Aspergers

The history of coming to grips with what autism is and its etiology has been tortuous ― if not tortured. By 1908 the word autism was defined as a schizophrenic who was withdrawn or self-absorbed. Some decades later Leo Kanner decided that autism was based on children with “a powerful desire for aloneness.” In the 1960’s psychologist Bruno Bettelheim, picking up on another aspect of Kanner’s observations, thought autism was simply based upon mothers not loving their children enough. Then came the twin research studies which purported autism to be caused by genetics or biological differences in brain development. Yet the consensus that Autism is from an intrauterine infection had also been growing, bolstered more recently by Patterson’s and Fatemi’s studies. However, the question would still remain: which infection? This, of course, remains unknown. Until 1980 autism in the US is still called “childhood schizophrenia” and in some parts of the world, it still is. By the same token, there has been, for some time, an extensive body of medical literature which ties schizophrenia to chronic infection –some time before when Rzhetsky [5] in 2007, used a proof-of-concept bio-statistical analysis of 1.5 million patient records, finding significant genetic overlap in humans with autism, schizophrenia and tuberculosis. This lends an explanation as to why anti-tubercular drugs such as Seromycin have been so successful in NIH trials treating autism. Tracing the history of autism from John Langdon Down’s children, a subset of which were autistic, to the present, this paper also explains how the stealth pathogen hypothesized to be behind autism has evaded modern day diagnostics..

In April 2012 Becky had a grand mal seizure and almost suffocated in bed. We were not sleeping due to concerns Becky would have a seizure at night and die or have a serious medical issue. We never knew when the next seizure would occur and were constantly worried. Her behavior was out of control
Due to our income level Becky did not qualify for any services!
We did not know what to do. We needed help and 4 Paws for Ability became a life changer for us

US sitcom Community (2009-2016) positions its neurodiverse hero Abed Nadir in a radical relationship with narrative agency, whereby his autism becomes both a productive and disruptive force in the mediation of its stories and the construction of its humour. This paper explores key instances of Abed’s ‘autistic disturbance’ (as revised by Julia Miele Rodas, 2018) to examine how his otherworldly identities indicate towards a realisation of ‘neuroqueer’ poetics and the potential of a more empowering paradigm for the representation of autism in popular culture.

In 1943, Leo Kanner in Baltimore, Maryland, and Hans Asperger in Vienna,\nAustria, wrote papers providing two very similar descriptions of\nchildren displaying severe social deficits and unusual behaviors\nand both using the term autistic. These two pioneers of autism, who\nnever met, were both born in Austria and spoke the same first language,\nwere both describing the same type of children, were both using the\nsame adjective for depicting their syndrome, and were both writing\ntheir landmark papers in the same year. Although Asperger was not\naware of Kanner's paper, Kanner may have been aware of Asperger's\nwork.

In this dissertation I will analyse the films of Stanley Kubrick to see how these may display stylistic, aesthetic and narrative features which in my opinion reveal Asperger's-like traits.
The research is conducted within an Auteurist framework with the intention of revealing a non coincidental pattern throughout Kubrick's career and it can serve as basis for a future analysis of his own possible Asperger's-like personality traits.

This paper presents a model of Asperger Syndrome as a hypodopaminergic condition. Several genetic factors lead to a faster than normal turnover of dopamine and chronically low dopaminergic tone reminiscent of pre-clinical Parkinson’s Disease. It explores three etiologies from different genetic bases, leading to similar hypodopaminergic states:

1. Dopamine Transporter type (DAT type): Polymorphisms in SLC6A3 causing dopamine leakage from the DAT, the 10-repeat VNTR of SLC6A3 causing DAT overexpression, or syntaxin 1A polymorphisms leading to increased DAT function and a faster rate of dopamine turnover: ‘the overclocking model’. The subsequent postsynaptic low dopaminergic tone may cause higher neuronal excitability and a faster rate of firing, producing sensory hypersensitivity, fast thoughts, sensitivity to salience, poor executive function and anxiety.

2. Glutamate type: Polymorphisms of SLC25A12 resulting in a reduction of VMAT2 and dysfunctional dopamine handling and oxidative stress within the neuron.

3. GABRB3 type: Polymorphisms of GABRB3 causing reduced binding to GABAA receptors with a β3 subunit. GABAA receptors co-localise with dopamine D2 receptors, and levels of tonic dopamine may modulate them in terms of neuronal spine formation. Reduced β3 subunit function/expression may inhibit the emission of more dopamine, leading to chronically low dopamine.

The paper discusses compounding effects from stress hormones and COMT. It describes the ‘female protective effects’ and male exacerbative effects of sex hormones on tonic dopamine levels.

Viewing Asperger Syndrome as a dopaminergic disorder allows us to develop a diagnostic tool focusing on hypodopaminergic traits. It also opens an avenue of research into treatment with modafinil, a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, for AS depression, self-harm and suicidality.

A thesis submitted and examined as part of a PhD in Creative Writing at The University of Manchester

Metaphors of aliens, robots and other fantastical beings are often employed as shorthand for autistic difference. While such rhetoric can serve to dehumanise a disabled minority, the same otherworldly subjects have also provided meaningful spaces of cultural belonging, identity, and community for autistic fans. This thesis positions the fantastical screen as a space of cross-neurotype encounter where shared experiences of estrangements can be productively encountered and explored. It is led by the work of neuroqueer theorists Melanie Yergeau and Julia Miele Rodas, whose analyses of neurodivergent embodiment in social rhetoric and literary texts have enabled innovative discourses of a poetics of autism. Developing this work for the screen, I establish how cinematic and televisual techniques align with neuroqueer thinking, before delineating the ways in which this approach enables dynamic critical incursions on the understanding of autism and estrangement.

Moving to analysis, I follow autistic interest in Ridley Scott’s science fiction dystopia Blade Runner: The Final Cut, to reinterpret its postmodernist aesthetic as neuroqueer expression. The film’s cyborg characters are recast as neurodivergent individuals framed by an aesthetic attitude of empathetic attachment for atypical worldly resonance. In the TV sitcom Community, I locate a neuroqueer narrative agency in the trickster dynamic of its celebrated but under-theorised autistic hero, Abed Nadir. I analyse three episodes where Abed negotiates his neurodivergent expression via the invitation of fantastical energies, thereby positioning estrangement as a key methodology for embodying autistic difference. In conclusion, I offer the fantastic autistic and the fantastical screen as powerful allies in the articulation of neuroqueer divergence and the negotiation of cross-neurotype communication.

Proseminaari –tutkielmassa tarkastellaan Aspergerin oireyhtymän (AS) diagnoosin saaneiden korkeakoulutettujen naisten vahvuuksia opinnoissa ja elämässä yleisesti. AS kuuluu autismikirjoon, niin sanottuihin laaja-alaisiin kehityshäiriöihin. Se nähdään usein elämää ja opiskeluja rajoittavana tekijänä, sillä sen keskeisiin oireisiin kuuluvat vaikeudet sosiaalisessa kanssakäymisessä, kuormitusherkkyys sekä kognitiivisen kykyprofiilin epätasaisuus. AS-ihmisten ÄO on kuitenkin normaali tai sitä korkeampi, ja usein AS-ihmisillä on erityislahjakkuuksia sekä omaperäinen tapa ajatella asioista ja kokea maailmaa.

AS-tyttöjen ja -naisten oirekuva voi olla hyvin erilainen kuin AS-poikien ja -miesten. AS-naisia on tutkittu niukasti, mutta AS-diagnoosin saaneiden naisten lukumäärän jatkuvasti kasvaessa on ensisijaisen tärkeää antaa ääni oireyhtymän omaaville naisille. Näin AS:n ilmenemistä heillä voidaan ymmärtää paremmin niin yleisesti kuin diagnostiikkaa tekevillä ja kuntoutusta antavillakin tahoilla. Tutkimuksen ja tietoisuuden lisääntyminen auttaa myös korkeakoulujen henkilökuntaa tunnistamaan oireyhtymän mukanaan tuomia erityispiirteitä ja tukemaan paremmin AS-naisia opinnoissaan.
Tutkielman aineisto kerättiin kirjoituspyynnöllä, jossa korkeakoulussa opiskelevia tai opiskelleita, AS-diagnoosin saaneita naisia pyydettiin kertomaan koulutuselämänkertansa haluamassaan laajuudessa. Aineisto kerättiin helmikuussa 2015 ja sitä kertyi yhteensä kymmeneltä naiselta yli 50 sivua. Tarkastelun kohteeksi valittiin informanttien itsestään esiin tuomat sekä tutkijan löytämät vahvuudet siksi, että useissa tutkimuksissa AS:ää käsitellään ongelmakeskeisesti. Aineistoa analysoitiin laadullisella sisällönanalyysillä ja vahvuudet luokiteltiin erityislahjakkuuksiin, erityisiin kiinnostuksenkohteisiin sekä muihin vahvuuksiin. Useassa tapauksessa AS-naisten erityislahjakkuutena oli kyky laadukkaan kirjallisen materiaalin tuottamiseen. Kyky keskittyä intensiivisesti kiinnostavaan aiheeseen sekä hyvä muisti olivat myös monen tutkimuksen naisen vahvuuksina. Erityisillä kiinnostuksenkohteilla oli suuri merkitys informanttien elämässä ja alavalinnoissa. Aineiston AS-naisilla oli myös huomattavan hyvä koulumenestys.

Tutkimusta korkeakoulutettujen AS-naisten tiimoilta tarvitaan ehdottomasti lisää. AS-tietoisuuden levittäminen korkeakouluihin on hyvin tärkeää, sillä tämä vähän tutkittu ryhmä omaa paljon potentiaalia, joka voi jäädä hyödyntämättä oikeanlaisen tuen ja ymmärryksen puutteessa.

Asiasanat
Aspergerin oireyhtymä, autismikirjon häiriöt, Asperger naisilla, autismi, opiskelu

In his analysis of popular culture texts, Mark Osteen suggests that autism ‘seems uniquely resistant to narrative’ citing the tendency for authors to rely on the spectacle of savantism and/or the crutch of ‘narrative prosthesis’ (2014, 268). However, recent work by Melanie Yergeau and Julia Miele Rodas has shown that a poetic of autism is both possible and already evident. Yergeau yearns for an autistic ‘rhetoric that tics, a rhetoric that stims, a rhetoric that faux pas, a rhetoric that averts eye contact’ (2018, 31), while Rodas discovers these rhetorics alive and well in ‘the dissonant, disorded and absurd’ properties of classic literature (2018, 190).

This paper reflects upon my own work-in-progress; a contemporary fantastical novel about autism which attempts to diverge from autistic stereotype by engaging directly with the poetics of autistic sensibility. I will trace how this ‘neuroqueer’ rhetoric (Yergeau, 27) guides and encourages the ruptures and instabilities of the text and interrogate how a paradigm of neurodivergence finds a productive ally in the modes of the fantastic.

Five threads on the capacity of understanding metaphors that ran on Wrongplanet.net, a web community designed for individuals (and parents/professionals of those) with Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, PDDs, and other neurological differences, are here integrally quoted, at the aim of highlighting how first-person descriptions given by AS adults of their competence with metaphors may contribute research.

1.1% of the English population has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) of which about half have normal or above intelligence. They are more likely to have mental health conditions which many seek help for from psychotherapists not specialised in ASD but research portraying the experiences of these individuals is lacking. 25 adults with ASD answered a questionnaire about their experiences with therapy. The data was analysed using thematic analysis revealing four themes with subthemes. Firstly, caring was experienced in the form of therapists discerning normal from abnormal but also therapists were not being committed. Secondly, tools and exercises empowered the client but were presented too vaguely. Thirdly, and most noteworthy was autism where ASD related characteristics were misinterpreted by therapists as being psychological, the term 'autism psyche dualism' is proposed. Sensory issues were not addressed or understood and experienced as being complicated. Fourthly, regarding communication some therapists were experienced as listening and others not, and some used jargon which negatively impacted trust. Discussion of experiential perspective and their relevance to research gave some support for ASD models and highlighted factors impacting the therapeutic relationship of which more research is needed.

Qualified and capable working age autistics face an 83% unemployment rate, thus, straining the economy and deteriorating their quality of life. This research examines potential contributing factors by inquiring what hiring agents’ beliefs may be influencing their selection of qualified autistic candidates. This quantitatively weighted, concurrent, mixed methods (QUAN > qual), multiple linear regression study measured the influence of hiring agents’ control, normative, and behavioral beliefs upon their selection of qualified autistic candidates. Through the theoretical lens of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, conceptually crystallized with other validated theories; a representative, simple, random probability sample of hiring agents throughout the contiguous United States (n = 212) participated in this study. This model statistically significantly identified hiring agents’ beliefs influencing their selection of qualified autistic candidates to fill open positions (F(45, 73) = 36.067, p < .001, adj. R2 = .930). The inclusion of autistics in organizational diversity policies and practices (B = 0.266), overcoming dependability stereotypes (B = 0.195), and the fear of embarrassment (B = 0.187) were the most significant (p < .001) quantitative influencers. Participants (30%) qualitatively conveyed a desire for comprehensive autistic education. Future study should explore public policy aimed at organizational education relative to qualified autistic candidates. This increased scientific understanding could help develop expanded public policy leading to decreased unemployment rates for autistics, increased organizational performance for all business types, and improved socioeconomic stability across the nation resulting from increased economic contributions and decreased social service expenditures.

Every year reportedly more and more school age children are facing bullying from their peers due to having a mild form of Autism known as Asperger's Syndrome.  This paper will explore various ways to recognize and combat bullying all within an Anabaptist peacemaking perspective.

This presentation examines the lived experiences of two biologically unrelated children, both with high functioning autism, one aged 9 years and the other 15 years. The co-constructed narratives of the children and their parents, examine the daily lives and experiences of these children living with autism and high-ability, (giftedness). The discursive practices and societal ‘norms’ which impact on their identities, demonstrates the unrelenting need to work constantly to find ways to position themselves around cultural and societal categorisations of disability, giftedness and special needs.

The term twice exceptionality is commonly used when referring to children who are gifted and have co-occurring disability, such as autism.  The educational life of a twice-exceptional student is often littered with negative experiences which can cause students to feel like a failure and to have low self-efficacy, increased internalised and externalised anger, and anxiety and depression. Set against a background of high-functioning autism, these narratives playout the experiences of each child in relation to their schooling and daily activities. Both children exhibited some contradictory academic and social skills, which led to a somewhat clouded ability to deal with peers and interpret and react to non-verbal behaviour, and which, in turn, led to frustration, anxiety, unenthusiastic school attitudes, heightened trepidation of failing and perfectionist tendencies. The importance of advocacy, family and teacher support was emphasised through the narratives. Commonalities included periods of home schooling and episodes of bullying. Co-occurring anxiety disorders and other disabilities such as ADHD and sensory processing disorders feature in their stories. A narrative picture emerged painting both children as having rich, vibrant imaginations producing creative expressions and emphasising the valuable contributions to our societies that they both possess.

Autism can be defined as either (1.) A mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with
other people and in using language and abstract concepts, or, (2.) A mental condition in which fantasy dominates over reality, as a symptom of schizophrenia and other disorders.
The consensus that autism is caused by an intrauterine infection has been growing, bolstered by Patterson’s (2007) and Fatemi’s (2009) studies. John Langdon Down, a subset of whose developmentally disabled children were autistic, saw this infection “for the most part” as having its source in parental tuberculosis (TB).

"Critical Care", although an older piece of mine, accurately demonstrates the level of emotional depth with which I write creatively, and displays how I can conquer a difficult topic (specifically in this piece: suicide and Aspergers) in an intriguing and approachable way.

"Critical Care" won the Fiction Award in the TCU Creative Writing Awards in the Spring of 2014. The award is sponsored by the Women's Wednesday Club of Fort Worth, and is given to one undergraduate per year.

#Autism #AutismTreatment #AutismSurrogateHealing #IntentHealing #NonVerbalAutism
What is Surrogate healing in Autism ?
Surrogate healing in Autism is the healing of the limiting
symptoms in a child with Autism by channeling Intent Healing™
energies with the parents of the child Autism as surrogates.
Read More ....

This article reports on a 2016 pilot of a video-based technology mentoring program undertaken with young Australians with high functioning autism who are socially and geographically isolated. Many young people with autism live with deep social isolation due to their difficulties in mixing easily with others; this is further exacerbated for those living in geographically remote areas. These young people are subject to acute forms of exclusion, yet have long tended to be highly adept at the use of technology. The Online Lab is based on The Lab, a national network of face-to-face technology and social clubs for young people with high functioning autism. The pilot involved 25 remote or regional young people from three states. Synchronous weekly online sessions were led by expert mentors, with up to six young people participating via the Zoom video conferencing platform. The evaluation combined qualitative methods that could be administered remotely with local methods and de-identified usage statistics. It drew on the notion of 'differentiated spaces' as devised by Lye Ee Ng in her doctoral work at The Lab, which recognises that online, offline and personal spaces interact to facilitate different forms of social interaction. The evaluation concluded that the pilot was a

Editorial The latest method of diagnosing autism by determining the Energy Frequency Patterns that is based on the cutting edge science of Applied Energy Medicine is transforming the way autism is being diagnosed and treated today. And the method is the Energy Based Assessment and Report. This cutting edge scientific method is a game changer in not only the accurate diagnosis of autism that is specific and Unique to each individual, but also has a Predictive Value about the recovery timeline that is also specific and unique to each child/person with autism and their families. Right now there are no medical tests to diagnose autism. The current conventional method of diagnosis is mainly based on behavior and development assessment. With this approach the earliest age at which the diagnosis of autism can be made is 18 months, but most children are diagnosed much later, between two and 5 years of age and this causes delay in starting early interventions that could help the child. What is generally understood about the key components that determine the labeling of a person/child as having autism or ASD Autism Spectrum Disorder includes the following:

My name is Dr. Sharon Link-Wyer. I studied the lived experiences of mothers of children with High Functioning Autism (HFA) for my dissertation. While some aspects of the autism parenting phenomenon had been highlighted before I wrote my dissertation, none of the studies fully explained the phenomenon of maternal experiences as a whole.
I interviewed several mothers for my study.  The data for my dissertation was collected during twenty hours of interviews and led to seven themes concerning the maternal experience of raising a child with HFA. This study used a heuristic phenomenological methodology, which allowed me to more fully understand and appreciate the stories of my participants. Utilizing this methodology helped me to understand my own experience raising a child with autism. I am sharing results from these interviews for the first time in this article.
The themes I discovered included (1) experience of stress (extreme trauma) during pregnancy and birth; (2) grief, ambiguity, and frustration after diagnosis; (3) needing and receiving support for their parenting journey; (4) maternal advocacy; (5) major systems shortfalls in services and supports; (6) future expectations; and (7) maternal advice to other moms facing an autism diagnosis. Each of these significant findings was explored as they related to the purpose of better understanding the phenomenon of the maternal experience of raising a child with HFA. The participants in this study provided a rich experiential overview of what it is like to raise a child with HFA. Because their stories contribute to understanding about this topic, they have implications for current theory and professional practice.

Criticism and questions about the representation of Autism and Asperger syndrome (especially regarding class, race and gender) via a reading of BBC TV drama 'The Syndicate' This is an adapted excerpt from my forthcoming book 'The Naming of Adult Autism'

Elephant’s Kitchen – An Aspergirl's Study in Difference is about a quiet teenage girl named Delphine who has Asperger’s, but just as with the television shows Bones and The Big Bang Theory, the condition is never mentioned. Instead, the story walks the reader through many of the markers of the condition.

Clinical knowledge of Asperger’s Syndrome and other Autistic Spectrum Disorders has developed enormously since Hans Asperger’s early definition of ‘autistic psychopathy’ in 1944, yet societal misunderstandings persist and recent research claims that individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome are potentially over-represented within the criminal justice system. Furthermore, numerous authorities have expressed concern that those working within the criminal justice sector lack the requisite training to respond effectively to those with Asperger’s Syndrome and consequently affected individuals experience particular difficulty in negotiating the criminal justice process. This article critically explores existing research in this area, investigating potential links between Asperger’s Syndrome and criminality and looks at the level of understanding of this syndrome by the criminal justice system. As Asperger’s Syndrome is associated with reasonable intellectual ability, it presents greater issues...

Almost a Meal is the true tale of how a man who was undiagnosed with Asperger's became acquainted with a chef who later proved to be a serial killer. It shows how Aspies do not recognize danger signs - though many neurotypicals might also fail to recognize them too. It also provides the reader with a disturbing horror story, and thus a good read.

My research and follow up work has found that being labelled and viewed as disordered as per the DSM-5 & DSM-IV results in being seen as less than other people, and indeed my classroom observations have shown that some teachers do not see the humanity in children on the autism spectrum, instead framing the children in terms of 'beings trapped by their autism' with minimal potential. A lack of understanding what it means to be on the autism spectrum, what it means to experience the world through autistic spectrum eyes and minds can lead to an inability to frame autistic experiences as valid or real. Until this viewpoint is challenged I believe being on the autism spectrum is viewed as being less than (human) in a way that damages the wellbeing of those of us on the autism spectrum.

MONTEIRO, George, "Engaging with Pessoa" (2019). Pessoa Plural―A Journal of Fernando Pessoa Studies, No. 15, Spring, pp. 69-79. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://doi.org/10.26300/zf79-xg79

Is Part of:

Pessoa Plural―A Journal of Fernando Pessoa Studies, Issue 15

Engaging with Pessoa
[Interagindo com Pessoa]

https://doi.org/10.26300/zf79-xg79

ABSTRACT

A group of six otherwise disparate items presenting personal critical perceptions, ideas or speculations concerning Pessoa and his work involving the composer Schumann; his particular use of heteronyms; his discovery of the notion of "man thinking" as the basis for his "drama em gente"; Livro do Desassossego; and evidence to suggest that it is useful to consider him as belonging on the autism spectrum.

RESUMO

Um conjunto de seis questões aparentemente desconexas permitem apresentar algumas percepções críticas, ideias ou especulações implicando Pessoa e a sua obra, e envolvendo o compositor Schumann, o recurso particular aos heterónimos, a descoberta da noção de "pensamento humano" como esteio do "drama em gente", o Livro do Desassossego e, por último, a sugestão de que poderá ser útil ter em conta a possibilidade de considerar Pessoa dentro do âmbito do autismo.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ATTWOOD, Tony (2008). The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome. London and Philadelphia: Jessica
Kingsley Publishers.
DENK, Jeremy (2018). “Robert Schumann: A Hopeless, Brilliant Romantic”. Book review online (Nov.
19): https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/books/review/robert-schumann-judith-chernaikbiography.
html A version of this article appears in print on Nov. 25, 2018, on Page 1 of the
Sunday Book Review.
MONTEIRO, George (2016). The Pessoa Chronicles: Poems, 1980-2016. Willimantic, CT: Bricktop, 2016).
LOPES, Teresa Rita (1990). Pessoa por Conhecer. Lisboa: Estampa. 2 vols.
PESSOA, Fernando (2000). Heróstrato e a Busca da Imortalidade. Ed. Richard Zenith. Lisboa: Assírio &
Alvim.
_____ (1999). Poemas de Álvaro de Campos. Ed. Cleonice Berardinelli. Rio de Janeiro: Nova
Fronteira.
_____ (1993). Álvaro de Campos – Livro de Versos. Critical edition. Ed. Teresa Rita Lopes. Lisboa:
Estampa.
_____ (1992a). Poemas de Álvaro de Campos. Critical edition, “série menor”. Ed. Cleonice
Berardinelli. Lisboa: Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda.
_____ (1992b). Vida e Obras do Engenheiro. Ed. Teresa Rita Lopes. Lisboa: Estampa. 2.ª ed.
_____ (1990a). Poemas de Álvaro de Campos. Critical edition, “série maior”. Ed. Cleonice
Berardinelli. Lisboa: Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda.
_____ (1990b). Vida e Obras do Engenheiro. Ed. Teresa Rita Lopes. Lisboa: Estampa. 1.ª ed.
_____ (1980). Ultimatum e Páginas de Sociologia Política. Ed. Isabel Rocheta and Paulo Morão.
Lisboa: Ática.
_____ (1967). Páginas de Estética e de Teoria e Crítica Literárias. Ed. Georg Rudolf Lind and Jacinto do
Prado Coelho. Lisboa: Ática.
_____ (1966). Páginas Íntimas e de Auto-Interpretação. Ed. Georg Rudolf Lind and Jacinto do Prado
Coelho. Lisboa: Ática.

The purpose of this study is to explore the potential impact of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on typically developing siblings. My personal experience with a sister with Asperger syndrome gave me the inspiration for this paper. Through autoethnography I examine this relationship and its effect on me. Within my personal writing-stories I explore my experiences during childhood, adolescence and adulthood with my sister. As well as my thoughts about what I have gained from this experience and the future concerns I have for our relationship. In addition I discuss my personal experiences in relation to the existing literature. It is clear to see that even in the most functional families with children who are most able to cope with change, having a sibling with an ASD does change normal life occurrences. Families and the individuals that comprise them are both likely to be strengthened and strained as a result of their experience. This paper aims to broaden knowledge and understanding concerning the influence of the ASD individual on the typically development siblings. Personal implications in counselling are also provided.