INSIDE PERSPECTIVES of AS & Neurodiversity

 

Anger

 

   Sometimes aggression, temper tantrums and meltdowns comes with certain temperament types, or with innate or acquired neurological disabilities of a permanent type. That is of course hard to do much about, other than learning coping mechanisms.

 

   In other cases, it is more temporary and may have physical, hormonal, social, mental or environmental reasons.

 

·  Klingon temper. (Expression borrowed from Star Trek by Rick José and his wife, inventors of the VG/AH theory, to describe naturally temperamental people.) Some people with AS, ADHD, TS or ODD appear to be born with a very intense ‘Klingon’ personality type. They often have a strong will and tend become more or less agitated when not feeling understood, appreciated, loved, respected or treated fairly. (Aspies in particular often have a very keen sense of justice, and therefore expect all rules & demands to be logical, consistent and fair.) Or when stressed out in general.

 

   “I yell out of frustration and when something irritates me. It is not directed against anyone in particular. It’s an expression of my frustration at not being able to handle the situation. And I can’t stop it, I just black out and go crazy. That’s why I’ve decided beforehand how I may react. I can’t shout derogatory things to people, can’t hit them, only harm dead things such as walls, china. Alternatively even hit myself. The screaming consists just of screams, without words.

- ‘Sugrövmanövern’, female Aspie from Sweden

 

·  Frontal lobe epilepsy may produce sudden temper tantrums or aggression out of the blue and may be hard to detect on an EEG test unless the person is having a fit while being tested [according to Temple Grandin).

 

·  Brain dysfunction of the parts of the brain that normally regulate the expression of more primitive emotions, e.g. from birth trauma, head injury, dementia, TBE etc. (I’ve seen this happen in people I know.) Or from lacking a good enough connection between brain hemispheres (which is common in ‘male’ type brains).

 

   “My current hypothesis is that left and right hemispheres seem poorly coordinated. My right half is most active; hears music, is somewhat psychic, is artistic. It seems as if emotions rush off before the analytical left hemisphere has had time to have a say. With better integration perhaps the result would be that I said in a firm but friendly way ‘I actually don’t accept that behavior from you’ and went home. But now feelings have time to react first and I leave the room screaming. Afterwards I get executed by the analytical part of the brain that says ‘You did wrong!’

 

   “This happens when the Aspie feels trapped, provoced, subjected to what is unexpected, illogical, false, dishonest etc. It doesn’t happen without provocation.

 

   “It is easier to lose one’s temper if the body is ill, in my case from joint pain, chemo-tiredness, anaema-tiredness, tinnitus-tiredness and with temporary toothache.”

- ‘Debbido’, female Aspie from Sweden

 

·  Drugs, solvents & toxins. Air-borne pollutants, irritants etc. that may both irritate one’s nervous system and hamper proper brain function so that one loses full control over one’s body, feelings and/or thoughts. Just like steroids, drugs and alcohol, solvent fumes are a well-known source of aggression - thought to be due to dissolving the myelin sheath around nerve cells [according to an article in Swedish popular-science magazine FAKTA, 9/1990].

 

·  Allergies. Food or additives one may be hypersensitive to.

 

·  Hunger & rapid low blood-sugar drop.

 

·  PMS time in women.

 

·  Fatigue from overexertion or lack of sleep.

 

   My ADHD little sister’s Klingon temper will usually be particularly bad when she has had too little sleep. The difference between the days she can sleep in, vs. when she has to get up early, is striking.

- Inger, site-author

 

·  Sensory overload. Sensory pain can trigger outbursts in individuals with delicate senses.

 

   “Machines with loud engines, the hum of electricity, the scents I encountered, the constant itching from things on my skin, and many various lights used to throw me into a fit of rage. I never knew why I was so angry, or what caused it. I just felt the need to lash out at everything near me, and I often did. I remember being in so much pain and wondering why nobody around me felt it too. I often worried that I was sick and dying of a disease or something.”

 

  “The first thing that I remember noticing as a child, was my reaction to the sound of the vacuum cleaner. To this day, I still can't stand it unless I am the one pushing it. Even then, it hurts my ears terribly, but I am able to handle it. As a child, my Mother and I got into huge terrible fights, simply because she ran the vacuum when I was home.”

- Tracy, adult HSP from USA

 

   “The tantrums come from frustration that arise from other problems caused by SID/ADD and from memories of being made fun of when I was a kid. Other kids used to taunt and tease me, KNOWING that I'd go ballistic and throw a glorious surround-sound tantrum with choreography. The problem here was SENSORY OVERLOAD.  It's still a problem.”

- Kevin, adult with SID & ADD