i did a 10 hour stretch
I think that diaboloers share the same interests, but I'm not sure that this means that there are a high percentage of people with personality disorders within the diabolo community. Many people have a hobby or a past time which they take a special interest in. It could be fishing, basketball, mountain biking (my interests:)) or anything. The whole personality disorder idea doesn't seem very likely to me but I think that everyone in this community shares the interest in what is essentially spinning an egg timer on a piece of string.
I think that diabolo/juggling lends itself to people with personality disorders and some kinds of mental disability more than others might do. Anyone that has a disorder that has addictive traits can just pick up some props, and they're doing their favourite activity. If the same person had a thing about kayaking, it's slightly harder to satisfy the demand. It can also be a place of escape, or something to lose yourself in when things are getting difficult in some way. Some disorders, like in parts of the autism spectrum, someone can be totally occupied with patterns of various kinds, so watching and being able to create them is appealing.
It can also be a place of escape, or something to lose yourself in when things are getting difficult in some way.
Incidentally, my dad teaches autistic children.
I'm sorry that I have nothing to add to this thread, but I would like to point out that this is a perfect "Off Topic" thread, too bad none of you can see that area All of the lame annoying threads ruined that area for well written, interesting threads such as this.
Diabolo88 is not quite right in saying that it's never been discussed, but it's fair to say that it's not mentioned very often. When looking through my old copies of Kaskade, I found, to my surprise, an article titled "The Autistic Juggler?" (May 1988 issue). Whist the actual text of the article doesn't actually talk about specifically autistic jugglers, it's still interesting that the connection was made. Very recently, meanwhile, I noticed someone mention AS in passing on one of the yo-yo forums, suggesting (in the context of what was written) that being an aspie was a potentially beneficial trait.
When i'm down, i tend to do it hours on my own almost obsessively, and the fun seems to dissappear, Anyone get anything similar?
Is autism/AS classed as a disability? I was filling in a job application form a couple of days ago, and one of the questions was along the lines of "do you have any disabilities?" It would be interesting to know if you had to 'declare' it, as such.
Quote from: "Tom Derrick"Is autism/AS classed as a disability? I was filling in a job application form a couple of days ago, and one of the questions was along the lines of "do you have any disabilities?" It would be interesting to know if you had to 'declare' it, as such.Um, assuming you´re joking. The state aren´t allowing me to start practicing driving because they think I´m a homicidal maniac with bad motorskills (actually got a note that said something along those lines). It all depends on how strong your condition is. It´s when it starts interfering with your life that it becomes a nuisance to yourself and others (so maybe then you´d be forced to declare it). If you want to mention your "disabilities" in your CV or whatever don´t blame me though Wink. There´s really nothing good to come from getting diagnosed.
This also makes me wonder. Is it a good or bad thing to have problems like these and juggle.
Like Relativity describes: I know my situation is similiar. Today, I couldn´t practice because of a snowstorm so now, I cannot sleep. When you get to practice too much, your muscles get tired and it might not be benificial (maybe not for the mind either) but atleast you "feel" at ease. When practice works good or I learn a new trick, I tend to get on a high and become extremely happy. Today, reversed, I hardly got to practice and now I feel depressed. This is why I´m questioning wether it´s good or bad to take it all this seriously (deep down I know it´s bad and it´s better to just have fun but I cannot help to exagerrate it). It all goes around in spirals. Would it be better to be "casual" about it, or is it a better prerequisite to get obsessed easily?
Um, assuming you´re joking. The state aren´t allowing me to start practicing driving because they think I´m a homicidal maniac with bad motorskills (actually got a note that said something along those lines). It all depends on how strong your condition is. It´s when it starts interfering with your life that it becomes a nuisance to yourself and others (so maybe then you´d be forced to declare it). If you want to mention your "disabilities" in your CV or whatever don´t blame me though . There´s really nothing good to come from getting diagnosed.
Although our conditions might share the same title, we're still individuals with a unique set of symptoms and talents. Thus, I think the only person that can properly answer this, in your specific case, is yourself. However, having said that, juggling embraces and encourages individualism, quirkiness and obsessive practice - character traits that autists are likely to excel at over NTs. As such, if you've got these abilities, you may as well make the most them in a receptive environment. On the other hand, if you go into the performing side of things, communication and marketing stuff is likely to be much more of a problem. You win some, you lose some...
Could you actually be "casual" about it, even if you wanted to? It's hard to give a general opinion on this, but if there's a chance of turning an obsession into something productive, it's probably best to go with it and reap the results. Again, though, you really do need to consider your own situation.
Given my own experiences, I'd completely disagree with you on the final point. From the day I first read about AS, I knew that I wasn't going to feel settled until I'd had a professional diagnosis. Even though the diagnosis process itself was a bit drawn out and frustrating, once it was sorted out, I felt a big weight lifted from my mind.As for when you should or shouldn't admit to having a 'disability' - I really don't know. I actually had to make a similar choice myself last week. I suppose the only thing to do is to treat each case on its own merits. Even for something like CVs, the decision isn't entirely clear. There are certainly some professions (programming, research, engineering...) where autistic traits are valued and prized, so in some cases, it might be considered a positive attribute to mention from the start.
ctually, I wasn't joking, I genuinely didn't know what's affected. It's rubbish that you're not allowed to drive (might have to move abroad:P).