The Curious Case of the Backwardly Aging Mouse - ScienceNOW

The Curious Case of the Backwardly Aging Mouse - ScienceNOW

When theres no one around

This song is about Garth Brooks not having any anonymity after becoming a celebrity. If you listen it really resonates with a aspies basic desire just to fit in :)

This is a song that nobody knows
I couldn't begin to describe how it goes
But it makes me cry or laugh right out loud
It's a song that I sing when there's no one around

This is the man that nobody sees
He wears my old clothes and he looks just like me
Just one of the boys who gets lost in the crowd
He's the man that I am when there's no one around

It's four in the morning
Im lyin' in bed
A tape of my failures
Playin' inside my head
It's heartaches and hard knocks
And things I don't know
I listen and I wonder
Where will it go

This is a glimpse of the child that's within
He's so immature but he's still my best friend
If he could learn how to fly he'd never touch down
He's the kid that I am when there's no one around

This is the dance I do every day
I let my feet go and get carried away
I let my soul lead and follow the sound
It's the dance that I do when there's no one around

It's four in the morning
Im lyin' in bed
A tape of my failures
Playin' inside my head
It's heartaches and hard knocks
And things I don't know
I listen and I wonder
Where will it go

This is a song that nobody knows
I still can't begin to describe how it goes
But it makes me cry or laugh right out loud
It's a song that I sing when there's no one around
It's a song that I sing when there's no one around

Writer Nalo Hopkinson on Learning ABILITY not DISability

Aspergers and mindfullness

I find this very interesting , this is something I have been working on myself. After my last seizure my brain has reset to a point, I am able to live more in the present its miraculous what simply living in the now and not obsessing over possibilities can do for you.

'Trust Hormone' May Improve Autism - ScienceNOW

'Trust Hormone' May Improve Autism - ScienceNOW
This makes alot of sense ,when pregnant with both of my children I didnt appear to release hormones related to contractions and lactation. Lack of oxytocin may explain why we rarely become attracted to others also.

My thoughts on Temple Grandin

Recently there has been alot of press about the new HBO movie about Temple Grandin, because she has classic autism I had not done much research on her. I think that those of us with Aspergers tend to think of ourselves as so different from those with HFA. Aside from her extreme symptoms in early childhood, after watching many videos of temple all I saw were similarities.
part 1


part 2


part3


part4

Non verbal learning disorder NLD (from wrong planet forums)

Short description of NLD (nonverbal learning disorder) for quick reference:

Condition involving a pattern of average or advanced verbal abilities combined with deficits in nonverbal areas such as motor coordination, visual and spatial processing, and social skills.

If you want to learn more, read on:

Nonverbal learning disorder (or nonverbal learning disability) refers to a condition in which individuals exhibit strengths in verbal abilities and weaknesses in nonverbal processing. Usually abbreviated as either NLD or NVLD, this disorder was first described by Johnson and Myklebust in the late 60s. Despite the fact that the term “nonverbal learning disorder” has existed in psychology for over forty years, it has only begun to gain greater recognition in the last decade, and is not included in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). The following is a short list of the strengths and weaknesses associated with NLD:

Strengths:

Decoding (word-reading)
Rote memory (memory for facts)
Verbal reasoning
Vocabulary
General linguistic ability

Weaknesses:

Motor coordination
Social skills
Ability to understand nonverbal communication
Visual and spatial processing
Sense of direction
Mathematics (especially application of abstract concepts)
Executive functioning (attention, organization, planning, prioritizing)
Writing skills (especially organization of ideas) and reading comprehension

General characteristics of NLDers:

Verbal IQ is often much higher than Performance IQ
Reliance on verbal mediation (“talking oneself through a task”)
Focus on details while missing the big picture
Difficulty with sarcasm and a tendency towards literal thinking
Preference for routine and difficulty with novelty or change
May appear naïve and gullible
Very prone to anxiety and depression

Relationship to ADHD and AS:

As you can see, NLD shares some traits with both ADHD and Asperger syndrome.
Some individuals with NLD also meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, but in addition to problems with executive functioning also exhibit marked difficulties with visual and spatial processing, and have difficulty dealing with change. Additionally, individuals with ADHD may have attentional deficits which are “impulsive” or “distractible” while NLDers may be able to sustain focus, but have difficulty knowing exactly what to focus on (this has been described as “desultory attention”). Finally, attentional difficulties in ADHD tend to persist across both auditory and visual streams of information, while in NLD auditory attention is usually markedly better than visual attention.

Currently, individuals who display the above NLD traits but do not exhibit the “special interest” of AS are diagnosed as NLD. Individuals with AS may have more severe problems with social skills and are more likely to exhibit “autistic” traits such as lack of imaginary play, while those with NLD may have more severe deficits in visual and spatial processing. Individuals with AS may also meet the criteria for NLD, but the AS diagnosis “trumps” the NLD one (just as AS trumps ADHD). It should be noted that some researchers believe that NLD and AS are different terms to describe the same population, and others think that AS should be included on the extreme end of an “NLD spectrum” rather than as part of the “autistic spectrum.” Hopefully improved clarity in differential diagnosis will be forthcoming as more is known about the organic and neurological components of these conditions.

Diagnosis:

The academic impact of NLD may not become visible until later elementary school, when comprehension of concepts begins to be more important than rote learning (especially in mathematics). This is also when social difficulties may become more pronounced. As with any learning disability, mild cases, especially in individuals with high intelligence who have learned to compensate for nonverbal deficits, may go unnoticed until the individual begins struggling in higher education, such as college or graduate school. In other cases, NLDers may have been misdiagnosed as ADHD, emotionally disturbed, or given the general label Learning Disability-NOS (not otherwise specified). Even today, NLD is not well known by educators (although this is changing), and the process of diagnosis can be tricky. Usually central to the diagnosis of NLD is neuropsychological testing, which examines specific cognitive abilities to identify a distinct pattern of strengths and weaknesses. Some tests which are frequently used are intelligence tests, the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, the Judgment of Line Orientation Test, the Grooved Pegboard Test, and sections of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery, along with other tests of verbal and nonverbal ability.

NLD’s status as a distinct clinical entity is still unclear, and lack of inclusion in the DSM means that no standardized criteria have yet been developed. What is clear is that not all individuals with a recognizable NLD profile fit every single proposed characteristic, and thus various “NLD subtypes” have been suggested which take into account the different “spheres” of deficit in NLD, such as motor skills, executive functioning, visual-spatial processing, and social communication. As stated on the NLDline website: “It is important to note… that no two children who meet this diagnosis criteria are the same. For some children the problem may rest predominantly with their maths and handwriting. For others it may be more organisation, attention, behaviour and social skills. For some the motor problems are significant whilst for others they are non-existent.”
NLD will likely be included as a diagnosis in the next revision of the DSM (due to be released in 2012), at which point standardized criteria will have been created, and a decision will have been made about which traits are necessary for diagnosis and which are merely comorbid characteristics or common sequelae. As with autism and Asperger syndrome however, the diagnostic criteria of NLD will likely be evolving for quite some time.


Something I would like to add to this is that in children with NLD they often speak and read much earlier. My son has an AS diagnosis but I am going to talks to his neuro psych. about
NLD this fits him to a tee. He spoke 3 words clearly at 9mo and is 7 reading at a 5th grade level; his social skills are poor but nothing like mine as a child.