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| 2007/4/23-25 [Politics/Foreign/Asia/Korea] UID:46424 Activity:kinda low |
4/23 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/us/22vatech.html One month ago, Cho rented a van, spent an hour practicing at an indoor shooting range with his Glock, and recorded many videos in the van while parked in the range parking lot. http://tinyurl.com/ytau8u (huffingtonpost.com) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome Parents say Cho was diagnosed with autism upon arriving in U.S. More recent symptoms consistent with Asperger syndrome. "a contributing factor - compounded by vicious bullying by his peers - which led to multi-diagnosis, sociopathic rage and delusions" \_ Man murders 33 people in pre-meditated cold blood. Didn't know any of them. Diagnosis: sociopath. I didn't need a degree or a study to figure that out. \_ Autism and Asperger syndrome. If you really know what those are, I'm satisfied. \_ Autism and Asperger syndrome. Do you really know what these are? \_ Autism and Asperger syndrome. IMO you should really understand what these are - then you'll understand what I wrote. At that point it's fine by me if you return to your old conclusion. \_ I know exactly what autism and asperger's are. What does that have to do with anything? Are you trying to claim that autism/asperger's victims are more likely to be sociopathic killers? If that wasn't your point then you'll have to clarify. |
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| www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/us/22vatech.html Autos Before Deadly Rage, a Life Consumed by a Troubling Silence Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images In Seoul, South Korea, Seung-Hui Cho's great aunt, Kim Yang-Soon, said the boy's resolute silences were a source of worry to his mother even when he was young. Article Tools Sponsored By By N R KLEINFIELD Published: April 22, 2007 Correction Appended From the beginning, he did not talk. In Seoul, South Korea, where Seung-Hui Cho grew up, his mother agonized over his sullen, brooding behavior and empty face. Enlarge This Image Chang W Lee/The New York Times The Cho family home, the second from the left, in Centreville, Va. Relatives hoped it would "help the boy gain confidence if he moved to the United States' open society." More Photos When I told his mother that he was a good boy, quiet but well behaved, she said she would rather have him respond to her when talked to than be good and meek, said Kim Yang-Soon, Mr Chos 84-year-old great-aunt. When his parents announced when he was 8 that they were going to America, their relatives were gladdened. We thought that it would help the boy gain confidence if he moved to the United States open society, said an uncle who asked to be identified only by his last name, Kim. And yet when he and others heard from Mr Chos mother, it was the same dismal story, a buried life of silence. In church, she told them, she prayed for God to transform her son. On Friday, his sister issued a statement of apology and sorrow that revealed the familys own bewilderment. This is someone that I grew up with and loved, she said. Interviews with investigators, relatives, classmates and teachers offer inklings of how he progressed from silence to murderous rage, and show how he meticulously prepared for his final hours. In Seoul, there was never much money, never enough time. The Cho family occupied a shabby two-room basement apartment, living frugally on the slender proceeds of a used-book shop. According to relatives, the father, Seung-Tae Cho, had worked in oil fields and on construction sites in Saudi Arabia. In an arranged marriage, he wed Kim Hwang-Im, the daughter of a farming family that had fled North Korea during the Korean War. Their son was well behaved, all right, but his pronounced bashfulness deeply worried his parents. The kid didnt say much and didnt mix with other children, his uncle said. In 1984, relatives who had moved to the United States invited the family to join them. They found jobs in the dry-cleaning business and worked the longest of hours. Dry cleaning is a favored profession among Koreans some 1,800 of the 2,000 dry cleaners in the greater Washington area are run by Koreans because it means Sundays off for church and sparse need for proficient English, exchanges with customers being brief and redundant. He began as a presser an 8 am-to-10 pm job and that is what he is today. His wife worked in the same capacity until a few years ago, when she accepted a job in a high school cafeteria so the family could have medical insurance. They lived in a nondescript row house in a modest section of town, friendly but not overly sociable. Jeff Ahn, president of the League of Korean-Americans of Virginia, said the family was uncommonly private among the throbbing Korean-American community of about 200,000 in and around Washington. They shunned the more prominent Korean-language Christian churches, and prayed at a small church outside of town. High school did not help Seung-Hui Cho surmount his miseries. He went to Westfield High School, one of the largest schools in Fairfax County. Classmates recall some teasing and bullying over his taciturn nature. The few times he was required to speak for a class assignment, students mocked his poor English and deep-throated voice. When they said hello, he ignored them, as if he were not there. Like he had a broken heart, said Abdul Shash, a next-door neighbor. The Korean community of Centreville is a high-aspiring one, and nothing matters more than bright futures for its children. The area is speckled with tutoring academies Believe & Achieve, Ivy Academy high SAT scores and road maps to elite colleges. Next Page Reporting was contributed by Choe Sang-Hun from Seoul, South Korea; Correction: April 24, 2007 A front-page article on Sunday about the troubled life of Seung-Hui Cho, the gunman in the Virginia Tech massacre, misspelled the given name of the roommate of Emily Hilscher, who was shot to death in a campus dormitory. Tips To find reference information about the words used in this article, double-click on any word, phrase or name. A new window will open with a dictionary definition or encyclopedia entry. |
| tinyurl.com/ytau8u -> www.huffingtonpost.com/blake-fleetwood/high-functioning-autism-_b_46609.html High Functioning Autism: Do You Know What It Feels Like To Be Torched Alive? This is why we, and the media, and the politicians, can not turn away. This is why we have to look at Cho Seung-Hui, read his manifesto, look at his video and study his sad history of being bullied, and of having untreated illnesses. There is so much that we need to learn from this unfathomable insanity. It is safe to say that we have behaved horribly with regard to mental illness and developmental disorders in this country. I draw a lesson from the horrific slaughter at Virginia Tech. There were so many extreme warning signals - a cry for help - from this tormented young man for so many years. What I am about to write will cause much hate mail from the Autistic Community. But in order to fully understand any catastrophe, one must dispassionately consider all the facts to understand its cause and to prevent such a horror from ever happening again. We need to insure that sick people get early and intensive treatment, so that they don't lash out - cornered like an animal - at a society they feel bullied by. The first and most obvious of Cho's symptoms - from early on in his life - was that he was suffering from characteristics of Autistic Spectrum Disorder - difficulties with: social skills, communication, obsessive tendencies, adaptability and speech articulation, amongst other possible symptoms. A high functioning autism to be sure, perhaps Asperger's, but certainly in the spectrum. "From the beginning, he wouldn't answer me," Kim Yang-soon, Cho's great aunt, told the Associated Press. "When they went to the United States, they told them it was autism," said Kim, 85, adding that the family had constant worries about Cho. Soon after they arrived, Cho's mother took the boy to a doctor, who confirmed the diagnosis of autism. But the family was too poor and busy trying to set up its new life to give Cho the medical attention he needed. Cho's great aunt said she believed Cho's mother was 'not very determined to get treatment for him' because he continued to receive good school grades after the autism diagnosis and the family hoped he would eventually straighten himself out. Autism - a topic of heated debate in the scientific community and the MSM - is a neurodevelopmental disorder that encompasses a broad range of symptoms frequently including impaired social interaction and communication, as well as obsessive interests and behavior. Little is understood about its cause and there is no cure. Bill Gates is widely reported to display many personality traits characteristic of Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. Cho's autism has not been mentioned much in the US media because the autistic community went ballistic -- intimidating the media - at any suggestion that autism caused the killings at Virginia Tech. CNN broadcast the autism connection and quickly withdrew it from its website after complaints from activists. The AP story that mentioned the link was highlighted in papers around the world, but not mentioned in any US headlines. The offending - since killed - story quoted Autism activist Cindy Waeltermann, who cautioned the public not to stigmatize children or individuals with autism. Cho likely did not receive the help and support that he needed early on - that is why early intervention is so important. The act of one individual, Waeltermann added, should not reflect upon the entire autistic population. It is ridiculous and unfair to blame the bloody massacre on autism. In fact, most autistics are peaceful and generally frightened. But truth be told, some autistics have extreme anger issues - as do individuals with bi-polar, depression, paranoia, schizophrenia, and other mental disorders. But Cho's high functioning, untreated autism and speech difficulties should surely be considered as a contributing factor - compounded by vicious bullying by his peers - which led to multi-diagnosis, sociopathic rage and delusions. Teacherfocus - said that the most important treatment is to protect the Asperger's child from bullies. Bullying was rampant at his Chantilly High School and, according to a fellow student, at least one teacher held him up to ridicule by making him read aloud, when he clearly didn't want to. The Whole Class Started Laughing and Saying, "Go Back to China." The neglect of these severe issues by ignorant educators in grade and high school led Cho to a dark history of psychological impairment with numerous other disorders - depresssion, entreme paranoia, and sociopathic anti-social behavior. This should be a wake up call for parents that stresses the importance of early intervention, research, and appropriate treatment strategies for kids who are bullied as a result of high functioning autism or other illnesses. Research has consistently shown that when children receive the help that they need early on, they are more likely to become more adept at social and communication skills. One study of pediatric leukemia patients showed that they associated their worst pain not with chemotherapy, surgery, or spinal taps, but with "going back to school and being teased." Jed Baker, a psychologist who works with Asperger's kids, found the situation was very severe. A recent Secret Service study on school shootings found that two thirds of the shooters were victims of bullies. Autism affects 1 in 150 children and is now the most commonly diagnosed developmental disability. It may be that Cho sent his multimedia manifesto to NBC because of the Law and Order episode, which portrayed a victim of Asperger's Syndrome, and that Cho thought NBC would understand his suffering. His motivation may have been to call attention to the plight of all victims of his condition. If this hypothesis is true, then Cho's actions should be an alarm that wakes us all to the plight of those people on the fringes who suffer from autism and other emotional diseases. For my children, for my brothers and sisters that you fuck, I did it for them. You thought it was one pathetic boy's life you were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people. "Do you know what it feels to be spit on your face and to have trash shoved down your throat? "You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off." What must come from this mass murder is a serious national discussion about the dire lack of mental health services for our children. This was a case of a child slipping through elementary school, middle school and high school, with no educators, teachers, or counselors realizing and treating an obvious, severe developmental disorder. Medical insurance considers autism to be an educational issue, whereas schools consider it medical, if they consider it at all. We have a no child left behind act, but it is a farce...... Cho is guilty of the greatest mass murder in our history by a lone gunman and he is responsible for his actions - but there is much blood on many hands from a failed system, which never gave Cho a chance - and 33 dead is the result. Read all posts by Blake Fleetwood Comments : Thank you for having the courage to bring this to light. Our friends in the autistic community should not be offended by your post. It simply draws light upon the fact that these diseases are widely misunderstood. abusive If only your incisive essay could be read by concerned citizens. Unfortunately, the overwhelming number of people have already been acculturated into behaving without concern for their fellow man. I am the parent of two disabled children, one of whom is an Asperger's Syndrome boy. My wife an I have poured our love and attention into our sons. Fortunately, our son is quiet and reserved, full of compassion. But, the community at large has ingored him almost unmercifully. Because in 35 years, America has lost its collective soul. It is the outgrowth of a culture of personal aggrandizement and selfishness, rooted in hypocrisy. The blood and misery of those souls, lies with the entire society. We must come together to change the face of America, so that the unthinkable can once... |
| en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome diagnosis of AS is complicated by the lack of a standardized diagnostic screen. Instead, several different screening instruments and sets of diagnostic criteria are used. AS is often not identified in early childhood, and many individuals are not diagnosed until they are adults. Assistance for core symptoms of AS consists of therapies that apply behavior management strategies and address poor communication skills, obsessive or repetitive routines, and physical clumsiness. Many individuals with AS can adopt strategies for coping and do lead fulfilling lives - being gainfully employed, having successful relationships, and having families. pediatrician, observed four children in his practice who had difficulty integrating socially. Although their intelligence appeared normal, the children lacked nonverbal communication skills, failed to demonstrate empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy. Their way of speaking was either disjointed or overly formal, and their all-absorbing interest in a single topic dominated their conversations. and that the fact that some people do not start to produce speech until a later age is no reason to divide the two groups because they are identical in the way they need to be treated. In January 2006 Professor Simon Baron-Cohen of Cambridge University, regarded as one of the leading current researchers in this field, proposed the theory that people with AS tend to hyper-systemise; Many experienced clinicians apply the early onset of High Functioning Autism or the regressive pattern of development as the distinguishing factor in differentiating between AS and HFA. A self-diagnosis tool now commonly used, including within Aspie communities, is the AQ (Asperger Quotient) questionnaire developed by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen. syndrome, but are not always regarded as necessary for diagnosis. This section mainly reflects the views of Attwood, Gillberg, and Wing on the most important characteristics of AS; social behavior are nearly universal and are one of the most important defining criteria. People with AS lack the natural ability to see the subtexts of social interaction, and may lack the ability to communicate their own emotional state, resulting in well-meaning remarks that may offend, or finding it hard to know what is "acceptable". Without theory of mind, AS individuals lack the ability to recognize and understand the thoughts and feelings of others. Deprived of this insightful information, they are unable to interpret or understand the desires or intentions of others and thereby are unable to predict what to expect of others or what others may expect of them. This often leads to social awkwardness and inappropriate behavior. paranoia - because of their inability to connect, persons with Asperger's have trouble distinguishing the difference between the deliberate or accidental actions of others, which can in turn lead to a feeling of paranoia. Once the conflict is resolved, remorse may not be evident. intuition about the feelings of others, people with AS have little understanding of how to console someone or how to make them feel better. Recognizing signs of boredom - inability to understand other people's interests can lead AS persons to be inattentive to others. Conversely, people with AS often fail to notice when others are uninterested. Introspection and self-consciousness - individuals with AS have difficulty understanding their own feelings or their impact on the feelings of other people. Clothing and personal hygiene - people with AS tend to be less affected by peer pressure than others. As a result, they often do what is comfortable and are unconcerned about their impact on others. Reciprocal love and grief - since people with AS have difficulty emotionally, their expressions of affection and grief are often short and weak. faux pas - although persons with AS have an intellectual understanding of embarrassment and faux pas, they are unable to grasp concepts on an emotional level. Coping with criticism - people with AS are compelled to correct mistakes, even when they are made by someone in a position of authority, such as a teacher. Speed and quality of social processing - because they respond through reasoning and not intuition, AS individuals tend to process social information more slowly than the norm, leading to uncomfortable pauses or delays in response. This means that although the AS individual will tend to make a more reasoned and balanced understanding and/or decision, it can lead to the AS individual being told to use their 'common sense' to solve problems, a concept they cannot understand or use in the way a neurotypical person can. Exhaustion - as people with AS begin to understand theory of mind, they must make a deliberate effort to process social information. A person with AS may have trouble understanding the emotions of other people: the messages that are conveyed by facial expression, eye contact and body language are often missed. Thus, people with AS might be seen as egotistical, selfish or uncaring. In most cases, these are unfair labels because affected people are neurologically unable to understand other people's emotional states. They are usually shocked, upset and remorseful when told that their actions are hurtful or inappropriate. a finding which raises important questions for future research regarding how to explain the high co-morbidity. According to Tony Attwood, alexithymia may also account for difficulties AS individuals have with anger management where the inability to express feelings using words predisposes the individual to use physical acts to articulate the mood and release the emotional energy. neurotypical people who interact with AS-affected persons. An Asperger patient's apparent emotional detachment may confuse and upset a neurotypical person, who may in turn react illogically and emotionally -- reactions that many Asperger patients find especially irritating. This can often become a vicious cycle and can sometimes cause families with Asperger-affected members to become especially dysfunctional. Failing to show affection -- or failing to do so in conventional ways -- does not necessarily mean that people with AS do not feel affection. Understanding this can lead partners or care-givers to feel less rejected and to be more understanding. People who have poor central coherence may be so focused on details that they miss "the big picture". A person with a central coherence deficit might remember a story or an incident in great detail but be unable to make a statement about what the details mean. Another might understand a set of rules in detail but be unclear how or where they apply. Frith and Happe explore the possibility that attention to details may be a bias rather than a deficit. There certainly appear to be many advantages to being detail-oriented, particularly in activities and professions that require a high level of meticulousness. One also can see that this would cause problems if most non-autistic (but certainly not all) people are able to move fluidly between detail and big-picture orientations. Literal interpretation is another common, but not universal, hallmark of this condition. Attwood gives the example of a girl with AS who answered the telephone one day and was asked, "Is Paul there?" Although the Paul in question was in the house, he was not in the room with her, so after looking around to ascertain this, she simply said "no" and hung up. neurotypical peers in a standardized test of written language skills and legibility of handwriting. In written language skills, no significant differences were found between standardized scores of both groups; however, in hand-writing skills, the AS participants produced significantly fewer legible letters and words than the neurotypical group. Tony Attwood states that a teacher may spend considerable time interpreting and correcting an AS child's indecipherable scrawl. The child is also aware of the poor quality of his or her handwriting and may be reluctant to engage in activities that involve extensive writing. Unfortunately for some children and adults, high school teachers and prospective... |