Are you proud of having Asperger's?

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My AS doesn't affect my personality. I could be just as ''normal'' as a NT when I'm in one of my happy, relaxed sort of moods. And I don't ever feel different from others. As I reached young adulthood, I haven't felt much different to anyone else, and they don't feel much different towards me. I'm popular at my volunteer job, and I don't feel I stand out one bit - and there are some bitchy, midunderstanding people who work there. We've got somebody with early-stage Alzheimer's (or possibly ''high-functioning Dementia'' if that exists), but the manager there is not understanding her needs one little bit, and I think that's a bit off. But she's completely different with me, and no, she's not trying to just be nice - I could tell she likes me naturally. She doesn't even want to speak to others who may come across as odd.

But anyway - I'm still not happy with AS because I suffer more on the anxiety side, more so than I do on the social side. I am on job-seekers at the moment, and I'm finding it hard to take jobs what require more than 1 bus to get to it, and also if it's an unfamiliar town/city. I'll rather work local or somewhere where I can easily get to on a straight-forward bus route. I just cannot cope with all the big change and the arranging and everything. And I'm not using my high anxiety as an excuse - otherwise why would I be diagnosed and be receiving extra help from a social-worker, if I could easily just wake up one morning and say, ''oh I'm not really anxious - I can work where ever they want me to!''? It doesn't work like that. And it's not as though I'm sitting back thinking, ''I'm letting my anxiety get in the way of my life - I am not working at all, just going to sit on my arse all day whining about my lack of confidence'' - NO, that is NOT what I am intending to spend my life doing. I am looking for work and I want to work, and I don't mind what days of the week I work on, and I don't mind if it's easy to travel to. But I don't want to go for somewhere too far for me. There is such a thing as being a vulnerable adult - my tutor talked to us about this in one of my Work Training courses - (see, I am helping myself gain confidence in looking for work - told you I'm not just sitting back like a lazy arse).

AS is who I am. I am proud of who I am and what I have achieved. Therefore, I am proud of being an aspie.

I'm not proud of it, no matter how much I am able to hide it from people. That doesn't make me any less or more proud of having it though. I think my life would be easier, in the long run, if I never had it. I wish I was an NT - who thinks more about what I should be doing in life, rather than worrying about whether I can persue my special interest, or work my life around my anxieties. I think AS causes too many arguments, as though I'm not allowed to have a disability.
It's all very well chucking people on job-seekers and constantly being on their back, pressurising them into finding the first job what comes along - but sometimes it's not always that simple for some of us. Yeh - you may get some Aspies who are laid back, and don't get anxious very much, and who aren't basing their whole life around their special interests - but some of us are like it, and (like most of you say) it's who I am, and so I can't change it, otherwise that would be like saying anyone could get rid of their disability by effort. All the effort in the world ain't going to make a diagnosed disability of Dyspraxia, AS, OCD and high anxiety go away - I was born like this and I'll die like this.
Another thing what's a pain in the arse with having AS is not coping with change. I hate this - it takes me so long to adjust to big changes, like getting a job in an unfamiliar place, at all different hours. Even for some NTs this can be hard to settle into. I know the argument is ''you got to start somewhere'' - but I already have. I'm prepared for getting a regular straight-forward bus to a job, and I'm prepared to work week-ends (aswell as in the week). But I still need time to myself in the week, and because I'm shy and not very good with socialising (like parties and sleep-overs), the next important thing to me is my special interests, and if I worked Monday to Friday, 9 til 5 (or more), all I'll have is the week-ends - but that's when all my family are home, so I'll never get time to myself during the week, and I won't get time to persue my special interests properly.

So I just have the same arguments with people - ''ohh you've got to get used to it - life's tough'', but life doesn't have to be tough. Why make life harder for myself, when I could easily look for the convenient job I want in my own time, without any pressure? Although this country is in a bad snap with the economy, there are still plenty of easy-going part time jobs out there - how hard can it be?

But it's still like NTs don't let me have AS. They all think that just because the AS is controlled by my brain, they think I can control it and change it, and make me magically transform myself into a robot, what would do anything without an argument. No.

So I'm not proud of having it because I'm not allowed to have it. How can you be proud of something you're not allowed to have? I think people can only be proud of it depending on their life's circumstances with money, friends, talents, luck, and what types of symptoms affect them in what areas. Some may have symptoms what won't interfere job-wise, whilst others might. And the biggest most important part of life is getting a job and earning a living, and if AS interferes with it, then it's nothing to be happy about. Especially when you are sitting amongst a crowd of young colleagues, and they are all talking about their social nightlife of ''going out and getting smashed'', and I've got no idea what they're on about because I don't drink, smoke, or party. Partying and drinking is the last thing I want to do - but I still feel kind of left out when I hear others talking about it. I really don't know why. I think it's because deep down I want to go partying, but I know full well in my heart that there will be no point in me attending a party because I will be the quietest person there. I'm sure confident people wouldn't like to be at a party if they weren't as confident as they are. You need to be really loud and chatty and excitable to be at a party, otherwise you will get bored. And I hate drinking because of the hangover afterwards (I have emetophobia). And I hate drinking alcohol anyway, I won't want to go down that road, not even once. So there will be no enjoyment in me going to a party if I hate drinking and I hate socialising. But deep down, I wish I was loud and popular - ohh, it's a difficult emotion here. But I think if I was born NT, I probably would be a party person - but this AS is completely beyond my control. f*****g hate it!

No - it's a burden. I hate it.

I'm indifferent. I only acknowledge it being there. I would prefer not ever being born with it but I know it's there for good so I gotta make the best of it.

I am proud of having aspergers

I'm just a guy. Nobody in my life is really aware of what goes on with me. I am not proud of anything, pride is an unnecessary pretense. If I were religious I would call it a sin. As is, I'm an atheist, but I see pride as a problem. Pride leads to irrationality

Like everyone else with this very weird condition its been a weight threw every aspect of my life since i was born, but i am proud to have it and wouldnt change it if i could, i love feeling unique and different to the rest of the world understanding things differently being able to block out the world, if you dont embrace it you'll never be happy with yourself i've found

Not proud, but upset about it or wishing that I was normal. I'd not want to be different, not want to be "cured", but I don't see reason to be proud either.

I'm myself. That's all I am. I'm Tuttle. Autistic traits are part of me. They make things more difficult, they make things easier, and it is just me. I don't understand the point of being proud of that any more than being proud of being female. It's not something to be proud of because its just part of who I am.

I am not proud of having it. I don't know how some people can be proud of it, but I suppose we're all different. I can't choose other people's opinions for them. I just wonder what it's like to love being weird, because I absolutely loathe it. There are too many NTs in this world, and I can't beat them so I join them.

I like my mind, AS and everything else included. I wouldn't trade it for anyone's. With the exception of social interactions, my mind has yet to fail me once.

I have a love/hate relationship with the AS part of myself. I love how I can use my earlier experiences with AS to help parents and teachers figure out the best approaches with the people they are supporting. There are pieces that I wish could be eliminated though, specifically my obsessions, which can be very strong and can often impact upon my mental health.

simple answer... no

No not proud at all. I hate having HFA and if there was a cure I would take it.