Asperger's Syndrome and Dragon Ball

[Bura]

All these stories sound very familiar @_@.

I'm also very shy... and I never had many friends. I always kept it a secret that I liked DragonBall in high school because I didn't want to get picked on... So I usually sat alone during all classes and the breaks because I wasn't exactly what you'd call "the social type".

I always focussed all my time into DragonBall. As soon as I got home I'd start drawing fanart and keep a book where I'd make character description pages of the DragonBall characters... I'd sometimes heard boys talking about DB and I wanted to join the discussion SO badly but I didn't have the guts. I also hated it when they didn't know something about DragonBall or were stating wrong things, I got so annoyed when I overheard them because I felt like correcting them XD

Anyway, when I got internet I immediately build my first DragonBall site and during my years as a DB webmaster I got to know many DragonBall fans. I met my two best friends through DragonBall and anime, even though they live in the south of this country and I live way up north. We do visit each other from time to time and I attended conventions with them. But with the "normal people" from my everyday life I still find it difficult to talk because I don't share any interests with them... Even though some of my classmates were anime fans, I was afraid to go "all out" with my knowledge because I'd fear I'd be seen as freaky XD

Anyway, I'm also sure I'll find a boyfriend someday who'd accept such a 'unique' girl as myself.

[Daimo-Rukiri]

If you asked me this question like a year or 2 ago I probably would have said yes, but in recent years I am more socially active. Though I do like being alone most of the time, well not totally alone but you know what I mean.
Allot of people with asperger's are extremely intelligent, take me. I have an IQ over 140 but it never showed until I actually wanted to go to college and well the grades pretty much skyrocketed up. Hehe, the teachers asked if I even bothered the last 3 years of high school^O^.

I'm not full blown only partial to my knowledge, I also have a form of ADHD of course I've controlled this and have calmed down as I grew older mainly thanks to the computer.

[Kingdom Heartless]

Allot of people with asperger's are extremely intelligent, take me. I have an IQ over 140 but it never showed until I actually wanted to go to college and well the grades pretty much skyrocketed up.

Wow! Wish I was one of those Aspies...

I used to be considered intelligent, but things like schoolwork just seemed to get tougher.... now most people assume I'm stupid.

[TrunksTrevelyan0064]

Heh, so I'm officially intelligent. Thanks for the compliment XD

Well, I don't mean to brag, but when it comes to language, I definitely am intelligent. I'm a Dutch person studying English, and even in high school my grades in languages were unusually high. I had no motivation to learn French or German, so I dropped those, but I've lived and breathed English for years now.

So being a fan of Dragonball 'n everything, it's only natural that I started to study Japanese this summer

[ShiningMoon]

I have an IQ over 140 but it never showed until I actually wanted to go to college and well the grades pretty much skyrocketed up.

From what I understand this is the norm for a lot of people with different mental (if I may call them this) disorders/disabilities. My boyfriend is dyslexic, and the same thing happened to him. (He had to take an IQ test to prove that he is dyslexic for the college to get extended testing time and such. It showed true -- he was so lacking in some areas [that would be expected for someone with dyslexia] and excelled so much in others that his IQ technically averaged out to right around 100, even though there is no doubt that he is much, much smarter than that.) When he went to college, his grades became much better (though probably also in part because of the fact that the college likely had a much better way of handling things than the high school...).

[Big Boss]

IQ tests are mostly BS anyway. They miss out quite a few important details, and they aren't really a measure of a persons intelligence, as they only show how quick you can answer, not if you can't.

Anyway, I have ADD (it's actually called ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive, now.) and a hint of OCD (runs in the family) So I find things rather difficult to concentrate sometimes. I have to read through things like, five times before I've actually taken everything in (because of the concentration problem, no doubt). It makes things hell for me most of the time. But In the next few weeks/months, I'll hopefully be starting a dose of Methylphenidate (Ritalin) to help.

My brother actually has AS, and he loves Dragon Ball. He remembers practically every line in the anime. Sort of like how I know every line in Titanic.

[obiwan23s]

I was shy when I was younger but a lot of kids are. That's usually a problem that corrects itself by college if you manage to remain a square throughout highschool. I know I was kind of lame until I started drinking beer in 12th grade. Honestly I'd probably say that people being anti-social and shy is more of a low self-confidence issue than anything else. Kids that got picked on a lot in younger grades are probably in that boat too. I always felt like I was able to live vicariously through the stories in Dragon Ball and other anime cartoons but DB is the only one I still come back to. I don't watch or really care about any other anime I've seen, and I've seen a lot of good ones.

[Kingdom Heartless]

Anyway, I have ADD (it's actually called ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive, now.) and a hint of OCD (runs in the family) So I find things rather difficult to concentrate sometimes. I have to read through things like, five times before I've actually taken everything in (because of the concentration problem, no doubt). It makes things hell for me most of the time. But In the next few weeks/months, I'll hopefully be starting a dose of Methylphenidate (Ritalin) to help.

I thought ADD and ADHD were two different things? I have the former, but I'm pretty sure I don't have the latter.

Ritalin could be very helpful.... I was on it for years. I haven't taken any in a few years, though..... I'm just on Zoloft now. But I recall it being pretty good while I was on it, and they always seem to be making improvements.

I can't exactly quote everything in Dragon Ball, but I'm really good with different sorts of details about stuff, like if someone asks me what year a movie was made.

[Big Boss]

Anyway, I have ADD (it's actually called ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive, now.) and a hint of OCD (runs in the family) So I find things rather difficult to concentrate sometimes. I have to read through things like, five times before I've actually taken everything in (because of the concentration problem, no doubt). It makes things hell for me most of the time. But In the next few weeks/months, I'll hopefully be starting a dose of Methylphenidate (Ritalin) to help.

I thought ADD and ADHD were two different things? I have the former, but I'm pretty sure I don't have the latter.

Ritalin could be very helpful.... I was on it for years. I haven't taken any in a few years, though..... I'm just on Zoloft now. But I recall it being pretty good while I was on it, and they always seem to be making improvements.

I can't exactly quote everything in Dragon Ball, but I'm really good with different sorts of details about stuff, like if someone asks me what year a movie was made.

ADD is what it used to be called, although practically everybody still uses it even though it's officially called ADHD Predominantly Inattentive now. To quote wiki: "While ADHD-PI is sometimes still called attention deficit disorder or ADD by the general public, these older terms were formally changed in 1994 "

Good to see Ritalin helped you. It's given me a bit more hope, at least.

Anyway, to keep this somewhat Dragon Ball related anybody else think Goku may have had ADHD, considering that he was always hyper and ignored everybody?

[Piccolo Daimao]

Anyway, to keep this somewhat Dragon Ball related anybody else think Goku may have had ADHD, considering that he was always hyper and ignored everybody?

Nah, he was just a Saiyan.

[TheBlackPaladin]

TheBlackPaladin, I think that's very interesting. (And, cool fact about the guy who created Pokemon!) That's kind of a different facet of DB to be knowledgeable about, and pretty nifty I think. So you mentioned your interest in voice acting, but have you been able to pursue it since then?

Indeed I have, I am a professional voice actor. Still relatively new, but I do have a demo, agent, recording booth...the whole nine yards. Mostly doing small-scale stuff like phone message systems since I'm just starting out. The biggest thing I've done so far is a 30-second commercial for CNN International. Voice acting for anime is an eventual, long-term goal, but not one that's immediately doable. Not for at least another two years when I move to the L.A. area (I'm still in college).

If you asked me this question like a year or 2 ago I probably would have said yes, but in recent years I am more socially active. Though I do like being alone most of the time, well not totally alone but you know what I mean.

Well, it's also a common misconception that Aspies have no social skills whatsoever, which is not necessarily the case. It's a spectrum disorder, there are people who have it really bad and people who are not necessarily "the life of the party," but socially competent enough that nobody would think they were weird. I fall under that category. Like I said, I have awesome parents who got me into intense therapy very early in my life almost immediately after I was diagnosed. I do have a group of close friends that I hang out with on an almost-daily basis, but I often find that I tend to shut down and get very shy around other people outside my circle that I don't know very well.

[kenisu3000]

If I didn't have Asperger's, I'm quite sure I never would have started up my BGM documentation.
And while it definitely sucks to have to deal with this in real life, where absolutely no one I know can relate to having a fandom so crazed they document each and every piece of music in a favorite series of theirs, I am at least glad that I'm not your average cookie-cutter individual.

[chaosakita]

If I didn't have Asperger's, I'm quite sure I never would have started up my BGM documentation.
And while it definitely sucks to have to deal with this in real life, where absolutely no one I know can relate to having a fandom so crazed they document each and every piece of music in a favorite series of theirs, I am at least glad that I'm not your average cookie-cutter individual.

Ummm, because average people like me are so dumb right? lol

On the subjects of IQ tests, my two cents they are all BS. I have a documented IQ of around ~130 from elementary school, but my grades are shit. (Sorta lol) To me, you're probably not that smart unless you do one of the following things:

1. Are top 75% of top 20 national university/top 5 LAC OR top 50% of top 21-30 national uni/top 5-20 LAC (a bit arbitrary I know)
2. In the top ~33% of a honors program at top 30 public university
3. Are a physics/math/chem major at a somewhat good school
4. Top 14 law program or in med school

Obviously, these are incredibly inconsistent and arbitrary, but the general thing they show is that true intelligence only mattes when combined with hard work. There are some savants who are probably way smarter than any of the people measured here, but for some reason, they couldn't bother to put in the effort. Or I guess some people have personal problems. But generally, any smart person (and some not so smart people) can accomplish any of these things.

Ok, my screed is done now.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Not to get all philosophical or anything, but I don't believe that you can be more intelligent than someone else. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. I'm in top set for my English class and scored the highest mark in my class for a practice GCSE Geography exam, but I'm absolutely terrible with directions and brainfart in terms of common sense more often than I should. Stephen Hawking is classed as a very intelligent man (and rightly so), but there's nothing that says he can paint deep, detailed masterpieces. That's why I think IQ tests, GCSE grades, statistics and all that stuff that tells you you're a smart-ass on paper just means nothing in terms of your overall intelligence.

Sorry, this is nothing to do with Dragon Ball, is it?

[Great Saiyaman I]

Hate to use the generic parent answer, but every is intelligent in their own way. You could be a genius at math, or an expert painter, we all have our own strengths.

[Eire]

Holy Grail and Killer Bunny, what is this threat about?

First: don't think that being shy=AS. The person who started that thread was looking for people diagnosed by specialists, not themselves.

Second: It's nearly impossible to find who is serious here. I can write about my intelligence tests and things I do, but how can you check if I'm not mocking you?

Third: It seems to turn into "my grandpa in deadier than yours" debate. Board is patient, if you feel better witting about your IQ and "how I'm sad and alienate" feel free, but who cares?

Fourth: I'm really normal and I feel good with it (although I've read and seen nearly everything about Titanic)

Fifth: IQ tests sucks. Intelligence tests are long, boring and full of describes and charts that describe your strong and weak points. Sometimes they seem really funny, but what they have to do with it at all?

[DerekPadula]

Yeah, I did focus the question on Asperger's Syndrome. Basically it was a call to the community for people with this condition. Though I am open to any discussions relevant to the topic.

In regards to the subject of intelligence, I'm certainly interested in it, so feel free to discuss whatever you like as long as the argument stays on point. What you've all said already has been helpful.

I am also working on an article about Goku's intelligence, in case anyone is interested. He is a unique case because he is a feral child raised in the mountains and jungles and barely knows how to count. But he is very physically gifted and excels at learning through the vehicle of his own body. There's also a lot tied into the spiritual aspects of mind and body. Plus the Daoist concept of an "uncarved block" and a simple mind enlightening to things more quickly, mixed in with the concepts of Buddhist Zen Emptiness via the Chinese and Japanese martial arts.

[warrior72989]

I don't know what I have but I'm definitely abnormal. I don't socialize well either. I love Dragon ball so much I got the Royal Saiyan Family Crest tattooed on my arm.

[Kingdom Heartless]

I don't know what I have but I'm definitely abnormal. I don't socialize well either. I love Dragon ball so much I got the Royal Saiyan Family Crest tattooed on my arm.

That's a pretty interesting idea for a tattoo. It looks pretty cool, judging from your avatar.

[aditdragon]

well, I like to draw dragon ball, and I am a self diagnosed asperger, so....what next?
do you want to make a "asperger focused on dragon ball community" or something, then, what to do next?