Comments on: Sensory Differences: Research at IMFAR

By: Storkdok

Storkdok — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:27:37 +0000

Thank you, Cliff, I appreciate your replies! I would love to hear what Laurentius thinks about it, too! (hint hint!)

By: Cliff

Cliff — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:43:35 +0000

“I think one actually might draw some interesting conclusions about autism from the described differences in perception that are seen across different environments to autism”

Hate when I qualify something twice in writing like that in writing, and don’t remember I did the first time. That should be “I think one might actually draw some interesting conclusions about autism from the described differences seen across different environments”. Amongst other minor clumsy mistakes in my long posts that I tend toward oh so much.

Cliff

By: Cliff

Cliff — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:40:41 +0000

Well, I haven’t read all of the book (I only read a sample that I was able to acquire online, so I can only take from the implications of the introduction and the second chapter), but from what I have read from Dr. Bogdashina, I have a suspicion that she makes the same mistake as many in discussing sensory experiences and described the sensory experiences as something that is separate in categorical form from fundamental differences in social mechanisms as described by autistics (in this case, suggesting that the former possibly construes the latter). I think there’s a mistake out here; people underestimate how much of what we perceive has some social, indicative mechanism to it. I think one actually might draw some interesting conclusions about autism from the described differences in perception that are seen across different environments to autism, and vice versa. Or, as another example, looking at how perception can be trained to fundamentally pick up and see different things (like observational training that police officers go through). Even to me, there has been a lot in learning, fundamentally, how to shift through sensory information and put in different contexts, largely taking from social cues of other individuals entirely through body language, or behind putting specific rationales behind certain kinds of stimuli (say, when a tactile stimuli corresponds to the way that my clothes hang). It’s a painstaking process, but I have noticed I have been able to pick up more discreet stimul that people normally could that or not be overwhelmed by some that I was entirely by before (though it’s hardly an on/off switch), at a time, I couldn’t at all, entirely as a mechanism of knowing when and to what people seem to be reacting to.

But I don’t have enough of the book to note for entirety all of the arguments, or to see if my perceptions of the introductory argument were off (since the point in question, like much in dealing in how people talk about sensory perception, has been presumed in the text, somewhere). But that’s my suspicion based off of what I read and my experience with such works, and my criticism therein. But I would have to defer to Laurentius, who has read it.

Cliff

By: Storkdok

Storkdok — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:48:31 +0000

Cliff,

It has been a few years since I read her book, and I lent it to someone who has moved away (my son’s ST, to George Washington University where she works now) so I can’t reread it to answer your question. I liked that it took the different senses perceptions and explained each one and then took the different perceptions of different autistics and discussed them. I should probably reread it, I usually get more information each time I reread a book after a few years.

Anyway, I was just wondering what you and l-rex and Michelle and anyone else in this neurodiverse world might think about it. Does it accurately represent some of the sensory differences? Is it a good book that would accurately help me to understand these differences?

It is so hard for me, I have always had a hard time with noises, since I was a baby (according to my mother) I hear things no one else does (no, not voices!), like the security systems in malls, a high pitched horrible sound that has made me avoid malls as much as I could since I was a child. I felt overwhelmed by noise growing up in southern CA. My life has been infinitely better since moving to the country. My son is very sensitive with his hearing.

Because of this I want to learn more about all the senses. The more I understand, the better I can understand my son and help him.

By: Cliff

Cliff — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:16:54 +0000

“Just something to set the hole research back about another 10 to 14 years, because every person will move there to prove that who did the study was wrong. Good luck!!!”

Well, that would be a serious waste of time. The study has enough serious flaws to make moving to the West Coast for the entire purpose of “disproving” this study. In a fashion like moving to the North Pole to disprove Santa Claus.

Cliff

By: donald savitz

donald savitz — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:09:16 +0000

Just something to set the hole resarch back about another 10 to 14 years, because every person wil move there to prove that who did the study was wrong. Good luck!!!

By: Cliff

Cliff — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:43:18 +0000

I, admittedly, haven’t read Olga. Will need to pick that up. Though I was able to get enough of a sample to at least ask a question about her; does she, throughout the book, put sensory perception as prior to social conditioning? Or was the sample I had simply not large enough?

Cliff

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:14:32 +0000

Eagle vision? With Charlie, often seems more that he hyper-focuses on a few things (or one thing) and not on everything else around it……

By: laurentius-rex

laurentius-rex — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:53:30 +0000

Yes I know Olga, and have read her book.

By: Storkdok

Storkdok — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 12:17:48 +0000

Here is the link, if it makes it through the filter

http://www.amazon.com/Sensory-Perceptual-Issues-Asperger-Syndrome/dp/1843101661/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226146507&sr=8-2