[WikiEN-l] Wikipedia and autism

Tue Oct 11 11:14:42 UTC 2005

>Why not ask them if they are autistic, rather than diagnosing
>them over the internet.  Probably most severe autistics are
>diagnosed and aware of their diagnosis.  I suspect there is
>a continuum though from "normal" to "autistic" without a
>clear demarcating line.
>I tend to side with tolerating them, whether diagnosed or
>not if they are not too disruptive.

Mmm. While "autistic" and "aspergic" are neither synonyms nor excuses
for "arsehole" by a long shot, it's a Don't Bite The Newbies thing -
despite the ridiculous quantities of crap that RC/newpages patrollers
deal with, which can leave them understandably terse. Or a Don't Bite
The Brittle thing.

Wikipedia is like a magnet for fact-obsessed asocial geeks, whether by
inclination or brain structure. The trick being not to bend the
structure of Wikipedia out of shape in the process of adapting to
them. It's a tricky one all the way down.

(Tony sent a copy of his email to the AC as well for consideration in
the two cases mentioned.)

- d.