Comments on: Common Modes of Thought; its broader than thinking in pictures http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/ Ever the arty Autie Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:54:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Donna Williams’ Blog » Blog Archive » Biomedical approach to autism hits the mainstream with Jenny Mc Carthy http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-14969 Donna Williams’ Blog » Blog Archive » Biomedical approach to autism hits the mainstream with Jenny Mc Carthy Sun, 28 Oct 2007 21:55:22 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-14969 [...] Asperger’s usually has features like inability to read facial expression or body language (as seen in Expressive Agnosia), clumsiness (as seen in Dyspraxia, including oral dyspraxia), a tendency toward obsessional interests (as seen in the extreme of the concientious personality trait) and sometimes a great need for social acceptance and routine (as seen in the extreme of the sensitive personality trait) and a tendency to high social anxiety (generalised anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, panic disorder), sensory hypersensitivities. If you listen to Temple Grandin, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s as an adult after an infancy in which she was thought brain damaged, most will become scientists, engineers or work in I.T. so if Jenny is looking for adults with Asperger’s, now she knows where to find them, or at least the 6% with ASD who are in full time employment (yes 94% are not). Autism generally means a more complex, often bigger ‘autism fruit salad’; meaning deafness (verbal agnosia, auditory agnosia, semantic pragmatic disorder), meaning blindness (visual agnosia, associative agnosia), reading disabilities (dyslexia, scotopic sensitivity syndrome), poor body feedback (tactile agnosia, finger agnosia), no sense of pain (pain agnosia), poor muscle tone (Dystonia), impulse control disorders (OCD, Tourette’s, ADHD), mood disorders (Ultra Rapid Cycling Childhood Bipolar, infant-onset depression), anxiety disorders (separation anxiety, exposure anxiety), eating disorders (anorexia, self induced vomiting, extreme self-restricted food choice), sensory integration and motor planning problems (Dyspraxia), articulation problems (oral dyspraxia), communication disorders (aphasias) and often significant gut, immune and metabolic disorders.  Learned dependency is common and as the stress of challenges ups the tempo of natural personality traits, these traits can escalate into disorder proportions, complicating development (dependent personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, etc….).  It’s not hard to imagine that without significant, often life long intervention, adaptations and management for what can be in an autism fruit salad, that many of these adults aren’t going to be in the telephone directory under scientists, engineers or I.T consultants.  But I’ve met some wonderful adults in this group and whilst for some the greatest achievement is just making it through the day with a smile, I’ve met writers (typing), poets, artists, singers, musicians, dancers, gardeners, one who’s a lab assistant, another who’s a chef, several who work in catering and others in sheltered employment. [...] […] Asperger’s usually has features like inability to read facial expression or body language (as seen in Expressive Agnosia), clumsiness (as seen in Dyspraxia, including oral dyspraxia), a tendency toward obsessional interests (as seen in the extreme of the concientious personality trait) and sometimes a great need for social acceptance and routine (as seen in the extreme of the sensitive personality trait) and a tendency to high social anxiety (generalised anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, panic disorder), sensory hypersensitivities. If you listen to Temple Grandin, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s as an adult after an infancy in which she was thought brain damaged, most will become scientists, engineers or work in I.T. so if Jenny is looking for adults with Asperger’s, now she knows where to find them, or at least the 6% with ASD who are in full time employment (yes 94% are not). Autism generally means a more complex, often bigger ‘autism fruit salad’; meaning deafness (verbal agnosia, auditory agnosia, semantic pragmatic disorder), meaning blindness (visual agnosia, associative agnosia), reading disabilities (dyslexia, scotopic sensitivity syndrome), poor body feedback (tactile agnosia, finger agnosia), no sense of pain (pain agnosia), poor muscle tone (Dystonia), impulse control disorders (OCD, Tourette’s, ADHD), mood disorders (Ultra Rapid Cycling Childhood Bipolar, infant-onset depression), anxiety disorders (separation anxiety, exposure anxiety), eating disorders (anorexia, self induced vomiting, extreme self-restricted food choice), sensory integration and motor planning problems (Dyspraxia), articulation problems (oral dyspraxia), communication disorders (aphasias) and often significant gut, immune and metabolic disorders.  Learned dependency is common and as the stress of challenges ups the tempo of natural personality traits, these traits can escalate into disorder proportions, complicating development (dependent personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, etc….).  It’s not hard to imagine that without significant, often life long intervention, adaptations and management for what can be in an autism fruit salad, that many of these adults aren’t going to be in the telephone directory under scientists, engineers or I.T consultants.  But I’ve met some wonderful adults in this group and whilst for some the greatest achievement is just making it through the day with a smile, I’ve met writers (typing), poets, artists, singers, musicians, dancers, gardeners, one who’s a lab assistant, another who’s a chef, several who work in catering and others in sheltered employment. […]

]]> By: donna http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3501 donna Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:08:48 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3501 Can't remember her name, didn't get her details. She had dark hair, was clumsy, wore glasses. She was an artist, like me and she was someone I'd have liked for a friend. Yet I remember everything we did, that she'd cooked for me, and we ate together under the stage. I introduced her (it was an 'in joke' as she was meant to intro me). I can do characterisations of her but I can't remember her name. ah, such is life. My life is full of nameless, faceless people whose patterns and actions I remember very well. :-) Donna *) Can’t remember her name, didn’t get her details.
She had dark hair, was clumsy, wore glasses.
She was an artist, like me and she was someone I’d have liked for a friend.

Yet I remember everything we did, that she’d cooked for me, and we ate together under the stage.
I introduced her (it was an ‘in joke’ as she was meant to intro me).
I can do characterisations of her
but I can’t remember her name.

ah, such is life.

My life is full of nameless, faceless people whose patterns and actions I remember very well.

:-) Donna *)

]]> By: consuela http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3500 consuela Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:00:02 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3500 Thanks so much! Do you think the person you met in Portland might be interested in emailing and/or meeting with me? Thanks so much! Do you think the person you met in Portland might be interested in emailing and/or meeting with me?

]]> By: donna http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3499 donna Thu, 11 Jan 2007 09:52:07 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3499 Hi Consuela, visit www.auties.org you'll find we have new autie-friendly dinner clubs and autie-friendly activities clubs. If there's nothing in your area you can start one. Then anyone looking for one in the same area will likely find you. I did a talk in Portland a few years ago. Nice place, nice people met a lovely autie there too. good luck. :-) Donna *) Hi Consuela,

visit http://www.auties.org
you’ll find we have new autie-friendly dinner clubs and autie-friendly activities clubs. If there’s nothing in your area you can start one. Then anyone looking for one in the same area will likely find you.

I did a talk in Portland a few years ago.
Nice place, nice people
met a lovely autie there too.

good luck.

:-) Donna *)

]]> By: consuela http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3498 consuela Thu, 11 Jan 2007 09:46:38 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3498 woops, meant "speak", lol speaking of writing well. woops, meant “speak”, lol speaking of writing well.

]]> By: consuela http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3497 consuela Thu, 11 Jan 2007 09:45:57 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3497 Thanks so much for your discussion, very helpful and you're an excellent writer. I live near Portland Oregon do you know anyone around here I could speek with, others with autism/aspergers, or parents of children with autism/aspergers? Thanks so much for your discussion, very helpful and you’re an excellent writer.

I live near Portland Oregon do you know anyone around here I could speek with, others with autism/aspergers, or parents of children with autism/aspergers?

]]> By: donna http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3494 donna Thu, 11 Jan 2007 07:18:36 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3494 I agree that what's going on for me is more than light sensitivity of Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome and that, like the word autism is often applied to the combined developmental consequence of a range of underlying conditions, SSS is a blanket term that is used in the diagnosis of a range of presentations of a variety of visual perceptual challenges and it would be more helpful if this range were individually identified. What was very strange for me was that whilst many more challenged people with autism have now written about severe visual perceptual challenges, many with Asperger's wear tinted lenses for light sensitivity, assuming this was the main reason I wore mine. This was strange to me as had my visual perceptual issues been only that of light sensitivity, I'd have found it uncomfortable, stressing and annoying but I'd not have had the object and face recognition issues I have or the language tumbling stuff, which are actually quite different things again and more related to agnosia and language processing disorders effecting both heard and read speech. Sure having the white of the page compete with print just made all that worse, but tackling that alone didn't solve everything else. I still didn't progress to reading for pleasure and even though faces and objects are now more cohesive, their meaning and recognition is still delayed or elusive. Not that I'm too annoyed at that, its just how it is, same as I'm not a horse or a cloud, no point complaining about it. :-) Donna *) I agree that what’s going on for me is more than light sensitivity of Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome and that, like the word autism is often applied to the combined developmental consequence of a range of underlying conditions, SSS is a blanket term that is used in the diagnosis of a range of presentations of a variety of visual perceptual challenges and it would be more helpful if this range were individually identified.

What was very strange for me was that whilst many more challenged people with autism have now written about severe visual perceptual challenges, many with Asperger’s wear tinted lenses for light sensitivity, assuming this was the main reason I wore mine. This was strange to me as had my visual perceptual issues been only that of light sensitivity, I’d have found it uncomfortable, stressing and annoying but I’d not have had the object and face recognition issues I have or the language tumbling stuff, which are actually quite different things again and more related to agnosia and language processing disorders effecting both heard and read speech.

Sure having the white of the page compete with print just made all that worse, but tackling that alone didn’t solve everything else. I still didn’t progress to reading for pleasure and even though faces and objects are now more cohesive, their meaning and recognition is still delayed or elusive. Not that I’m too annoyed at that, its just how it is, same as I’m not a horse or a cloud, no point complaining about it.

:-) Donna *)

]]> By: consuela http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3493 consuela Thu, 11 Jan 2007 07:06:05 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3493 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome#Skepticism "Critics claim that the symptoms of those with Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome are related to already known visual disorders. According to a statement released by the American Optometric Association in 2004..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome#Skepticism
“Critics claim that the symptoms of those with Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome are related to already known visual disorders. According to a statement released by the American Optometric Association in 2004…”

]]> By: consuela http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3492 consuela Thu, 11 Jan 2007 07:04:27 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3492 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome "Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, also known as Meares-Irlen Syndrome or Irlen Syndrome" "... it is sometimes categorised as a form of dyslexia. However, bestselling autistic author, Donna Williams, in her book Like Colour To The Blind wrote about her experience of tinted lenses after being diagnosed with Scotopic Sensitivity. In this book she described the lenses as enabling her to have cohesive, unfragmented vision, able to see faces, bodies and objects as a whole for the first time and reducing the extremity of experiences like meaning-blindness, face blindness, inability to learn to read facial expression and body language and the social consequences of these impairments. This lead to a worldwide raised awareness of Scotopic Sensitivity..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irlen_Syndrome
“Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, also known as Meares-Irlen Syndrome or Irlen Syndrome”
“… it is sometimes categorised as a form of dyslexia. However, bestselling autistic author, Donna Williams, in her book Like Colour To The Blind wrote about her experience of tinted lenses after being diagnosed with Scotopic Sensitivity. In this book she described the lenses as enabling her to have cohesive, unfragmented vision, able to see faces, bodies and objects as a whole for the first time and reducing the extremity of experiences like meaning-blindness, face blindness, inability to learn to read facial expression and body language and the social consequences of these impairments. This lead to a worldwide raised awareness of Scotopic Sensitivity…”

]]> By: donna http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3487 donna Thu, 11 Jan 2007 04:55:20 +0000 http://blog.donnawilliams.net/2006/06/17/common-modes-of-thought-its-broader-than-you-think/#comment-3487 In fact Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome is recognized by Opthamologists, experts in visual perceptual issues, as BPI, which makes a testing range of lenses for this condition is run by Opthamologists. They are VERY different to Irlen, which is generally run by educational psychologists. One group are experts in visual perception, the other group experts in how people learn. And, yes, Irlen Syndrome is a term coined by Helen Irlen but Scotopic Sensitivity is a condition of light sensitivity which can, yes, interfere with reading, but in itself is not Dyslexia. However, SOME of the BPI lenses for Scotopic Sensitivity have also worked for a number of people with Dyslexia, but the 'autism lens' range from BPI includes lenses which are used by both the Scotopic Sensitivity and Dyslexic populations. There's an article about it on my website www.donnawilliams.net . Yes, Helen expanded her understanding of what can PRESENT as Scotopic Sensitivity (what she called Irlen Syndrome) but this is pretty normal. In the autism world, professionals have continually refined and expanded upon new information in their field. As for facial asymmetry, I was recently very surprised to read that children could have mini strokes, leaving their faces slightly asymmetrical re muscle control. I don't think this is ugly or anything to feel strange about nor is staring like a doll (I have enough of these kind of pics on my site). Quirky looks and expression, or lack thereof, are rarer and rarer in a world of mass production looks, posturing and cosmetic surgery. Be proud, be you, and don't waste your time with verbally abusing yourself about what version of 'normal' you think you should be, on any level. :-) Donna *) In fact Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome is recognized by Opthamologists, experts in visual perceptual issues, as BPI, which makes a testing range of lenses for this condition is run by Opthamologists.

They are VERY different to Irlen, which is generally run by educational psychologists.

One group are experts in visual perception, the other group experts in how people learn.

And, yes, Irlen Syndrome is a term coined by Helen Irlen but Scotopic Sensitivity is a condition of light sensitivity which can, yes, interfere with reading, but in itself is not Dyslexia. However, SOME of the BPI lenses for Scotopic Sensitivity have also worked for a number of people with Dyslexia, but the ‘autism lens’ range from BPI includes lenses which are used by both the Scotopic Sensitivity and Dyslexic populations.

There’s an article about it on my website http://www.donnawilliams.net .

Yes, Helen expanded her understanding of what can PRESENT as Scotopic Sensitivity (what she called Irlen Syndrome) but this is pretty normal. In the autism world, professionals have continually refined and expanded upon new information in their field.

As for facial asymmetry, I was recently very surprised to read that children could have mini strokes, leaving their faces slightly asymmetrical re muscle control. I don’t think this is ugly or anything to feel strange about nor is staring like a doll (I have enough of these kind of pics on my site).

Quirky looks and expression, or lack thereof, are rarer and rarer in a world of mass production looks, posturing and cosmetic surgery. Be proud, be you, and don’t waste your time with verbally abusing yourself about what version of ‘normal’ you think you should be, on any level.

:-) Donna *)

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