'Autistic' has many positive connotations and I'm sure that's what Gosia was refering to. Some autistic people have amazing savant skills, sometimes related to maths like they can do really complex calculations in their heads, and sometimes they have amazing artistic talents.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder.

As for it being a positive thing, I don't really think so. Special, maybe....

Ian.

Sodoffsocks,Ian,

I was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. I believe it was a misdiagnosis. But I learned first hand how a lable really can have damaging effects on a person. I was placed in a special ED class during english period with people with down's syndrome, Cretism, Turner's syndrome and other learning disabilites. If these other children didn't have any of these conditions, it really didn't matter, we were treated like it.

For awhile I did TWO sets of home work, the special ED class AND my age appropriate english lessons. It was a real let down when when my teacher told me with a very condemning look, "You don't have to do my home work". In essence her body language said, "Your too dumb to do it". At least thats what I got from it. Relatives were also not so helpful when referencing dyslexia. I am not sure what they thought it meant, but it was not good. By junior high school I was placed all regular classes. I was TOTALLY disoriented. NO TRANSITION at all. My english instructor said, "What do you mean you don't know this material, where you in grade school?" So I had to just try and cope, I spent a lot of hours in the public library looking up all the information which was not supplied to me.

Needless to say, I am a bit sensitive to lables. SO what if someone is autistic. It doesn't mean that they are worthless. Life doesn't end for them at that point. Chances are that EVERYONE has some sort of disability if you look hard enough.

Heh, your story gives me a chuckle becaues it's almost exactly the same as my as mine. I was put in the "special ED" class for a while, half the teachers throught I was lazy and the rest, stupid. Then I was diagnosed as dyslexic, which helped a little, I was given slightly different special ED work designed for dylexic kids. Some teachers where less than helpful, taking the attitude "We don't have to teach kids like you, it's in our contracts" and classifying me as "retarted", this targetting by teachers was the que for my class mates to follow suit. Some, like math, physics and computing, teachers were more helpful, caring more about solving the problems rather than spelling and writing. Probably what helped the most was getting my hands on a computer around the same time as being diagnosed dyslexic, my one saving grace thoughout the rest of school, knowing more about computers than any of the students or teachers at my school. I don't miss school.

Rereading my post, I must say "Sorry!", that doesn't say what I meant to say at all. All I meant was that I didn't think Autism conjured up positive connotations. I didn't really mean to use 'special' as a label, as in "special ability" (math, accounting, music, etc)..

Anyway, let's talk about raw foods again.

Ian.

Ian,
Yes, I had a bit of an over reaction. Honestly i agree with you that autism doesn't sound positive, but then I said hey, dyslexia doesn't sound positive to people either.

I think there is a general problem with people having an idealic picture of the perfect person, and if someone doesn't fit that, then your just 'f***ed'. Perhaps its just me projecting, I tend to do that. Taking responsibility for my own stuff...I tend to maintain some image of perfection which I use to judge myself and other people. THATS so sad isn't it? How many people are even close to the ideal? I think nobody. If someone is lucky enough to be physically beautiful and smart, then sometimes they can be real jerks. Even if they aren't I tend to dislike them or feel envious.

It is getting rather off the topic of raw foods. But I on raw food boards, there seems to be a theme of an ideal. Its not a bad thing, but how many threads do you read which centers around a stated or implied ideal of some type? There are weight loss, general physical health, compassion ideals, eating for beauty, eating for intellegence, seeking information on the ideal diet. Its not a bad thing, but the pit fall is a question of what happens if you don't meet the ideal?

True ela, I confirm, I am a mathematician (a research scientist and lecturer as well)!

Abhorent as it may sound, scientific is not equivalent for correct.

As far as autism, when I think of some maths problems, I get completely detached from the external world, and live in my own world (that's why I prefer to seat when I do that in case I walk into something ha ha!), It is a beautiful world (which involves visualization)! I do not see this autistic (in the whole autism spectrum) feature of myself and my research as something negative. Rather, it is a natural quality that allows me to solve problems. I love it and am grateful for it. Maths and music, I love them both.

The majority of people perceive disabilities as something negative. Those who live with them not necessarily. For example, my son who has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome has had quite some troubles with reading social clues, but has exceptional abilities in art and comupters. He is in high school and already doing stuff in game making that is at the university level. When he was only about 5 or 6, he was already drawing pictures with perspective in them. His draiwngs are exceptional. Sometimes life is tough for him, but overall he appreciates the fact that he has those special talents. In his school I see many boys that are far more troubled than him. In fact, he is the one of the more settled and happy ones.

Some famous people with Asperger's: Albert Einstein, Bill Gates.

By the way, everyone has something that it "not normal" in them.

Gosia


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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2006 10:54PM by rawgosia.

I'm at the point in my life were I feel I will never ever sprout grains again. That is not on the map anymore of potential foods to eat if I can choose. Rye burns in my mouth, quinoa gives me nausea. And by the way, they are tasteless and God/universe wouldn't give me something like that as optimal nutrition. No, I'd rather eat cooked rice or pasta and then include more and more fruits gradually. That's were my integrity lies right now.