| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | So I am an "aspie"... Thread poster: Laurent KRAULAND (X)
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Laurent KRAULAND (X) 
France
Local time: 05:44
French to German
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TOPIC STARTER | Yes I have an official diagnosis. EOM | Jul 6, 2012 |
And I apologise for the fact that my decision to go public can be seen as something else than itself.
As per medication... and therapies, they can do more harm than good and this is a widely known fact in the AS community.
The best "remedy" so far has been participating in self-help groups.
And if being an aspie or thinking you are one is really "cool", I just wonder why there are not more people jumping on the bandwagon? Here on ProZ, on the coffee site a... See more And I apologise for the fact that my decision to go public can be seen as something else than itself.
As per medication... and therapies, they can do more harm than good and this is a widely known fact in the AS community.
The best "remedy" so far has been participating in self-help groups.
And if being an aspie or thinking you are one is really "cool", I just wonder why there are not more people jumping on the bandwagon? Here on ProZ, on the coffee site and generally on every professional site?
[Edited at 2012-07-06 08:49 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:44
German to English
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| Aspergers and creativity | Jul 6, 2012 |
Hi Laurent
One of my relatives has been diagnosed with Aspergers, as well as other borderline learning difficulties. They are just labels. If his wonderful musical ability, single-mindedness, ability to concentrate and determination to master his art mean he is labelled in this way, then so be it, all we know is that he has a rare talent, is a lovely, maybe eccentric person (we Brits love eccentrics), but importantly, his music brings great happiness and healing to his audience. Your clien... See more Hi Laurent
One of my relatives has been diagnosed with Aspergers, as well as other borderline learning difficulties. They are just labels. If his wonderful musical ability, single-mindedness, ability to concentrate and determination to master his art mean he is labelled in this way, then so be it, all we know is that he has a rare talent, is a lovely, maybe eccentric person (we Brits love eccentrics), but importantly, his music brings great happiness and healing to his audience. Your clients should be delighted to have you on board. Be proud of who you are, label or no label. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Signe Golly
Denmark
Local time: 05:44
English to Danish
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| diagnosis of adults | Jul 6, 2012 |
János Untener wrote: Signe Golly wrote: János Untener wrote:
never reliable,
and no, probably you are not an "aspie" Who is your comment aimed at? Laurent or Jenny...or both? As she also wrote "I think you sound perfectly normal". nowadays many people think that they have some kind of special illness, this is the new "cool", and has become mainstream since Abed in "Community" or Sheldon Cooper in the "Big Bang Theory" or the Rain Man, etc. More and more people are overweight, and I am also certain that the sales the Vicodine went up only because of Dr House. Random examples, and I mean that we do follow others and worry too much. It has become perfectly okay to not be physically fit unfortunately and many people distinguish themselves with imaginary OCDs, etc. Being depressed, and having quirky habits (or being socially awkward) does not make you an aspie, it makes you like every third people (not a real statistic). So my question to OP is: have you really been diagnosed by a specialist (in which case I do apologise for my doubts), or even did you s/he prescribe you any medication, or anything like that? I guess might post might not be very popular after all the other consoling messages but I've had my fair share of meeting people with self-diagnosed illnesses and hypochondriacs. This big proclamation on the forum makes me doubt...
I do think there are many adults living with Asperger's and similar conditions who have never been diagnosed. Similar to ADHD, Asperger's is a condition which seems to have only really become well-known and recognized over the past perhaps 20 years or so.
Children today are diagnosed at a young age and (hopefully) receive help and support to thrive and adjust. For many adults who have been living with the symptoms their whole lives, perhaps including years of being misunderstood and simply labeled as "different" (or in the case of ADHD - "not able to sit still and learn anything properly"), going through the process of getting an official "label" would probably seem daunting and somewhat futile.
I do agree that people are sometimes too quick to self-diagnose based on a few, superficial traits, but I also believe that someone who has felt a certain way their whole life and has studied the details of a condition would be able to recognize themselves to a large degree and reliably identify that this is, indeed, the condition that has contributed so greatly to shaping their life.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:44
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Signe Golly wrote:
......years of being misunderstood ..... labeled as "different" ....not able to sit still and learn anything properly......
OMG I have Asperger's Syndrome ! Help !
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Signe Golly
Denmark
Local time: 05:44
English to Danish
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| Sure, let's make a mockery of it... | Jul 6, 2012 |
Tom in London wrote: Signe Golly wrote:
......years of being misunderstood ..... labeled as "different" ....not able to sit still and learn anything properly...... OMG I have Asperger's Syndrome ! Help !
and cut up a post so it no longer reflects the original meaning.
| | | | Laurent KRAULAND (X)
France
Local time: 05:44
French to German
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TOPIC STARTER | Thanks for making my point, Signe | Jul 6, 2012 |
Signe Golly wrote:
I do think there are many adults living with Asperger's and similar conditions who have never been diagnosed. Similar to ADHD, Asperger's is a condition which seems to have only really become well-known and recognized over the past perhaps 20 years or so.
Children today are diagnosed at a young age and (hopefully) receive help and support to thrive and adjust. For many adults who have been living with the symptoms their whole lives, perhaps including years of being misunderstood and simply labeled as "different" (or in the case of ADHD - "not able to sit still and learn anything properly"), going through the process of getting an official "label" would probably seem daunting and somewhat futile.
I do agree that people are sometimes too quick to self-diagnose based on a few, superficial traits, but I also believe that someone who has felt a certain way their whole life and has studied the details of a condition would be able to recognize themselves to a large degree and reliably identify that this is, indeed, the condition that has contributed so greatly to shaping their life.
As a matter of fact, AS gained some public awareness in the 80s thanks to Lorna Wing, who rediscovered Hans Asperger's work some 40 years after it was published.
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 23:44
Spanish to English
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As you suggest in your initial post, and in no way minimizing its burdens, having Asperger’s has in some ways been advantageous to you. After all, how many people really are capable of sustained concentration over periods of hours, day after day, engaging with (what I assume are often) difficult and poorly written texts and transforming these texts into another language in a way that flows naturally?
No, not everyone who can do this has AS, but my strong suspicion as that the inc... See more As you suggest in your initial post, and in no way minimizing its burdens, having Asperger’s has in some ways been advantageous to you. After all, how many people really are capable of sustained concentration over periods of hours, day after day, engaging with (what I assume are often) difficult and poorly written texts and transforming these texts into another language in a way that flows naturally?
No, not everyone who can do this has AS, but my strong suspicion as that the incidence of the syndrome is considerably higher among translators than among the general population. Then there is probably a much higher percentage of individuals doing our kind of work who, while not meeting the criteria for the diagnosis, display marked “Aspie” traits that constitute the kind of double-edged sword you are talking about.
I assume from your post you were recently diagnosed. So this may help you understand why you are the way you are, for better or worse. In the end, AS is part of your particular existential burden, one which I hope you will bring all your considerable intelligence to bear in coping with. Different people have different issues that they struggle with: depression, drug and alcohol addiction, eating disorders, schizophrenia, physical disabilities, serious illnesses, troubled family situations, etc. The best any of us can do is to face our circumstances with dignity and courage, and "fight with the weapons at our disposal." Some of us may even find that it often works much better to focus on what needs to be done rather than the crushing weight of our feelings of the moment.
Wishing you the best, and looking forward to your future contributions,
Robert ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sonia Hill
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:44
Italian to English
| My son has AS | Jul 6, 2012 |
Hi Laurent,
My 4-year-old son has just been diagnosed with Asperger's after a long diagnosis process. I also recognise the signs in other family members. I am trying to focus on the positive aspects, such as those listed by Helen, and hope that we will be able to help him as it has been picked up at such a young age. I see it as just one end of the personality spectrum, which has many associated problems, but also a lot of advantages (above average intelligence, ability to focus on ... See more Hi Laurent,
My 4-year-old son has just been diagnosed with Asperger's after a long diagnosis process. I also recognise the signs in other family members. I am trying to focus on the positive aspects, such as those listed by Helen, and hope that we will be able to help him as it has been picked up at such a young age. I see it as just one end of the personality spectrum, which has many associated problems, but also a lot of advantages (above average intelligence, ability to focus on a particular interest, etc.). If everyone were the same and there were no aspies amongst us then life would be very dull and we would probably not have many of the inventions that have been developed over the centuries.
Translating is an ideal profession for someone with AS and your clients should certainly not be put off by it.
As Helen has said, be proud of who you are and focus on the positive side!
I've been reading Tony Attwood's book on Asperger's and it's well worth taking a look at if you haven't read it already. ▲ Collapse
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Helen Shiner wrote:
Hi Laurent
One of my relatives has been diagnosed with Aspergers, as well as other borderline learning difficulties. They are just labels. If his wonderful musical ability, single-mindedness, ability to concentrate and determination to master his art mean he is labelled in this way, then so be it, all we know is that he has a rare talent, is a lovely, maybe eccentric person (we Brits love eccentrics), but importantly, his music brings great happiness and healing to his audience. Your clients should be delighted to have you on board. Be proud of who you are, label or no label.
I wanted to say something, but Helen had already put my thoughts into words.
I would like to add only that what you DO is so much more important than what you ARE. You have taken what many might consider to be a lemon and turned it into a delicious and refreshing lemonade.
That, alone, is worthy of admiration.
| | | | Emma Goldsmith
Spain
Local time: 05:44
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
Hi Laurent,
It's very brave of you to announce that you are an aspie to the whole world. So now we all know that you belong to the ranks of Einstein, Mozart and Bill Gates...
Hope you pull through your current depressive episode soon and this thread helps a bit for you to do it. Are you still writing scores? - I enjoyed listening to your MP3 version of the Goldberg Variations this morning.
All the best,
Emma
| | | | Laurent KRAULAND (X)
France
Local time: 05:44
French to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Still "some" variations and the Aria to be transcribed, but I think I'll have more time and energy to do this soo
| | | | | "Twice exceptional" | Jul 6, 2012 |
Laurent, I don't know you in person, but based on what I know about you, I think a better "label" - if you want a label - would be "twice exceptional". This is a well-known phrase in the gifted community, denoting people who are gifted and at the same time have another condition (ADHA, Aspergers, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia or other academic difficulties).
The Wikipedia article uses the phrase for children, but it is obviously not limited to children.
I think we do have many "t... See more Laurent, I don't know you in person, but based on what I know about you, I think a better "label" - if you want a label - would be "twice exceptional". This is a well-known phrase in the gifted community, denoting people who are gifted and at the same time have another condition (ADHA, Aspergers, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia or other academic difficulties).
The Wikipedia article uses the phrase for children, but it is obviously not limited to children.
I think we do have many "twice exceptional" adults, and you are probably one of them.
Embrace your uniqueness!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional ▲ Collapse
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matt robinson
Spain
Local time: 05:44
Member (2010)
Spanish to English
Congratulations for accepting yourself for who you are and challenging the world to do likewise. There is a lot of prejudice around and I have nothing but admiration for anyone who does anything about it. Thank you!
| | | | 784512 (X)
Germany
Local time: 05:44
German to English
+ ...
| I hope you're doing better... and I DO empathise | Nov 19, 2012 |
Laurent, I am glad you see the positives, that this is just part of who you are.
Personally, I am not aspergers, but can empathise a little as I'm technically on the autistic spectrum* and can empathise with a lot of the mental and emotional sides to Asperger's. I can deal with people, but not too many at one time. I have a lot of friends, but groups are incredibly stressful for me. I also empathise a lot with what you say about dedication and at the same time procrastination. So, s... See more Laurent, I am glad you see the positives, that this is just part of who you are.
Personally, I am not aspergers, but can empathise a little as I'm technically on the autistic spectrum* and can empathise with a lot of the mental and emotional sides to Asperger's. I can deal with people, but not too many at one time. I have a lot of friends, but groups are incredibly stressful for me. I also empathise a lot with what you say about dedication and at the same time procrastination. So, self-employment suits me well. I expect a lot of translators are somewhere on this spectrum and it's not so much people jumping on a bandwagon here, but people genuinely seeing some of themselves in you. They don't mean it to be offensive, they are offering empathy, and it could well be that autism and Asperger's are more common among people who choose a lonely profession where you do not have to speak to people but which also rewards meticulousness and perfectionism.
I hope you are getting out of the slump.
* I was diagnosed with dyspraxia as a child, then tested negative for that but positive for dyslexia at university. Bizarrely, that was based on a difference in my IQs - off-the-scale for the various verbal IQs at 140 (test limit), well above average for mathematics-related IQs at around 125-130, and a big drop when we start factoring in audio memory, shrinking to 115 for my recollection of a string of words and 97 for a string of numbers. Shock horror, that was below the average, so rather than praising the exceptional, I was labelled deficient for the one aspect, my audio memory, that is average. But, they gave me a free laptop, so who am I to complain? ▲ Collapse
| | | | FoundInTrans
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:44
German to English
+ ...
| On the plus side ... | Nov 19, 2012 |
an average brain/mind just isn't that useful. In areas of specialisation one often needs to draw on characteristics which deviate from the norm. WARNING : Deep thought may cause depression, use with care.
PRM
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