bikermark wrote:
I first read about AS about 6 months ago and realized I was just like the people in the news article. I read about AS with a passion, wanting to know more about it and possible implications.
I'm 48, at least until the end of the month. I grew up not knowing what was different about me, just knowing something was. I actually believed myself to either be a genetic throwback to our neandertal ancestors or the next step in mankind's evolution. I had problems and issues that were clearly (in retrospect) caused by my AS.
Had I and my parents known what AS was, how to teach me at a young age the life skills that we usually lack, I would have had a less stressful life, I think. I may be on the milder end of the spectrum, and am a father of an AS son with a full time job, house, dogs, etc. but even Superman was better off knowing about Kryptonites effect on him.
I have my own belief about AS being a disability, and that is that while I am disabled when it comes to understanding people (NTs) and their thought processes, I am OVERABLED when it comes to logic, visuallization, problem solving, fixing things, improving things, math, computers, anything mechanical (prodigious list of superpowers continues)...
Knowing my parameters makes my life and emotions more understandable, and thus easier to deal with. For example, before my Dx, I had a really bad temper once in a while.
I would get upset about something or someone, and ramp right up to what I considered an uncontrollable rage. I would yell (I'm told it was more of a scream), rant, rage, and smash my fist into some very hard material, breaking my hand more than once. Then I would calm down quickly and mellow out.
Appearently, this is a decription of a meltdown. Know that I know about AS, I find it easier to hold my temper, because I understand why I get that way, and how to walk away for something upsetting me.
Mark
Gosh, you are describing to a greater extent my experiences and thoughts. I resist a blanket 'disabled' label because I am SO able in a great many other areas that most people are not. It kind of makes it difficult for others to grasp that you have these whacking great holes in your ability- spread. (Don't know if that's a bit of jargon there but it sounds quite good!)
It's like the light is suddenly blazing on when you eventually learn about AS isn't it? After decades of stumbling around in the dark.
