Language and meaning related to current discussions of autism( Part 1)

A.)"Use your words"
 B)"Say what you mean and mean what you say"

I wonder if those two "clishas" were originally stated by aspies ? If so, they have been misappropriated by NT's .

Aspie version of the first statement is to ask people to try and use there words instead of their non-verbal (What I call monkey language),which is unreadable to many autistics . According to some statistics I have read, up to 85% of communication by NT's is non-verbal . I believe that not only includes facial expressions but tone of voice, body posture, placement and movements . I don't think any of us are expecting that NT's try and suppress these but just add actual words to their communication . I really don't see this as an outrageous request . Many persons who are deaf or speak another language, ask for some form of facilitation when they are expected to communicate . I mean, do people actually get angry at people who speak another language or are deaf when they can't understand ? Granted, it is a major inconvenience to the majority to have to accommodate anyone but if you are actually desiring to communicate, be aware that there are those of us who need accurately spoken words .


The NT version of the first statement is ironically meant as a request for another kind of accommodation . It is often directed at someone who is communicating non-verbally by hitting, crying or screaming . Even I can read that kind of NV communication and it always means that the person is not happy but is not generally specific enough to understand if the unhappiness is about being frustrated, over whelmed, angry, confused, in pain, etc. Some of the individuals who use this non-verbal do so because they are so overwhelmed with distress that they have lost the use of words . Sometimes it is because they have learned that their words are just misunderstood or disregarded and there for with out power . (I'm not including those who simply can not speak because I assume someone asking them to "use their words" is just a sadist and to be ignored on principle .)

The second expression may be used by aspies asking that people stop lying, misleading, misdirected and other wise bastardizing the holiness of language . Not having access to the 85% percent of monkey communication that Nt's have access to makes the written and spoken word sacred to me . It has a power that exceeds simple noises, which often appears to me how many NT's use language....(all sound and fury signifying nothing .) . I think that many aspies are more in-tune to the white noise sound that many NT's use and call language . I think common slang, many modern cliquish used by advertising, religious and political speaks are the best examples of this practice . If you dissect each sentence you do not find meaning in the words themselves but in the emotions attached to the words . People are not telling you information for you to think about but telling you how they want you to feel......patriotic, embarrassed, ashamed . This isn't done accidentally or in secret but is actually big business . There are groups of people who pay other groups of people to tell them what certain combination's of sounds make them "feel"...not what they think .

When Nt's say the second expression, they are saying that you should not lie and also that you should follow through on your promises . All good stuff but I think the expression has gone out of vogue for NT's as the whole concept of personal integrity is seen as naive, old fashioned, quaint . When someone , especially someone in the ruling class, actually does something that shows personal integrity it is likely to make the news .

What has any of the above to do with  language and meaning as related to this specifically aspiefied blog ? I hope to show some of the problems I have with the current beliefs, misconceptions and misnomers being bandied about when Nt's discuss Autism and why they might be a bit confusing to some aspies . Unfortunately this isn't  for the edification of the professionals, (though that would be nice), because you can't teach a void....ie, they aren't reading this blog . It is meant to try and clarify in my own mind what this whole aspie thing is for me . That said, anyone who wishes to edify me with some contrary information is welcome to comment . My ego isn't threatened by being proven wrong but by being wrong so I'm always glad to learn something new that will help me be less wrong ; )

My goal is to play devils advocate <___(ever wonder why some one who wishes to begin a dialogue debating ideas contrary to the ruling class is aligned to the devil ? Reeks a bit of witch burning and inquests to me) .Unless I get bored with the idea. I hope to go through some of the current,(old?) diagnostic criteria for a DX of Aspergers as well as many of the traits not directly used for DXing but associated with it by many well  known professionals . (This  may seem pointless as the status quo have decided to lump us in with classic autism  in the new DSM and Aspergers has either been incorporated to bulk up the numbers of the "epidemic" and legitimize the scare mongering of such groups as Autism Speaks and therapists and pharma hoping to make money treating autistics  ) .


Now, if you have been paying attention you may observe that in my 47 years of life on planet weird , I have learned a bit myself about using language in an attempt to illicit emotion . For that I can only apologize  for "going native" and hope that anyone reading this will also see a bit of substance mixed in with the emotion laden words . I can assure you that I am not smart enough to be doing it consciously nor do I have access to an emotion thesaurus<----(note to self, invent and publish an emotion thesaurus), or a focus group .

As one of my clients says as she is done with my help...."you are dismissed" .