Autism can be an extremely debilitating disorder. By definition of the DSM-IV, autism can be characterized by the following guidelines:

Quote :

"A. A total of six (or more) items from (1), (2), and (3), with at least two from (1), and one each from (2) and (3): (1) qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following: (a) marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction (b) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level (c) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest) (d) lack of social or emotional reciprocity (2) qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following: (a) delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime) (b) in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others (c) stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language (d) lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate to developmental level (3) restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following: (a) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus (b) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals (c) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements) (d) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects B. Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years: (1) social interaction, (2) language as used in social communication, or (3) symbolic or imaginative play. C. The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett's Disorder or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder."

http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/autistic.htm

2/12/2008 7:20:40 PM

autism is hilarious.

2/12/2008 7:21:16 PM

People that are autistic really do need help. In general, people with autism should be cared for instead of fears. However as with any psychological impairment or mental disorder, one should always use caution when dealing with these individuals. They are susceptible to FLIPPING THE FUCK OUT.

This behavior is sometimes also called "being batshit insane"

2/12/2008 7:25:04 PM

when I drink I dont meet any of those criteria
no I am not ok

2/12/2008 7:26:12 PM

I wish Autism and Down's were fatal STD's

Eventually everyone would be filtered out

2/12/2008 7:27:18 PM

don't worry Fermat, the onset for autism is under the age of 3. Basically, parents know that their kids are screwed up from very early on.

Now I know what you're thinking....
Well gee-golly EMCE...if their parents know that their kids are autistic when they're small and manageable, then why don't they tie them up in a burlap sack and toss their asses into the river?!?!

well, that's a difficult question to answer. But many researchers think that autism is hereditary. Therefore, the screwed up parents might share some common bond with their screwed up kids!! Either that, or they're not "capable" cognitively to make such important decisions, LOLOLOL

2/12/2008 7:30:35 PM

I don't think the DSM-IV or any qualitative "test" is a sufficient way of determining someone's mental aptitude.

2/12/2008 7:33:47 PM

actually, Yoshiemaster, the DSM-IV is the prevailing tool that clinical psychologist and psychiatrist use for the assessment and prognosis of mental disorders.

your government also takes these recommendations and guidelines into consideration when sentencing and convicting citizens

2/12/2008 7:36:03 PM

yes, i know this, that's why i disagree with it's use as such an influential test.

i'm sure test scores that result in horrific outliers can be used to determine some condition with the test taker, but for the inter-quartile range, i think it's obsurd to try to rely on this test as an indicator of someone's mental performance.

2/12/2008 7:38:42 PM

1. it's not a test

it's more like a book of guidelines for the assessment and interpretation of tests

2. while statistical outliers are always a concern, there are certain research and design methods that have been developed to minimize their effects on a sample. For example, when diagnosing a patient, very rarely is just one assessment taken. The multiple assessments help to establish a test-retest reliability....

[Edited on February 12, 2008 at 7:45 PM. Reason : fuck it, I'm not going to sit here explaining this shit in chit chat]

2/12/2008 7:42:22 PM

oh shit, yea you're right, i thought this was like Watson's version of an IQ test or something.

it's been a while since i talked about psychology junk.

2/12/2008 7:45:54 PM

no worries. it's all good

but look at this:





I wonder which TWWers are autistic

2/12/2008 7:48:32 PM

3/2/2008 12:59:17 PM

I BET YOU ARE LOL

3/2/2008 1:00:35 PM

Quote :

"yes, i know this, that's why i disagree with it's use as such an influential test. i'm sure test scores that result in horrific outliers can be used to determine some condition with the test taker, but for the inter-quartile range, i think it's obsurd to try to rely on this test as an indicator of someone's mental performance."

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

oh my god i love a fucking know it all kid.

(just keep using SAT words and they'll never know i'm full of shit)

[Edited on March 2, 2008 at 1:12 PM. Reason : seriously, read it out loud and ignore any error you think you see]

[Edited on March 2, 2008 at 1:12 PM. Reason : ok now read it a second time, with a british accent]

3/2/2008 1:11:16 PM