wife can tell when I don't take them. It usually goes, "did you take you today?" "No, why?" "You are driving me nuts..."

          I guess I get a little hard to follow.....lol
      • CiXeL, on 06/23/2008, -0/+4ive worked very hard at socializing myself. raves and drugs helped ALOT!
        i still confuse people though since i dont have a very good control over what i really mean with facial expressions and tone of voice both of which are all over the place.
        it doesnt help in arguements with the girlfriend =/
        sometimes i think people think im a prick when i dont realize it.
      • knight666, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3I disagree, seeing as how I can clearly see the symptoms in myself, my mother and my grandfather.
        • Gutterpunk, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1So asperger (and autism) is a genetic trait? Incredible, after all that time, you had the answer!
      • unusualbob, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2Well some people might be diagnosed improperly, but I didnt actually know anything about aspergers until i read this article. After reading the articles about it on wikipedia I was dumbfounded by how exactly it matched my life. It is nice to know now why I am so weird.

        Even without knowing what my disease was, I knew the symptoms but I didnt think they all fell under the same disorder. I put depression in its own category, social anxiety in another, and I didnt even think about my obsession with computers.

        Thanks a ton to whoever dugg this article as it has given me something to work with so I can hope to fit into society eventually now that i know what I am dealing with.
      • lolinyerface, on 06/23/2008, -2/+2I've always rolled with the belief that ADD is simply a bi product of the increase in information people are being subjected to on a daily basis.
        Kids are being sat down in front of the TV, the computer, here play with this stimulating toy!
        Then mom and dad wonder why their kid can't sit down and just be quiet for 5 minutes and pay attention. Because their not being entertained/stimulated by their slow speaking decrepit old teacher.
      • bjs3171, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3how can you AGREE that ADD is *****, when what he said is that it MIGHT be a real condiction, but is over-diagnosed?
      • synik, on 06/24/2008, -1/+2ok, explain to me why I can't concentrate on anything for longer than 2 minutes without my meds.

        I've only been on meds since age 23, I refused before then.

        Funnily enough my career and communication increased drastically with meds... but I suppose you think that is all ***** too.
    • stonebone4, on 06/23/2008, -8/+12http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/103440/

      They should make a treatment for Asperger's called 'You can either quit being a prick that thinks you're smarter than everyone or I can pop you in the mouth".
      • CiXeL, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2its very difficult to know when people take offense.
        i love sharing information, i should be a teacher or professor.
        i always want to teach people things and im just fascinated with nature and the world.
        i have a really bad habit bringing up stuff about something talked about before when the conversation moves on or blurting out something i was thinking about.
        its obnoxious but im not really sure how to get a handle on it.
        • IllBeBack, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1Yeah, that's just what we need, a teacher that can't use any form of punctuation other than a period and never capitalizes any words when required.

          You may think that you're smart, but your writing skills portrays the exact opposite.

          Don't teach. Ever.
    • m0tbaillie, on 06/23/2008, -9/+9EXACTLY. Writing of your own socially-inept ass as having Asperger's is a ***** cop-out. There are plenty of engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and IT-types who are not only socially competent but *gasp* actually have SEX with WOMEN and go to the BAR and SOCIALIZE. Just because there's an influx of nerds who have never explored any of that doesn't mean they should start self-diagnosing themselves with any old illness that seems to fit their own personality quirks/shortcomings.
      • pockiez, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1Not to mention there are IT-type women who have sex with men?
      • Smuikas, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3You obviously missed out on many of the writings on aspergers. There's a correlation between parents diagnosed aspergers having children with autism. Get off your goddamn high horse and shove a red hot poker up your ass. Maybe the devil will give you a reacharound.
      • Dhekke, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1You fail at logic... False silogisms suck, man
    • agentkimchee, on 06/23/2008, -3/+15Just because 95% of cases are misdiagnosed doesn't mean that the disorders aren't very real for the remaining 5% who really have them. I know people with severe, real ADD, and severe, real Asperger's, and the diagnoses helps the people around them understand that they are dealing with more severe mental challenges than the average person.
    • bombula, on 06/23/2008, -7/+29You're a ***** talking out of your ass. Aspergers and other forms of autism have measurable differences in their neuronal structures, particularly in their mirror neurons. The clinical expressions of this illness stand out like a sore thumb to anyone with an ounce of training.

      Tom Cruise called - he wants his ignorant rant against the science of psychiatry back.
      • kingmanic, on 06/23/2008, -2/+3Aspergers is a back door for a lot of nerds. What he implies is a lot of people self diagnose themselves as having Asperger. It seems a lot of my peers see their social short comings and labels themselves as having Aspergers as a scapegoat for their own failures. Clinically diagnosis is more involved and usually has it right.
      • thestranger, on 06/23/2008, -1/+6Here we go again with this anti-mental health comments getting dugg like crazy! ADD does exist and so does Asperger's. Just because we haven't found a way to clearly diagnose someone other than their own freewill of taking test, talking to doctors, etc has a tendency to be far from perfect doesn't mean these things are BS. Some day we will be able to objectively and easily see these brain defects and won't need suffer of these problems own subject explanation to to try and figure out what is wrong...

        I am tired of people claiming that its just excuses. No its your brain, which is your thought center, if something is "messed up" in your brain (which often happens since a lot of the parts of the human are relatively new in nature) there is no YOU above your brain...you are your brain/body. You cannot just step in and go, "brain/me knock this ***** off!". Self cognitive therapy helps somewhat, but if your brain causes you to not see certain options or see a world a certain way then its not an excuse....you need medical help...the brain is organ and when its defective just like any other organ it needs medication, and therapy.

        People still use folk psychology and behaviorism like these methods weren't pretty much refuted and disregarded decades ago. Yes, I know in some aspects and in some small amounts of cases these things can be used, but very few.

        Argh people on here talk about how much Scientology sucks, and how Dr Phil is moron. But then they turn around and believe and say similar things. "ADD isn't real." (which was a campaign created by Scientology in the mid-90s --look it up), and "If you can't concentrate.....JUST CONCENTRATE and quit making excuses!" (very DR Phil)
      • Spudster, on 06/23/2008, -3/+1To all of those who claim that they can prove these illnesses as if they're scientific fact.

        Please show me physical proof that these disorders exist in the brain. I want to see biological proof. Did you know that there is zero physical evidence supporting the existence of Schitzophrenia? The only evidence is the behaviour we see displayed in people. The fact of the matter is, psychological illnesses and diagnosis are very subjective and based on the whims of social observances. Unlike any disease, there is no concrete way to proof the existence of a psychological illness. The possibility for mistake is very high.

        Tom Cruise, while crazy with scientology in his head, was on the right track. A lot of aspects of psychiatry as wrong to this day. If you don't believe me, start reading up about antipsychotics and tell me that they are helping the problem.
        • alliekins619, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2My neighbor was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. When she takes antipsychotics she's fine, but when she doesn't she chases her husband around with a butcher's knife shouting that he's trying to kill her. I'm pretty sure she has a problem here, so don't tell me schizophenia doesn't exist.
        • RobotLeAwesome, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3Related to a Schizophrenic woman who will TRY AND STAB YOU if she's off her meds – there's a scientific study for you, *****.
        • Spudster, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1Are you aware that antipsychotic drugs cause permanent brain damage and visible physical deformity? If you don't believe me, these disturbing facial movements in this patient are a result of a condition known as "tardive dyskinesia" caused soley by antipsychotic drugs and not her mental illness: http://baware.co.uk/TARDIVE.gif

          The problem with psychiatry is that it can often make people who think different or act differently into people who have a "disorder." They claim that by virtue of the illness being physical, that there must be a drug to treat it. The most effective treatment to schitzophrenia is therapy, not chemical treatments.
        • thestranger, on 06/24/2008, -0/+1Ok, Spudster: I realize you must have watched that one documentary about the evils of psychiatry, but you need to realize that movie is complete garbage. Al ot of research was done with Scientology.

          As for schizophrenics just needing therapy and not meds...........HA! I am sure my wife can arrange that you go work at the group homes for schizophrenics she works at. You can come and try and have them talk to you and help them, while they are farting every 2 seconds, talking about how there hair is pasta, laughing loudly, and trying to force you to drink dirty water that they put a cigarette out in and now claim is orange juice...........(note: I know these are severe causes and not represented by all suffers of this terrible illness). We will she how far their new therapy gets.
    • slvrbullet87, on 06/23/2008, -1/+17The only condition Bill Gates has is brilliant businessman syndrome
      • BoneheadFarker, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2...with a bit of nepotism and ***** blind luck thrown in...
        • Gutterpunk, on 06/23/2008, -0/+4... which is the definition of "brilliant businessman"
      • Smuikas, on 06/23/2008, -2/+2Bill gates didn't take care of any of the business - it was all steve ballmer. Gates was the technical mind, ballmer was the businessperson. Gates didn't want anything to do with the business end of things.
      • BTime, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1And also a major league *****. He didn't develop a softer image until after he got married. Melinda is the one that should be getting sole credit for their foundations efforts.
    • ouzome, on 06/23/2008, -2/+5There is no way you can compare Asperger to ADD - it's not even close. You obviously have no idea what you're talking about. Asperger kids have a very hard time solicalizing, it's not just that they aren't cool, they do not have the ability to function socially. As mentioned, it is realted to autism, which I don't think you're going to doubt if that is real or not. Have you ever met a kid with aspergers???? My wife works with them everyday . . . it is not even 1% close to ADD.
      • Lisztman, on 06/23/2008, -7/+2The fact that you fail to comprehend the comparison at all suggests that you are very fortunate in marrying a woman who deals with mentally debilitated individuals. Props to you for finding someone to help you guide you through your crippling condition.

        Your's in Christ,
        Lisztman
        • ouzome, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2Not very Christ-like there pally. You know what I meant, they are downplaying Aspergers by comparing it to ADHD . . . and there is no comparison. And I don't have any condition, but you may want to get your head out of the bible and be real.
        • Lisztman, on 06/23/2008, -3/+1I should have realized that the "christ" reference would have gone over an aspie's head. Don't know why I even bothered with you, really.
        • BoneheadFarker, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1@Lisztman

          Maybe you'd care to explain the "christ" reference. Because, so far, you're just coming off as a dick...
        • Lisztman, on 06/23/2008, -2/+1Its a reference to those who mess with Nigerian 419 scammers. Usually their emails are very patronizing and subtly demeaning, and lots of times they slip in christian-like salutations to add to the absurdity.

          And congratulations to you sir! You have correctly identified someone being an ***** on the internet!
          Have a cookie:
          http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/ ...
    • ninetimes, on 06/23/2008, -3/+2Quit using illnesses as an excuse for your own inability to function in society

      Why? I mean, it's one thing if someone is looking for a handout, but a lot of these people are just suffering serious problems. Often they're looking for a cause so that they can begin to address the issue. Even if they're looking for an excuse, all they're really after is a little understanding-- that just because they have some difficulties does not make them worthless.

      Granted, I'm not a big fan of how all this tends to play out. Often enough, they label something a disease, pretend that we understand it all because it now has a name, and then we still don't do anything about it. But I still think it's worth having a little compassion. Even if someone is simply "socially inept", it's still a sad state of affairs, and we should still try to show that person a little understanding.
    • B08ama, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3Dude, it's on the autism spectrum.
    • DarkFoxDK, on 06/23/2008, -6/+3Why is this ignorant ass being dugg up?
    • robweber, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3I think Aspergers is a real condition, however I agree that a lot of conditions such as Aspergers and ADD get over-diagnosed since it is a very borderline condition with no real definitive characteristics - that is it is slightly different from person to person. As a society I think we tend to jump straight to some sort of illness every time someone is a little odd.
      • TVarmy, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1I think it should be said that nobody ever leaves a neurologist without getting a diagnosis. There's a reason the DSM IV doesn't have a code for typical.
    • mistatwista, on 06/23/2008, -2/+2I used to live with a kid that had aspergers. Trust me when I tell you that aspergers is definately not fake. When you meet someone that has aspergers there is no question about them having this handicap.

      When I first moved in with the kid I was not informed of his handicap, and actually was undiagnosed(I dont know how). Then one day I heard of aspergers and saw a list of symptoms and there was no question about it. He avoids eye contact with anyone that talks to him, he would take everything by its literal sense. It would be two completely different things to him if I told him he should shower and gave him an order to shower(which he went up to 3 weeks without doing). A person with aspergers doesnt just have a little of the symptoms, they have full blown symptoms and completely obvious.

      Its not a question of if its real or not because its 100% real and when you meet someone who has aspergers I promise that you will have no question as to if its real or not.
    • MasterThief117, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2I know someone with asperger's. It is sad because he is a pretty cool person, and very friendly.
      ADD is also real. I am dealing with it right now. I know many people who are.
  • ohhoe, on 06/23/2008, -4/+22The only guy I've ever met with aspergers said the most hurtful and mean things imaginable to everyone.

    Is this a part of the disorder?
    • betasp, on 06/23/2008, -9/+17It can be, and a routine arse kicking can be a valid treatment.
      • ohhoe, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3I'm a 5 foot tall chick and this dude was like 6'2", haha.
      • wexmajor, on 06/23/2008, -3/+4No it can't. It can be child abuse, which is a apparently the same thing to you morons.
    • Otto, on 06/23/2008, -0/+20Only if those things were actually true.
    • carve, on 06/23/2008, -1/+10It depends. Was he also a douchebag?
      • ohhoe, on 06/23/2008, -0/+5he was a total douchebag and really made a point to say hurtful things and put people down without even being provoked.
    • bombula, on 06/23/2008, -0/+10Actually yeah, it is pretty common.
      • trenchcoat, on 06/23/2008, -2/+1The hurtful things or the ass whoopings?
    • ouzome, on 06/23/2008, -4/+6Yes, and they can't help it.
      • ohhoe, on 06/23/2008, -0/+1Well that's why I asked, because I didn't know.
      • JimmyJoseph, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3Well that's too bad - we all have to work to overcome our disabilities. I don't take Aspergers as an excuse for someone being a complete *****. If you can't function socially, don't.
      • WallyAnti, on 06/23/2008, -1/+2Here's an interesting situation. You have a person with an anger problem and a person who has asperger's.

        The asperger's fellow mouths off to the anger management fellow which is answered with a right hook.

        Which one is more responsible for his actions. Which one is to be excused?
        • TVarmy, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Anger management guy. He resorted to physical violence, while the Asperger's guy said some unkind things or said something that was true in a manner that wasn't very tactful. It's in bad form for the Asperger's guy to do that, so he should probably get a talk from HR or maybe his therapist if he chooses to see one. The guy in anger management should not be coming into work if he cannot control himself. He should be seriously chastised and his job should be put under careful review.
    • ninetimes, on 06/23/2008, -0/+9Er, yeah, sort of. From what I understand, some of the symptoms include failure to relate to other people (put yourself in their shoes) and inability to pick up on social cues. These things can manifest as saying things that are inappropriate for the situation, and possibly unintentionally hurtful.

      But your friend with aspergers may also be a bit of a dick. I'm not sure it's either/or.
      • hollyminkowski, on 06/23/2008, -0/+5The one guy I know that has this is always saying things that make people's mouths fly open in shock.
        He is really smart though and I manage to get along with him by just letting his extremely odd statements go past me without taking any offense.
        He loves fish sandwiches from McDonalds so when ever I go see him I get him 3 of them and a large Coke...he's always hungry because he forgets to eat I think.
        He just grabs the food...no thank you..no nothin...just starts gobbling it down, it always makes me laugh, he takes NO notice of my reaction at all :-)
        • Duositex, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2But later when he comes in with an automatic weapon and shreds the place he'll just knock on your door and whisper, "Thanks for the fish."
      • smoger, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3actually kind of reminds me of myself. i'm not an emotional person at all,.. i couldnt care less when people bring their babies to the office, i dont bother with the birthday parties or the small talk,.. and when i'm going to pass someone in the hall who i know has a 1-liner saved up, i'll do my best to just avoid them. meh... whatever.

        although, i just read celotil's post below and i have to say i do KNOW when the things i say are mean or cold or what have you. i just can't find it in me to feign emotion.
    • celotil, on 06/23/2008, -2/+4From what I've read it's not the fact that people who have Aspergers say things that may lack social tact, it's the fact that they don't know that what they're saying may be insulting or socially wrong.

      I share numerous characteristics with people who have Aspergers, but that's only because I've become rather jaded and cynical over the years and as such I know when I'm being a prick, an Aspergers sufferer doesn't.
      • kevincannon, on 06/23/2008, -0/+5Knowing when you're acting like a prick is a result of improved social awareness -- it's a good thing. :)
    • aliengoods, on 06/23/2008, -2/+1Now did he have a disorder, or was he just an *****? Is there a difference?
    • omgsideburns, on 06/23/2008, -0/+4Unfortunately yeah, it's very common. I am around a young kid (10 or 11) who was recently diagnosed. Very poor social skills. Would do the most irritating things, even means things, disrupt people, etc.. and when you try and talk to him about why he does it it's like he doesn't even realize it.

      At least when I'm a dick to people, it's on purpose.
    • Vapours, on 06/23/2008, -0/+4If it is due to the complete lack of tact (such as calling a fat girl fat), then it is aspergers. However, if he make a point of saying something hurtful, he is simply an arse. He is using arperger as an excuse.
      Read up on diagnostic criteria on Asperger and you too can be diagnosed and have an excuse to be an arse. Most of psychiatric disease including schizophrenia are easy to fake because there is no biological or chemical criteria for diagnosis. Read up "Rosenhan experiment"
    • ligyron, on 06/23/2008, -0/+3I think an ***** realizes that he's an *****. Someone with Aspergers will say and do ***** things and think it's appropriate. My brother was diagnosed with Aspergers when he was 6. He would always break my things, I think to just get my reaction or to create drama. He would often lash out at teachers and classmates. I'm not so sure he understands the concept of friends, I think he just sees them as people in his life that can help him advance, because he stole the girlfriend of someone I thought was a good friend with his and now he arrogantly laughs about it and doesn't think it's a big deal. He lost that friendship and I don't think he cares at all. After living with someone that truly has Aspergers (not the self-diagnosed attention whores) for almost 20 years, I can tell you they are very indifferent towards life.
    • WiseWeasel, on 06/23/2008, -1/+1Maybe, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be fired. He can probably be made to learn that his paycheck is linked to him not being an ***** to everyone.
  • KragTheDigger, on 06/23/2008, -6/+7Boston Legal's fans will recognize Asperger from Jerry Espenson character: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Espenson

    ( Danny Crane FTW ! )
    • phillykid162, on 06/23/2008, -2/+5*purrs*
    • lowmagnet, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3*hops*
    • richardtallent, on 06/23/2008, -0/+6The Jerry character is labeled as an Aspie, but also mixes in a good deal of OCD and Turret's Syndrome, which makes him tons funnier.

      Another example, although "undiagnosed" and milder (and could be early schizophrenia), would be Detective Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) on Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
    • MaddieCakes, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3Denny Crane. Denny. And yes, the Jerry Espenson character pwns faces.
    • Ozlin, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Denny Crane
    • jorazzle, on 06/23/2008, -1/+3Jerry is an over-dramatized nut. His "symptoms" are not that of an Aspie.
    • DevilDriver, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Brilliant!
    • happytedium, on 06/23/2008, -0/+2Denny Crane, lock 'n' load.
  • StanleyKoolPrik, on 06/23/2008, -25/+16Made-up medical conditions rule.
  • RizzoFrank, on 06/23/2008, -11/+6Server is down. WTF can't you posters do anything right. Damnit.
  • m0tbaillie, on 06/23/2008, -20/+165I can't believe this was front-paged. I'm sorry guys, but there is no way you can just slap and arbitrary disease onto a group of people who happen to be technically-inclined and very good at what they do, as opposed to labeling them as they are: socially inept. It's the same thing with saying all children in the US are suffering from ADD. No, there are just far more distractions for children these days and it's harder to focus on "boring" things like school or reading when they have Internets and Call of Duty.

    My cousin *actually* has Asperger's but the cracks in his skull are larger than normal and his mom was coked-out when he was born. He can't tie his shoes or balance a checkbook but ask him anything about WW2 and I guarantee he'd give your local WW2 history PhD a run for his money with ease.

    However, attributing Asperger's to every Tom, Dick, and Harry Engineer who lacks social skills is a ***** disserve to the people who really *DO* suffer from this disease and it makes me sick. Go outside and see the ***** sun, go to the bar and have a beer. Meet people. Don't write off your own personality quirks and ineptitudes as the fault of a disease. It's your own damned fault if you're socially awkward. I know *plenty* of brilliant mathematicians, engineers, chemists, *astrophysics* majors, and molecular biologists that are all cool as ***** and have no problem *gasp* going out and getting laid. ***** and buried.
    • 404NF, on 06/23/2008, -0/+9Exactly. My nephew has Asperger's. Maybe it's different for all patients, but for my nephew, it's not that he doesn't understand social ques or that he lacks social skills, it's that social environments drive him insane to the point of extreme violence. Feeling a little awkward in social situations isn't Asperger's.