
I hired someone with Asperger's – now what? - rtexal
http://on.cnn.com/16WwSKG
======
fein
I find it rather annoying that people like myself get lumped into this as well
when such broad definitions are being used.

Do I prefer to be alone/ in a small group most of the time? Hell yes! It's
more exclusive and I get more work done. In a social situation, less people
means more signal, less noise.

Do I sometimes completely avoid social situations? Of course! But it's solely
due to the fact that sometimes, I just can't be arsed to care about dealing
with someones trite problems.

When push comes to shove and I need to be social with large groups, there
isn't an issue aside from the usual inherent "stage fright", but this is a
quality that can affect anyone that doesn't spend the majority of their time
as a public speaker.

Some of us exhibit the "qualities" in the article purely by choice, not by
challenge. I'm pretty sure at some point in my youth, some poor misguided soul
tried to diagnose me with some placement on the spectrum, but I would say that
nowadays this incorrect classification is more common than not. Had someone
told me every day that I was an autist, maybe I would have ended up exhibiting
more of those behaviors simply by association. Maybe we should make a slight
effort to stop telling schoolchildren that they're special or different, and
more time letting people fend for themselves a bit first.

~~~
a_c_s
You clearly don't understand how the diagnosis of these things works.

There is a spectrum of behaviors, raging from healthy to problematic.

Drinking alcohol has a range too: from abstaining to enjoying in moderation to
alcoholism. Neither abstaining nor moderate enjoyment are problematic. While
the parallel is awkward, just as occasionally having one beer too many doesn't
constitute alcoholism, occasionally avoiding social situations is different
from always avoiding them (the reasons for avoiding them are important too!).

If you don't understand the criteria for determining when a behavior is
problematic enough to warrant a symptom and when it is not, and you read
through the DSM-IV (which defines mental disorders), you will think you
qualify for many of the disorders listed: in all likelihood you do not qualify
for any of them. Why are the definitions written this way? Because mental
disorders are often characterized by normal behaviors happening to an extreme
degree (being anxious before a big potentially career-altering presentation is
healthy, having panic attacks as a result of everyday situations is
problematic). Also because the DSM-IV is meant to be used by trained
professionals who already understand this distinction.

~~~
fein
My issue is not with the vetted characterizations of symptoms in DSM-IV, but
with the nature of the original article and pseudo psychologists like some
middle school counselors. This is a subject that needs to be treated with some
form of scientific rigor, not feel good fluff pieces.

------
hh22
As someone who was diagnosed with Aspberger syndrome, reading that article
made me want to throw up. There can be significant differences between a
number of people with the same diagnosis, and generalizing them all under one
mocking nickname of "aspie" is disrespectful. My diagnosis is not obvious to
anyone talking to me unless I were to disclose it, and I have done very well
in school leadership activities; I particularly enjoyed being involved in a
debate club. I don't want Aspberger's to define me, and I wish that CNN would
be more supportive of people who are working to overcome their disabilities
instead of writing a puff piece about how special and disabled we are.

~~~
Osmium
Completely agreed. I found the article mildly infuriating. Aside from the fact
that it manifests in many different ways, I wouldn't even think of Aspergers
as a disability in the "traditional" sense; people with Aspergers are just
_different_ , it's not like they function any less well than people without
Aspergers. I don't have Aspergers myself but a good friend of mine does, and
the casual stigma and misinformation I've observed drives me crazy.

~~~
hh22
I agree completely about the "disability" description - I think that I became
used to calling it that because in situations where I did need to get support
for it in college (ie. requesting a single room, which seems to be a natural
human need and not just an aspberger issue) it always had to be done through
the disability services office, and maybe that definition stuck in my mind.
It's good to be aware of how bureaucracy can unconsciously influence our
mental thought patterns.

~~~
davidroberts
Bureaucracy thrives on classification. If something does not fit in a
pigeonhole, it will either be pounded until it does fit or discarded as
useless.

------
miles_matthias
A kid in my CS program and my dorms in college had Asperger's and I'd probably
hire him, depending on the company. He is an absolutely brilliant person who
would read a textbook in a night and immediately have all of it committed to
memory and able to use in a problem. He would program in classes because he
already knew everything the professor was lecturing on, only stopping to raise
his hand and correct the teacher when they flubbed up or weren't totally
clear. (By the end of our program teachers were trying to make sure they
didn't have him in their classes.)

He did a few jobs during school and a buddy of mine worked with him at a
software development shop. He said that they put him (my co-student with
Asperger's), in an office by himself with a computer and a desk phone and gave
him assignments of things to code. His code was awesome, but whenever he
wanted to ask someone about a project he was working on, people rarely
answered him. Being the genius that he was, he figured out how to hack his
office phone to be able to transmit his voice through every office speaker in
the entire office without anyone having to pick up their phone. They quickly
started answering him more.

So my $.02 are the same with working with any individual - understand who they
are, what they care about, and give them what they need. My co-student with
Asperger's was a total genius in CS (actually he was a CE double major now
that I think of it), but ultimately had trouble getting people to just listen
to him.

------
mosselman
The posed question is kind of offensive and arrogant if you think of it. It is
kind of along the lines of 'Will/do you hire someone who is a
woman/foreign/handicapped/ugly?' Suddenly the proposed properties are super
offensive. "Women are smart", "Women think differently", etc. "Dave Wellman
has managed several employees who were women." Eh what?

How about asking "Will/do you hire someone who is good for the job?". The
question asked here though is more along the lines of "Will/do discriminate in
your hiring process and how much?"

Furthermore the article is pretty biased, for example: "Aspies are intelligent
-- and independent".

I have met dumb 'aspies'. I don't know about figures, but I would argue that
there are both dumb and intelligent 'aspies'.

~~~
john_b
> The posed question is kind of offensive and arrogant if you think of it. It
> is kind of along the lines of 'Will/do you hire someone who is a
> woman/foreign/handicapped/ugly?'

...

> How about asking "Will/do you hire someone who is good for the job?". The
> question asked here though is more along the lines of "Will/do discriminate
> in your hiring process and how much?"

I don't disagree with you, but I think it's important to realize that this
article is written to address and correct some common human biases. People
whose moral development exceeds a certain level are less likely to
subconsciously classify and stereotype people based on a handful of social
cues, but are more likely to evaluate people as individuals. This article is
not written for such people. It is written for people whose moral model of a
person is so simple as to equate "autistic" with "dysfunctional" and ignore
the individual characteristics of a person.

It may be offensive or arrogant to discuss autistic spectrum individuals in
this way, but it's also necessary because most people are simply going to
stereotype and dismiss them unless they're prompted to think more thoroughly
about the issue. Decades in the future, when humanity's collective moral
reasoning has hopefully progressed, we will be able to look back on articles
like this and marvel at how simpleminded people were at the time. But articles
like this are a necessary step to getting there.

------
molbioguy
As others here have pointed out, "Asperger's" covers a broad spectrum of
behaviors and it's not fair to a) put this label on anyone who displays some
of the behaviors (that covers too many people), nor b) try to minimize the
diversity of behaviors by focusing on just a few (the diversity is much, much
greater). The same thing happens with the horribly named "gifted" label.
People only focus on the high achievers and completely miss the fact that not
all gifted or Asperger's fit that stereotype. It's just so easy to label
people and move on without really considering what's going on. A great article
called the "Misunderstood face of giftedness" on this was just in Huffington
Post [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-kuzujanakis/gifted-
ch...](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-kuzujanakis/gifted-
children_b_2948258.html)

------
catzhang
Don't worry. Asperger's syndrome will be removed from DSM-5 next month. So
next month, the person won't have the syndrome anymore...The syndrome won't
even exist anymore...

[http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/12/04/aspergers-syndrome-to-
be-...](http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/12/04/aspergers-syndrome-to-be-removed-
from-psychiatrists-diagnostic-guide/)

~~~
danneu
Much of the DSM is toxic legacy from the dark ages of psychiatry -- an era
that we've yet to transcend.

Meanwhile, your conclusion doesn't seem to fit with the text of the article
you linked.

You say:

    
    
        > Asperger's syndrome will be removed from DSM-5 next month.
        > So next month, the person won't have the syndrome anymore...
        > The syndrome won't even exist anymore...
    

From the article:

    
    
        > DSM-V, will come out in May and Asperger’s will be 
        > notably absent, replaced with the broader definition 
        > of “autism spectrum disorder.” Previously, Asperger’s
        > was thought to be a milder form of autism.
    

My interpretation is that it's still the generic spectrum disorder that we
never really understood, but now the DSM reflects this reality better than it
did previously.

Of course, I concede to the prevailing stance of people more experienced in
and affected by this decision.

~~~
pmelendez
Currently there are several disorders inside the spectrum for high functioning
autism (PDD-NOS, Asperger, High functioning classic autism) and the line
between them most of the time is very thin, on the other hand therapies for
treatment are the same, so DSM just took the obvious decision of put them
together in one big umbrella.

------
DanBC
The UK has concepts of "Reasonable adjustments". Some things are intrinsic
parts of a job. A taxi driver must be able to drive. An accountant does not
need to be able to drive. Thus, you can justifiably not employ someone for a
taxi driver if their disability prevents them from driving, but you could not
justifiably not employ an accountant if their disability meant they could not
drive.

> _As a manager, you should understand how to handle the unique opportunities
> and challenges that come with hiring an Aspie._

Wait, what? This is weird. Now tell us what it's like employing Jews.

I generally agree with the intent of the article but it comes over a bit "Oh
the proud and noble Aspie".

> They will never accept "no" for an answer without being told the reason for
> it.

That's probably true, but some people with Asperger's will have given up on
asking why, knowing that sometimes people use stupid incomprehensible bizarre
sub-optimal reasons. When someone tells me no I tend to just accept it,
because I know that asking why leads to a rabbit-hole of bitter argument and
disappointment.

I sound overly critical of the article. I don't mean to. Oh well.

~~~
solistice
Honestly, halfway through the article the question popped up on whether I was
reading an Article on understanding "Aspies" or whether I was reading an
Article on "Aspie"keeping. "Dog's become agressive when stared into the eyes
by humans as for Dog's, this signals a fight" vs. "Many people with Asperger's
are challenged by large crowds, looking people in the eye and reading common
social cues". I don't mean to bash the article, but if anybody shares that
feeling about the language used in it...

~~~
jimmaswell
I thought that was just cats, not really dogs. My dogs look me in the eyes all
the time.

~~~
solistice
My cat also looks me in the eyes very often. I should write an article on it,
called "I bought a cat that looks me in the eye - now what?"

------
MoOmer
If I was a person with Aspergers, I would be extremely annoyed that the term
'Aspie' is used here. Why not, 'for these people,' type of wording? Coining or
perpetuating a term like that only serves to isolate anyone that might
otherwise have been just a person with Aspergers.

~~~
nsxwolf
I thought it was a term of endearment and wasn't considered offensive by
Aspergers folks... er.. "those with Aspergers"... seeing why the diminutive
label is useful here. What do you call such a person? You don't call them an
"Aspergers". "Aspie" seems to work.

~~~
bobisme
I believe with most psychological or mental conditions, the phrase "a person
with ..." is used, putting the person before the condition. Just like you
don't call a person with mental retardation a "retard."

------
hjay
Reading this post makes me wonder if I have Asperger's...it pretty much
described me to a tee.

Extremely uncomfortable in crowds/parties (actually, I pretty much refuse to
attend parties at all), always looking at something else when speaking to
someone 1 on 1, "rambling" when describing something or telling a story when
someone else would only take 1~2 sentences, speaking my mind and a tendency to
avoid small talk, and sensitive in terms of how I react to something (I tend
to over-analyze and find a reason for everything that involves me).

That being said, does anyone know how accurate his list is?

~~~
Dewie
If you really are curious, you should go to a psychologist. Self-diagnosis
will do no good.

~~~
olivier1664
Does there is any interest to diagnosis you are aspie or not? From what I read
here, it can be very helpfull for children, but it is not clear for adult
people.

------
bradleyjg
In the US it's illegal for any employee to flat out refuse to hire people with
Asperger's syndrome under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Just something to keep in mind before you answer the question in the title!

~~~
pekk
So therefore, "it wasn't a cultural fit" or "he didn't have enough experience"
or "he wasn't an A player"...

~~~
bradleyjg
Unfortunately yes. I don't see how you enforce anti-descrimination laws if the
relevant descrimination takes place entirely in the hiring manager's head.

------
pessimizer
Asperger's doesn't particularly exist. IIRC it is being removed from the
DSM-V; 99.5% of sufferers are self-diagnosed with information that they found
on the internet, and sometimes have confirmed with helpful psychiatrists.

The criteria seems to be that one has a terrible personality, is
simultaneously high-maintenance and inconsiderate of others, thinks very
highly of one's self, but lacks any other connection with the autism spectrum.

~~~
mnicole
I'm not even sure how to respond to this. For one, there's a distinct
difference between Asperger's and High-Functioning Autistics, and while they
may have taken it out of the DSM, it doesn't change the fact that these
changes in characteristics exist and when diagnosed correctly, can still
identify the subset of issues each are facing and how to respond/deal with
those issues.

Secondly, people forget that autism, as a spectrum, is being studied further
and further and as such, we are finding more reason to believe that it
actually does affect a lot of people -- not necessarily that it is grossly
misdiagnosed. Furthermore, the number of doctors knowledgeable enough in
diagnosing someone at any range of the spectrum is low. As we learn more about
it, we are seeing people their 20s, 30s, some even well into their 50s and 60s
finally being diagnosed because they were able to adapt well-enough that it
seemed nothing was wrong on the outset.

Similarly, females on the spectrum are also often misdiagnosed with anxiety,
depression or eating disorders because of how it affects them, and therefore
we think that autism primarily affects men even though that may not be the
case at all. Society tends to prime girls at a young age to be more sociable
(but doesn't frown upon them being shy either), so they are often able hide
under the radar, but continue to suffer in other ways. I'm on the spectrum
myself, and I've had doctors laugh at me for wanting to be tested because "I
'look' and 'act' 'normal'," to them, which is incredibly insulting.
Additionally, those that are trained to detect autism are often pediatricians,
not general practitioners that aren't taking into consideration the adult
patient's learned-skills over time. This is often what leads people to try to
figure out what is wrong with them through other means, and I don't think we
should be going around telling other people who they are and aren't. There
will always be hypochondriacs, but this is one of those situations where I
feel like we should try to take people seriously before we write them off
entirely.

So thanks for the armchair neuropsychology, but nobody needs it; we still have
_a lot_ to learn.

~~~
pessimizer
The DSM isn't armchair psychology, it surveys accepted professional practice.
The rest is just my personal opinion: terrible personality isn't commonly
considered a medical diagnosis, so I don't think I need a license.

------
ambiate
Coming to a blog post, why most computer specialists relate to autism. It is
very important to keep in mind there is a broad spectrum. Holding two strong
relationships with a total of three children with Asperger's or high
functioning autism (ages: 3-6, 7-9, 10-12) and a few here and there, it has
really broadened my view on the subject.

First, language is a barrier. Social awkwardness naturally follows that
barrier. Trained social reflexes and loosely coupled connections and
relationships. From an industry perspective, computer specialists seem to form
a deeper relationship and bonds with the logical machine.

Social skills are a technical trait that can be trained... 'why are you
looking at me while I use the urinal?' In my experience, these children live
on rules, and the rules define them as an adult. Computers are rule based too.

Zoning, stimming, and hyperfocusing seem to be common characteristics in the
spectrum. Countless hours spinning objects, humming notes, doing routines,
slightly ocd to an extent. Much like the caffeinated nights at the terminal
for endless hours.

Multitasking as an obvious detour from an objective. Focus on a, achieve a,
move on to b. Multitasking skills are found in the ADHD varieties, but
interestingly, my observation has been a determined rigorous approach to solve
solutions. Tinker until it is done. Modify. Read the rules manual word for
word XOR ignore it completely. We see this behavior in our field.

Egos and emotions. Nothing more to say.

And I too have Asperger's syndrome. I have never been formally diagnosed with
testing, partly because it was unheard of in my time. I visited a psych last
year and she was shocked that my symptoms had not been tied to the spectrum.
Yet, I am a trained individual, hyperfocusing my way to my goals and have been
without guidance. My main issues stem from processing/speaking language. I am
strong willed, persistent, introverted, curious, clever, quirky, and shy. I've
self medicated my Asperger's and ADD with depression and anxiety... ruining my
social reflection to the world.

The computer is my relationship. It is my mind, body, and soul. If something
goes wrong, it is either my fault, someone's fault, or fixable. No quirky
social rules to interpret and apply to the problem. Phone conferences in the
phreaking days and IRC had my friends for the longest time.

The question 'is will/do you hire someone with Asperger's syndrome?', and the
answer is: 'if they are qualified.'

Some of you will be parents soon. If you see the signs, get your children
enrolled in a speech therapy program.

Peak their interests with gears (KNEX), LEDs and motors and batteries,
circular/cylindrical objects, simple math/chemistry in the home.

The sooner the rules begin to form, the less the fear applies, grabs hold, and
ruins the experience. Warn them about the quadratic equation, Bayes',
matrices... years in advance. Eradicate the fear, spawn the curiosity.

~~~
gtufano
As a father with a child with autism spectrum disorder (it is not fully
diagnosed until 6-8) I strongly second to have your children tested and
enrolled as soon as possible (ideally as soon as you have any doubt or see any
sign). Therapies can have almost magical effects if started early, much less
as time passes.

~~~
ambiate
This, a hundred times this. Confronting the possibility prior to frontal lobe
development can radically redirect a life. In the spectrum, frontal lobe
development can almost equate to tabula rasa on certain traits. It annoys me
when parents ignore the signs and are literally altering the path of their
child. Embrace it, because when the teen years approach and the decade
following, they will fall into place and you will most likely get rewarded
with the relationship that every parent wants with their grown kids.

I think this goes out to all parents. If your kid does not enjoy the things
you want to do with them, set aside time and do some of the things they want
to do. You're investing in a lifelong relationship. Years will pass and that
opportunity will not come back.

~~~
xijuan
well said!

------
AndyNemmity
Sounds like a lot of us here fit the description pretty well.

I'm not convinced this is anything more than the various styles of potential
people. Take for example that I don't read or watch fiction. I haven't been
able to cope with it my whole life. I read non-fiction and much prefer it.

Is that a preference? Is that some meaningful indication about who I am?

I don't know. I am hearing the spectrum answer from a lot of people. That
sounds like an answer with no way to refute it, so the value of it is
meaningless.

I really don't know much about this topic, and haven't given it the time to
learn. My input is not particularly valuable in this discussion.

However my best guess is that this is trying to explain the range of human
possibility with a diagnosis as opposed to simply thinking that there are
different people with different traits, and that's all okay.

I used to be "unable" to do a lot of tasks of a business professional and just
coded and worked alone.

Then I was promoted until I was unable to do what I was good at, and has to
learn how to do the business tasks. Now I am doing them.

It wasn't that I was unable. I just didn't desire to do it on my own, and
wasn't in a position where I had to regardless.

I sort of think of all of this like ADHD. The majority of parents I know tell
me their kid has ADHD, and many are on medication for it.

And I watch them feed their children coke regularly.

~~~
city41
I worked with someone who has Aspergers and I would definitely say it's a
legitimate condition and not simply a case of people having "various styles"
or "different traits". I think it's one of those things that you can't really
understand until you experience it first hand.

To be completely honest, although he was very smart and I understood his
condition, I found him extremely difficult and uncomfortable to work with.
Which is really unfortunate.

~~~
AndyNemmity
Completely reasonable. I was extremely difficult to work with for a long time
until I learned how to change my tactics.

But maybe that's the core difference. I can learn how to change my tactics,
even if it took me years to figure it out.

Edit: The real key for me was turning social interaction into a programming
problem. Once I did that, I went from completely inept terrible person to work
for, to a person who works with C levels regularly, and does upper level VC
work.

And all that really happened was I turned the business social interaction into
a programming problem mentally. Once I turned it into a game, I started to
succeed at it. But it's not organic.

------
lutusp
If the consequences weren't so tragic, I would laugh out loud at all this
about Asperger's. Consider the following points:

1\. Human evolution is still going on, and in the long term, Asperger's might
represent a positive evolutionary adaptation, especially in a world
increasingly dependent on technology. Only nature knows, and nature doesn't
reveal her secrets willingly.

2 After a recent epidemic of overdiagnoses, psychologists are reluctantly
abandoning the Asperger's diagnosis -- it's being removed from the DSM. The
reason? Too many people wanted the diagnosis -- it was the first truly
fashionable mental illness. After all, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Bill
Gates are/were thought to have this "disease".

3\. There is a positive psychological trait called "Grit":

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grit_(personality_trait)>

People who have "grit" tend to focus on a few objectives, or just one, for
months or years. It's a "good thing™" -- psychologists say so. But the exact
same behavior can lead to an Asperger's diagnosis. Have psychologists resolved
this contradiction? Not remotely.

As far as I'm concerned, and in the opinion of an increasing number of
psychologists, Asperger's refers to something real, but it shouldn't have been
categorized as a mental illness -- unless intelligence should also be listed.

If psychology was a science this might all be different, but there's little
hope for that.

More on this topic: <http://arachnoid.com/building_science>

------
malaporte
Hmm I sometimes wonder if I might not have this thing. I do share quite a lot
of characteristics they describe...

~~~
mtrimpe
Asperger isn't a binary diagnosis; it's more of a continuum.

The skills that make you a good programmer place you a little further out on
that continuum almost by definition. [1]

Therefore the real question is: Do you feel you would benefit from the
treatments that become available to you were you to receive the diagnosis?

[1] The simplest way to (sort of) get that is this quote from Inventing on
Principle: "People we consider to be skilled software engineers are just the
people really good at 'playing computer.'" (<http://vimeo.com/36579366> @
17m40s)

~~~
JohnBooty
The only reason I gave you a single karma point is because there's no "give
this person all of my karma for that comment" button.

------
lnanek2
Reminds me of working at Noom. The management were complete crooks. They'd lie
in job ads and justify it by saying they get more people to apply, agree to
things in public company wide meetings then quash them in private when it
didn't look as bad, pirate software then toot their PR horn saying if any
employee needs any software for their job they'd buy it, frequently forget to
pay you or pay too little unless you fought for the right amount, etc.. Very
difficult culture for someone who likes logical connection between things and
details that all make sense put together.

------
johnrgrace
I believe, without hard date to support, that the more HR people a company has
in general, the less likely they are to hire people with Asperger's. And if
those same companies do hire an employee review process that becomes very
political/subjective/social is going to filter employees with asperger's out.

    
    
      If you have a job that fits their skills and don't ding them for not say golfing with the "team" I think there are opportunities to pick up highly talented people that other companies are not chasing who will stick around.

------
swayvil
I'm a sperg. I'm getting better. Meditation, vipassana. It uncramps your soul,
unravels deep habits of attention, or something. It's miraculous.

Anybody here relate?

~~~
justin66
When were you diagnosed with Asperger's? Was pursuing meditation a choice you
made primarily due to the clinical diagnosis? (I'm just curious)

~~~
swayvil
In HS. No, I just fell into it as a freshman in college.

------
p6v53as
"I have Asperger's: I am just like you"

Um, not to hate or anything, but there is a reason it is called autistic
syndrome. Autistic people lack the ability to form a "theory of brain", which
means they just do not understand other people's intentions that well. You
can't ignore this fact and hope it will go away.

~~~
JohnBooty
Aspergers is a relatively minor form of autism. (Not that the effects on one's
life are always "minor", but it's minor compared to e.g. folks with severe
autism that require assisted living)

All cases are different, but those with Aspergers can learn to understand
others with effort. It's not impossible for them, it just doesn't come very
naturally and will perhaps require extra effort and dedication.

~~~
TylerE
You're being rather tunnel-visioned about it. It's a much wider thing than
just the social aspect.

~~~
PebblesRox
It's definitely wider but I wouldn't say JohnBooty has tunnel vision. He was
just responding to p6v53as's comment which was about understanding people.

------
guard-of-terra
How do you know you haven't already? It's not that they walk with "ASPERGER"
painted on their backs.

~~~
fyi80
That's a great diagnostic. Paint ASPERGER on everyone's back. The ones who
don't care to remove the mark are likely to have Asperger's (or be John
Asperger).

~~~
solistice
Unless they realize they should fix those paint blots on their jacket that say
something unimportant.

------
brian_wendt
[http://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_...](http://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds.html)

This TedTalks takes an interesting approach to Autism in the professional
world. Enjoy.

------
nichols
You might need to adjust your leadership style. For example, use hand puppets
rather than giving instructions directly. Also start referring to yourself in
the third person; that usually helps.

------
websitescenes
Do I have Aspergers if I fit the description of one almost exactly? The author
seemed to be describing me.. I am pretty socially capable and I can look
people in the eye, so I don't know.

~~~
cbhl
Strictly speaking, when the DSM-V comes out, no one will have Asperger's _per
se_ since they've removed it (under the assumption that people will either be
classified under the revised definition of Autism, or not at all).

Under the DSM-IV, one of the criteria reads: "(III) The disturbance causes
clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important
areas of functioning." -- generally, it's up to a psychiatrist's professional
judgement to determine this. Sometimes it will be obvious; sometimes it won't.
Don't self-diagnose.

~~~
websitescenes
Thanks for the perspective.

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cwbrandsma
According to this article, I have Aspergers. Or maybe I'm a low functioning
dyslexic. Or maybe I'm a high functioning autistic.

Oh forget about it. I'm going back to work.

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pmelendez
This is relevant:

Simon Baron-Cohen Autistic Spectrum Test

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYys7rhRcDU>

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michaelochurch
This brings me to one of the ways in which humans fail. People understand that
ethical character is important-- far more important than talent-- but it's
also hard-to-impossible to assess at an individual level based on real-world
imperfection of information, so they fall back on social polish and low-signal
bullshit that might even be negatively correlated with genuine moral decency,
autism and psychopathy being opposites of a certain spectrum.

People just don't have the tools to assess others' intentions or real
character. Instead of admitting that their machinery for doing this is error-
prone, they come up with stories about other people that have no basis in
reality. The socially marginal or unskilled get screwed.

If anything, I think that people with Asperger's are, on average, slightly
better (morally speaking) than the general population. Most people get stuck
at Kohlberg's Stage 3 of moral development (although, in the corporate world,
they speak a Stage 4 language, dressing social smears up as "performance
problems"). People with Asperger's tend to skip Stage 3 (because they
fundamentally _don't get it_ ) and land early in 4, which means they have an
above-normal likelihood of progressing to 5-6.

