Yeah. Hi. XD
I figured since posting in one of the stickies doesn't merit a whole lot of attention, I'd just make a whole thread~ Woo.
So, I'm Juliann... Usually reffered to as Arafel, or Ara, as my online nickname. I got diagnoised with Aspergers only last year(2006), around May, and I'm 19 now. So, I went 18 years without diagnosis, even though in elementry school they would always reccomend I see a councilor for whatever reason, my mom was incredibly supportive and thus I was never forced to one. She'd always say "What harm is she doing?" And truthfully? I was never doing anything, my strange behaviors just seemed to freak the teachers(and other students) out. XD
Diagnosis came after a liteny of anxiety disorders, and other things, I was diagnoses with Social anxiety disorder around 15... And I saw many concilors on the matter, but none really helped. I hated it, too... Having panic attacks when someone waves at me was never my idea of a good time, so I went again and again to no avail... Finally, on a speel to my newest concilor I was telling her about how when people on campus would wave to me, I could never recognize them in time to wave back. It caused me alot of stress cause I'd never be able to wave back in time, and then naturally they'd assume I was mad at them or something of the sort... and saying "No, I just didn't recognize you" never aided that issue. XD
After the name was mentioned, my beloved mother started researching right off... I remember when I'd come home she'd have a new book and start going "This is you! This is it!" I got tested, diagnoised... and... Well, it hit me as such a HUGE releif to know that I wasn't being cruel or rude or everything everyone always said I was. I finally knew what I was missing that everyone else seemed to be getting, and with that was a sort of peice of mind... Like those "I spy" books from way back when, where you'd finally find that last object in the picture and be like "yes!"
So... Febuary of this year, I even managed to kick my anxiety disorder, because... Well. It wasn't me, I didn't have to blame myself for everything I missed, and I could finally slow down and take my time with situations. And furthermore... Now I know what I'm missing, so I can keep a better mind out for it. Before it was like "What? What happend? Why are you mad now? D:"
ANYHOO. Life story aside. XD I was happy with diagnosis... though right now I'm really unhappy with literature on the matter of aspergers. I read one and it was just... insulting. Some book on college life for AS, I opened it up to a random page which decided to inform me how "it's normal to experience attraction to the oposite sex" and "But it's innapropriate to inform this person of the sexual intrests and things you would like to do to them..." I don't know if it's just me, but I was thinking "No s**t?" I'd completely understand if it was a book for highschool, you might not know yet... But... I can't imagine anyone hitting puberty, and not learning that lesson somewhere along the way?
So I guess I always feel talked down too... patted on the head, or just overlooked completely. Same with research studies, they're always asking the parents opinions or the siblings, like my opinions don't count... and I'm the one that has it! XD
Gah. Rambling again. I'll stop now... Try to spread out my babble in different forums here and there...
So, yeah, that's me... and this site looked nice so I joined. <3 The name is truely wonderful, it's what drew me to the link. XD
26 Sep 2007, 6:36 pm
