Long Time Listener, First Time Caller :)

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Hi...my name is Todd.

After 44 years on this ride we call life I have learned (self-diagnosed) that I have what can best be described as high functioning Asperger's. I came to this realization via what I now know is a common way that many adults do - thru learning about AS (assuming that is the correct abbreviation...this is all very new to me) in that our one son has it. After reading about it, taking multiple self-diagnostic online exams, reviewing my life history behaviors, etc. and the honest opinion of the person who knows me best (my wife) its been quite a ride of "aha" moments....

I have only very recently become comfortable with admitting this, so I am still in the infancy stages of learning more about it, how adults handle & approach this self-admission, what they do to empower their self-healing, etc.

I hope this Forum will allow me to begin my journey into myself, to allow me to finally become the person I have always wanted to be, and also be much better prepared as a father of a AS boy to assist him as he grows.

PS - the screen name is an old college nickname in that my one leg would bounce/thump when I sat

Nice to meet you, Todd.

I'm an adult with high-functioning autism. I have two sons with an ASD. (AS = Asperger's Syndrome; ASD = autism spectrum disorder).

Welcome to the forum. I hope it's what you need it to be.

Leroy, Boy, is that you?
I thought your post-hangin' days were through
Sunken eyes and full of sighs, tell no lies, you'll get wise
I tell you now, we're gonna pull you through
There's only one thing left that we can do

We better get walkin', we're wasting time talkin'...

To WrongPlanet!! !

Welcome sir

Welcome to WrongPlanet.

Welcome to the Wrong Planet neighborhood, Todd.

Hi, Todd, welcome to WP! Hope you find some answers here.

In that I do not see a multi-quote function I'll just take this opp to thank you all for welcoming me. I started poking around some of the various sub-directories last night. I spent most of the evening nodding my head at my MacBook Pro screen as well as, in no particular order:

LOLing
Feeling like a weight was being lifted off me
Feeling like there had been a camera in my house
And also getting a bit wet eyed

Its weird, but since "coming out" (may regret that phrasing...LOL) I feel calmer, more relaxed, etc. Its not that I have something to pin blame/fault/etc on feeling, but rather a sense of relief that I know. I have always been extremely inquisitive about certain subjects (go figure, huh?). I may not have any desire to actually do/follow them, but I simply want to know WHY something is....well, something. Same here.

I even LOLd at myself last night when it occurred to me that the AS trait of intense focus on singular subjects was now going to be applied to.....AS! The irony was not lost....

My plan is to poke around this site & hope to zero in on not just the particular aspects of AS that primarily manifest in me but more importantly what can be utilized to mitigate its effects on who I am, who I want to be & my loved ones.

I need more coffee.....

Todd,

*I* need a cup of coffee after seeing what you have lined up for yourself and this site

Seriously though, that's a good goal. If I can be of any assistance, please let me know

"Life is too short to drink bad coffee" (or any other liquid refreshments for that matter)

Thanks for the offer Heather. Right now, aside from just admission to myself & others, my main focus is to try to focus in on exactly what aspects of AS are the most manifested in me.

Good luck, Thumper

Welcome!

I felt like that too when I finally figured it out.





You're not the first person here to feel that way, nor will you be the last. You are definitely in good company.



Best of luck! Feel free to ask any questions.

Glad you found WP, welcome again!

Thank you again for the warm welcome!

OK - I would like to learn more about how AS affects getting things done & what can be done to assist in this effort/

If you mean from my own experience (because it manifests differently):

One of the hallmarks of AS is having very strong "special interests." Sometimes they endure for years, sometimes for a few months. In any case, they can "take over" everything else.

In my case, I sometimes have difficulty focusing on a subject I am not particularly interested in. This became problematic when I kept switching majors in college.

For example: while working on my Master's thesis, I kept seeing new avenues I wanted to explore, even though my advisor said to STAY ON TASK (the words he used were "tighten it up"). I found myself getting incredibly bored because I wanted to examine possible other ways to approach the topic.

In my case, my "special interests" are sometimes rather brief, but they can be intense.

Advice: time management. Write out a schedule of things you HAVE to do and give a certain amount of time to each task. Then, in between these, make time for stuff you WANT to do (e.g., researching AS, either here or elsewhere on the Internet). Stick to the time "chunks" you have established and you will get it all done. Prevent your mind from wandering too much by reminding yourself that you do have time set aside for what you really want to do.

And, of course, always take other breaks in which you do something completely different (e.g., walk away from the computer and get something to eat, take a walk, etc. I start to get really bad headaches and backaches if I'm on the computer too long...and I tend to IGNORE this if I'm too engrossed in whatever it is I'm doing!).

Don't schedule too much to do in one day--it can get overwhelming. In those cases, my brain shuts down altogether. Then, sensory stuff happens--light seems too bright, sounds seem too loud--resembles a migraine without the headache. I can't function when that happens. Take care of yourself.

Sounds simplistic, right? I admit, it does take time and practice to discipline oneself enough to stick to one's schedule, but it will work. This might be a useful skill to teach your son, too.

Hope that helps.