Hello everyone. I'm an eighteen-year old male with Asperger's.
I found out I had AS when I was around ten, by overhearing my mother talking on the phone. I still remember the first thought that came into my mind: "What the hell is Ass Burgers?"
According to what I heard then, I have a "light" case of Asperger's. That didn't help me to take it any easier though. I don't like having this disability, I've fought against it for eight years and I expect to be fighting it right to my deathbed. I can respect the positions of those with AS who accept their disease and even embrace it, but I'm not one of those people. There are some big benefits to it, I won't deny that, but even cancer will help you lose weight. To be honest, it makes me cringe every time I read the word "aspie" on these boards, but maybe I'll get over that.
I don't have many of the popular symptoms of AS. I don't have trouble with eye contact, I don't get annoyed by lights or sounds (I actually have a pretty eclectic taste in music), I never get angry, and I can even pick up most subtle nonverbal cues from people. I DO have a reluctance to be social, and I did have the lack of social skills. However, over the last eight years, I've practiced my socializing skills to the point where I'm confident that even my closest friends and family finds me to be a relatively quiet, introspective person who's perfectly willing to be normal and social if he has to. I don't think even my brother, who I'm very close to, suspects that I have an antisocial disorder. The thing that's tough to deal with is the constant pressure of keeping the charade up. Acting normal is hard work.
Thanks for reading. It's good to finally meet some people like me.
03 Feb 2005, 9:51 pm
