Thanks for the apology, it is appreciated. I don't have a problem with the word "impaired", in fact it seems apt. On the other hand, I find the word "retarded" to be hateful and pejorative. That's all I'm saying.

Words have specific meanings. When you call an entire class of people a word that has become a slur, you should expect that you're hurting someone's feelings. I don't think I'm asking too much here to keep that in mind. And I also think that we're having a relatively civilized discussion, how do you think I attacked you?

That's funny! I have a distinct memory of being taught empathy, but I just took an online test a few days ago where you're supposed to tell what emotion a person is feeling with only a photograph of the eyes to go on. I think I got like 60% right. I'd post the link, but it's 3AM here and I'm going to bed.

Well, if my theory is correct that those of us on the Autistic Spectrum are the next step in human evolution... Then you won't have to worry about it!

Same here. Only thing is I don't want to move to Chicago!

But it most certainly is not mental retardation. One little data point for you: I have Asperger Syndrome, and an IQ of 148. Also, just because non-verbal communication is not intuitive to people with ASD it does not necessarily follow that we are incapable of learning it. Please remember that you are talking about real people here with real feelings, and a lot of us read slashdot. Spreading your misconceptions to people who don't know any better can create real problems for us.

It's a spectrum! Not everybody who has ASD has exactly the same symptoms. I really wish people would stop making assumptions about everyone on the spectrum based on meeting one person. If you've met one aspie, you've met one aspie. That's all.

For me, abstract thought is almost all I do. I'm an extreme systemizer and a professional musician. Do you think I would be able to identify the key of a song without abstract thought? Transpose to a different key? Sure, sometimes I mistakenly take a joke literally -- but that sure as hell does not mean that I am incapable of abstract thought.

It depends on your definition of disabled. If it means "hard to get and keep a regular job", then it most certainly can be a disability. Many non-technical jobs require employees to be able to interact normally with others (often strangers) -- this can be really difficult for people (like me) who have a hard time reading non-verbal cues and have no patience for intra-office politics. It's a good thing one of my "Aspie special interests" was music, I am a lot more comfortable around musicians and dealing with the attendant technical stuff than I am at normal jobs.

I like having AS. It has been, on balance, a blessing. That being said, I find psychotherapy to be quite beneficial in dealing with the anxiety and depression which is often seen in people on the Autistic Spectrum. Not only does it help with those issues, my therapist is Neurotypical (or NT, which is what people with ASD tend to call "normal" people) so she can help me understand where most people are coming from and slowly teach me to read certain non-verbal cues.

Ray Kurzweil thinks that if you can hang on for another 20 years or so you should be able to live indefinitely.

And then comes the fun part when we talk about the epistemology of monkeys! How do we know what the monkeys know? And what is the nature of their knowledge? How much can we teach them and how will that affect their language (such as it is)? Do they teach their kids or is it hard-wired?

Actually, they did. And didn't find that he was insane (though by now we've all seen the video where he seems to prove his instability, then there's his friend implying that Clemmons thought he was Christ). We've spent so much time and money locking up non-violent drug users that we've left the mentally ill to rot. A lot of the mentally ill self-medicate as well, so they have been hit even harder by Prohibition 2.0.

Yes there should be a word for it. After all, we've seen that effect for forty years under the war on (some) drugs. Now it gets a laugh when someone asks the president if maybe we can't afford it any longer. It's really sad.

Which is why we should teach them to use a condom if they do decide to have sex. Sure, the human brain isn't fully developed until about age 20 -- but that doesn't mean that all minors cannot understand anything. I think it's ridiculous to try and legislate away biological imperatives. Teaching abstinence-only (not saying that that is cyn1c77's position) to avoid STDs is like teaching people to stop breathing to avoid catching TB.

Way to simplify the situation to your own experience and then extrapolate it to everyone else by calling them stupid!

For me, I found I was a lot more comfortable when I self-medicated with cannabis. Unfortunately, this negates what intellectual progress I have made in understanding non-verbal cues. When I'm sober I do okay. I'm still me, still an aspie, but I feel much more confident in my assesments of situations. It's kind of annoying that the one drug that seems to calm a lot of my symptoms also makes social interaction harder.

A thought occurred to me a while back which was brought to mind by your post. In the Dune series, the Bene Gesserit use a technique (which apparently is called Petit Perception, though I don't recall that phrase from the books) to train their members to read body language. If someone were to actually invent this technique and teach it to people on the ASD then our only drawback would be moot.

The thing about Autism/Asperger's is that it's a spectrum of symptoms. Just like any other disorder (though I hesitate to call it a disorder, it's been mostly a blessing for me -- so "difference" would be more appropriate) not everyone who has it exhibits exactly the same symptoms.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the lack of non-verbal communication goes both ways: not only do people on the spectrum tend to miss non-verbal cues, but they also tend to have a bit of a flat affect. It's not intentional, but unfortunately people often take it for coldness. After repeated misunderstandings a lot of aspies just put up a wall.

I invite the reader put yourself in our shoes for a moment. How would you feel if there were a channel of information that most everyone you meet knows is there, but you just can't catch. Wouldn't that make you anxious? And depressed if you couldn't gather up the courage to make new friends or tried and failed because of misunderstandings?

People on the spectrum don't necessarily need extra help to get along. Maybe a little more direct verbal or written communication, and a little empathy. But that's something that all humans could use, if you ask me.