Three great articles about adult meltdowns with Aspergers.

I came across three great articles on meltdowns and how to cope with them, for adults with aspergers or autistic spectrum disorder. They are on Tumblr and may be difficult to find sohere are the links:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Anxietyand aspergers.

It has been a while since I posted anything here. I have been struggling with a bout of anxiety and self harm. Was prescribed an anti anxiety medication which, after one tablet, knocked me out for 48 hours and I did not recover from it for over a week. Apparently sensitivity to some kinds of medication can be part of my autism so prescribing it was probably not a wise mood. Thankfully I am on Propranalol (two 40mg tablets daily with the option of a third of needed). This is helping significantly. I have also started attending a local group assisting people with aspergers who struggle with anxiety issues. This is using the five areas approach.

I also bought this book which gives examples of how people cope with different aspects of living with Aspergers or High Functioning Autism. Anxiety is one of the top issues identified by aspies polled by the author:
Been There. Done That. Try This!: An Aspie's Guide to Life on Earth
I keep seeing things in it that I recognise and some of the ideas for coping with anxiety seem to be helping me.

Autism and evolution

There is some talk in the Aspergers community that Aspergers syndrome could be an indication of a next stage of evolution leading to a more advanced human. I disagree. I I think there are a number of features of autism which point to earlier forms of the human brain rather than future ones.

Temperature control problems – possibly related to the adaptations that took place during evolution from cold blooded to warm blooded. I am writing this with one painfully cold hand and one hot hand!

Identifying food by simple known flavours – possibly related to having to identify safe foods.

“Self obsession” – Its not selfishness but linked to survival, putting personal needs first.

Difficulties with tight or itchy clothing

Sensitivity to being touched – detection of close threat through hairs.

Sensitivity to sharp sounds – ditto.

This list could be expanded.

In fact I see a lot of similarity between my autistic traits and those of some animals. Its as if my brain is slightly wired up like those of my distant ancestors.

However, I can see some of these traits having an evolutionary advantage. For example, in a world where people are becoming more individualised and friendship is being redefined around social media and  people don't  interacting socially with each other as much as they used to,  an autistic person is likely to be able to survive better as they do not miss that social interaction. Also, dating is easier for autistic people nowadays because of online dating. There is therefore a greater chance of us marrying, having children and passing on our genes.

What do you think?