[Misc] John O'Kane the autistic footballer

[Fat Boy Fat]

Don’t get how anyone can take offence to that. I always say to people I think everyone is on ‘the spectrum’ somewhere - as in little obsessions, tics, OCD etc type behaviour - I think everyone I’ve discussed it with in REAL life has agreed and had a nice conversation about it. I really don’t get how my post is in anyway inflammatory - it certainly wasn’t intended like that…! I think tone of voice and general Internet ‘ways of reading’ things and being uptight about certain subjects is the reason for the other 2 posters odd reactions. Again, maybe it’s just my openness to offer opinions but also willingness to learn on subjects I’m no expert on - always told it was a lovely trait of mine

I certainly wouldn't take offence to your comment as I have even encountered this from a professional when we were trying to get a diagnosis for our little one.

The professional in question echoed your statement. Having gone through the stress and trauma to get to where we were it wasn't a helpful statement and in all honesty it was all I could do to stop myself from shouting at her for being so dismissive and insensitive.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I have just finished my application for a post-grad Autism Studies course. I am looking at taking a years leave without pay next year to move out of classroom teaching and in to something to improve for people/kids with autism. My feeling is that we have a long way to go in Australia in terms of education for people on the spectrum. I feel the same about ADHD (my youngest and oldest both have this to varying degrees). I speak to teachers on a daily basis who have no idea about the parameters of ADHD and the problems it can cause. Add into this, things like Sensory Processing Disorder, Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria and Pathological Demand Avoidance and we are really limited in our understanding of the challenges some kids go through. 'can't concentrate, give them a pill' seems to me to be a really underwhelming and tokenistic method of helping children with plenty of potential.

Good luck to you. Top work.

Yes, we have experience with some of your list, including the sensory issues, with our nipper.

It is interesting how characteristics that are benign in the parent can flare up as something more serious in the kid. Mrs T gets spooked by sharp noises (like me clanking plates doing the washing up) and the nipper is much worse.

A propos of nothing, Mrs T bought these amazing ear inserts recently and I now have a pair. They filter out all the sharp sound that our ears funnel by their shape, evolution having helped us hear if a sabre tooth tiger is about to pounce fron the crackle of twigs breaking under its feet, etc. These help her a lot, and help me a bit. The nipper is too young yet, but her sensory issues revolve mainly around clothes and especially feet.

I said I would shut up now - whoops!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

My boy was diagnosed at 2 and is high functioning/Aspergers, now 20.

I have often considered myself to be "on the spectrum" .
I am by nature introverted and have anxiety over social situations, even with people I know very well.
In my youth I frequently said the wrong thing and can be perceived as "a bit weird".
I have learnt how to socialise, over the years and have always been more popular with others, than I feel I had any right to be.

I have always had close relationships with my significant others over the years and have no problem with empathising with others.
This marks me out as "not autistic", i.e. not in anyway disadvantaged, by the way my brain works.
But I know I am different and both of my children have larger issues than I had in this area.

Importantly society is becoming much more aware of the condition and the old adage of "1 in 100 people are autistic" would seem to be massively off.
I would say that a much higher percentage of men are "on the spectrum" than the stats would have us believe.
Probably too much of a jump to say we are all on the spectrum, but it wouldn''t surprise me to be told that 20% of men are.

I have those traits, albeit with my own twists to them.

Autism/Aspergers covers a lot of different traits. It is the high functioning types who go unrecognised.

One thing I have always done is take myself out of my comfort zone, sometimes in quite extreme ways. One of my brothers does the exact opposite nearly all the time, and then occasionally does something completely unexpected; he'd never been abroad till his mid 40s then out of the blue arranged a 3 week travelling holiday in the rockies with multiple different accomodations, something I would be extremely reluctant to do myself.

Anyway, it's all good, I think, or it could be and should be.

 

[SimpKingpin]

He told me that my boy was always in the right place to receive the ball/continue the play and the rest of the team needed to use him more. He saw the game in a very mathematical and scientific way.

Interesting.

My 10yr old (youngest) brother, who I stated is autistic in another post, is like this.

I've played video games with him and he immediately understands the game on a completely different level. Like he's in the designer's heads.

He's not really interested in football but he spent a moment with me watching Brighton play. Within a few minutes he was waxing lyrical about how Sanchez operated as a sweeper keeper (he didn't use those words obviously), general strategy and the impact "the goalkeeper" was having on our style of play.
Tbh it blew me away. I've no idea how his brain works but I think he was observing the formation, the patterns of play/passing, and the intention (or "role") of each player within the context of the whole. And it only took him a few minutes... I think about it all the time!

 

[SimpKingpin]

There are some online tests that are quite good (you have to respond to the questions quickly and not reply with what yu think are the right answers) if you're curious.

Do you have a link to a good one? I'm curious about myself. But also eager to learn more about autism in general.

 

[Mellotron]

coz I was diagnosed myself at a late age, and have studied it to the cows come home and you just cannot be a little bit autistic. You either are or your not. Other than that you are probably a nice bloke or lady.

Genuine, innocent question - are there not more and less severe levels of autism? I certainly was under the impression it wasn’t a blanket yes or no with everyone being the same, but appreciate I might be wrong.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Do you have a link to a good one? I'm curious about myself. But also eager to learn more about autism in general.

There are lots. I have done three and they all say the same thing (I score in the high 20s out of 30 ish).

Here is one. The tests are 'aspergers/autism' and what you do with the results is up to you.

https://www.clinical-partners.co.uk/for-adults/autism-and-aspergers/adult-autism-test

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Genuine, innocent question - are there not more and less severe levels of autism? I certainly was under the impression it wasn’t a blanket yes or no with everyone being the same, but appreciate I might be wrong.

Yes there are.

However, where you are 'on the spectrum' is not the only thing that determines how you are, overall. Let's call this the phenotype.

The mental phenotype has different aspects - tendency to euphoria versus depression, concern for others (the psychopathy scale - lots of scientists are psychopaths, oddly), the psychosis scale (tendency to have disordered thoughts) and the apergers/autism spectrum. [MENTION=42005]rebel51[/MENTION] is right in as much as you need to have quite a lot of 'different' mental processing to be 'symptomatic' and in that respect the presentation is all-or-none. However the total phenotype is made up of all of the above, plus other chaacteristics that are also on a scale. That's what makes us all unique. The ability to control our feelings is very important here, as is our ability to disguise our 'oddities'.

Maybe I will list a few issues, since we have a few people interested, reading this thread, now.

One very common aspect of being on the spectrum and diagnosable is an inability to read other people. When I was younger certain key skills were totally beyond me. One was knowing when women liked me. So all but one of my relationships were triggered by the woman basically grabbing me and saying 'you're pulled' or the middle class educated equivalent . Not ideal.

Therefore I find social gatherings stressful because it is not instinctive to me to know what's going on, especially if some people are dissembling. I used to think that when I went out with a gang of pals, the reason I ended up as the only one not talking to anyone was because I had bad eyesight and couldn't lip read well in a noisy venue. Wrong. Although I feel stressed socially, I overcompensate by being quite intense, and most people don't like that. They back away. Apart from the odd exception and they become a pal for life, or a new partner (albeit my relationships with women have always been rocky due to my inability to read the signs).

Then there is the control thing. I am not a 'control freak'. What I need is to be in control of my space and my, I guess, life. I don't like being told what to do (especially by people I regard as fools). If things are moved in the house I freak out. In the past I genuinely thought my ex wife was moving my stuff to deliberately make me go mad. And people who muck about in a seemingly purposeless fashion make me angry (that's why I have half of the 50 people I have on ignore on NSC on ignore; probably nice enough lads but they drive me mad). So I need to control my space or I feel existentially threatened. It is very hard work 'managing' this.

However, there are also the gifts. I have some talents that are pretty special, so I have been told. I wouldn't really know but that's how it is.

All of us are different. I had a student last year who has this condition markedly. She was great fun, asking loads of amazing questions, but she dominated all the class teams sessions and was constantly apologising to other sudents (many of whom were probably not amused). Her thing is she gets so involved in stuff she can't sleep, and then comes crashing down days later. So she had to defer her exams. She still ended up with the top mark on my course though.

That reminds me, when I was younger I was much the same. I was writing a research paper that I wanted to send to a top journal, and ended up staying in the computer room at work till 3 in he morning, and when I'd finished I kipped on the floor. It made absolute sense to me at the time. Now it seems a bit silly. I have countless stories like this. I have also been on repeated disciplinary hearings mainly for pissing people off at work (calling a spade a spade, or telling someone one time, about their efforts to revise a document, that you can't polish a turd, FFS).

Anyway.....

In my case I am learning to enjoy the gift (as my student describes it) and be nicer and more kind to people, and not trample all over the ditherers and the uncertain and the foolish. I am aware I am not great at the latter, and have hugely irritated lots of people, including some on NSC. What can I say?