4 ms·

I'd like to see someone explore the link between autism spectrum disorders and computer science. I remember seeing a study of majors in the states (does this ri

by timje1 13y ago

I'd like to see someone explore the link between autism spectrum disorders and computer science. I remember seeing a study of majors in the states (does this ring a bell? I can't find it) that put the average CompSci major actually on the spectrum, where the other majors didn't come close to this prevalence. Throw in that boys are overrepresented in high-functioning autism / aspergers numbers by a 7:1 ratio, and you've got a possible biological explanation for at least some of the gender bias in the field.[0] The linked study has a 12:1 ratio for aspergers! This is just a hypothesis but I'd love to see it studied further. There might be some biological bias at work here, instead of making it a purely cultural thing (and without bringing in the evo-psych malarky). [0] http://www.la-press.com/gender-ratios-in-autism-asperger-syndrome-and-autism-spectrum-disorder-article-a1900 http://www.la-press.com/gender-ratios-in-autism-asperger-syn...

moron4hire 13y ago
can we please not do that? we finally got past the last set of assholes crooning about how "autistic, therefore good at programming" they were.
- bowlofpetunias 13y ago
  I don't think it's a good idea to ignore facts just because they are inconvenient and/or some assholes try to abuse them.
  - moron4hire 13y ago
    <sarcasm>I'm good with ignoring this one if it means we don't have to sit through another watercooler session of Aspberger's self-diagnosis.</sarcasm> There is still a lot of disagreement about what Aspberger's and autism actually mean. There is a growing body of study that says it's not an inability to empathize with others, but more likely a hypersensitivity to stimulus. Regardless of whether or not that is true, with such a drastic difference in opinion on the nature of the disease, it seems unlikely that studies on the occurrence of the disease would yield meaningful results. I have a few problems with the study you linked to. It looks like they are basing the data off of interviews of parents who brought their kids in for testing, comparing the diagnosis rates for these kids. Wouldn't this more likely show that "boys with disruptive behavioral issues are 12 times more likely to have it blamed on autism than girls of the same age", not that "boys are more likely to be autistic"? They collected data over an 8 year span for a 20 year span of birth-years, but never indicate the age of the subject at the time of diagnosis. Given that the test is almost completely behavioral in nature, wouldn't it stand to reason that age is a significant factor in behavioral development, and thus the likelihood of being diagnosed with behavioral issues? I remember the other study you mentioned, it was in the early 2000s. I remember because one of my professors conducted our university's part of the study and made his students fill out the questionnaire during class. They asked questions on the narcissistic personality disorder spectrum on the hypothesis that lack of empathy correlated to Aspberger's syndrome. From there, finding a statistically significant skewing of the data supporting the idea that computer science students lack empathy, they then concluded that Aspberger's-afflicted people are attracted to the pure, analytical nature of programming. Talk about leaping lizards of logic, Batman. Without an associated correlation of lack of empathy in other analytical fields, I just think the far more likely answer is that, as a culture, we tolerate dickish behavior out of programmers more than any other analytical field, and thus people either learn dickishness or people who are prone to dickishness find a certain degree of survivability in programming. My experiences online with communities such as YouTube and 4chan indicate that dickishness is extremely easily learned behavior.
tekalon 13y ago
Anecdotal: Both my sister and my husband are on the spectrum. Both studied some form of math, physics, computer science. Not being on the spectrum myself, I have observed that I've learned/taught myself STEM subjects differently than they have. I mainly see this just as how the world is seen by those that are neuro-diverse.

by timje1 13y ago

moron4hire 13y ago

can we please not do that? we finally got past the last set of assholes crooning about how "autistic, therefore good at programming" they were.

bowlofpetunias 13y ago
I don't think it's a good idea to ignore facts just because they are inconvenient and/or some assholes try to abuse them.
- moron4hire 13y ago
  <sarcasm>I'm good with ignoring this one if it means we don't have to sit through another watercooler session of Aspberger's self-diagnosis.</sarcasm> There is still a lot of disagreement about what Aspberger's and autism actually mean. There is a growing body of study that says it's not an inability to empathize with others, but more likely a hypersensitivity to stimulus. Regardless of whether or not that is true, with such a drastic difference in opinion on the nature of the disease, it seems unlikely that studies on the occurrence of the disease would yield meaningful results. I have a few problems with the study you linked to. It looks like they are basing the data off of interviews of parents who brought their kids in for testing, comparing the diagnosis rates for these kids. Wouldn't this more likely show that "boys with disruptive behavioral issues are 12 times more likely to have it blamed on autism than girls of the same age", not that "boys are more likely to be autistic"? They collected data over an 8 year span for a 20 year span of birth-years, but never indicate the age of the subject at the time of diagnosis. Given that the test is almost completely behavioral in nature, wouldn't it stand to reason that age is a significant factor in behavioral development, and thus the likelihood of being diagnosed with behavioral issues? I remember the other study you mentioned, it was in the early 2000s. I remember because one of my professors conducted our university's part of the study and made his students fill out the questionnaire during class. They asked questions on the narcissistic personality disorder spectrum on the hypothesis that lack of empathy correlated to Aspberger's syndrome. From there, finding a statistically significant skewing of the data supporting the idea that computer science students lack empathy, they then concluded that Aspberger's-afflicted people are attracted to the pure, analytical nature of programming. Talk about leaping lizards of logic, Batman. Without an associated correlation of lack of empathy in other analytical fields, I just think the far more likely answer is that, as a culture, we tolerate dickish behavior out of programmers more than any other analytical field, and thus people either learn dickishness or people who are prone to dickishness find a certain degree of survivability in programming. My experiences online with communities such as YouTube and 4chan indicate that dickishness is extremely easily learned behavior.

tekalon 13y ago

Anecdotal: Both my sister and my husband are on the spectrum. Both studied some form of math, physics, computer science. Not being on the spectrum myself, I have observed that I've learned/taught myself STEM subjects differently than they have. I mainly see this just as how the world is seen by those that are neuro-diverse.