G'day friends!

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Hello! I'm pretty new to the concept of autism outside of what the media has shown me and what my parents have taught me. Though my parents both worked with people with developmental and learning disabilities, I get the feeling that they don't know how autism specifically effects different people. Sorry for my lack of knowledge/ignorent questions if I ask any. Please call me out if I say anything offensive and/or ablist.
Please, call me Ace.
I have begun to suspect I am neroatypical since discovering the side of tumblr(I know, I know) that deals with disabilities and illnesses. I became quite interested in stimming. I have no idea why, it just caught my attention. I then tried flapping my hands when I got exited. I felt like I had found a fantastic way to express my feelings, and continued doing slightly more subtle stims at school(tapping my fingers to my thumb, clicking my fingers next to my ear etc.). I rediscovered the autistic part of tumblr by reading a few metas on why Simon Monroe, a TV character from BBC's 'In The Flesh'(ironically, I first stimmed when I was exited to see the next episode of this show) , could be autistic. I looked more into autism specifically after that, and found that I related quite a bit to other people's stories.
I found myself becoming more observant of how I was speaking(the volume and the words I was using) and interacting with my friends, family and teachers. I found that I wasn't comfortable in groups and preferred only two or three other people. I realized that for some reason, usually because I was frustrated, exited or learning new information I would raise my voice and either repeat one phrase over and over again(frustrated or exited) or repeat what I was being told(One instance that stands out in my mind was when my dad was telling me about beryllium, where it sits on the periodic table etc, I was smiling so hard my cheeks hurt and I was repeating the facts back to my Dad. I was also flapping and giggling as well) I also talked more literally with people, though I still use metaphors a lot and can understand them quite well. I do like to know where/how metaphors originated from though.
I also remember that I had frequent meltdowns when I was younger. They happened every other day. Now I only have a meltdown once every few months, if I get too stressed now I just shut down, don't talk or look up or at anything.
I should also add that a family doctor almost had me tested for asperges, though my dad said that I had fine social skills and so she didn't go through with it. What they don't know is that I learned quite a few of those social skills from television...
Sorry for the probably incoherent ramble, it's half past eleven pm here. I guess my main reason for coming here is to talk to other people who are/have gone through something similar to me. I'll probably review this in the morning and make it easier to understand. Maybe I'll also add a few more things about me?

There appears to be an ongoing struggle among diagnosticians who believe that people with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can successfully "cure" or "adapt" their AS and ASD to the point of no longer having AS or ASD. They suggest that AS and ASD can be changed. If that were true, where are the advertisements claiming industrial-scale change factories for kids with AS and ASD? All we see are one or two anecdotal reports a year.

My experience has been much the same as yours. My diagnostician actually congratulated me and said that I "must have cured" myself "by adapting" my social characteristics of AS. I doubted this statement immediately and, since, it has made me a little angry. I believe that, while I can mask a lot of my socializing characteristics (by mimicking movies), my initial, emotional responses to certain social conditions remain AS-affected. Masking is very exhausting to me. I believe also that AS and ASD can't be masked away.

Anyway, welcome!

G'day!

When I was growing up, people considered me weird because I didn't fit the social norms. I had few friends, I didn't play sports, and, in high school, I was interested in things like building model airplanes (most of which flew) and short-wave listening. The implication was that if I wanted to be accepted, I had to give up those activities, thereby denying who I was.

But why should I change? I don't hurt anyone by being who I am. Besides, my apparent quirks might have helped me while I earned 3 graduate degrees, including a doctorate, all of which required a great deal of focused mental activity. I have a wide variety of interests ranging from amateur radio to computers to classical music and opera and, it turns out, I have an IQ in the upper 1%.

I guess that might make me a renaissance man or polymath. Surely being referred to in those terms shouldn't be something to be ashamed of, right?

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

One thing I've never figured out is why people like me are seen as deficient. Considering what I've been able to accomplish, why would I want to change from being a near-Aspie (if the results of those on-line tests I took are correct)?

I remember hearing a broadcast of the CBC Radio One program "Quirks and Quarks". One of the items on that particular show was about Stephen Hawking, well before he became a household name. By then, he was in a wheelchair, and the host mentioned that some people considered Dr. Hawking as being crippled or handicapped. That host then went on to list many of the things Hawking investigated and then asked the question if he could indeed be handicapped or crippled if he was able to do such ground-breaking research.

Thank-you all for all the welcoming words! Very much appreciated.
I suppose I should say a little about myself.
I'm a middle class, white, cis female who was born and currently lives in Australia.
I'm very invested in a few television/ movie universes and tend to get way more invested in those than I do in the characters. This is particularly the case where the universe is more interesting than the characters(Looking at you, Supernatural& Harry Potter)
My favourite show to watch, as stated above, is BBC's 'In The Flesh', because it has really three dimensional characters and a very interesting universe to expand upon. An extra plus of this show is the fact it has a queer(His sexuality, as stated by the creator, is fluid.) I like Supernatural, though not nearly as much as I used to. The misogyny is getting out of hand there!
I also love the MCU, my unpopular opinion is Steve Rogers is the best avenger, not counting Natasha Romanoff of course because she is the best. character. ever.
In case you couldn't tell I'm very interested in different fandoms and fandom culture, because it's interesting that a piece of media can bring so many different people together.
I also find words and metaphors interesting, like what they mean, where they come from, how the meanings have changed over the time the words have been around. This serves to make English and history my two favourite subjects. Math is also a favourite subject, though my love for it fluctuates depending on how well I'm doing in my classes and how well I can understand what is being said.
I have quite a vivid imagination and get carried away when it comes to particular things and can get stuck on thinking about them for days or weeks. That also means I might come on this site and be super active for a week then give it a few weeks break. I hope that doesn't bother anyone.
I think that's all I can say about myself? Once again, thank-you for being such a welcoming community!

Welcome

G'day and welcome. Are you in Australia?

don't worry about what your doctor said, NTs have very little awareness of others. movies have taught me enough social "rules" as well

n8dogg: Yes, I'm on the Queensland coast

carroline: Thank-you, I figured they didn't know much by the time I had read through the aspie tag on tumblr and a few posts on this forum

You can follow my tumblr if you like - 23andAspie.com

XD I follow back.