AI and cognitive psychology rant (getting more and more OT - tell me if I should shut up)

[Dave Kuhlman]

Stephen Horne wrote:

[snip]
> 
> While innate abilities are efficient and available early in life,
> they are also relatively inflexible. When modern humans arrived in
> Europe, the climate was also changing. Neaderthals had a lifestyle
> suited for woodlands, but the trees were rapidly disappearing.
> Modern humans preferred open space, but more importantly hadn't
> had a long period with a constant lifestyle and were therefore
> more flexible.
> 
> Asperger syndrome inflexibility is a different thing. If you were
> constantly overloaded (from lack of intuition about what is going
> on, thus having to figure out everything consciously), I expect
> you would probably cling too much to what you know as well.

Asperger's syndrome? -- I did a search and read about it.  And,
all this time I thought I was a *programmer*.  If I had only known
that I've had Asperger's disorder, I could have saved myself all
those many years of debugging code.  It's been fun though,
especially with Python, even if the DSM IV does authoritively say
that I'm just crazy.

Is there any way that I can pass this off as an efficient
adaptation to my environment (Linux, Python, XML, text processing,
the Web, etc.)?  Not likely I suppose.

I look forward to DSM V's definition of PPD (Python programmer's
disorder): persistent and obsessive attention to invisible
artifacts (called variously "whitespace" and "indentation").

Here is a link.  Remember, the first step toward recovery is
understanding what you've got:

    http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/aswhatisit.html

>From now on, I will not have to worry about how to spell
"programmer".  When the form says occupation, I'll just write down
299.80.

>From the DSM IV:

=====================================================================
              Diagnostic Criteria For 299.80 Asperger's Disorder

   A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at
   least two of the following:
    1. marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such
       as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures
       to regulate social interaction
    2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental
       level
    3. a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or
       achievements with other people (e.g. by a lack of showing, bringing,
       or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
    4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity

   B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior,
   interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the
   following:
    1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and
       restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity
       or focus
    2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines
       or rituals
    3. stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger
       flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
    4. persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

   C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social,
   occupational, or other important areas of functioning

   D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g.,
   single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3
   years)

   E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or
   in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive
   behavior (other than social interaction), and curiosity about the
   environment in childhood

   F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental
   Disorder or Schizophrenia

=====================================================================

Dave

-- 
Dave Kuhlman
http://www.rexx.com/~dkuhlman
dkuhlman at rexx.com