Are you proud of having Asperger's?

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No, I'm not proud of "having" anything.

I'm proud to be me even if others don't sometimes see it that way.

If you'd asked this question several years ago, you'd have been laughed at.
Back then, where I came from, it was a mysterious disease that had to be forced out of the child and the child was being deliberately "naughty". It was also something that other kids through their ignorance thought was "catching", so avoided me at all costs.

It was stupid, all I needed was a quieter, less chatty environment with less group work to work with more personal space and clearer rules. I would have been fine.

Lo and behold, when my statement was removed, I was treated better and had fewer problems with the other kids. They even began to respect me.

I'm proud to have an extreme personality that I inherited from my family even if others don't always share my enthusiasm. I don't see why it should be pathologised, if given the right conditions to flourish and can be jolly useful for focussed solo work.

This is why I scratch my head at why people are proud to "have" AS when I was told all those years ago to fear and be ashamed of who I was. I'm utterly bewildered by all of this.

Sometimes I feel I'm treading a very thin line. I want to feel proud of Aspergers, and almost impervious to social pressure. Not easy that... but I'm working on it.

I know what I'm capable of, it's just a matter of reaching out and grasping what will soon be in my grasp... I hope...

I wouldn't say that I am "proud" of it. For a long time, it was my 'dirty little secret.' This may be because it was previously my parents' dirty little secret (kept even from me). Then I was independently Dx'ed as a young adult. I have finally come to terms with it and definitely identify with it. I think, on some level, it has come to work as a substitute for an ethnic identity, something that I never really had, as I am multi-ethnic and bi-racial.

Also, I agree with anna in that it seems pointless to be proud of something that was nothing more than an accident of birth.

I don't like pride.

Like White Pride?

It seems a lot of people like to take what they can to be able to feel good about. I see people brag on several occasions when winning something that is pure luck. Big deal, right? Not to them!

Pride sometimes comes from other peoples hate towards something. Like a group. If some group is particularly harassed or looked at as bad, when they aren't.. They might get tired of it eventually, and start to say they are proud of what they are.

I don't like pride, because in a lot of situations it is typically associated with negativity and violence. People fight for their pride, and make big deals out of stupid situations because of their pride. While pride may have its good sides, it has its bad sides.

Pride (excessive pride) is one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

People are like cakes: they come in all different varieties. What makes two cakes different from eachother are the ingredient. Take away an ingredient, and the cake changes. Asperger's is an ingredient for humans. If I didn't have it, I would not be the person that I am. I am proud of it because without it I would not be me, and that is a horrible thought to consider.

Well, apparently, depression is much more common in Aspies than autistics, like myself.

I would never give up my math abilities.
I would never give up my routines.
I would never give up my ability to hyper-focus on a small number of topics and become experts on them (for me, it's baseball, football and cars)
I would never give up my way of looking at the world.

I'm happy with myself at the end of the day. Yeah, on a Friday night, I'm not out partying but that is because I don't want to, and that doesn't lower my self-esteem at all. When I am relaxing by myself, engaging in something related to my interests, I am more content then ever and wouldn't have it any other way.

since i am not diagnosed yet my comment may not hold the same validity as some, but i will speak anyways.

i would not say i am proud of what i am, but i would say i am proud of how far ive come despite all the obstacles in my life. i still view my life as "normal" as i only know this life. but the true fact is that i have had a very though life compared to most Norwegians iknow..

i do not function very well, i am a full-time student and i do try to eat healthy and exercise as often as i can, but i dont have many friends and i have never really worked much in my life.

my daily life consists of trying to get by on the little energy i have as my "problems" drain me in ways from major depression to stress and anxiety...but i fight everyday, i will not give up though, i am way to stubborn for that.

i think the spoon theory pretty much sums my daily life up..

The Spoon theory <--- link.

about as proud as I am of my myopia... it's something I was born with, but it doesn't mean I have to like it, just deal with it.

I never knew. From my point of view everyone was different.

Since I learned late in life, I still see it the same.

You do what works for you, I do what works for me.

When people thought I should change, I imitateded them, to the point of driving them nuts, I am just trying to be just like you to make you happy?

I have long known I have a differance of thought and perception, I even put it on job applications.

I am the least people person around, I treat them like machines, but if you want the machines to run, metal or flesh, I can do it.

It's a disability? Being human is a disability!

There are very few real and functioning people, starting with USMC Drill Instructers, now there is purpose and focus, there is living up to your potential, and then there a hairless ground apes.

No matter what, I just want to be the best me I can be.

There are a lot more things I will never be than what I could be, and I try to fill the spaces I can.

What I learned from Wrong Planet is the very traits I knew were strong are, and some other things just do not work for me.

So now I work much harder on being Autistic, for it is what I am good at.

It is what I have to work with.

I'm very proud of being an aspie, I have also noticed I'm somewhat different than most aspies.

yes ,and arent we all unigue

122 will get the job done for most things.

You may not have found your natural learning style.

I can't learn anything in if anyone tries to teach me something verbally. I switch off very quickly.

Give me a book (and I mean a book not something on my computer screen) and I can process very well. I also find I do even better if I can pace as I read!

At 122 you clearly have a good capacity for processing in traditional academic areas.

This seems to be about how to input to your processor.

I was never ever proud of 'having' anything.


I was always proud of being myself though.