Not to sound like the Psychology major that I am, but...

[ceridwennight]

No: HPFGUIDX 136431

> Julie - Hoping to sound somewhat like the clinical psychologist 
that 
> I am.

So, I'm probably spouting off where I don't quite belong.  Not a 
psychologist, not a psych. major, either.  However, I do have a child 
who has been described as an almost classic Autistic (he doesn't spin 
things, he likes lines/lining things up).

The husband and I have gone over and over how he ended up as an 
Autistic.  We basically reject the MMR thing.  Instead, we favor the 
genetic theory, and have examined ourselves and our families for some 
signs of autistic behavior.  The husband has come down with the idea 
that he is more or less Asperger's, based on reading the criteria on-
line.  We both are somewhat anti-social, he more than me.  And we 
have both been wrong about facial expressions, though believing at 
the time and afterwards, that we had been right.

>As for your questions, I'd like to offer my opinion.
>1. Snape being autistic --> Disagree. SS does not meet the criteria
>for Autism or even Asperger's Disorder. He does not have
>qualitative impairment in social interaction or communication; he
>does not show repetitive or stereotyped behaviors or interests; and
>I doubt he demonstrated delays in normal functioning prior to age
>three. Granted, he's not the guy I would choose to hang out with,
>but he is not autistic. (For comparison, Dustin Hoffman's character
>in "Rainman" was a high functioning autistic person, and SS is
>nothing like him.)

Not all autistics have all the symptoms, from what the experts we've 
talked to have told us.  And I've been wondering myself, if there is 
a portion of the spectrum that is not even quite Asperger's, that is 
like a 'missing link' between 'normal' and autistic.  If so, I would 
put myself into that category.  I'm social, but not too much so; I 
can 'go zen' on things (does Snape stim on making his potions?); I 
can, sometimes, make huge mistakes about what people want from me 
(how embarassing!).

All the discussions elsewhere about the autistic spectrum have made 
us think things over, in the past fifteen years.  Could Snape, while 
not being autistic, be a person who might be at higher risk for 
producing an autistic child?  IMO, he does border on some of the 
autistic behaviors, esp. his anti-social behavior, which could just 
be his poor reading and reacting of visual cues, unless he employs 
Legilimency.  But, that's just me, and with the (admittedly close) 
experience of having raised an autistic child for fifteen years so 
far.

And as for Raymond Babbit (Rain Man), he comes off as more of a 
classic Autistic during portions of the movie, while being very high-
functioning (able to reciprocate answers instead of just echoing) at 
others, to me.  The self-hitting and the panic toward the end, for 
instance, as examples of more severe behavior.  I agree that Dustin 
Hoffman did an excellent job!

I hope I'm not treading on your toes this way, Julie.  I most 
certainly do respect your background.  I just wonder why I, and 
apparently at least one other person, noticed *some* possible 
Autistic traits in the Snape character, while others don't.

Kathy,
>I find that the biggest argument against Snape being one is that 
>Dumbledore hasn't strangled him in fourteen years.

There are days...!  ;)