Half Autistic, Half Not: Video
May 10, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Alex is a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who describes himself in a video as “half autistic, half not.” The video is entitled “In My Mind.”
Alex has some interesting ways of describing his mind: It is like a “locked door” and some keys have the right kind of teeth to open it, and some not. It like a table and things he learn are like puzzle pieces that are arrayed in a line, and then one falls off. TV appeals to Alex because “everything fits on the table”—in contrast he can read the words in a book but not grasp the meaning. I found Alex’s use of the familiar “puzzle” metaphor of autism illuminating.
Thanks to Videolicio.us for the tip.
I don’t agree that Asperger’s is half autism/half typicality.
I think it’s far more complicated than that, there aren’t simple geometric diagrams that can describe the difference/similarity between Autism and Asperger’s.
I’m sure he feels as he’s describing, but he shouldn’t imply that all AS people agree. It’s like Temple Grandin who said for years that autistic people thought in pictures. Which isn’t true for all autistic people.
I don’t know how many Asperger’s folks have his trouble with reading. I know there are some who have big problems with reading, but I’d guess more than half are excellent at reading.
Thank you, Ms. Clark—I liked the video for Alex’s earnest efforts to describe himself; I quoted him describing himself as “half autism/half not” because (as I don’t know autism from the inside out) I was not fully sure what to make of this statement. It all makes me wonder at how Charlie would describe himself —- how he will describe himself when he has the words to, someday.
To be sure, Aspergers is a more complex condition than simply being half-autistic and half-neurotypical, but at the same time, Alex is 16 and describing how he feels, so maybe we can cut him a little slack.
Do Alex’s issues with reading have anything to do with dyslexia? My younger brother has it, and he explained to me that to him, it looks as though the words are moving around and oftentimes they will slide off the page altogether. As an adult, he has a much easier time reading words on a computer screen than on a printed page; I am not sure why this is the case, but it seems to work for him.
If Alex is interested in reading about someone who has a unique understanding of time, he should check out “Slaughterhouse Five” by the late Kurt Vonnegut.
It’s an interesting idea and something I’ve found to be somewhat true of myself. (Though I would probably be closer to one-quarter autistic.) I doubt it is that simple, but it gives a decent idea in the right direction about what someone with AS would go through. People with AS are not the same as having full-blown autism, but they certainly aren’t neurotypical, either.
Since autism is a spectrum disorder (even within AS, there are several different kinds of people), the reading problems aren’t a necessity for having AS. Many kids who have AS are also hyperlexic, which means they can read early and well, but have trouble comprehending what they read. They’ll be able to read a chapter book (like Charlotte’s Web) aloud, but are often unable to answer questions, whether basic ones having to do with the plot (”What is Templeton and Charlotte’s plan to save Wilbur?”) or abstract questions about the characters (”What do you think happens to Charlotte’s kids after the story ends?”).
I don’t think he implied that all AS people have problems with reading. The other thing to take into consideration is that AS can be comorbid with a learning disability that could make it difficult to read. I’m not implying that this is the case in Alex’s situation, just that it’s a possibility.
-Em
I’m hoping Alex finds his way here……. A number of parents have told me about their children having the kind of difficulty with reading that Alex has: Being able to read the words phonetically but not get the meaning. I have been thinking about this in terms of my own teaching of foreign languages: After students finish learning all the grammar (of Latin, for instance), they start to read. And every student (myself included, “back in the days”) says at one time or another, “I can understand what each word says but I can’t put it together! It makes no sense!” It’s only after years of reading and study that one can acquire fluency in a foreign language.
I have been seeing autism and Asperger’s as having (as Ms. Clark put it) “difference/similarity.” Charlie is different from (for instance) a college student with AS on the surface, in regard to his language and academic abilities. But similarities—sensory issues and processing, for one—-seem (as far as I can tell) to run deep.
Knowing how our 11-year-old Brendan looks to us for words to use in various situations, I can imagine that perhaps Alex might have heard himself referred to as being “half & half” & picked up on it as a metaphor that describes how he feels about himself. It all depends on what one considers autism to be… & our smart kids are also really good on picking up bits of things & applying them to their own communication.
We refer to Brendan as autistic or as on the autism spectrum (he knows his diagnosis is Aspergers) & he refers to himself as autistic, too.
I found the statement about kids with Aspergers not being good liars to be rather jarring, since such sweeping statements can work against people. I wonder how it feels to him to be told such a thing- does it make him feel better? Does it make him want to learn how to lie? Sneakyness is a natural part of being a kid & having Aspergers doesn’t necessarily turn off that part of one’s nature.
All in all, I appreciated Alex trying to get his point of view across. I get the feeling, from the last bit, that he feels the need to be cut some slack, another thing I can understand very well! It’s the main reason Brendan began self-advocating, to diffuse teasing & let his friends know why he gets some of his school accomodations.
I liked his video. I think when he was making it, he was probably picturing talking to NT’s around his age. I took it to mean that he feels like he is part of both worlds, stuck in the middle if you will. Not given the same allowances that those with autism are because he has more skills that look NT, but not quite fitting into an NT world either. It really gave a simple way for me to understand what life with Aspergers feels like.
I agree with M-…Alex seemed as if he made this video as a way to explain his behaviors, his likes and dislikes, to classmates or friends. I also completely agree with Lisa/Jedi about the lying thing. Whereas I used to believe that John Paul was incapable of lying, I have come to realize that a pre-teen Asperger’s kid has NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER with lying (aarrgh).
John Paul started reading right after he turned four, and, to this day, spends about 45 minutes each day looking up words in my American Heritage dictionary. However, his reading class at school is his biggest downfall. The words individually are understood, but the abstract nature of some of the subject matter completely eludes him. Not to say he doesn’t enjoy fiction….he devoured the first five Harry Potters last summer….I think part of it has to do with his level of interest in the subject. If it is not one of his special interests (or a related subject), he ain’t having it!
I’m Asperger’s enough to say “that’s me…”
When I read anything that I could imagine in sounds; in video or imagine doing: it was very easy. If I couldn’t imagine it I pretty much didn’t get it at all. Real maths & grammar.
I can’t suggest to Alex that he should read Howard Gardner’s ‘Multiple Intelligences’ because he may not be able to read it. Perhaps his teachers, parents or a rare neurolinguistic psych could help him find all the things that he can do well. Then Alex can start translating more of the world into his own perceptions; even begin on translating back to people who haven’t been able to understand him very well, so far.
I came across “Lightening Reading” — super speed reading and Mind Mapping at roughly the same time: in 1994 – 95. If I Lightening Read into a Mind Map: a whole lot more makes sense than if I “Snail Read.” But NO! I don’t want all Autistic people to do that; I do just suggest looking for things that do work for each individual, including normal people.
Another happy accident was in 1980, listening to a recording of an ESL teaching seminar, while tidying up a classroom. I heard things that I could not even imagine had been said at the actual seminar! So I listened 3 times and began to understand and remember.
Applying that to learning Japanese made it so easy; while at school I had been hopeless at French. Now I find songs even better for learning new stuff. Just listen ten times and then start writing from memory. 100 times in ten days…
Please don’t copy me: find your own ways; it is exciting to discover your own mind.
The Asperger’s antidote that Alex is determined not to take when it is discovered — was, for me, a combination of 1) Learning a new language & culture from the ground up, like getting a 2nd chance at growing up, from 1976.
2) Allowing my children to bring me up from 1998 till the present.
3) Finding heavy metal chelation of various kinds and keeping at it: for 10 years now.
4) Finding excellent Nutz = nutritional supplements that work in synergy with everything else from 1998.
5) Water sports from sailing to snorkeling; cycling; walking; even work; from 1956 onwards.
6) Mind Maps, super speed reading and Edward de Bono’s 6 Hats for study, understanding, new projects, life… from 1995.
7) Taking and working up photos in Photoshop.
This synergy takes some of the rough edges off autism whilst enhancing some facets. You should enjoy designing your own synergy; there are tons of resources and happy accidents to discover.
Are they all safe? 6 Hat them and decide.
Sorry! My children brought me up from 1979 onwards
I have just finished a 27 minute dvd on a 14 boy with autism, entitled, “The Story of Luke: One Family’s Experience with Autism. I would like to send you a preview copy if you would please send me your snail mail address.
Thank for posting my video here it will help more
I just wanted to say (as a Mom of a child with Asperger’s, an adult with ADD, and a person with child psych background) that, Alex; it took a great deal of courage to post what you make the video and post it. I just wanted to say great job and good for you for doing it.