How prevalent is Asperger's and what is causing it? What does it have to do with the next step in evolution?

Question

As most of us are finding out everything serves a purpose. Are the people with Aperger's the alleged indio's? I see a pattern of no common sense(it doesn't serve our purposes anymore bad societal practices are leading to a breakdown in our environment and social structures so people are being born without this "programming" it's obsolete) and an emerging higher consciousness. Do you see it? unfortunatley, people that are coming in(being born) are being labeled with"disorders" and being oppressed instead of being helped to find their special purpose in life. Do you agree? Different perspectives please..

No, I am not talking savants, I am talking aspergers which only has a social disability. Trouble functioning socially and understanding society. I believe that they are not really using their baser instincts and operating from a higher conciousness which will change the way the world works. No more "old brain" criminal behaviors, selfishness, dog eat dog society...instead we will have a 'do unto others' kind of mentality happening and a help your brother or neighboor if he's down. kinda thing..much more equality.

Answer 1

Hm. Society obsolete? I have trouble not only considering that to be the case now, but for that EVER to be the case. No matter how powerful any single individual is, if you get enough lesser ones even that greatness can be dwarfed. There are documented cases, for example, of lions being slain and consumed by colonies of ants.

Likewise, loss of a capability is not usually an advantage evolutionarily speaking unless it comes with a large cost. Consider all the other vestigal features you have... because they are not particularly expensive, there is no reason to get rid of them. Now, I'll grant you that few people with Asperger's are obsessing about Paris Hilton's latest antics or spending all their time with a variety of other social pursuits, but then there are many people WITHOUT Asperger's who behave similarly but retain the capacity for easy social development should it prove advantageous.

As for what's a 'disorder' and what it not, I WILL agree with you that often that label is imposed from the outside upon people who would disagree with it. I seem to recall communities of deaf people who not only considered themeselves to not be at a disadvantage, but considered medical attempts to cure their condition as a kind of cultural annihilation. You are right that the ailment of today can sometimes be the advantage of tomorrow... for example, people with allergies who spend more time inside during summer months are also exposed to less sunlight and are therefore less prone to certain kinds of cancer caused by sunlight. As someone once said, too, necessity is the mother of invention. It may well be that some of the 'needy' individuals develop things that may benefit the lot of us.

Ultimately, I prefer to stick with the psychologist's idea of what is a disorder and what is not - if a person wants to be rid of it, or has his reason so crippled by it that he is not able to make rational decisions, then it's probably a disorder. There are actually quite a few known irregularities that are seldom studied and whose frequency can only be guessed at because people who have them like their conditions so much that they are AFRAID to be cured. Synesthesia is a good example.

Peace.

Answer 2

There are studies linking Asperger's and ADD to undiagnosed Celiac disease in the mother. There are also other studies showing a very high percentage of people with these conditions who also have digestive disorders such as Celiac disease.

Many people point to mercury exposure, I think that's just the trigger and not the original root cause. Some populations, such as the Amish, do not vaccinate and see no cases of autism or Asperger's. Of all the children who have vaccines or amalgam exposure, only a percentage are affected. They lack a protein called metallothionein that is needed to flush heavy metals from the body. That deficiency is part of a larger set of missing proteins and enzymes.

If you want to get religious about it, perhaps He is tired of seeing a big rock populated with overgrown apes, and all the evil in the world caused by greed, hatred, status etc. Maybe Asperger's is part of the solution.

Answer 3

I wouldn't attribute it to evolution per se. Evolution increases traits that improve survival. Brain defects like that increase their ability in certain skills, but hardly improve overall survival. If anything, we may be destined to become dumber as we slowly destroy our genes with pollutants and mutations.

Answer 4

no , I am sorry , but your premise doesn't speak to evolution , but genetic randomness, therefore it is not going to help humankind. Savants have been around since the beginning of time, but have never passed on any of their talents.

Answer 5

A.S. just means nerds. Is nerdism becoming more prevalant? Perhaps you are right. It is the new conciousness & next evolutionary step. We will all be guided to the stars when the USS Enterprise spacedocks & I, for one, salute our new pocket-protected overlords.