I do not recommend this sort of therapy to anyone. It’s like Hunter S Thompson said, “In my case, you know, I hate to advocate drugs or liquor, violence, insanity to anyone. But in my case it’s worked.”

Not that I want to be cured, or even medicated any more than I am (booze and pot, mostly). Tames my runaway mind pretty well, and the side effects are pleasant rather than troublesome. Sure, the long-term effects can be problematic, but I’m prepared to live with that.

My strategy is to find someone whose particular mental disarray complements my own. (My Crazy Roommate *not* fitting that bill very well.)

A friend of mine says (and i agree) that it’s more than a spectrum, which implies two dimensions, but rather a 3D landscape – a person may have only one or two features, and those may be features that are right at the ‘mild’ end of the spectrum, but if the person is severely affected by them that has big implications for their life and family. (I’m thinking of rigid thinking, compulsions, phobia, etc.) And that person wouldn’t meet the criteria for diagnosis. The labels – whether you tick the boxes for the title ‘Aspergers’ or anything else – are less useful than recognising the individual’s pattern of needs and of relating to the world.

I’m trying to say, and again this friend puts it better than i do, that self-diagnosis is perfectly valid. Anyone can learn about the condition(s) and come to a logical conclusion. It’s just that you have to be a professional to be taken seriously by other professionals.

Another way she says it is the ‘Ah, yes’ test. If you read about a condition and feel sympathy or horror, ‘That would be awful to live with,’ then you haven’t got it. If you read about something and think, ‘Yes, that’s what i’ve been trying to describe!’ then you (or your child or whoever you’re wondering about) have/has.

The more i’ve learnt about Asperger’s and the whole spectrum, the more i’ve been able to look at people i know – esp some i knew when i was mixing with very bright chemists and logicians, and other geeks ;0) – and recognise traits, or even diagnose (to my own satisfaction though i wouldn’t impose that thought on them or anyone else). It’s not a yes/no question. Consequently one person may be perfectly comfortable and able to function with their autistic tendencies, and another may need a lot of support. My preferred attitude is the huge benefits of looking at life the autistic way. Simplistically, logic and attention to detail, memory, and sometimes enormously creative offbeat thinking – but it’s less simple than that.

Hey! Seeking to illustrate that, i just found this. 80)

The most important thing in my view is that Aspergers and related conditions do not need to be cured. Some of the traits are difficult to live with and people need to learn how to live with them. But at root, cure isn’t the point.

I seem to have answered questions no one asked, sorry; i’ve saved this two days to ensure i wouldn’t just waffle, and i’ve waffled anyway. Bear in mind this is all at a tangent and i do know that, but perhaps interesting nonetheless.