[BigMovies]

aspergers is a real condition - it's not about social anxiety at all - it's a part of the autism spectrum, to be honest i'm very surprised to see it being labelled a mickey mouse condition on this forum. one of the theories i read a while back in new scientist was that aspergic brains are simply extremely masculine brains, which can be a problem for many people in western culture where communication skills and emotional expressiveness are valued

aspergic traits seem to be very strong within the male members of my mothers family, all undiagnosed, it's quite an interesting pattern though, and one i am interested in as i have a 2yr old son. aspergic traits seem very strong in my brother, who is an extremely talented surgeon - his 'condition' seems to lend itself well to his profession

rather than being about social anxiety, which my brother certainly doesn't have, his manifests more in taking information literally to an extreme, completely not comprehending other people's moods, emotions, people being sly, manipulative or devious - he can't understand these concepts which makes him incredibly socially niaive. he has very distinct routines, very particular about food placement on a plate for example, conversations are extremely focussed on him and his career only - he's intersted in knowing about other people but it never ever occurs to him to ask.

tbh i find it quite sweet in many ways - his almost childlike understanding of social niceties combined with a staggering competence in his profession.

so like i said, undiagnosed probable aspergic, but what would be the benefit of diagnosis for him? i suspect kids are being diagnosed more now because of the increased feminisation of education . for my brother the the only downside of the condition, to him, has been being taken advantage of by other people on occassion