Poll

Do you got aspergers, ADHD, HFA or other syndrom?

No
16 (38.1%)
Absolutley NOT
3 (7.1%)
Yes
14 (33.3%)
Maybee som signs of it..
9 (21.4%)

Total Members Voted: 41

Voting closed: February 16, 2013, 11:41:19 pm

Author Topic: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?  (Read 21319 times)

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Offline ErikTheNorwegianTopic starter

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Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?

Many engineers,  EE people, geeks and likewise, got aspergers syndrome.

Do you got it, and how does it affect your life regarding collecting things, jobs, need to know everything about certain subjects?
Do you find it rewarding professionally and in your job as an engineer?
Do yous see it as a strength, or is the other aspects of it to hard to cope with?
Do you know others in your job that is in the spectrum? (No names please.. yes or no question).
Do you collect things, and have a hard time to trow things away?  ( I got 9 Fluke 87, need only two.. got 9 oscilloscopes. 8000 DVD/BD`s.)


Tesla,  Eddison, Henry Ford, Bill Gates and so on.. there are many of us..  :)

« Last Edit: February 09, 2013, 11:19:15 pm by ErikTheNorwegian »
/Erik
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Offline MetraCollector

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2013, 12:03:19 am »
I sometimes refuse some social interactions and do not want to talk with people, but I think it is OK.

Inteligent loneliness is better than stupid fellowship. ;)
 

Online tom66

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2013, 12:07:53 am »
Yes, I do. It makes me a little socially awkward, but greatly improves concentration on my (now favourite) field of electronics.
 

Offline Alana

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2013, 12:13:19 am »
There was a moment that i suspected that i have aspergers but it turned out i do not.
I am socially awkward as hell but its more result of upbringing with home schooling and higher than usual intelligence level. To put it simply - i haven't had chance to get infected with social bullshit as a child and when my home schooling period was over i quickly realized that socialization is nothing more than a popularity contest and, if you want to be successful in that you have to put as much effort as it takes to learn 8051 assembly language, or even more. IMHO waste of time, brainpower and money.
 

Offline IanB

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2013, 12:16:33 am »
Isn't this something that has to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist?

I think it would be unwise to self-diagnose social awkwardness and geeky interest in certain subjects as being AS. There are many traits to human personality and many kinds of "normal" out there.

You could draw a comparison with other dimensions of ability. Not everyone is a born athlete or sports person. If you demonstrate little athletic ability, are you different or abnormal?

If you are an engineer of any kind, there may be no hope for you:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/21/engineers_cold_and_dead_inside/

You are apparently an emotionless automaton with no feelings or empathy  :o
 

Offline EEVblog

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2013, 12:24:13 am »
Isn't this something that has to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist?

I think it would be unwise to self-diagnose social awkwardness and geeky interest in certain subjects as being AS. There are many traits to human personality and many kinds of "normal" out there.

I agree.
Correlation with possible symptoms you might find on Wikipedia/Internet does not equal causation, not by a long shot.
And unless you have issues that are affecting your life, and you need help for it, labeling yourself into a group of people with a disorder is not a wise thing to do IMO.
On the surface I have several of the Asperger characteristics, as I'm sure many of us could, as many of them are quite broad in scope. But I know they are due to other more obvious causes in my case.

Dave.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2013, 12:31:07 am by EEVblog »
 

Online tom66

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #6 on: February 10, 2013, 12:33:36 am »
I have been diagnosed by at least two psychiatrists. They both reckon I'm crazy.
(Oh, and they said I do have aspergers and gave me ritalin on prescription, which I don't take any more as it has hardly any effect now.)
 

Offline steve30

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2013, 12:35:16 am »
Do you got it, and how does it affect your life regarding collecting things, jobs, need to know everything about certain subjects?

Yes, I have it. I have small collections of things like computers and test equipment (generally older stuff). With regards to jobs, I either can't do them, and when I can can, suffer discrimination. I do read a lot about subjects I find interesting.

Do you find it rewarding professionally and in your job as an engineer?

Not really as I don't work in the engineering industry. I may do at some point, so I'll leave it till then to find out if it helps.

Do yous see it as a strength, or is the other aspects of it to hard to cope with?

Both. :)

TBH I did wonder when this subject would crop up  ;). Seems to get quite a lot of coverage on some computer forums that I am a member of, but not seen it on an electronics forum yet.
 

Offline c4757p

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2013, 12:41:51 am »
Isn't this something that has to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist?

A thousand times this. Asperger's gets a really bad rep in some places from people who are assholes, self-diagnose themselves with Asperger's because "I'm not good with people", and run around trying to pass it off as an excuse for their Acute Asshole Syndrome. I and the other members of my family with autism spectrum disorders would like to kindly request that they go to school and get a degree before they start making diagnoses.

And unless you have issues that are affecting your life, and you need help for it, labeling yourself into a group of people with a disorder is not a wise thing to do IMO.

True - but many people with Asperger's or other varieties of HFA do not realize it is affecting their lives. Sadly I've met many with a tendency to blame their problems on everyone else. A "label" can be the first step to getting help.
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Offline c4757p

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2013, 01:01:19 am »
You are in good company with Tesla, Ford and Eddison there, they had it like that!  :)

Self-diagnose is a no no..
This is a complex diagnose, that can boderline many other diagnoses and can only be done by a proffesional team.

So how are you sure Tesla, Ford and Edison had Asperger's syndrome?
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Offline ErikTheNorwegianTopic starter

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #10 on: February 10, 2013, 01:03:23 am »
The POLL score is really interesting...  it would be fun to know how it in total represent the forum!   


Today, in the USA, one of every 88 child is in the autism spectrum (Not only aspergers but the whole spectrum), in South Korea, one of every 28 kid!!!
Here in Norway, one of 130 kid.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2013, 01:08:43 am by ErikTheNorwegian »
/Erik
Goooood karma is flowing..
 

Offline c4757p

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #11 on: February 10, 2013, 01:17:27 am »
Frankly I think the whole idea of trying to identify famous dead people with ASDs cheapens the whole thing. As if somebody is insecure about it and has to reassure everybody that "I'm not making it up, Einstein had it too."  Let the famous dead people rest in peace without having armchair psychiatrists trying to diagnose them for the rest of eternity, because it's not helping anyone.
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Offline ftransform

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #12 on: February 10, 2013, 01:27:27 am »
« Last Edit: February 10, 2013, 02:25:01 am by ftransform »
 

Offline c4757p

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #13 on: February 10, 2013, 01:35:28 am »
gfhdfg

I don't think that's Asperger's, ftransform, I think you may be having seizures, or trying to type while taking a massive shit.
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Offline Stephenniall

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #14 on: February 10, 2013, 01:47:32 am »
I've had a formal diagnosis (Psychiatrist) of Asperger Syndrome since i was 8, I'm now sixteen. Mine is quite a mild form so i'm more 'socially aware' than many other 'aspies'. I've always been interested in things such as science,computers etc, and when i find myself liking something, i tend to go over the top with collecting stuff.

I'm not a qualified engineer (Yet...), Yet i don't find it rewarding, nor i feel that it holds me back in any way. I do enjoy talking to people about it, and how i've come to terms with understanding my 'quirks', i do things that many [eople would find as odd, and i'm often seen as quite eccentric, Personally i like that.

I've met quite a few people online with the same interests in electronics, computers etc, Yet have not met anyone in person with it as of yet, Personally i think many people will see one or two traits of Aspergers In themselfs and make a 'self-diagnosis'.

I've always collected things, From my star wars figures when i was younger, to electronics stuff now!

Hope that clears up a few of your questions !

Stephen.
 

Offline Psi

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #15 on: February 10, 2013, 01:50:33 am »
Excuse my ignorance but..

Is aspergers something that a doctor can 100% prove someone has, or doesn't have?

Or is it a sliding scale of symptoms/characteristics where a doctor just classifies someone as having it when their behavior reaches a predefined medical textbook level?

« Last Edit: February 10, 2013, 01:53:37 am by Psi »
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Offline c4757p

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #16 on: February 10, 2013, 01:56:33 am »
Unfortunately, like many psych disorders it is a sliding scale. Personally I'd want more proof than one doctor saying I have it because of that - for me, I'm content with the fact that I've had three diagnose me very far up that sliding scale, as well as the fact that I'm part of a family tree branch full of people with both Asperger's and full-on autism (the kind nobody could ever mistake for anything else). But it could be relatively easy for one person to make a mistake and diagnose incorrectly.
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Offline Stephenniall

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #17 on: February 10, 2013, 02:15:17 am »
I suppose no body can say for sure that you have aspergers because of the wide spectrum... I had too see around three doctors here in the UK for a diagnosis...
 

Offline IanB

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #18 on: February 10, 2013, 02:16:15 am »
I believe there is also some evidence that psychiatric disorders are diagnosed relative to societal norms. It's like if you were in a line of 100 people and 99 people stepped back, you would be the odd one out.

IMHO, the essential requirements for living are something like:

1. You should not harm yourself
2. You should not harm others
3. You should get along in society without upsetting people

The third one is where it gets interesting, because sometimes when people get upset and offended the problem is with themselves and not with the offender. If 99 people are offended by the actions of one individual, are the 99 people wrong or is the individual wrong? The situation is often quite unclear and out of this are lynch mobs born.
 

Offline Stiege

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #19 on: February 10, 2013, 02:18:37 am »
I'm sure one of the questions for assessing if someone has Aspergers is "Do you enjoy maths?". I mean really, that just makes me think the whole condition is made up/ misunderstood.
 

Offline c4757p

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #20 on: February 10, 2013, 02:26:27 am »
I'm sure one of the questions for assessing if someone has Aspergers is "Do you enjoy maths?". I mean really, that just makes me think the whole condition is made up/ misunderstood.

I have yet to be asked a question anything like that and I've been separately diagnosed three times. None of them would have given a crap if I enjoyed math(s).

(I'd love to share what it actually was like but it's been so long that I really don't remember that well...)

If that is used as a question, my guess is that the answer to the question isn't the data used in diagnosis, but the way it is answered. Many people with Asperger's have a peculiar way they talk about things they are interested in, and probing for interests could provoke that.
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Offline ErikTheNorwegianTopic starter

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #21 on: February 10, 2013, 02:43:08 am »


ftransform,

What in any way do that picture have to to with the topic?
It only shows that you dont have a clue what the topic are..
/Erik
Goooood karma is flowing..
 

Offline c4757p

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #22 on: February 10, 2013, 02:45:19 am »
ftransform,

What in any way do that picture have to to with the topic?
It only shows that you dont have a clue what the topic are..

Be nice.
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Offline EEVblog

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #23 on: February 10, 2013, 02:47:33 am »
The POLL score is really interesting...  it would be fun to know how it in total represent the forum!   

The poll will be useless unless it is reworded to include only those who have been professionally diagnosed.

Dave.
 

Offline EEVblog

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Re: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?
« Reply #24 on: February 10, 2013, 02:51:44 am »
Frankly I think the whole idea of trying to identify famous dead people with ASDs cheapens the whole thing. As if somebody is insecure about it and has to reassure everybody that "I'm not making it up, Einstein had it too."  Let the famous dead people rest in peace without having armchair psychiatrists trying to diagnose them for the rest of eternity, because it's not helping anyone.

And it's simply not possible. Anyone who claims to be able to do it is kidding themselves, and likely has an ulterior motive.

Dave.
 


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