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Yet more negative publicity of Asperger's Syndrome
AB
Posts: 181 Forum Member
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As someone diagnosed with AS, I find it rather disappointing to see the media yet again portraying the condition in a negative light, when there are so many positives about it, which many people are not aware of and do not appreciate.
On this occasion I'm talking about Digital Spy's very own article on the front page (which I presume is reworded from the News of the World's article) about Dean Gaffney's arrest. His brother "suffers from Aspergers Syndrome which can cause violent behaviour".
Whilst I accept that this article is not supposed to be all about AS and therefore only touches on the subject very briefly, I feel it's unfair that people will get a negative idea about the condition from reading it. I would imagine that the majority of readers of this topic and the article have never even heard of Asperger's and are likely to have the idea now that it is some condition that causes people to go psycho. There might be others of you, who have heard of the condition, but do not know much about it.
I could write a lot more here, but here is the National Autistic Society's explanation of the condition to save me going into too much detail ... http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=212
Lastly, here is a very good BBC NEWS report from just before Christmas, which shows that Asperger's Syndrome is not all about being badly behaved, violent, murdering people, committing suicide etc., which the media has recently portrayed in the cases of the Rosie May Storrie murder and the suicide pact couple.
PS. I dont wake up each day feeling that I SUFFER from an awful DISABILITY/MENTAL ILLNESS. I feel proud of who I am and in many ways gifted, as shown in the BBC report I linked to above. My interpretation of AS is that it's a developmental disorder, which has caused me to take longer to learn how to live independently and socialise with others, but I am perfectly able, with some support, to live a completely 'normal', happy life. Anyone reading this who has AS may like to check out my home page.
On this occasion I'm talking about Digital Spy's very own article on the front page (which I presume is reworded from the News of the World's article) about Dean Gaffney's arrest. His brother "suffers from Aspergers Syndrome which can cause violent behaviour".
Whilst I accept that this article is not supposed to be all about AS and therefore only touches on the subject very briefly, I feel it's unfair that people will get a negative idea about the condition from reading it. I would imagine that the majority of readers of this topic and the article have never even heard of Asperger's and are likely to have the idea now that it is some condition that causes people to go psycho. There might be others of you, who have heard of the condition, but do not know much about it.
I could write a lot more here, but here is the National Autistic Society's explanation of the condition to save me going into too much detail ... http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=212
Lastly, here is a very good BBC NEWS report from just before Christmas, which shows that Asperger's Syndrome is not all about being badly behaved, violent, murdering people, committing suicide etc., which the media has recently portrayed in the cases of the Rosie May Storrie murder and the suicide pact couple.
PS. I dont wake up each day feeling that I SUFFER from an awful DISABILITY/MENTAL ILLNESS. I feel proud of who I am and in many ways gifted, as shown in the BBC report I linked to above. My interpretation of AS is that it's a developmental disorder, which has caused me to take longer to learn how to live independently and socialise with others, but I am perfectly able, with some support, to live a completely 'normal', happy life. Anyone reading this who has AS may like to check out my home page.
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Shame on Dean Gaffney as well for treating his brother like this as well he should know better.
My son has autism and this subject is very close to my heart. One of the worst things about the condition is the misunderstanding about it.
As far as you feeling sorry for yourself re being AS my father recently e-mailed me a very interesting article about a group of autistic individuals who are say they don't want to be cured but want the right to live their lives how they are and to just be accepted. Also the headmistress at my son's school is always commenting on how she reckons you AS/Autistic lot have got the right attitude and it is the rest of us who need sorting
It's not about Dean's brother suffering from Aspergers Syndrome, it's about Dean Gaffney being in a fight (such is our celebrity-obsessed society
This doesn't mean that everyone reading the article will now think ALL Aspergers sufferers are violent - most people are not that stupid.
I don't think there's any other way the article could have been written to be honest. They could maybe have left out the line about Gary suffering from the condition, but then there would be the argument that the public were not toally informed, and that people might think of Gary as a "violent psycho".
Surely, in a way, this would be worse. Lets think of Dean Gaffney as an A-List Celeb (which of course he isn't). If people were unaware of Gary's condition he could receive all sorts of bad press, totally unfairly. I know this isn't likely, but I hope you can sort of see what I'm saying.
I feel for you, as this topic evidently upsets you, but I think all I can really do is to reassure you that, for the most part, that article will not have changed the views of the people who read it
No AS does not cause violent behaviour. It is the people around the AS suffer not having enough knowledge on how to deal with the person and thus scaring the AS person and make them feel threatened that causes the violent behaviour.
Ignorance causes the violent behaviour.
It may have been caused by ignorance, but again it's better that people know this than have people think of Gary as being a violent psychopath. If anything, this article enforces the need for society to be more understanding of people with Aspergers Syndrome.
To be honest I think it is very hard to get the balance right in reporting the condition because I agree that it was probably right to mention Gary's condition, or, like you say, the readers may feel misinformed and wonder why it all happened in the first place. I imagine that the NOTW will have sensationalised the article to make it attractive and entertaining to their readers, and therefore inevitibly, the detail as to who was more in the wrong, or whether both individuals were equally to blame, is left out.
I just feel it's important to raise awareness of the positives of the condition when something negative is reported about it, because I have rarely seen anything good reported about AS in the mainstream, so I can't see how the average Joe Bloggs is going to think of people like me as anything but a person with behavioural problems!
You are spot on Matt2002 there needs to be more understanding of AS. The violence comes from the person being scared or not understanding the situation and most of us would react in the same way if we were feeling as threatened as them.
I read that article and was shocked at the comment about AS.
Unfortunately, Matt2002, I think that many people will take that as the situation. There isn't enough accurate info about AS. I wonder how much the writer knows about it :rolleyes:
Beth.
The fact his brother has aspergers is irrelevant, and if you are saying that it is not connected to his violent behaviour or that it was nothing to do with this situation, then surely Dean Gaffney was not wrong in what he did? It's not, as you imply, that he is picking on a man acting agressively due to a medical condition. Are you saying that just because his brother has Aspergers then if he acts agressively, and it nothing to do with his condition, then he is somehow a special case? That doesn't add up at all :rolleyes:
If what Dean Gaffney says is true, and his brother iniitated the fight or was acting agressively from the outset, then he deserved what he got.
BTW this is not a quibble with the OP's post, which is understandable, rather the point that Dean Gafney was wrong to have taken any action at all.
What was it that first helped you to figure out you had AS?
It's just that I'm worried I have it too but can't tell if its that or other emotional problems
I'm the same as you, EG I can live independently and socialise in certain situations, but in some I suffer from anxiety with can lead to panic attacks.
I often take words to literally and have trouble communicating with people in certain situations.
Not sure about the lack of imagination thing thio, but I do read a lot of science fiction, but can sometimes not imagine different ways out of things, I need routine.
Post 17
Basically it was my parents who recognised the condition after doing some research and, I believe, seeing a documentary on TV. This was about 5 years ago. I suppose the main signs were that I used to have numerous obsessions and was more interested in objects than people. I also need a good routine or I don't function that well and can end up just being lazy.
I used to prefer mixing with adults rather than other children, as I felt I was more on their level. I also used to suffer from a lot of anxiety (and still do from time to time). Lastly, despite being of above average intelligence, I have some difficulties with communication and expressing myself. This means I need quite a lot of support academically at university, despite being "able" on the outside. I think the invisible nature of AS is the most worrying thing, as only those in the know are likely to recognise it and to many people, I, or people with a more severe diagnosis can just come across as "weird".
Since my diagnosis, I've changed a huge amount. I've become much more independent.
Wow sounds very similar. I had to have accademic help at uni dispite getting an A grade in an oral exam.
I was always getting C's for written exams even tho the tutors knew I knew the subject.
How easy is it to confuse AS with Social phobia?
You could have any one of several psychological/emotional conditions - it is the devil of a job to pinpoint even when you are a specialist - due to the fact that many conditions contain elements of others.
If you really want to establish the nature of any condition you have, then get a diagnosis from a clinical or counselling psychologist. Both these are qualified to 'diagnose' /identify these conditions and will help you get the best treatment for them. Any one who makes a snap diagnosis and/or suggests drugs straight off ...... walk away from them! :cool:
I'm trying Joe'sGirl but Ive moved so many times my medical records have become fragmented. Also everytime I see a new doctor or psych I have to explain it all again but I often forget things or because Ive explained things many times, lose the emotional content in the translation.
I've only just read my medical records and most are either wrong or taken too literallly, and alot has been missed out.
Basically Its a mess, which need consolidating.
Aspergers sounds similar to what happens to me, altho social phobia and panic attacts due to post truamatic stress could also be a cause of my problems.
I know what you mean about the gaps in medical records - I sometimes wonder what is going on there.
You need to find a truly caring and experienced professional who will sit and sift thru' it all with you. [I await the arrival of those who cruise the threads, waiting to pounce on folk who word things, in a way that they can take exception to:
You need someone who is experienced and therefore older than the average. :rolleyes:
I have noted on my journey along the corridors of therapy that having become popular as an occupation, it attracts a number of wannabees and fame seekers - people who want to do it because:
The pay is good - no...it's VERY good.
It carries a certain amount of kudos.
The entry requirements became more rigorous to try and keep the numbers down and therefore 'elite' :rolleyes: but it seems to favour those who have been to exclusive secondary schools, more than those who are really suited to it.
The husband of a close friend of mine went to see a young clinical Psych. and I honestly think he'd had done better with a witch doctor.
So for number of young people - not all I hasten to add - working as a psychologist offers a lot of money, good working conditions, good pension and the ability to dismiss someone from their books as " did not respond to treatment".
Not bad for a job for life, huh? Slog away at your exams, and when you pass you will be given a job for which you need no talent, whatsoever. This also applies to doctors IMO.
Increase the accountability of these jobs and watch the 'drones' disappear into the undergrowth!
Try again hon, look till you find a good un.
Yes that's my experience in a nutshell.
Can't stand these youngsters who come into the 'profession' from Uni with no life experience and like you say are mostly the 'elite', yet can tell us 'lowlifes' what's wrong with us.
I am going to the Patients Advisory service to get help, but I need help to get the help in the first place
1. Who knows what the true story is not you nor I
2. Shame on Dean Gaffney for saying to the papers that his brother was suffering from AS. It is not relevant. There is no quote from his brother so I can only conclude DG was the source of this info as it is highly unlikely this would have been public knowledge otherwise a fair assumption I think. I suspect he was contacted by the paper and this was part of his diatribe. So shame on DG.
Are you fan of DG's you seem especially upset by this
:rolleyes:
There are serious issues here and your point is a trivialsation of them. Try and concentrate on what is important about this thread as it obviously means something to the initial poster.
Just to say thanks to those who have replied so far. I just wanted to point out, as Beth has thankfully gathered, that this thread is not simply me having a go at DS. I love this site and intend to keep visiting it just as much as before.
I decided to post about it today, as this has been an ongoing issue in the media recently, with stories such as those I mentioned in the original message, as well as more and I felt that as it's likely that many of the members browsing the General Discussion forum will have read the story on entering the site, I wanted to stick up for those of us with the condition and say that people with AS are no more likely to be violent than 'neurotypical' people. As was said above, it's not simply the AS that can cause violence, it's down to how the individual has been treated, AS or not. Alcohol and drugs are far more likely to cause someone to behave violently than having Asperger's Syndrome.
I think that just about sums up what I wanted to say
People with AS tend to get confused about people, they cant understand motivations for them doing things, sometimes facial expressions. I dont know enough of social phobia to say, but i presume this is where someone hates mixing with others? Well that could happen with AS but there are plenty of people with loads of friends who suffer from the problem.
Good for you for sticking your neck out. I agree with you totally.
Am doing a post-graduate certificate in AS now to formalise the knowledge I've gleaned from the last seven or eight years of reading (my son, who was twelve yesterday, was finally diagnosed age six, but it was a very drawn out process). For what it's worth I don't consider that he suffers, or has a disability, either. Sadly that's not how others see it. :mad:
I do know that excessive computer use makes him irritable and aggressive, but then it does that to a lot of children. He will lash out when he is made angry by situations he thinks are unfair or that he doesn't understand. But he is also the sweetest, gentlest child you could wish to meet - and very honest! :rolleyes:
To Mr F: try reading Tony Attwood's book, Asperger's Syndrome - it's very readable and you may find it either rings lots of bells, or reassures you that you simply have a few more autistic tendencies than the average person - maybe not enough to be diagnosed, but as others have said, you need a real expert to tell you.
OMG that one is so true of me. I cant stand noise and have to wear earplugs all the time.
and that's another one.
From this site.
http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/aswhatisit.html
Who is to know what the source of the information is. Newspapers have a way of finding out this information. It's unfair to aportion it to one source
If, as is written, his brother did provoke the confrontation, then he deserved what he got, because as has been stated. AS doesn't cause someone to provoke or be violent.
I am not taking away from the original point which I agree with, namely that there was no reason to bring up the fact he had AS when it was not related to this situation. You did somewhat contradict that point though by trying to say that people with AS can turn violent if provoked and tried to insinuate that that may have happened in this case and that DG shouldn't have taken action. There is nothing to suggest that in the story. I think the fact that AS was brought into it takes away from actually happened.