Yet another Label...

[puppetmaker]

Isn't it fun that humans seems to have this overwhelming urge to pigeonhole people? Now, it seems, if your social skills are not up to snuff, you might be suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. Now it is probably true for some, but for a majority of the socially awkward, it will be another label attached to them and their behavior. I have encountered plenty of people that don’t make eye contact and seems not comfortable in social situations. Take them to a science fiction convention when they are around their kind and they are fine and socializing with the best of them. Yes, there are a few that can’t seem to pick up on the social clues. I think if you put it against the general population, it would be about the percentage of the rest of the world.

Fortunately, in this case, real tests can be used to find out if this is really the problem unlike AHAD which someone might have. One teacher at my stepdaughter's school insisted Ariel had ADD. No, Ariel was acting like a 7 year old. The ADD phenomenon scares me. For some kids, this does exist and they do find help through medication and counseling. But it seems anytime a kid acts up, the teacher cries ADD and the kid is medicated into a stupor. This makes for much quieter classroom of doped up kids. Kids are noisy. Kids are fidgety. They are KIDS not tiny adults. They are suppose to have energy and curiosity.

I know I am dyslexic. I didn't find out until college because I taught myself how to read so for my public school career I was labeled as lazy with spelling. Until I was in college there really wasn't much testing for it. In retrospect I am glad I didn't find out until college. I muddled through school with mostly As and Bs and did well on the SATs and was a normal kid. If I had a label on me (dyslexic), I don't think I would have done as well.

Comments

[nux-vomica.livejournal.com]

this entire society is obsessed with diagnosis, and it's not healthy. people want someone else to tell them what is wrong with them and give them the authority over their lives because they can't be personally responsible. i see it as a HUGE problem. most of the people i know take drugs for 'depression' or whatever, and it really fucking bothers me.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I think part of that is from living in a society that says "If you are not happy, then something is wrong with you." Occasionally, being sad or unhappy is just part of life. It becomes a problem when the emotions don't allow you to live your life. What burns my goat is all the advertising, by the drug companies aimed to make one question whether one is suffering from "insert diagnosis here" and go to their doctor to get the drugs the company is selling. The amount of profit those companies make is close to obscene,.

[nux-vomica.livejournal.com]

the amount of nasty products and chemicals and other crap, period, is obscene. this nation is full of people functioning at lowest possible levels, and it is really scary that they are voting.

in my 'memories' i have a post called 'my definitoion of counterculture' or somethine, and it's kindof about that...it was for a college class.