Aspie/autism experiences

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I'm a student of journalism doing a work about the autism's right movement, the neurodiversity, etc. So I'm interested in your experiences (I'm aspie but I can't be my own source): how it affect your lives, if you are self-diagnosed or not, if you are proud of it or not, how was you childhood, what do you think about the way the medias/films/books show it, if you think autism's associations represents you, what do you think about neurodiversity, did you tell your acquaintances that you have it, how do you think Internet affect the way you socialize, are you against a cure, etc

It would be better if you said where country are you from (I would be really grateful) but it's not really necessary.
Thanks for reading ^^ (sorry for the mistakes I might made, english is not my language)

Hi and good luck.

How does it affect my life?
Since I've always been an Aspie it does not 'affect' me either in a positive or negative manner. I'm happy that I was born with this 'condition' and I'd not want to be cured.

Self-diagnosed or officially diagnosed?
Officially.

Proud of it?
No, not necessarily. I don't see why I would be. I'm just like other people except for the social and psychological part.

How was your childhood?
I don't know, it consisted of reading, astronomy and computers. I have always preferred to be alone, friendships or being social with other kids never gave me anything at all, since I considered it a waste of time.

My views on media and autism:
I don't really care as long as the information provided is completely correct.

Autism's associations and me:
I don't know, I can cope quite nicely (I think), but I share some common characteristics with schizoid personality disorder as well, so I'm not completely sure. The majority (at least 90 %) of the ASD symptoms applies to me.

What I think about neurodiversity:
No opinions about it, I'm neutral. Nothing necessarily good or wrong about it.

Did I tell my acquaintances about it?
Some of them.

How the Internet affect the way I socialize:
I find it an easy and a good way to socialize whenever I want to.

My opinions on a cure:
In my opinion it's OK to find a cure, but it should only be used by someone who actually wants to be permanently cured.

How it (media portrayal) affect your lives

I don't know whether it's accurate for me, and I don't know enough about others to tell whether it's accurate about them. I have been told I should see "Mozart and the Whale", but I haven't seen it yet. I don't know whether any of this stuff represents me.


If you are self-diagnosed or not

Informally diagnosed AS by others. That means I pretty much know what's going on, but legally, professionally, and medically I pass for normal.


If you are proud of it or not

Not really, it's just part of the background. There are other things to be proud of.


Did you tell your acquaintances that you have it

No.


How do you think Internet affects the way you socialize

Meh.


Are you against a cure

Not really, but I can't tell others what's right for them.

Last edited by sgrannel on 31 May 2010, 6:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

How does it affect my life?
In general, I'm pretty happy with where I am right now. I'm an accounting major with a 4.0 GPA, I'm athletic, get involved with school events and have a job. The only negatives are that I have get very anxious in group situations and have difficulties building relationships. At this point I have one close friend and several friends.
Self-diagnosed or officially diagnosed?
Officially diagnosed
Proud of it?
It's just a part of who I am. So I can't really say I'm proud of it.
How was your childhood?
I kept to myself a lot, didn't play with other kids, just felt disconnected with the outside world, I also acted out a lot and empathy for other was non-existent.
My views on media and autism:
I'm glad that they recognize us, but they would give more attention to those of us that are on the higher functioning end of the spectrum.
Autism's associations and me:
Those are for people that are unable to represent themselves, I don't fall under that category.
What I think about neurodiversity:
I agree with it. All people are created different, and it is not right to call some people normal and some not normal because of certain variations in the way there brain works.
Did I tell my acquaintances about it?
Only the ones that are on the spectrum.
How the Internet affect the way I socialize:
Socializing on the internet makes socializing much easier because I am not anxious and I can take my time and think out what I say.
My opinions on a cure:
For those people who have severe problems connecting with the outside world, I think we should continue to heavily research a cure. For higher-functioning people that can live somewhat normally, I don't think it is necessary.

I hope this helps.

Hi! Just curious: What level of journalism are you at (undergrad/grad/other)?

Affect on life:
I love the "super-powers" (hyper-focus, heightened senses) but hate the socialization deficits, especially when I really want to fit in to a group and fail. Hanging out in academia and befriending people from other cultures helps tremendously and there are certain "social scripts" that I have memorized for certain situations that assist in short-term socialization.

Self-diagnosis or professional diagnosis:
Neither. I have what is known as a peer diagnosis from a professional. I have two other neurological affectations and these affect me physically: Restless Leg Syndrome and occasional visual migraines (which are very pretty, but not painful). I have purposefully avoided an official diagnosis because I do not need or desire social assistance at this time and it may be detrimental to my insurance to do so. I am contemplating becoming more involved with activism (I currently participate only peripherally with my local ASAN group here).

Pride:
I feel proud when I exercise the abilities to help someone and gain recognition for it. For example, I may be able to read a street sign from quite a distance away and before anyone else can, helping with navigation. I might be able to use the rote memory gift to assist someone with recalling a detail or accomplishing a task. These things make me feel good and can be a source of pride. I don't feel I manifest pride in the innate abilities themselves, rather what I do with them.

Childhood:
See the link in my tagline (bottom of my post)

Media depictions:
These are mixed. Some are very bad (Autism Speaks "I am Autism" commercial). Others are better (local news coverage of our ASAN group). Still, some awareness is better than no awareness at all. We are fighting a bit of an uphill battle against the pop-culture definition of autism (typically perceived as having no ability other than rocking in a corner). The term has been redefined to apply to people on an entire spectrum now. In the future, I see the "official" organizations (Autism Speaks and the like) and the (more militant?) counter-groups like ASAN coming together when the former starts incorporating some of the latter into their structure and gives up on the idea that there will be a simple "cure". Currently, things are improving steadily. I am against the idea of a pre-natal test based on what is currently happening with Down's Syndrome children.

Acquaintances:
I told all friends and select acquaintances that I am on the spectrum. This was done with quite a bit of explanation and was a positive experience. I should mention that the diagnosis itself was a positive experience for me as it was an explanation to why I could never get (only) socialization correct but did quite well with computers, logic, and language.

Internet:
It is easier for me to learn socialization on the internet. I am discovering some of the more "fundamental underpinnings" of communication via written communication that I did not pick up solely through observation and mimicry. As I incorporate, identify and memorize these rules I find that my overall communication is improving. The drawback is that, even on the internet, it still takes constant effort and my typical internet posts take several hours to compose as I re-think and over-think things.

Cure:
I think this is now officially a "paper tiger". We're not going to arrive at any kind of meaningful cure that does not effectively scramble the individual. Certain medications seem to be of assistance to some, and I am not against anything that makes any of our lives even remotely easier. Even were we to develop a pre-natal test, current thinking is that it will only determine a "propensity" as genetics are only part of the puzzle. Cognitive factors also come into play and, to a small degree, environment. These factors cannot be measured in utero.

Etc:
I am in the United States of America.

I would be interested in hearing more of what you will do with your data. I enjoy helping out when I can -- especially one of our own.

How it affect your lives
Difficulties finding a long-term partner, difficulties holding down a decent job, restricted diet.

If you are self-diagnosed or not
Professionally diagnosed at 48

If you are proud of it or not
NO!! It's a damn curse

How was you childhood
Lonely, although the weird upbringing from my parents probably contributed towards this.

what do you think about the way the medias/films/books show it
Poor, the media do not represent anyone with a mental illness all that well.

If you think autism's associations represents you
If they do represent me then they are doing a very poor job.

What do you think about neurodiversity
No comment

Did you tell your acquaintances that you have it
I told a previous girlfriend and she helped me work around some of the lifestyle limitations

How do you think Internet affect the way you socialize
Socializing via the net is easier because it is not face to face

Are you against a cure
I am 100% in favor of a cure and if they found one I would take it in a heartbeat.

It would be better if you said where country are you from (I would be really grateful) but it's not really necessary.
Born in the UK, now living in Hungary

Full permission is given for you to quote these answers and use them in your research.

Vanilla_Slice

Thank you very much you all ! >.< You answered really quickly ^^
And to VisperaAspis, I'm finishing my first year at university. (Yes, I'm only a silly clumsy amateur)

I guess you could say I'm proud of it... I wouldn't change it and I don't see it as something to be ashamed of, but it's not so much pride (in the sense of "I'm better than the NTs") as it is acceptance (in the sense of "I'm no worse than any other 'type' of person"). I accept myself and would rather not change. After all, Aspies don't like change.

How does it affect my life? Profoundly, but not in an entirely positive or entirely negative way. On the one hand, it robs me of the ability to participate in things that NTs take for granted and consider very important, but on the other, it opens up entirely new worlds to me. It's not a disability in and of itself; disability is relative to what I'd like to do. Given that, is it a disability? Yes, but it's also a gift.

I have it every second of every day, waking and sleeping, but it's not the end-all be-all of who I am. I have dreams that are present in some but not all Aspies, some but not all Auties and some but not all NTs. Do I have these dreams in spite of being an Aspie? No, no more than anyone else has dreams in spite of being an NT.

In more practical terms, it makes casual socialization really difficult. To just make an acquaintance is a nightmare, though for some reason, once I've gotten you to accept that I'm going to stim and not look you in the eye, it's really likely that you'll become a friend. I'm pretty sociable and popular among the rather limited crowd of people who don't immediately dismiss me.

It also makes certain activities almost impossible, like going to a dance (even though I like music and would like to learn to dance) or most parties (though I went to one in December and it was fun).

On the other hand, it means I have a much easier time reading the fine print of things. I annoy people because I read fine print for fun. I feel that it's totally acceptable to fish an issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry out of a neighbor's recycling. He doesn't want it (or he wouldn't've pitched it) and I do. I really want it. And then I'll gossip about Lexapro being approved in adolescents like most people gossip about somebody dating somebody else. I read the ingredients lists of things I eat (some days I wish I didn't; you'd be surprised how unhealthy most processed foods are), the TOS on the websites I join and the precise and exact terms of all the writing contests I've eventually decided not to join because the terms seem unfair.

My childhood... did not cause my Asperger's, but did have an effect on its course. Back when it was normal to be in or just leaving the parallel play stage, when I was five, I was well-liked and a "little professor," reciting information about dinosaurs (my first special interest) and getting embarrassed when other people didn't know it all already. I swam a lot. Gradually, the other kids realized something was up. Though my social skills have continued to mature and improve over the years, at that point the other children's growing cruelty outpaced them (luckily, that cruelty stops getting any worse and levels off, but my skill in interacting has gotten better; hence, I'm not bullied anymore and doubt I will be until it serves somebody's purposes), so by the time I was eight I had to change schools. For some reason, my teachers have either loved me or hated me-- I've either had wonderful rapport with them and been utterly adored or they've been needlessly cruel and petty and just generally tried to make my life miserable. I end up feeling kind of embarrassed; I sound like a Mary Sue when I put it that way. Fifth grade, a teacher tendered her resignation over me and before leaving played a farewell trick. We were studying the civil war and she... well, according to her, she demonstrated it. She took the two most popular girls in the class (whom she warned AHEAD OF TIME, which is such a stupid practice...), who had made an effort to use me and be mean, and told them to organize the bookshelf and do the entire class assignment by themselves while doing their chores (which is stupid, they didn't tell slaves to get educated). Then she really outdid herself by quizzing the rest of the class-- easy questions even-- on what we were reading, what we'd just read, and giving you a piece of candy for a right answer. That's also how I know for certain that it's not just my imagination that she slighted me, though. I knew every answer, but in the end, I had two pieces of candy and the other kids had five or six each. Then she praised the other kids for standing up for their friends and helping them secretly. (Well, duh. And if African slaves had been that popular, we would never have had a problem. Next time stand up for someone who isn't your friend.)

Most everyone knows I have it. It's not some big secret. It's kind of like being female. I don't mention that unless it's relevant either, but I don't shy away from it. (Though for some reason, people can guess I'm a woman faster than they can guess I'm an Aspie, at least in person. I wonder why.)

What do you mean by "autism's associations?" Autism Speaks doesn't; Autism Speaks is too busy representing its own wallet.

Neurodiversity is the biggest "duh" in the universe. How you could possibly not believe it if you understood it is beyond me. I think where we trip up is that our message is so obvious, but we have such a hard time getting it implemented, that we come off sounding like we're trying for something awesome and bizarre. We're not. We just want what (for example) black people already have.

I'm American, but I admit I've never been the most patriotic person in the world. The truth is, it's hard for me to feel anything but a disconnect, especially with arbitrary groups like this. Then the chauvinism turns me off because it's rarely backed by logical argument (in elementary school, it was presented to me as a fact that America is the greatest country in the world, and when I raised an objection I was just asked where was better, as if a child would have been everywhere in the world, not that the teacher had been anywhere either), and then I end up seeming like an outsider, so in the end I'm basically kicked out. Luckily, the people in my life don't have the power to revoke my citizenship. I feel awful admitting this, but I liked 9/11. It felt cozy, because everybody agreed about stuff and the world was small because we were threatened. I like small spaces. What can I say?