Person-First, Argument Against

I swear, I just looked outside and saw snow.

I did a double take and looked again.

CORRECTION, this time I saw snow, sleet and rain.

Oh.

Right.

Sure.

Whatever.

I. Could. Keep. Talking. Like. This.

But I don’t like William Shatner that much.

Star Trek, like the weather, is one of my minor special interests. Most folks on the spectrum have special interests of some degree. Whether you know what they are, or whether they tell you about them, is up to them.

BTW (by the way), my saying “folks on the spectrum” removes me from having to get involved in the person-first debate. I definitely have an opinion, most do (and that’s like saying that most believe in stopping at stop signs), but it’s too early in the morning to be going into all of that. Simply put, “I am; I do not have.”

I had a prof(essor) once who talked about God (well, it was an old testament class; go figure); who called God, “Mr. Is.” Not quite as good as “Edward E. Nygma,” but pretty close.

The idea here was that by defining God, you limited Him/Her/Them. So in defining autism by calling a person on the spectrum someone “with,” then you in turn limit them also to subjects which may or may not have anything to do with them. By saying “autistic person,” you leave it open for miracles to happen.

Or just my opinion. Fine, don’t listen to me. You won’t be the first.

Here, listen to Jim Sinclair (the ever popular source; not that I don’t agree). Or, listen to someone I recently found who’s not quoted nearly as often (like ever, but not because he’s not good; just because you have to look in the right places just to find his article). His name is Phil Schwarz, and you should just keep scrolling down, because the person-first section is in the appendix.

BTW, on Schwarz’s page, it says “do not cite without permission.”  I’m citing with permission.

Anyways, where was I?

Oh.  Right.  William.  Shatner.

Batman.  Weather.  Snow.

Special.  Interests.

Aspies and Auties and NOS-ies?  (Is Nosie like Posie?  So many things I’m not even going to say).

One of their things is having special interests.  All the books describe these interests as obsessions; intense obsessions.  Like, for instance, I’m 23 years old and have been obsessed with Batman for as long as I can remember.  See?  A special interest.  It’s related my being an aspie; which of course, translates to “my being me;” not my “my being me with something else.”

Geez, it’s like the same traits that you get in trouble for are also the same traits that make you able to do things at all.  And in some cases, that being able to do things is kind of special, because of the intensity or ability with which you do said things.  So what they don’t understand (they can mean “Autism Speaks,” or anyone who just DOESN’T understand), is that those traits that cause those “bad” behaviors (and yes, I agree that hurting others is bad; unless they just really deserve it) . . . let me repeat:  those traits that cause those “bad” behaviors are oftentimes also somehow responsible for “good” behaviors as well.

For instance, you may or may not have noticed this (just like those folks who may or may not notice pedestrians), but my thinking is a bit tangential; some might even call it “rambling.”

However, this tangential thinking is also responsible for my being able to keep up with others in band, write papers, and write the occasional novel.  Did I mention that I’ve written two novels?  Still being edited.

Tangential thinking allows me to think on several different planes at once (not literally, because physically that would involve some really funky science).  As in, I can think of several different things at once, AND more often than not, keep them all straight in my mind.  Hence, the ability to write novels.  Did I mention that my novels all involve parallel universes?  The first book (I’m writing a trilogy), is about a boy who turns into a wall (that’s my idea; you can’t have it).

You know that writing papers is just the ability to string random ideas together, right?

Music is also multi-layered.  Music is more than just rhythm, and it’s more than just melody, and it’s more than just dynamics, or tempo, or meter, or accents, or blend, balance, ability, timing, skill, technique, knowledge, spontaneity, fine motor coordination, breathing, phrase endings, cooperation, obedience, humor, intuition . . . should I go on?  It’s all of that, and more.

Multi-layered thinking = tangential processing.

= a twofold “problem.”

On one hand, I ramble.  Or, in other words, I multi-task.  In frickin’ 3D and real time, to boot.  On one hand, I get in trouble for class for bringing up subjects that the teacher often sees no connection for in conjunction with the current topic.  On the other hand, I write excellent papers.

Am I “with” Aspergers?  Or am I an “aspie?”

In the first, it seems to imply that all that is bad about me is in the “with” part, and everything else is me.  Yet, there’s no separation in the cause of these actions.  A = DE; not A = D and C = E.  There is no C.

There’s also no spoon, but I don’t think this is really the place to get into that.

All this to say, if ever it seems like I’ve put up a post that has nothing to do with anything related to the spectrum, it probably, most likely, has something to do with a special interest of mine.

Which means ultimately that my humor is also 3D.

3D = real.

Real = me.

Real = with me.

~ by lastcrazyhorn on December 12, 2007.