I have a few questions for people with Asperger's syndrome.

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Hello, I am doing a research report in my english class and it would help greatly if I could get some questions answered. I have always been intrested with Asperger's syndrome and I am a huge Autism Awarness person. I am very excited for my paper.

Please bear in mind that your answers will be shared with my english teacher.

Please use your first name and age

1. When were you first diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome what was it like?

2. How is it like living with Asperger's syndrome?

3. Does anyone else in your family have Asperger's syndrome?

4. Are people around you supportive? (your family and friends)

5. Do you feel like your treated diffrently?

Thank you for your time! Your help will make my paper great!

If you have any questions about my paper or myself, feel free to ask me!

Is the name and age thing optional?

yes if you choose to

1. Very odd at first, knowing I had a mental condition. But when I thought about my past problems and I looked at the list of symptoms, it started to make sense.

2. How would I know if I never experienced living WITHOUT it?

3. Nobody that I know of.

4. Yes. Almost too supportive sometimes.

5. By people that only sort of know me, no. I don't think. But by people that have known me for a while or know I have Asperger's Syndrome, yes. They either like to experiment with me, socially. Or they treat me like a child. It's unnecessary.

Jerry 20

I was diagnosed when I was 3 1/2 years old and well my parents knew there was something different about me in the first place since I hadn't spoke my first words yet. I find it very enjoyable because spite having AS, I'm well accepted with my friends and organization I'm in at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. It is unknown if there are family members with AS or other ASDs in my family on both sides. Yes they are very supportive like my family and my friends. I was very treated different even in NJROTC in my four years of high school.

I'm David, 27

1. When were you first diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome what was it like?

I'm not diagnosed myself. I strongly suspect it is me. I'm definitely on the spectrum somewhere. My brother is PDD-NOS and some other family members are the same way. Revealed the possibility to my om recently and she thinks it might be so.

2. How is it like living with Asperger's syndrome?

Lonely and frustrating. Growing up without knowing why I was different caused me to be socially isolated which in turn lead to anxiety disorders later in life. It's only in the past few years that I've gotten over most of my anxiety problems but I'm still fairly isolated. It's quite hard to make real friends; few people share my interests, I'm not as social as most normal people, sometimes people sense that I'm different and that creeps them out or they think I'm stuck-up or rude which sometimes leads to uncomfortable situations. I do find it hard to relate to my peers; it's like I live in a different world than them. There's always unspoken things, stuff hidden between the lines that are missed.
I take enjoyment in my solitary interests and spend most of free time at home on the computer, playing games, watching videos, researching my interests. I do long for a true relationship... it's something I'm still working on.
I excel at technical work, visualizing and building things. I'm pretty poor at interpersonal work though and prefer to do things on my own.

3. Does anyone else in your family have Asperger's syndrome?

Younger brother is PDD-NOS. Other family members of my mom's side show signs of being on the spectrum.

4. Are people around you supportive? (your family and friends)

So far my mom has been supportive since bringing it up with her. I haven't told it to my friends yet but since they already seem to accept my strangeness it might not be a big deal if I told them.

5. Do you feel like your treated differently?

Sometimes I do. I'm not too good at making first impressions so sometimes people do act cautiously around me. I guess my tendency for silence and neutral expressions give people the idea that I'm angry sometimes when I'm not. Since I'm usually not into things that my peers are into I am ignored at times and not included in things.

Name Alexis - Age: 18+

1) I was diagnosed last month. It was pretty much obvious but as a kid my parents just thought I was shy. As I got older things got more difficult and I was extremely relieved that I wasn't just an absurd anomaly.

2) I don't know what to compare it to really. It's like being in hell sometimes, and when I'm not in hell I'm as normal as I think normal gets (not NT normal).

3) Not diagnosed, but some have a few minor characteristic traits.

4) Yes, whether they know I am Aspie or not.

5) Sometimes. When I tell people they try to be more accomodating. I don't really know how to put it. Before they know they treat me like they would any NT person, just that I'm a bit odd. Then I tell them and they start to act like I have a teminal illness. It gets annoying pretty quick.

Hope that helps.

Magda - 24

I'm not diagnosed but I think I may have it. Let me quote myself in another thread: "4 years ago I was sitting in front of my computer; bored and wondering what more I could look in the net for. I wrote:"autism" in the browser. In that time my comprehension of autism was extremely stereotypical - I had seen some films about children with a severe form of ASD who were trapped in their own world, unable to communicate with others. It was all my knowledge - few films and several articles in my mother's magazines which took up that subject but also in a stereotypical way.

I wanted to know more. I found a page created by mother of a boy suffering from something what was called "Asperger Syndrome". Having read what the symptoms are I thought that I resembled people with AS in many ways but I didn't hit upon an idea I really could have something to do with it; it's mostly because descriptions of Asperger's found by me were so simplified and full of popular stereotypes. It was in last year when I became more interested in this issue and now I am almost sure that I have AS".



Before I found out about AS I used to do my best trying to adapt my inclinations and likings to those normally found in people - you get it, the fact I had such serious social problems always pissed me off, after all I wasn't worse than others so how could it be that I was refused such basic things? Now I know that if I have AS indeed it means not more not less that it's simply my brain that is wired differently so the burden vanished - I could be a chicken raised by a family of eagles as well and cry over my inability to fly like my "parents" - it's nature not my ill will or simply lack of talent in this aspect of life.



No, yesterday I even asked my mother if there were any cases of autism in our family registered, even speaking of distant relatives but her answer was negative.



I mentioned it several times among people because I'm not embarassed to speak about such things in public (anyway my putative AS gives me more benefits than problems) but they didn't seem to be specially interested. My mother knows I suspect SOMETHING in myself but I didn't tell her the name of this because she'd probably end up looking for "Asperger Syndrome" on the net and if she read it is an AUTISM spectrum disorder, she's be seriously pissed off - she'd never believe a "disabled" baby could have crawl out from her perfect womb .



I am and always was treated differently than others because the difference between me and other representatives of humankind was too big to remain unnoticed.

name: Alex
Age:18

not currently diagnosed but 93% sure I do have aspergers.


its fine with me, although I do see complications with trying to get a job when i can barley make eye contact and I am not overly outspoken.


my mother and uncle are both suspected aspies


asides from the occasional lame joke, my family is very supportive, I don't tell my friends(what few of them i have).


No, can't say that i have, nobody tries to avoid me or anything, they just realize that when they try to strike up a conversation with me that it is a futile effort(unless it's something i'm interested in of course ) and they leave me alone after that.

Age: 20
Name: call me papa smurf, yeah that'll do or batman, as long as I'm named after one of these quirky little emoticons, i'm content



At the age of 18. Diagnosis consisted of talking about myself for a few hours. After much staring at the floor and many mumbled replies to curious questions, a conclusion was reached. Viva la diagnosis! And then I felt hungry. The end.



Quite difficult to describe with words, so allow me to sum it up with this intense interjection of horror: AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!! !! !! !! !! Seriously, it's horrific. Imagine being a sentient waffle iron with no waffles to iron, but an intense desire to iron waffles. That's the best analogy I can come up with. Pity me.



My Mother has many symptoms and could probably get a diagnosis but has little reason to do so in this stage of her life. Other people on her side of the family also display traits.



As much as they can be, but they don't know what I want so their help can only be limited. I don't know what I want either, so I have problems helping myself.



Yes. Often it's a problem, but sometimes being treated the same as other people (when quite clearly I am not) is equally problematic.



I sincerely doubt that, but thanks for the ego boost all the same.



Answer me these questions three:

1: When do we get paid?

2: What's the deal with noodles?

3: Why am I not Emperor of the universe yet? Where did I go wrong?

Righty then.



Name: Jon
Age: 19

1. When were you first diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome what was it like?

I was diagnosed last summer, at the age of 18. It was liberating, to tell the truth. I found out about Aspergers a year before that, but it took a year to get an official diagnosis. Knowing that there was a reason for many of my quirks and oddities was refreshing, and I felt that I could just get on with my life without wondering why I'm so strange.

2. How is it like living with Asperger's syndrome?

How I answer this question is probably dependent on how I'm feeling at the time. I'm not feeling great at the moment so at this moment I'm tempted to say something like: it's hell! It's terrible! It's like being in a prison which I will never escape or be released from.

But really, it's a double-edged sword. I crave social interaction, so it depresses me that I can't do it well at all. I can't hold down friendships and I find it hard to converse with people. On the positive side, it allows me to focus on the things I'm interested in, and learn some things in great detail. I also notice things that many people don't - I am a good lateral thinker. Apparently.

3. Does anyone else in your family have Asperger's syndrome?

No. A couple of 2nd degree relatives have traits, but none have full-blown AS.

4. Are people around you supportive? (your family and friends)

My family are generally supportive, although one of my sisters refuses to accept that I have AS. I only have one friend who knows that I have AS - the rest probably think I'm just a bit eccentric. My good friends all accept me for that, so I would say that they are supportive.

5. Do you feel like your treated diffrently?

Not really. Few people know that I have AS, and the ones that do have become used to my quirks long before I was diagnosed.

If you mean 'are you treated differently from most people,' then yes, but then again, I am different from most people.



No probs. Filling in questionnaires is a good way of passing time when you're hanging upside down in a cave with 50 million other bats.

Joking.

Or am I?

Thank you everyone! My paper will be much better with all this added info!

=)

1: When do we get paid?
Never hahahahaha =D

2: What's the deal with noodles?
Hm, I don't know =\

3: Why am I not Emperor of the universe yet? Where did I go wrong?
Obviously you haven't enslaved enough countries yet =P

I'm Phil, and I'm 28.

1. When were you first diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome what was it like?

I was diagnosed in 2006, and it was a good thing, in that it helped to answer a lot of the questions as to why I was the way I was in certain regards.

2. How is it like living with Asperger's syndrome?

Pretty close to "normal", really, except there are times when I feel like my condition has thrown a deliberate stumbling block in front of me. My tendency to obsess over certain things doesn't really lend itself well to my daily life.

3. Does anyone else in your family have Asperger's syndrome?

No, I'm the only one.

4. Are people around you supportive? (your family and friends)

My family is very supportive, yes - for which I'm very grateful.

5. Do you feel like your treated diffrently?

In certain respects, yes. I'm not ridiculed for it, but people are often curious to know how I perceive the world.

You know,
you might learn a LOT more if you started reading through and researching
past threads, there is a lot of heart and living and personal history's
through out this forum.

Fiona, 23.

1. When were you first diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome what was it like? About 10 years ago. It sucked. I was like, oh great, I really am a freak.

2. How is it like living with Asperger's syndrome? It's a lot of work. It's also a lot of work for the people you live with.

3. Does anyone else in your family have Asperger's syndrome? Yes, Dad.

4. Are people around you supportive? (your family and friends) Mostly. My sister will never understand.

5. Do you feel like your treated diffrently? Not really. Some people you just don't click with.

This test subject has decided to opt out.



I think I was seven or eight. I had no clue what Aspergers was. I just knew my mom took me to the library and she looked up stuff on Aspergers while I puzzled over what Aspergers was.



Sometimes good, sometimes terrible. I mean, it's fun, and I'm unique, being one of two people in my school that has it. But no one really understands me. People just think I'm a freak sometimes. I mean, the whole school pretty much knows that I'm an Aspie, but they don't seem to understand what goes on in my head any better. Heck, one time a guy tried to pair me up with the other Aspie in the school for no reason. Oh my, I'm rambling.



Not that I know of. My mom shares a few of the things I have, though, so it's possible.



My family? Yes. My friends? HECK YES. Some random people that I met at school or summer camps? No. I mean, they're not that bad, but... sometimes they just make me feel stupid or weird or something. Like when they ask if my Aspergers makes me the way I am. I mean, it might, but does that matter? I am the way I am, no matter what made me that way.



Yes. Do you have to go to a social group every week even if you don't want to? Do people plan where you go in the summer and send you to a room with almost all non-verbal kids because thay're in your age group and then yell at you for not having a conversation with them? Do people congratulate you for doing the simplest things? (Pouring spaghetti into a strainer, walking down the basement stairs) I don't really need all of that, but people do it anyways.


I also agree with Aspergian_Mutant, it might help you a lot.

Have a nice day and good luck with your report!