It's a miracle I got in

........and probably will hardly manage to again, as I may have forgotten my password ready. After a zillion things going wrong.....including the fact that all my brilliant ideas for a handle were already taken. Great minds. 

I have not been diagnosed and won't be, I don't live in the UK and no doubt more ties to my lovely home country will be cut still further in the next year. 

It was just seen as craziness when I was a kid, in the 1960's. It could be a spectrum thing but it could be something else. The red flags for the A word for me are that I regressed at 18 months and no longer spoke using grammatically correct sentences. Tantrums and obsessions during childhood, being scapegoated at high school and repeatedly being criticised from student years onwards for not engaging in enough eye contact. 

But it is on the other side of the boot too as I teach at a high school for children who wish to specialise in the arts, and many are now getting diagnoses of dyspraxia, dyslexia as well as the odd autism I do feel the need to know how to work with these kids. 

I would love to hear from older people who are only now recognising the hidden thing after all these years. Or from other teachers also confronting similar things.

The most important thing is my art incidentally.

Parents
  • I have just been diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum, at the age of fifty one, two years ago I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease and more or less have handled both on my own.  I would love to meet up with autistic people in Leicester, but have had no response from the 'Monday Club', they are facing cuts due to austerity measures.  Anyway the good thing about being diagnosed is that I can come off anti-depressants after being on them for eighteen years for anxiety and stress, my liver was beginning to complain.  Now I am learning to handle being autistic ally aware, having coped with it unaware since birth.

  • Hi Bardic Poet

    Just saw your post and responded. Leicester is not a million miles from one town I used to live in. We had an art group though only one of us got really noticed at the time and he was asked to design CD covers for a doom metal band. Another good friend went to teach abroad like me and he now self publishes SF on Amazon. 

  • I tried selling handmade crocheted and knitted goods on Etsy and it did not work out, so instead make hand knitted or crocheted items for charity.  I am more of a crafter than an arts person, probably due to being poor at Maths but being very good at English, could not get the idea of perspective or geometric shapes, although I love mandalas and am making dream catchers for friends and family.  

  • Syria was a pretty stable place before the 2010's. Assad kept the tensions between the Alawites, Sunnis and Christians to a minimum. The Kurds got oppressed though, but that situation was much better than the horror we have now. Just like Iran was before Carter dropped the ball so badly. That actually set off a chain of events that led to the first war against Iraq and the chain of events that led to todays situation in the whole region.

    Did they show Trumpton in Hungary?Grinning

    The internet is a strange phenomenon in general considering how people tend to herd together. It's also easier to play people off against each other. One aspect of someones political view can draw them to a place where they buy into a whole ideology. Memes can be attractive as a way of drawing people in, then the next thing you know they are subscribing to an ideology. You have all the points of view and facts out there, especially in todays "age of information" but people will be drawn to a place where all their bias is confirmed in an echo chamber.

    I find the rise of ideologues in the past few years disturbing, having a grandparent from each side who has suffered under both communism and facism. The use of social media and some of the terminology that has been fostered is disturbing also.

    The pipelines were always the main object of everything. Just like the tensions in the South China Sea and the Pacific. They won't let the conflicts and incursions end for a while. It's all about market manipulation.

  • I heard Syria had been a pleasant place once too.

    Playtime in Trumpton- or should that be Troll-town?

    I know not whereof I speke.......yep, our favourite social media site, to which mine own traitor remaineth bound.....

    I think there must be a cybermat afoot, infecting the minds of the masses, just like a computer virus. Funny how the same troll.phrases and memes replicate both here and in the UK. Soros is the figure of hate here, hated is he alike among Brexiteers. Those who dislike the victorious here get the same insults. Snowflakes are they, whingers, moaners, crybabies, liberals who cannot accept true democracy. They don't accept the Will of the People, they can't just get on with it. 

    I should set up a school to teach the new lexicon of parroted pies in the face.

    Oh and here is a clue to who may control Syria, or why it may really be time to kiss our botties goodbye, finally. Oil pipelines. Remember Iraq?

  • My cousin has travelled a lot around that area of the world. She said Syria was an amazing country to visit before the war. Great people, food and archeological sites. She particularly liked Palmyra. It's been damaged badly and many buildings and artfacts were destroyed. I think that sometimes the "world police" policies of the more powerful UN members are far more damaging than good.

  • I do not know as much about Obama's foreign policy as I should. I have seen the images of what Syria has looked like though - all the infrastructure destroyed - no wonder they left. 

  • "Trumpsitters", loooooool! I've never heard that but it's a classic. Obama had as much agency as Trump but he had the whole "cult of personality" thing to get a pass. His foreign policy was terrible. Drone strikes, Libya, awful decisions in the Middle East and the decisions that led to the situation we have in Syria right now. If he was a pawn it meant he was complicit in carrying out the decisions of advisors who were beneath him in rank. Neither can compare to Bush in complete incompentancy!

    May is a slave to her own ego. She doubles down when it's not necessary but bends to other peoples will when she is in awe. She's arrogant enough to dismiss the people she serves in office but so needy of approval she will *** kiss anyone more powerful. Compare how she treated the Grenfell Tower affair to anything involving America. She's an embarrassment to herself and this country.

    You hit the nail on the head with Thatcher. She totally used that situation. She also helped Pinochet, I believe directly. Argentina and Chile had a lot of tensions over the Beagle Conflict in the years leading up to the Falklands War. The Falklands Islands and Tierra del Fuego were part of the Beagle Conflict affair between Chile and Argentina. When the Falklands War happened it seriously extinguished any intentions Argentina had of continuing aggressive negotiations over the Beagle Channel and the territories surrounding it. It weakened their bargaining position considerably. So no wonder Pinochet used to have lunch with Thatcher so often!

    Seems I was so wrong about us bombing Syria! I don't think anything will happen with Russia though!

    The elections are just spin! Ask some people why they are voting for a party and they can't tell you their policy or manifesto. They will either listen to Sky News or the BBC!

  • Trump is said to have a lot of trumpsitters around him to keep him more restrained. Obama seemed to have taken the advice of supposedly more experienced senators in foreign policy - or he was outnumbered and not much more than a pawn. 

    May is a curious mixtire of stubbornness, ruthlessness alongside weakness. I agree many do seem to realise how destructive a move Brexit is, but no one seems to be able to stop it. Same reason as why what has happened here, happened: weak and divided opposition. 

    Thatcher used the Falkland crisis to deflect from her unpolarity at home, just as it is all about migrants here. So we live in hope it's not Mother Russia rain down down just yet. TheTV run-up to the election truly was, spin, spin and more spin on that one. I had someone staying with me over Easter and he got very angry, watching it.

  • It shocked me how the press has more or less been shut down in regards to critics of Orban. It does seem very totalitarian. I don't think Orban can go too far just because of the way that international politics work now. With the past one party totalitarian regime that ruled before, the people will probably get Orban out if it gets too totalitarian. Democracy is to be treasured and the press thing might open a few eyes!

    May will squirm around and flip flop to appease who she is told to. She's a very weak leader. Brexit wasn't expected and they had no contingency plan for it. That's why Cameron resigned the day after the vote. May is making a real mess of it. I personally see public support for Brexit dwindling.

    I think the whole "New Cold War" thing is just subterfuge for quite a few leaders and corporations. I don't think anything will boil over. Our foriegn policy has been terrible recently and May hasn't got much support in parliament, even on her own back benches. If it goes to a parliamentary vote I think that May would lose if she wanted to take action in Syria. America's foreign policy was terrible under Bush and Obama. Trump would have to go pretty far to top their decisions. I'm actually surpised at how reserved he has been so far. His Twitter feed is insane but he actually hasn't been that bad on foreign policy in my opinion. 

Reply
  • It shocked me how the press has more or less been shut down in regards to critics of Orban. It does seem very totalitarian. I don't think Orban can go too far just because of the way that international politics work now. With the past one party totalitarian regime that ruled before, the people will probably get Orban out if it gets too totalitarian. Democracy is to be treasured and the press thing might open a few eyes!

    May will squirm around and flip flop to appease who she is told to. She's a very weak leader. Brexit wasn't expected and they had no contingency plan for it. That's why Cameron resigned the day after the vote. May is making a real mess of it. I personally see public support for Brexit dwindling.

    I think the whole "New Cold War" thing is just subterfuge for quite a few leaders and corporations. I don't think anything will boil over. Our foriegn policy has been terrible recently and May hasn't got much support in parliament, even on her own back benches. If it goes to a parliamentary vote I think that May would lose if she wanted to take action in Syria. America's foreign policy was terrible under Bush and Obama. Trump would have to go pretty far to top their decisions. I'm actually surpised at how reserved he has been so far. His Twitter feed is insane but he actually hasn't been that bad on foreign policy in my opinion. 

Children
  • Syria was a pretty stable place before the 2010's. Assad kept the tensions between the Alawites, Sunnis and Christians to a minimum. The Kurds got oppressed though, but that situation was much better than the horror we have now. Just like Iran was before Carter dropped the ball so badly. That actually set off a chain of events that led to the first war against Iraq and the chain of events that led to todays situation in the whole region.

    Did they show Trumpton in Hungary?Grinning

    The internet is a strange phenomenon in general considering how people tend to herd together. It's also easier to play people off against each other. One aspect of someones political view can draw them to a place where they buy into a whole ideology. Memes can be attractive as a way of drawing people in, then the next thing you know they are subscribing to an ideology. You have all the points of view and facts out there, especially in todays "age of information" but people will be drawn to a place where all their bias is confirmed in an echo chamber.

    I find the rise of ideologues in the past few years disturbing, having a grandparent from each side who has suffered under both communism and facism. The use of social media and some of the terminology that has been fostered is disturbing also.

    The pipelines were always the main object of everything. Just like the tensions in the South China Sea and the Pacific. They won't let the conflicts and incursions end for a while. It's all about market manipulation.

  • I heard Syria had been a pleasant place once too.

    Playtime in Trumpton- or should that be Troll-town?

    I know not whereof I speke.......yep, our favourite social media site, to which mine own traitor remaineth bound.....

    I think there must be a cybermat afoot, infecting the minds of the masses, just like a computer virus. Funny how the same troll.phrases and memes replicate both here and in the UK. Soros is the figure of hate here, hated is he alike among Brexiteers. Those who dislike the victorious here get the same insults. Snowflakes are they, whingers, moaners, crybabies, liberals who cannot accept true democracy. They don't accept the Will of the People, they can't just get on with it. 

    I should set up a school to teach the new lexicon of parroted pies in the face.

    Oh and here is a clue to who may control Syria, or why it may really be time to kiss our botties goodbye, finally. Oil pipelines. Remember Iraq?

  • My cousin has travelled a lot around that area of the world. She said Syria was an amazing country to visit before the war. Great people, food and archeological sites. She particularly liked Palmyra. It's been damaged badly and many buildings and artfacts were destroyed. I think that sometimes the "world police" policies of the more powerful UN members are far more damaging than good.

  • I do not know as much about Obama's foreign policy as I should. I have seen the images of what Syria has looked like though - all the infrastructure destroyed - no wonder they left. 

  • "Trumpsitters", loooooool! I've never heard that but it's a classic. Obama had as much agency as Trump but he had the whole "cult of personality" thing to get a pass. His foreign policy was terrible. Drone strikes, Libya, awful decisions in the Middle East and the decisions that led to the situation we have in Syria right now. If he was a pawn it meant he was complicit in carrying out the decisions of advisors who were beneath him in rank. Neither can compare to Bush in complete incompentancy!

    May is a slave to her own ego. She doubles down when it's not necessary but bends to other peoples will when she is in awe. She's arrogant enough to dismiss the people she serves in office but so needy of approval she will *** kiss anyone more powerful. Compare how she treated the Grenfell Tower affair to anything involving America. She's an embarrassment to herself and this country.

    You hit the nail on the head with Thatcher. She totally used that situation. She also helped Pinochet, I believe directly. Argentina and Chile had a lot of tensions over the Beagle Conflict in the years leading up to the Falklands War. The Falklands Islands and Tierra del Fuego were part of the Beagle Conflict affair between Chile and Argentina. When the Falklands War happened it seriously extinguished any intentions Argentina had of continuing aggressive negotiations over the Beagle Channel and the territories surrounding it. It weakened their bargaining position considerably. So no wonder Pinochet used to have lunch with Thatcher so often!

    Seems I was so wrong about us bombing Syria! I don't think anything will happen with Russia though!

    The elections are just spin! Ask some people why they are voting for a party and they can't tell you their policy or manifesto. They will either listen to Sky News or the BBC!

  • Trump is said to have a lot of trumpsitters around him to keep him more restrained. Obama seemed to have taken the advice of supposedly more experienced senators in foreign policy - or he was outnumbered and not much more than a pawn. 

    May is a curious mixtire of stubbornness, ruthlessness alongside weakness. I agree many do seem to realise how destructive a move Brexit is, but no one seems to be able to stop it. Same reason as why what has happened here, happened: weak and divided opposition. 

    Thatcher used the Falkland crisis to deflect from her unpolarity at home, just as it is all about migrants here. So we live in hope it's not Mother Russia rain down down just yet. TheTV run-up to the election truly was, spin, spin and more spin on that one. I had someone staying with me over Easter and he got very angry, watching it.