Anyone did not believe you have asperger?

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I think that people who have known me throughout my life, have already made up their minds about me long ago: i.e: my personality, my social arkwardness, etc. and concluded that I'm an idiot, or being rebellious or rude or something.
Unfortunately when you stand out from the group you quickly become the target of bullying, firstly from one or two, then the others follow, and you become an outcast. This type of pattern has emerged time and time again from my childhood until now.
Suddenly the word Aspergers appears and all those cast iron views other people have of you are challenged, I think some people don't like that view being challenged, maybe it's an ego thing, and I'm talking about family, where i believe ego should be put to one side.

Nope, everyone around me always thought I was autistic but I never gave any serious thought to it until someone who's really close to me and actually studied psychology/has experience with autism pointed out that I might really have it, so I looked up the traits and it...fits.

I don't know much about Einstein, Bill Gates, etc. With a view to them being Aspies. My view is that probably the syndrome has probably always existed? Maybe it is comforting to think such people achieved great things with this social phobia, and i'm pretty sure that some people did. But how many great people have ended up neglected and ignored? Especially in the modern world (eg Bill Gates) where communication is essential to achieving your goals. Being diplomatic, listening to advise, leadership, setting examples others want to follow, ect. are not traits accociated with Aspergers as far as I can tell. But I will stand to be corrected on this. Can Aspies be Leaders?

I had one phycologist say I did not have AS but just a severe case of ODD. She was a b***h in every since of the world and made me feel as if I was being interogated. Needless to say, she knew nothing about AS and I never saw her again.

One woman whom I know only online didn't believe it when I told that group of friends about my diagnosis (it's a religious e-mail group, and we pray for each other and for each other's friends a lot), did not believe it: she said that I couldn't be, because I had too much empathy, but I _learned_ what to say about putting myself in other people's shoes a long time ago. Her opinion should have been better than most, because she is a nurse and the mother of a HFA son, but then only seeing what someone says, in writing, is much different than seeing them in the real world.

Everyone I've told believes it without question. Which surprises me, because I thought I was doing a pretty good NT act!

I haven't told everyone though - especially my family. My parents are very tolerant and inclusive and accept everyone for who they are. They would hate the fact that I felt the need to go and get my "individuality" labelled as an ASD. But I needed to understand what the heck was going on with me, and feel much better for knowing the source of my difficulties. It's like now I know, I can work on understanding them and finding ways to deal with them. Before I was just "stuck" ...

Most people in the general population have never heard of Asperger's, and for that matter, many of them have never heard of Autism or the Autism Spectrum, so they should have no opinion on whether you have it or not. Only those who do know _something_ about it would have any accurate idea. Those who just know it's "something wrong with you" might just be trying to make you feel better, as in "There's nothing wrong with you: you're okay".

My closest friend did not believe I have autism. I told her about it before I got my official diagnosis (one of the very few people I did tell). Now that I have a diagnosis, I don't think she denies it, but she still doesn't fully understand it. I think my grandmother is having trouble accepting the diagnosis as well, and my aunt--whether or not she accepts it now, I do not know (or care)--said that she didn't think I acted autistic (apparently she hasn't observed me very much throughout my life).

I've gotten "You fit in suprisingly well to be an aspie", with then the after thought of "but I suppose none of us were normal anyways".

Beyond that, not really- and those people didn't even question it, they just were surprised by my aspieness and their few of me fitting in with the social circle. Of course they viewed me as fitting much better than I had.

**Ironically**

it allows them to not feel empathy for your pain of being in a neurotype minority

and washes away the barrage of discrimination that arises daily in their hearts and minds

I'm a textbook Aspie, pretty isolated, obsessed with special interests, can't read social cues or facial expressions, etc. but nobody I've told believes me despite having a diagnosis. I am absolutely fed up of debating with them when it's clear they can't describe a single AS symptom -- they just insist I'm normal.

I know were not social beasts, but why don't we Aspies get together and form a Political Party, and change the world. No Eye contact of course.

"Tell all of my friends
I don't have too many
Just some rain-coated lovers'
puny brothers"

We can dream.

I started working at my previous job eight years ago. I was not sure if I had ADHD because I had not been testing, and I felt I could afford to be tested or the meds if I was. In 2006, my counselor told me I have asperger, which is the first time I ever heard the word. In 2008, I started taking meds for depression and ADHD. I still take meds. In 2008, I told people at work have ADHD and maybe asperger. In 2010, I look about he signs for children with asperger on the wikienpendia. A lot of signs I experience when I was a child. For example, I did not learn how to tie my shoes until I was eight.

A coworker suggust, I have my phycolgiest write sometimes in my file saying a I have ADHD and asperger. I also requested for many years, I want to be transfer from cahsier to stocker, because I felt more relax and more productive on the floor. I was a very hard worker. She refused. In November, I was wrote for supposely being rude to a customer while I was the only cashier upfront with four customers in line and my current customer credit was decline. Before the week was up, the doctor who prescribed my meds (Dr. Hunter) until last May, gave me a note. The following week I went on leave for 4 days. Also that month I asked for a reasonable accomdation requested. My request and appeal was denied, even though Dr. Hunter said my asperger makes inpersonnal relations hard.

In early May, I was fired, because I was supposely rude to another customer at the register, even in both cases the managers did not care what I had to say. When I talked to the District HR manager, she asperger is not a disability, because it does not keep me from doing my job. The day I was fired I went to my area EEO office and file a complaint, but I not sure it did much good. I am currently on unemployment and plan to work with a job agency through voc-reb next month.

I think most people in the US, have never heard of asperger, and many people who have heard it, may not want to know anything about, especially employer. Note all my annaul reviews were said I was a steady preformer.

My friends say -- "If you've got it we have too coz we are all weird in our own ways". They have no problem with eye contact unlike me and they have no anxieties.. I manage not to look too anxious or weird but people are always commenting on how weird I behave at times and yet how adorably cute that makes me look They fail to understand I've aspergers. They comment on how awkward I walk and say loosen up but never understand when I tell them its my clumsiness that makes me physically awkward. My therapist himself struggled to find what was wrong with me until the ADD and anxieties were diagnosed. I have avoidant personality disorder but I cover up somehow and cope with it.

The problem is most people think of aspergers as low functioning people with below average intelligence so they don't understand when I say I've aspergers.. They say you look normal to me.

I'm currently watching a documentary on the late great US comedian Bill Hicks (American: The Bill Hicks Story). A wonderful man, a man who was not afraid to speak his mind, ignored in his country because of this, and loved in the UK because of it. (Don't worry, this is just a rant). He represents to me an Aspergers quality, along with a more recent comedian called Frankie Boyle (Who is an inferior copy, but nevertherless very good). When listening to Bill, and his life story it fills me with pride to know that a man had the guts to tell it like it is and not be afraid, even though Letterman and the others cencored and then rejected him from national attention. I believe a British MP even called for a National Bill Hicks Day in Britain. Bill didn't have Aspergers by the way, that's pretty clear, he was just very brave, much like Chris Morris (Brass Eye). These people matter, they are very important people in our current times and must be listened too, no matter how shocking they are, they speak the truth. I hope maybe others will see this piont of view. I think that comedians are the only people left in British society who can speak their minds in this age of political correctness.

“The other day a friend suggested to me that with all the stones thrown at me you could build a monument.
There are today few people who have the truth as their guiding principle, as for myself I can get things wrong but I always say what I believe, what I feel, without being afraid of the consequences. As a result a lot of people don't excuse that.” Jose Mourinho