glider18's Wonderful World of Autism

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Ok...here is a positive thing about my autism. My basement is a wreck/disaster zone. In the basement is where my model train layout is to be setup---most of the tables are already in place. Because of my strong desire to get my model amusement park set up, I must clean the basement. So...that is positive---I will clean the basement to enjoy this incredibly intense narrow interest.

I will first clear the area around where the main midway is to be located. I might try to take pictures and post them as I get stuff set up. Many of the models are already completed---they just need to be positioned on the tables. This amusement park model has been a dream of mine since I was in school. It can/will happen.

Sora, I agree.

The downside for me is sensory overload and meltdowns.
but the upside and it is a GRAND UPSIDE is the glory of the world in all its miraculous detail. To sense so acutely is a gift.

Wow, that sounds really cool! I always liked model trains. When I was little, I had these really nice wooden blocks from Europe, to build cities- (there were railways with trains, blocks for streets, houses, cars, etc.- even a ferry). I used to make these elaborate towns with my blocks in our basement. I would spend hours doing it...one of my favorite pastimes.

I'm so glad you created this thread. I'm not officially diagnosed with AS but I identify with it more strongly that anything else in the world so far. I just recently made this discovery and it changed my life. For instance all the things that I wanted to change about myself I am now fascinated by. I've been obsessed with Austism for the past month at least. I've always hated myself for the way I behaved as a child and now I realize that I wouldn't have myself any other way. These are the gifts AS has given me. (if I do have AS which I'm pretty sure I do)

-I'm a very talented artist. I used to spend hours upon hours in my room drawing to the point where I got bad grades in school. Now when people see my artwork they gasp and tell me I am amazing. They tell me I should make it into a career and I've never even been to school for art.

-When I was 14 or so, I developed an interest in music video dance sequences. I would tape them and play them over and over until I learned every step. Eventually, I asked for dance lessons and started ballet at the age of 15 (relatively late, even for a boy). Now, at 22, I've been a professional ballet dancer for 3 years. I danced for Disney World and Orlando Ballet. I'm performing in Hawaii this summer (all expenses paid). I also perform in The Kennedy Center 3 times a year in DC. Had I not had an intense obsession for dance I would not have worked so hard and probably have given up.

I also love video games and own almost an entire library.



Because of Autism I've lived a great life full of acomplishments and hopefully they will only grow from here.

Oh wow dustintorch, you´re a professional ballet dancer too?! I am a retired dancer...I was a professional dancer for years (ballet, some modern, and the musical "Phantom of the Opera")- best years of my life! (Though very hard too). Dancing is highly competitive, particularly for women, so I agree with you. My avid, single-minded interest kept me going, and I was much more tenacious than many of my colleagues, who dropped by the wayside.

I am now a ballet teacher and choreographer in Hamburg.

Oh my gosh that's amazing! I never would have thought I would meet another dancer on here. I agree with you it's extremely competitive for the girls. A girl would never be able to start as late as I did. However, I deal with a lot of competition too. I find it easier to get along with dancers, due to the fact we share a common interest. Sometimes they get sick of always talking about ballet though. I've been labeled a "bunhead" and I'm proud of that term. I will say though, I do spend way too much time obsessing over my arabesque. Something teachers and other dancers have told me. Haha. I love Phantom by the way, beautiful music!

Oh by the way Morgana we have one more thing in common. I absolutely LOVE Edea from FF8. She is by far the most beautiful villian in any video game or cartoon I've ever seen.

Ballet is not one of the things normally associated with autism, is it; however, my opinion is that people on the spectrum are much more varied than originally believed. I think it makes perfect sense that someone with an ASD would like ballet; it is definitely an intense narrow interest, and you are surrounded by others with the same intense narrow interest. There is also the routine aspect to ballet, taking the daily class, starting with plies, going on to tendues, etc. I loved the relaxation this entailed, as well as the fact that I felt this control over my body as I warmed up. Even now, if I feel anxious about something, I notice it helps me to stretch, or to give myself a ballet barre. In addition, there is also the attention to detail. I always felt that I could express myself well through dance, whereas it was much harder through speaking. Of course, a big plus for us is that the job is not particularly social, not like other jobs. I don´t think any of my bosses cared how well spoken I was, they only cared how well I could dance. The social aspect is more complicated when one is a choreographer, as I´ve been finding out! In any case, in my opinion, dance can be the perfect career for someone on the spectrum. I wonder if there are more of us around...most particularly women. Not much is known about women with AS, so I wouldn´t be surprised if some of them may be hanging out in ballet studios!

Yes, I did start pretty young, at age 8. When I was a little girl- before I even knew what ballet was- I used to walk on my tiptoes (apparently this is also a possible sign of AS). People used to ask me if I was pretending to be a ballet dancer. When I finally saw my 1st ballet at age 6- Swan Lake, with the London Festival Ballet- I was captivated. I remember I loved the shapes and patterns. After that, I would always do my own performances for my parents. At age 8, my parents finally gave me lessons, because I was having some problems in school. I had a lot of difficulty with motor coordination, and I was also diagnosed with perception difficulties- (I was also diagnosed with dyslexia, though I don´t think I have this..I think it was ASD related). I had very little body awareness; at age 8, if I was asked to touch my knees, I did not know where they were! I just knew they were down below somewhere.....

Funny thing was, when I first started taking ballet, I HATED it! I had not expected it to be so hard, and I never wanted to do what the teachers told me. I kept trying to make excuses to my Mom about why I couldn´t go to ballet class! (Never worked, she saw right through it). I think some of my teachers dreaded me too... That all changed again overnight though, when I got to do some performances as a teenager, and fell in love with being onstage. Eventually, that carried over into a love of the technique and all aspects of ballet, so it became my special interest. I always felt like I had to work harder than everyone else...I also felt like I was "fighting against something". When I think about it, it´s kind of amazing that I ever became a professional dancer, especially when you consider all the competition....I think I was very lucky! It was an experience that I wouldn´t change for anything.

Oh, is that who that is? Are you talking about my Avatar?? (I guess that´s the only thing you can be talking about?) To be honest, I just chose any old picture I found in the "choose Avatar" section of Wrong Planet...I was torn between her and another picture of a smiling skull with a jester hat on her head. I finally chose this one, because I thought she fit more with my Username of Morgana. But I had no idea who I was choosing... ...

Boy, I guess my ignorance of what´s going on in the world even extends to this medium....

I love this story. Wow!

Morgana---glad you liked trains too. They are a lot of fun. Wow...how neat that you and Dustin have ballet in common. That must have been a lot of fun being in the Phantom of the Opera---amazing experience. It sounds like you are a very respected and successful person. Keep enjoying life.

Dustintorch---you are welcome, I am glad I created this thread too because of appreciative people like you. I think being fascinated with autism is a natural thing for most of us to do. We want to learn about ourselves and this difference that we have discovered within ourselves. I have gone through this too. I am glad you see autism as a gift in yourself. Even though you are not officially diagnosed, I think you have realized that AS is the difference you most likely have, and it is important that you would have it no other way. Your skill in art sounds like a possible savant skill. You talent at ballet sounds wonderful, and how fun it sounds to have danced at WDW and those other great places. It sounds like you have a most promising future. It is wonderful what autism has done for you. Oh...and keep enjoying your video games.

I have really enjoyed reading these posts and the recent interaction between Morgana and Dustintorch. I would love to see these dance performances. You are indeed gifted individuals with a most interesting life of exploring the beauty of your gifts. I look forward to hearing more about the gifts that autism has given us.

I completely agree with you. Being a dancer is such a routine based lifestyle it's perfect for me! No matter what is going on in my life the routine of a class always calms me down. (I actually like taking class more than being on stage, but I like stage too) Also, the details. I get emersed in perfecting my technique and line. So much so, I had a really bad problem staring in the mirror while dancing. It's gotten better though.... Mostly because I get made fun of for it so much. Haha.

It's okay that you didn't know who Edea is. Not everyone is into video games like me... What's important is that you have good taste in artwork.

Wow, a savant skill? Since I've developed this fascination with autism, savants are one of the things I'm most fascinated with. I have so much respect for what you and other savants can do, that it seems like too great of a compliment for me. I did read that there are three classifications though. I'm assuming you're a prodigious savant...At MOST I would be a talented savant and this is if I get my diagnosis ( which I desperately want). I read that you're in Ohio. I grew up in several cities around Dayton, Ohio. I also liked the Ohio mounds, they're very interesting. My favorite was the one that looks like a Snake. Also, I liked the really tall hill that had a stairway up the center. I remember my mom taking me and me climbing the stairs over and over. I hope those are the mounds you're talking about and I'm not embarassing myself. I was very young. haha.

Hi Dustin. No, I'm not a prodigious savant. I am what you call a talented savant---according to those classifications. I hope you get your diagnosis. 50% of savants are autistic---and 10% of autistics are savants. But I think there are only 50 to maybe 100 prodigious savants in the world today---what a rarity. So most of us are talented savants or splinter skill savants. My talent is in music. But I had also memorized every roller coaster's statistics in North America by the time I was in high school (without trying). So the memory thing often comes into savant syndrome. My father is mathematically talented---he can multiply 4-digit numbers in his head faster than one can do it on a calculator. He always amazes me with that.

I love the earthworks/mounds. The snake one is Serpent Mound in Adams County which is just a short drive from my home. The one with the staircase could be several: Seip Mound (not sure if it is stairs or just a nice pathway), Great Miamisburg Mound (probably stairs), etc. Yes, those are the mounds I am fascinated with. There are mysteries about the Moundbuilders that have always intrigued me. The mound at Miamisburg would have been close to where you lived probably. It's south of Dayton. There are some neat earthworks in Dayton too.

I hope to hear from you soon. You sound like a fascinating person.

Yep, it was the great Miamisburg Mound for sure. I think being able to play that many intruments is very amazing. Was it you who said you could learn to play them in just a week? I'm not good with memory. I can draw almost anything but I have to look at it while I'm drawing and it takes me forever because I become so obsessed with every small detail. Anyways, I love savants. My two favorite prodigious savants are Daniel Tammet and Steven Wiltschire. Daniel can multiply huge digits in head, farther than what most computers can do, without even trying. He broke the record for memorizing pi. He remembered up to 22,513 digits. Steven is an artistic savant and he can draw entire cities from just his memory. Both of them are autistic and they are perfect examples of the gifts that autism can bring.

Have you been to Cedar Point? I've never been, but I hear it's amazing and I'm sure someone with your interests has gone at some point....? Is the Millenium roller coaster still the tallest and fastest in the world- or should I update my roller coaster information?

If it wasn't for my autism, I wouldn't be able to determine the day of the week that any day falls on since I was born. Autism is not a curse, it's a special gift that only special people deserve and have.