If you could live life without Asperger syndrome, would you?

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I know no other way, so i simply let it be.

I find it amusing that a lot of NTs pity Autistics because THEY think people with Autism lack emotions and a lot of Autistics pity NTs because they think NT's are too emotional.

I think one day we will reach a point and realize that NOT only do we think differently, how we express our full range of emotions and unique brand of humanity is both different and similar. We might even sit down, face to face, or behind our computer screens and assure one another; we are truly comfortable in our own skin.

TheSunAlsoRises

An intriguing and disturbing question. I don't know if I can imagine not having Asperger's.

It's a real easy question for me I am a parent supporting a child with Aspergers, could I live without it yes? As a parent does it effect me! so I will never live with out it.

Hmmmm, the big question for me is what else would I lose along with the AS? I only know how to think & act like me, so if I was a very different person, would I want to be that?

I am thankful for having been born with Asperger's. Asperger's has given me talents, gifts, and interests that has enriched my life. Sure---there are challenges. But doesn't everyone have challenges? I accept my challenges. And if I were to be born again, I would wish to be born with Asperger's again.

I'd rather celebrate my AS than become NT. I'm glad that I was born the way that I am. I see my AS as something to be celebrated, instead of something to be gotten rid of and destroyed.

There's a problem with this question and that is perception.

If I was born NT, I doubt I would think anything of my own mentality and likely be more socially engaged. I'd probably be less intelligent too as I wouldn't spend as much time pondering the big questions of philosophy, physics and even religion nor pursue such wisdom. I'd probably look down at Autistics because I'd value social accomplishment and ambitions as a gauge of success at life, and feel Autistic are devoid of such opportunities granted by it. I can imagine myself achieving things in life but at the expense of, ironically, isolated in my own world of social circles with friends and not care of the bigger picture. When I think that I question myself, is there really that much difference between the two deep down? Because it seems the same pitfalls of psychological behaviour exist with NTs too.

If you could live life without Asperger syndrome, would you?

no

I absolutely would. Because I was only diagnosed at the age of 49 I didn't grow up with the self-image of someone with an ASD.

I grew up with feeling that I should be a certain kind of person, but who kept being hindered by something. If only I could overcome that something, I could become the person I was meant to be.

Now I know what that something is. I realise that to some extent it has made me the person I am, but mostly I feel it has got in the way.

In the immortal words of a large forearmed, spinach eating cartoon character....

"I am what I am, and that's all that I am."

I'd give up some of my characteristics, but not others. My obsessive behaviours, black and white thinking, and constant anxiety are annoying, but I wouldn't give up my creativity, insight, or unique ways of viewing situations.

If I were NT and had this same family and everything, then there would be nobody with AS in my family, and if I had all the same people at school then I wouldn't have mixed with anyone with AS, so I probably wouldn't know what it is. It makes me panic because life could have been like that.

But no - I had to act like a dick on my first day of school, upset the teacher, worry my parents, be sent to doctors and psychiatrists to find out what the f**k was wrong with me, had to be singled out from class more to have one-to-one learning to catch up with my reading and maths, had a lack of friends at school, was misunderstood, kids were embarrassed to be seen hanging about with me, couldn't be included no matter how I tried, and there is always going to be something ''off'' about me even though the traits I show are so minor to nothing but it still seems like it makes a huge difference and I get people constantly laughing at me all the time and it confuses me because I do act normal and look normal and there are plenty of people about who look 10 times weirder than me so I don't quite understand, it just kills me on the inside and one day I'm going to commit suicide because I cannot stand people laughing at me any longer...........

Can't be bothered with all this s**t - I WANNA f*****g BE NORMAL!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !

I find the question impossible to answer. To answer it, I would have to imagine life without AS, and I can't imagine that, because I have no clue what that would be like.

Not to mention, it isn't possible anyway, and certainly won't be in my lifetime, so there doesn't seem to be much point in thinking about it.