glider18's Wonderful World of Autism

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For all that helped me with advice on my back---thank you. My back is much better.

I performed music at a church this past Sunday. I played six instruments (not all at once though ) and ended on the organ. Prior to Sunday, I had asked the minister about the organ, and he replied, "It isn't a pipe organ, but yet it has pipes." Hmm, I am thinking, "Ok" . It was a fun music ministry for me, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I discussed a bit about how Asperger's/autism was a gift in my life. The people seemed quite receptive of this.

Last week I was contacted by a major organization that wants me to join them. This would include speaking to much larger audiences across an area somewhat larger than what I am doing now with the music ministry. I would still be able to use music, but this would involve more public speaking. If I accept this offer, I would still be able to do the music ministry, but it would just mean a busier schedule for me. I am not sure what to do. They have invited me to a dinner with them next week, so I guess I will decide after that. It sounds exciting, but yet I wonder too if I should try this. I would also be able to speak about how autism has positively affected my life.

In approximately a week and a half, I will have been a member of the WrongPlanet for 2 years. And I will have been officially diagnosed with Asperger's for 2 years as well.

These past 2 years have been an incredible learning experience for my family. We all understand each other better now. And my youngest son was also diagnosed with Asperger's after my diagnosis. With his IEP at school, his school experience is much better now.

I have found that knowing what it is that makes me eccentric in life to be such a bonus in my life. I know the cards that have been dealt to me in life. I know what cards work for me, and I am using them. That is my recommendation for everyone---use the cards that work for you.

Each of our experiences with autism is different than anyone else. So we have different perspectives of it. For me, I am proud to be among the autistic. Please let me explain this type of pride. It is not the arrogant pride, but the other definition of pride that simply says that a person is satisfied/content/pleased with his/her accomplishments or position in life. This is not gloating. It is not bragging. It is simply stating that I am happy with my life with autism. I feel everyone deserves the right to be happy with their life.

Knowing the cards I am playing in life allows me to work through challenges that confront me. I am currently dealing with such a challenge now---one connected to an organization/club I just joined. They specialize in social events. Why did I join? I have wondered that a bit over the past few days. But I believe that I have services I can offer them that is not a part of their socializing services. I believe this can work.

I think in pictures as many autistics do. As I get ready to fall asleep tonight (a short time from now), I will enter my fantasy world and experience through my senses this magical place. I will stroll the streets and ride my roller coasters as I have done many times in the past. I can smell the popcorn and cotton candy of the midway as I gaze upon my selection of amusement rides. I can hear the shrieks of excitement of patrons as they plummet down the 64 foot curving drop of the Spiral Dips roller coaster. I can see the colorful sights of the active midway and feel the nearby lake breeze brush against my face. Then, I can sit down and enjoy a tasteful hamburger platter at a concession stand next to a thrilling ride. Slowly, this imaginary world is becoming a reality in the form of a HO scale model in my basement. It will measure 26 feet by 26 feet when it is completed. Over 300 HO scale models have been purchased for this large project. When complete, I plan of using green screen filming technology in order to put myself on the walkways of this place---in a recorded video format.

Aut it be so topic

Glad you bumped your thread, glider18. It would have been a great sticky, but there are too many now in this forum.

Be good to your back!

It's been awhile since I have posted to my thread. A lot has happened since my last post on this thread. Two pieces of writing have been published. And they were quite accidental as I did not pursue their publication. But since focusing on autism's positives and not paying as much attention to the negatives, things have happened that are good.

At this point there are 31 pages of posts on this thread. The vast majority of you have stated you believe that autism can provide us gifts, and that you are mostly happy with autism.

Before becoming a gifted intervention specialist, I taught general level English for 19 years. One thing that was difficult for students was learning the 8 parts of speech and identifying them. I told students to think of the 8 parts of speech as tools and supplies for building a house. The noun was the lumber, the verb was a hammer, the adjective was a chisel, etc. The lumber would become the house (noun), the hammer's action would drive in the nails (verb), and the chisel would modify and shape the lumber (adjective). For the most part, students learned the parts of speech under this method.

Now...I like to think of autism in this same way. When looking at the criteria for Asperger's, we note on the DSM-IV numerous criteria that we may have. Each of those traits can be thought of as tools in the toolbox. I will focus on the criteria that I believe yields positives/gifts.

encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
This is what I call the narrow focus beam that we have in looking deeply into our special intense interests. Many of us have these patterns of interest. We can often study them to the point of being an expert. These interests can be a lot of fun for us. They can develop into lifelong hobbies. For me, I utilize my interests into my creative writing. If you do not like to write, perhaps you can think of other uses for your interests. Perhaps you can build things to sell, or design things to be patented. We can find occupations relating to our interests. There is a lot that can be done with them.

apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
I don't know about you, but I have some routines that I do not like to break. For example, I check a multitude of things in the house each morning before I leave to work. On many occasions I have discovered that my wife left the curling iron plugged in. Had it not been for my routine/ritual of checking the house, then the curling iron may have burned up something. I also make a regular habit of checking the garbage for signs of things that shouldn't have been thrown away. A few months ago I saw an envelope in our kitchen trash can. Taking it out, I found a birthday card with a 20 dollar bill in it. Our routines and rituals can be positive indeed.

persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
I will leave this one for you to add to. What can you think of that can go here? Sorry, my allergy medicine is working on me and I am getting fatigued.

Are there other things you can think of that relate to gifts and positives for autism?

I realize this thread isn't as popular as it was when I first made it, but I sometimes add to it just as a record of my thoughts and progress. So don't feel like you have to respond to it, but if you do---it will be most welcomed.

I often times feel like Asperger's makes my mind go into overdrive with all the various interests that can encompass me. As I am needing to complete a story to submit, I often sidetrack myself into playing a computer word game or into trying to solve a mystery as a way to boost my energy to finish my writing.

But last night, I put aside the compulsion to sidetrack and went straight to my writing---it worked well. I was able to make more progress on the story than I did from writing after a sidetrack.

However this morning, I sidetracked and have yet to begin working on my writing of the story. So after this post, I am getting out my laptop and working on the story.

Although Asperger's can yield many gifts, it also has some interesting challenges that I deal with. Anxiety is one of them. I have had some anxiety issues lately, but a little walk down the hallway of the school where I work can ease that a bit. When I think a lot about projects that need to be finished I can get anxiety---being anxious to finish them.

Another thing that happens is that as I write a story---I find myself contemplating different ways to present the twists that lead to the climax. I am in a little writing dilemma at the present time in choosing between two different ways to reveal the climatic surprise. Before church last Sunday (I am the church organist), before anyone arrived, I paced up and down the sanctuary thinking about these two different approaches to the climax. Finally I had to get my music ready and think about it later.

As a gift---perhaps Asperger's can give us unique ways to solve problems or think of resolutions. Perhaps our attention to detail can allow us to think incredibly in-depth about outcomes and solutions. Also as a gift is that many of us with Asperger's/autism think in pictures (I think in pictures). As I am writing my stories, I see them play out as motion pictures in my mind. I also have a narrator voice that can accompany the motion pictures to help guide what I write.

So...I am going to walk down to the office, and return to my room with lunch (I have to eat early) and write during my lunch period.

oooh I like this thread...I haven't posted on it yet.....I definitely wouldn't get as much pleasure out of watching movies intended for children like the nightmare before Christmas over and over again as an adult if I wasn’t autistic.... not would I have found researching autism nearly as all-encompassing as I do. This has turned out to be a really useful preoccupation for me at the moment as I am in my last year of university and was able to change my major to psychology around when my obsession began..........

Also as for persistent preoccupation with parts of objects...I had this only when I was a child.......but how would we get as much pleasure from the feeling of spinning the wheels of a car or rubbing something with a particular texture (such as a coat in my case) if we weren't autistic? such great joy!

I am just posting an update to my "Wonderful World of Autism" thread. My family and I just got back from our vacation. One of the things we did was take an excursion train ride through the mountains. I had booked our reservations on the train last winter. I have a hard time being in the midst of crowds---and a train ride can be pretty crowded with people all around you. So---when I booked the reservations I had learned that you could rent your own private caboose---all to yourself. So I got the caboose. My family is a lot like me in liking personal space, so the caboose was a wonderful adventure for the family. My kids enjoyed being able to move about the caboose freely. We had our own snacks and drinks and didn't have to worry about anyone around us. Whatever seat we wanted in the caboose---we could get. So---thanks to my issues with people around me due to autism, I got a private caboose that turned out to be an adventure my family will never forget---they loved it. We want to do it again.

I have begun work on a screenplay that I would love to make into an independent film---with local talent. It utilizes many of my interests. I tend to think in pictures (as many with autism do), and that I feel is a definite plus in building a screenplay. I am visualizing the scenes and putting it down on the word processor. Due to my intensity of getting into things like this, I have already accumulated around 300 HO scale models to be used in the scenery of the towns, etc.---can be used in green screen process to merge real people into the scale model town. I am having a lot of fun with this project, and whether or not anything becomes of it---I will have had a great time in life in working with it.

So...no matter the challenges that we with autism have, I feel there are things in our lives that can give us joy. We just need to find those things and enjoy them. And remember that NTs have challenges too---just like everyone on earth. All of us on earth have challenges and pleasures---autistic, NT, or whatever. My wish is that we can all find things to enjoy.

Greetings to all, I just wanted to add something to this old thread of mine. Reading over the posts I made on this thread, I have come to realize that many of us feel autism has given us gifts while others may feel it has not. Everyone has a different view on the autism in our lives. Each one of us must make up his or her own mind as to how autism has affected us. Not everyone will agree with the overall message of this thread. There are things in my life that I give credit to autism for giving me such as my special intense interests and musical talent. Each one of you may look at your life and determine if autism has given you gifts. Although I praise the gifts autism has given to me, I also acknowledge the challenges it presents in my life, and I just wanted to say this today on this post number 5679.