Time, deep breaths and a glass of dutch courage...

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What is your first name?
Kanga

Age:
25

Location:
UK

Hobbies and Interests:
Cooking, dreadlocking, hugging, juggling, knitting, mapping, radio, sewing, skating, sleeping, spinning, swimming, talking, thinking, travelling, walking

Why are you here?
6 year old son Roo diagnosed with autism in December 2006.
Believe I may also be autistic due to hyperlexia from the age of 2/3, compulsive/obsessive behaviour, dyscalcia, dyspraxia, hand flapping, hyperactivity, pica, apparently non-epileptic seizures and sensory sensitivities.
Many of my other relatives also have autistic 'traits'.
Exploring alternative paths towards self/diagnosis diagnosis
Trying to come to terms with son's diagnosis, realising who I am at 25 years of age, who I may be in the next 25 and hopefully more.
Needing to hear it from the horse's mouth rather than people who 'know someone with autism/Asperger's', though their experience is of course often as positive and useful.

When were you diagnosed?(skip if you don't have a disorder):
I haven't been diagnosed yet.
I've seen psychologists and psychiatrists as well as having been prescribed numerous anti-depressants since being teen-age up until 3 years ago, none of which worked in the long term.
When I heard about autism, I immediately thought "that could be me".
After 3 years of casual research I still believe that I have always been in some way autistic and I expect many of you have had a similar epiphany.
This was even before my son's paediatrician suggested that Roo could be autistic but once that happened I wanted to wait until his was un/confirmed before pursuing my own assessment.
Skeptical GP referred me for traumatic sessions which could only be continued if someone who knew me as a child could be introduced.
This person is my mother, who isn't in good health with diabetes as well as having had a stroke and I didn't want to subject her to the same trauma so therefore did not follow the assessment up.
Since been assessed by university mental health advisor whose opinion it is that I am definitely on the autistic spectrum but cannot diagnose nor refer me externally for diagnosis.

Favorite subjects:
German, music, history, art, dance, drama, P.E

Year/Grade:
Left secondary school in 1997, now on access to higher education in art, design & photography at university, having just applied to continue to a fine art degree but also considering studying autism or an Open degree.

Favorite music:
Acoustic, big beat, celtic, classical, dance, drum & bass, electro, folk, gothic, grunge, happy hardcore, hip-hop, house, indie, industrial, jazz, metal, motown, pop, punk, rap, reggae, ska, soul, thrash

Books:
Curious Incident of the dog in the Night-Time, natch amongst others

TV shows/Movies:
Black Books, Brass Eye, Broken News, Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe, The Day Today, Desperate Housewives, Don't Watch That,Watch This, Dragon's Den, Family Guy, Green Wing, Have I Got News For You, Later With Jools Holland, Lead Balloon, The League of Gentlemen, Life On Mars, Look Around You, The Mighty Boosh, Mock The Week, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Peep Show, QI, Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, The Simpsons, The Smoking Room, Still Game, That Mitchell & Webb Look, Ugly Betty
AI, Airplane, Alfie, Amelie, American Beauty, Being John Malkovich, Bob Sue & Rita Too, Brazil, Bringing Out The Dead, Cabaret, Commitments, Elephant Man, Fargo, Fiddler On The Roof, Italian Job, K-PAX, Jackie Brown, The Jungle Book, Love Actually, Metropolis, My Fair Lady, Naked Gun, Schindler's List, Shawshank Redemption, Spirited Away, Super Size Me

Instrument:
Recorder, flute, singing in the bath

Do you like sports?
No

Family:
1 son, 2 parents, 6/7 siblings, 3 nephews, 3 nieces, 2 aunts, 2 uncles, 1 grand niece, 9 cousins, 1 grand cousin

Clothing:
Parents'/sisters'/friends' hand-me-downs, bargain/charity shops, presents, borrowings

How did you find this website?
Through a friend and he doesn't know who he is, unless he's guessed, but I prefer to remain anonymous for now.

Job:
Full time mother, part time student

Plans for the future?
To be very well qualified in life, love and learnings

Any comments?
I have so much more to say, but this is enough for one evening.
Hello

Welcome to WP!

Tim

Hi. Welcome to WP. What part of the UK do you hail from?

Hello, Welcome.

Thank you and hello!

I'm hailing from the southern part, near Portsmouth

Welcome Kanga,

Anyone who likes QI has taste. Mind you, even QI get it wrong on occasion. The 666/616 debate - I've just come across a superb argument that the real number is 216: 666 was meant to be read read as 6*6*6, and the "correction" to 616 being a plain mistake, by someone with "a little knowledge" correcting one digit, but not both.

I'm glad you listed "AI", but not "I, Robot". The former has its moments, the latter is fun, but shallow. Have you tried "Bicentennial Man"? Anything Robin Williams does is fine by me.

Welcome brother.

I am Lord Thoth, Master of all Philosophy and Science.

Ah - so it's all your fault, is it?
(By the way, it's 'sister' )

I saw that 'I, Robot' was going to be on the television the other night.
I've never seen it but already knew that I can't take that kind of film seriously so the advertisement was more of a reminder of when to avoid it!

I haven't seen 'Bicentennial Man but I'll check it out.
When I remember 'Mork & Mindy' I can forgive Robin Williams for anything - though for some people it has the opposite effect

Small world time. I went to glance at the IMDb entry for Robin Williams, which made me realise how many films he's been in - and how many I'd actually seen. (Odd things, like forgetting that he was in Baron Munchausen).

Then I noticed that he'd been in Awakenings, playing "Dr. Malcolm Sayer ", who is really Oliver Sacks, the author of the book (on which the film is based), which I've just read.

OTOH, maybe all this works in reverse... sometimes my mind knows things that I don't.

... and then, to cap it all, Channel five here showed "Bicentennial Man" this evening. I didn't know it was on, and started watching half way through. Every bit as good as I remembered it, and some.