to be fed up of people using Aspergers as an excuse

[SomeGuy]

Just reading DM (yes, IABU, I know), story about some bloke who got into a facebook tiff and sued for libel:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1298010/Facebook-libel-Law-student-dubbed-paedophile-wins-10-000-li bel-damages.html

'Jeremiah Barber posted an indecent image of children on Raymond Bryce's page on the social networking website along with the comment: 'Ray, you like kids and you are gay so I bet you love this picture, Ha ha'.

The image, which hundreds of users could see, showed Mr Bryce superimposed on to a collage of pornographic pictures.

It was 'tagged' with Mr Bryce's name, allowing his 800 friends on the site to see it.

His victim, who is now a law student, pursued the civil claim against his former school friend and was awarded £10,000 at the High Court yesterday for the stress and anxiety the incident caused him.'

'Mr Bryce, 24, who lives with his parents in Stone, Staffordshire, suffers from high functioning Asperger's Syndrome, but has secured a place on a full time degree course studying law at Stafford University.'

So in other words he's intelligent and successful and has lots of friends. So why should we care that he 'suffers' from Aspergers? It doesn't make the libel any worse, or make him more of a victim.

Here's another story, from Friday:

www.thisiskent.co.uk/tunbridgewells/Asperger-sufferer-admits-cash-card-theft-friend/article-2442184- detail/article.html

'Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court heard on Friday how 22-year-old Michael Funnell, of Addison Road, invited a group of friends around to his house for a party on March 6.

He took their coats to hang them up and when Steve Goodwin's back was turned, took his bank card, before withdrawing £120 from a cash point.

He had memorised his friend's PIN when with him a couple of days before.

Brian Ferris, defending, said: "I am told my client has Asperger's syndrome. He can offer no explanation as to why he steals in this way."'

You wouldn't get them saying 'I am told thay my client doesn't have a very good job, because he is not very bright.'

Another story from today:

www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/news/Spared-prison-camera-showers/article-2442265-detail/article.html

' A MINISTRY of Defence manager who set up covert cameras to watch naked men in the showers has been spared jail.

Hensman, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, was working as network manager in communications and systems at the MoD police HQ in Wethersfield when he was accused of voyeurism.

Judge Anthony Goldstaub QC told him: "You were originally prosecuted for sexual offences [voyeurism] but because of your psychiatric makeup these charges were dropped.

"In February 2006 you set up some sort of video recording equipment which recorded movements of people coming in and out of the showers, involving some images of naked males' private parts.

"You were doing it because of your psychiatric condition."

Asperger's is an autism disorder characterised by social interaction problems.

Judge Goldstaub said that people have to "accommodate" others with psychiatric disorders and be "tolerant", adding "it's not their fault".'

It seems to be a popular plea for people accused of child pornography offences:

www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/2031606.indecent_images_man_avoids_jail/

'A BARMAN who was caught with more than 900 indecent images of children has been spared jail.

Southwark Crown Court heard because Jonathan Bristow had Asperger's syndrome he could act on impulse and become obsessive about collecting things.'

Thanks Saintly, am glad things have improved for you this year.
Yes we get respite, a fantastic short break scheme he goes to.
Another day tomorrow, hopefully will be better than the last few days.

summer is always hard. Will be thinking of you. I was hit last week for the first time in about a year. It was a fleeting moment, but it wouldn't have happened during the school term.

mamadoo
it makes me a little sad to be honestthat you work with children/people with severe ASD.

My son has severe autism and is at as ASD specific school. Nevertheless there are things that he simply cannot understand in spite of all our combined efforts , love and attention.

The notion that on occasion I am unwittingly handing me darling boy over to some clucking simplistic know it all who is tutting privately that DS2 could be taught if only we were not doing more or less or differently, is depressing beyond measure.

Is it not a strange sort of arrogance to believe that you and you alone can unlock our children because of some extrordinary insight or wisdom.
It sounds like a screenplay from some mawkish Holloywood B movie tbh.

You might comsider whether a little humility in your chosen career would serve you better than your uncomprehending arrogance .

Failing that perhaps you could turn your considerable healing powers on SomeGuy - he strikes me as more in need of mind opening and behaviour changing than most of our kids

Well summarised Bink. Someguy clearly has problems with understanding subtleties that may well be beyond his control.
As for the other one, heaven help the autistic people in her god-like care.

As a social worker said about my Auntie, who believes I can just "tell DD what to do": if she could sure autism by discipline she'd be a very famous woman and appearing on Oprah!!

Well, I'm on the autism spectrum. So's my dh and our ds. So are most of our friends, quite a few of our colleagues, etc.

Amongst all of these, only one person has ever been in trouble with the police - for pushing someone when hysterical. On the other hand, I could list off three sheets of A4 paper of the times that this band of people on the autism spectrum have been bullied, abused, assaulted (sexually or physically), defrauded, mocked, spat at, called names, shoved around, left jobless, benefit-less, left without a single basic bl**(dy Human Right other than that we're allowed to exist at all. Most just carry on, quietly and politely making the best of it.

And almost no-one in society gives a toss, generally speaking. For most adults there is zero help, zero support, zero funding, nothing whatsoever. Any effort to seek justice is met with "who'd believe you - you're autistic". If we want to know what the law is, we have to battle books and info that are not written in ways most of us can even understand, let alone follow.

If some go off the rails (to use a phrase) or end up not understanding society's rules, it's hardly surprising. It's certainly not an excuse of any sort, but it's a reason it happens.

If someone is a danger to society, of course action should be taken. But if they are on the autism spectrum, that action has to take this properly into account. It's not a 'get out of jail free card', but it does require courts and police to actually think rather than just throw the legal book at people.

As for parents struggling to give us a sense of right or wrong, they're brilliant, dedicated, courageous and they deserve serious respect.

My DD1 was diagnosed with Aspergers last year. I understand her symptoms totally and believe I'm an undiagnosed sufferer too.

Those articles have annoyed me, my DD1 knows right from wrong and is very sensitive to people's needs. In fact, her worst trait is not wanting to hurt other people's feelings even if they are being nasty to her!

So YANBU, OP.

oh Lordy, another "my child has AS so therefore all other children with it understand as she does and react in the same way" post.

Maryz, too true. One teenage lad I know was told by his new 'friend' that the local shop had a "free CD" day, so he could go in there and get a CD without paying for it. If he did that, his new friend would be very happy, he said. So he did. And got caught. We can be totally naive and literal, and absolutely desperate for friends (but without any idea what a friend actually is or does).

Oh Amberlight, that is so sad. But also so revealing.

Oh Maryz - that must be so hard.
So sad for you.

I do find it bizarre that some of the most vulnerable in society are recast as being a danger to us. Google disability hate crime to getthe true picture. People kept as slaves or starved by so called friends. People having stones thrown at them. If you want to get outraged someguy get outraged about that.

Yup. Or Cigarettes stubbed out on us, bones broken, being kicked half to death like the young lad on the autism spectrum I know (happened this last weekend). Or the autistic lad locked in a boiling hot car who died from heat exhaustion because his carers couldn't even be bothered to get him out of the car and just left him there (also recent news).
Number of people ever brought to justice for any of this sort of stuff? Just about zero, ever.
Easier for society to mock autistic individuals and make us out to be cheating lying criminal? That way the abuse is 'justified'?

I took Lady007pink's comments a totally different way, I took it that she was saying the reports annoyed her because they were tarring all people on the ASD with the same brush. And her DD was not like that.

but then it is apparent that most of the parents here think they know best and everthing about ASD and any other point of view is wrong.

You have all slated mammadooo and someguy but it seems you are as narrow minded as you are accusing them of being!