Bacharach's Daughter Commits Suicide

Aspergers Syndrome--reading about it---AS symptoms include extensive logical non-emotional thinking such as Spock from Star Trek--Socially and emotionally inappropriate behavior with interpersonal interactions, "Thinking out loud", lack of empathy for other human beings,emotionless,as known as "mind blindness"--Clumsy uncoordinated motor movments---Cause is unknown---Unlike Autism, not diagnosed il puberty--Also AS sufferers are of normal or above average in intelligence----those are some symptoms--Poor Nikki,I used to remember Angie Dickinson talking proudly about her a long time ago--Nikki just couldn't take living with this condition it seems,its a tragedy--Feel sorry for both parents--Bacharach is a musical genius,truly gifted songwriter,world famous and yet he had daughter that suffered--such a terrible thing for parents to lose their children---
 
Oh, it makes me sick - surely there was some pharmaceutical that would helP? Maybe she shouldn't have lived alone.

I always get this mixed up with Tourette's syndrome, in which they can act really weird and suddenly strike out and be violent. I don't really understand them well, except my daughter did work with an autistic child for a while, but I never have really.

I just feel so sad when people are "lost", and can't get help, especially as wealthy as they must have been - Maybe it was hard living with a "perfect" father? I suspect so.
 
Peter Hamilton said:
Aspergers Syndrome--reading about it---AS symptoms include extensive logical non-emotional thinking such as Spock from Star Trek--Socially and emotionally inappropriate behavior with interpersonal interactions, "Thinking out loud", lack of empathy for other human beings,emotionless,as known as "mind blindness"--Clumsy uncoordinated motor movments---Cause is unknown---Unlike Autism, not diagnosed il puberty--Also AS sufferers are of normal or above average in intelligence----those are some symptoms--Poor Nikki,I used to remember Angie Dickinson talking proudly about her a long time ago--Nikki just couldn't take living with this condition it seems,its a tragedy--Feel sorry for both parents--Bacharach is a musical genius,truly gifted songwriter,world famous and yet he had daughter that suffered--such a terrible thing for parents to lose their children---
My nephew has Aspergers. He does NOT have a lack of empathy nor is he emotionless. They are socially inappropriate, but they are aware of it. He is very aware that he is different and tries very hard to "fit in". What they lack is an ability to access the social situation, they miss social cues and have a hard time with sublities. They need things explained.
Intelligence is not an issue, which can make it more difficult, because they want to be like everybody else.
There is a great movie called "Mozart and the whale" about a man with AS and his life.

I am truly sorry to hear about this. My thoughts are with her family.
 
csds703 said:
My nephew has Aspergers. He does NOT have a lack of empathy nor is he emotionless. They are socially inappropriate, but they are aware of it. He is very aware that he is different and tries very hard to "fit in". What they lack is an ability to access the social situation, they miss social cues and have a hard time with sublities. They need things explained.
Intelligence is not an issue, which can make it more difficult, because they want to be like everybody else.
There is a great movie called "Mozart and the whale" about a man with AS and his life.

I am truly sorry to hear about this. My thoughts are with her family.
Just to add to that csds... when you look up a syndrome- any - and trust me there are plenty out there - they will cite anything that has EVER been recorded or documented from those who live with and address these unfortunate conditions - it does not mean, and in fact is rarely the case that any one person diagnosed with any given condition will exhibit all recorded behaviours. I was comforted with this knowledge when my son was diagnosed with his syndrome and it has stuck with me - so thought I would share with everyone who is not so familiar with this information.

That said though, social cues and boundaries are a very difficult aspect of many and most syndromes that I know of and that in itself is what makes our special kids stand out from the norm...very hard to demonstrate to them the difference too- even when they so longingly want to just "fit in" and be accepted.

JMHO....thanks for listening.
 
csd703, that's interesting information about your nephew--internet says most people with AS are able to live a relatively normal life--Sadly, Nikki wasn't one of them
 
I know that Nikki was a much wanted child. I happened to have the same gyn/ob doctor that Angie Dickinson had. And there was a letter of thanks to him from them on his wall, hanging proudly.

This is very sad.
 
Mimi said:
Just to add to that csds... when you look up a syndrome- any - and trust me there are plenty out there - they will cite anything that has EVER been recorded or documented from those who live with and address these unfortunate conditions - it does not mean, and in fact is rarely the case that any one person diagnosed with any given condition will exhibit all recorded behaviours. I was comforted with this knowledge when my son was diagnosed with his syndrome and it has stuck with me - so thought I would share with everyone who is not so familiar with this information.

That said though, social cues and boundaries are a very difficult aspect of many and most syndromes that I know of and that in itself is what makes our special kids stand out from the norm...very hard to demonstrate to them the difference too- even when they so longingly want to just "fit in" and be accepted.

JMHO....thanks for listening.

Mimi, thanks so much for posting. My prayer's will always be with your family. I am positive that there many good times......and also know that you love him dearly. I agree completely about symptoms of many syndromes. They are all different and there all degrees.

xxxxxxxxxoooooo
mama
:blowkiss: :blowkiss: :blowkiss:
 
Mimi said:
Just to add to that csds... when you look up a syndrome- any - and trust me there are plenty out there - they will cite anything that has EVER been recorded or documented from those who live with and address these unfortunate conditions - it does not mean, and in fact is rarely the case that any one person diagnosed with any given condition will exhibit all recorded behaviours. I was comforted with this knowledge when my son was diagnosed with his syndrome and it has stuck with me - so thought I would share with everyone who is not so familiar with this information.

That said though, social cues and boundaries are a very difficult aspect of many and most syndromes that I know of and that in itself is what makes our special kids stand out from the norm...very hard to demonstrate to them the difference too- even when they so longingly want to just "fit in" and be accepted.

JMHO....thanks for listening.
I feel compelled to add here that autism and aspergers are typically defined by laymen who really do not understand.
There was a stigma associated for many many years.
 
Love_Mama said:
Mimi, thanks so much for posting. My prayer's will always be with your family. I am positive that there many good times......and also know that you love him dearly. I agree completely about symptoms of many syndromes. They are all different and there all degrees.

xxxxxxxxxoooooo
mama
:blowkiss: :blowkiss: :blowkiss:
Thanks Love Mama and yes I do love him dearly and wouldn't know him any other way-he's simply "my boy" and that is enough.
smile.gif
 
The sad part about this is that alot of these children suffer from anxiety and depression from the pressure to be like everyone else. This is truly a tragedy.
 
csds703 said:
The sad part about this is that alot of these children suffer from anxiety and depression from the pressure to be like everyone else. This is truly a tragedy.
I agree csds and it scares the witts out of me and in this case, breaks my heart.
 
Mimi said:
I agree csds and it scares the witts out of me and in this case, breaks my heart.
Mimi

Don't you worry, your son will be fine because you have educated yourself and will help him cope.
There is more information and better understanding now than when this woman was growing up.
 
csds703 said:
Mimi

Don't you worry, your son will be fine because you have educated yourself and will help him cope.
There is more information and better understanding now than when this woman was growing up.
Thanks for your vote of confidence csds- I appreciate it!

Just to clarify, my son has Williams Syndrome- not Aspergers but my point earlier, which I still stand by is that many with syndromes- no matter what it is feel left out and just want to be one of the gang, you know?

It honestly breaks my heart when my son (he is 13) calls a "buddy" to come over but they are "too busy"- which I don't blame them for, as they don't understand and shouldn't be expected to either, at this age- but nevertheless, it breaks my heart when his heart is broken... when I pray, I actually pray for a close friend for Drew... it would mean more than a million dollars in the bank to he and us, truly, but seems as far off the mark as winning the lottery is. The hardest part is that his sister who is ten, is perfectly functioning and has oodles of friends, birthday parties, figure skates five times a week etc... and is always on the go and he gets upset wondering why he isn't too.... bottom line is, it is very hard on the social scene for him, as was for this girl and many others who have "differences"... taking care of him physically and for the future is a worry, yes but that can be handled on our end... making him "fit" into society and be accepted by others, equally and finding him a "best friend", unfortunately is out of our control...and that is where my sadness and fear comes in.

Thanks for all your input...and please don't think we are "down in the dumps" or anything like that- life is good, truly- life just has a few more worries and ups and downs than some others, when you have a special guy like mine, but hey, there are perks too- but that is another thread in itself!

Thanks for sharing!
 
Mimi said:
Thanks for your vote of confidence csds- I appreciate it!

Just to clarify, my son has Williams Syndrome- not Aspergers but my point earlier, which I still stand by is that many with syndromes- no matter what it is feel left out and just want to be one of the gang, you know?

It honestly breaks my heart when my son (he is 13) calls a "buddy" to come over but they are "too busy"- which I don't blame them for, as they don't understand and shouldn't be expected to either, at this age- but nevertheless, it breaks my heart when his heart is broken... when I pray, I actually pray for a close friend for Drew... it would mean more than a million dollars in the bank to he and us, truly, but seems as far off the mark as winning the lottery is. The hardest part is that his sister who is ten, is perfectly functioning and has oodles of friends, birthday parties, figure skates five times a week etc... and is always on the go and he gets upset wondering why he isn't too.... bottom line is, it is very hard on the social scene for him, as was for this girl and many others who have "differences"... taking care of him physically and for the future is a worry, yes but that can be handled on our end... making him "fit" into society and be accepted by others, equally and finding him a "best friend", unfortunately is out of our control...and that is where my sadness and fear comes in.

Thanks for all your input...and please don't think we are "down in the dumps" or anything like that- life is good, truly- life just has a few more worries and ups and downs than some others, when you have a special guy like mine, but hey, there are perks too- but that is another thread in itself!

Thanks for sharing!
My nephew is 15. He also had a hard time finding friends. I remember having this exact conversation with my sister plenty of times.
She did some research and was able to find a social group of kids his age with special needs. It is a support group as well. He also participates on a swim team.
Maybe you can find things like that in your area.
 
The brain is such a mystery - they've figured out alot, but everyone's brain is different too, I guess. Drugs work wonders for some, and others keep having difficulties.
 
who are left behind, when people choose to end their lives in this way. I had a cousin who took this way out and it just about killed his parents. They lived many, many years after his death in great emotional pain. I pray for all involved.
 
Mimi said:
Thanks for your vote of confidence csds- I appreciate it!

Just to clarify, my son has Williams Syndrome- not Aspergers but my point earlier, which I still stand by is that many with syndromes- no matter what it is feel left out and just want to be one of the gang, you know?

It honestly breaks my heart when my son (he is 13) calls a "buddy" to come over but they are "too busy"- which I don't blame them for, as they don't understand and shouldn't be expected to either, at this age- but nevertheless, it breaks my heart when his heart is broken... when I pray, I actually pray for a close friend for Drew... it would mean more than a million dollars in the bank to he and us, truly, but seems as far off the mark as winning the lottery is. The hardest part is that his sister who is ten, is perfectly functioning and has oodles of friends, birthday parties, figure skates five times a week etc... and is always on the go and he gets upset wondering why he isn't too.... bottom line is, it is very hard on the social scene for him, as was for this girl and many others who have "differences"... taking care of him physically and for the future is a worry, yes but that can be handled on our end... making him "fit" into society and be accepted by others, equally and finding him a "best friend", unfortunately is out of our control...and that is where my sadness and fear comes in.

Thanks for all your input...and please don't think we are "down in the dumps" or anything like that- life is good, truly- life just has a few more worries and ups and downs than some others, when you have a special guy like mine, but hey, there are perks too- but that is another thread in itself!

Thanks for sharing!
When my daughter was 12 she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease. It wasn't the children that made her a pariah but the parents. Ignorence is always the culprit. She spent a lot of time not with friends but overcame it later. She has life long friends who stood behind her and still do not their parents. They were too afraid to be close.
 
This breaks my heart. It hits real close to home for me because I have Asperger's syndrome. I understand the lonleyness and depression that goes alond with being different. I know I could have easily ended up how Nikki did. However, I am lucky I got help and support and have made my way in this world. Poor Nikki.

mjak
 
I would like to add my 2 cents in here, in fact, I've often thought about starting a thread in the Jury Room.

My grandson will be 15 in February, and after years of all sorts of "diagnosis'", he was just diagnosed with "High Functioning Autism." Aspergers and HFA probably go hand in hand and are on the AUTISM SPECTRUM along with Pervasive Developmental Disorder and a couple of other ones. They ARE Autism, but not the kind of Autism that I grew up to know about. He is high functioning because he is normal in many ways. He is a very loving and empathetic kid, and desires to just "fit-in" with the other kids his own age. These kids are "bullied" and taken advantage of because they take things literally. You have to explain to them what you mean because they do take things so literally. I like to joke around, and now I have to be careful not to hurt his feelings. He like his space and prefers to be alone most of the time, but then he would love to have a close friend. They observe and copy phrases, things they see on TV, things they hear...they mimic. Actually, they do best when they have a script to follow. That's why he does so well in Drama. He has been in three school plays, and all of the kids have accepted him and he feels like he finally belong. He told me one night after helping to strike the set and having the cast party, that he was so happy and he finally felt like a teenager. I just cried out of joy for him. My daughter is trying to keep his interests up with Drama and his Drama Instructor loves him and has really helped him, too.

I am going to start a thread in the Jury Room tomorrow on this. It needs to be caught early and if we knew then what we know now, he could have been helped a lot earlier. There are parents out there who need to be aware of the signs.

I am certainly not an expert by any means, bt I've learned so much through all of this.

Nikki B. was probably tormented by all sorts of things. In fact, she may have had more "undiagnosed" problems in addition to Autism eg. Manic Depression, etc. A lot of these diseases get so mished-mashed together.

There has been a lot of progress made in these mental problem areas. The doctors aren't exactly sure if it is biological, but it appears to be.

Hope to see you in the Jury Room soon.

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