Question about aspie and life prospects ?

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Do people with this condition realistically have any chance of having a normal life ie :

Social life,sex life
Career job etc
House family etc


Do a large percentage of aspie people end up living in a care home or end up on the streets like Bobby Fischer did ?

Do most people with aspie mange to live a life which is not destructive ie commit sucicide because of their difficulties ?

Why does the media portray people who are autistic as the Rain man or a 5 year old kid having a temper or in a care home with dribble pouring out of their mouth whilst flapping in the corner counting ?


Ive been looking on google but found hardly any semi famous actors with aspie do you know of list of actors or famous people with it ?

No offence intended for people who are autistic in this community.

In short it is possible for some of us to live a halfway "normal" life. I'm a retired engineer and have a partner who has been with me for many years. She is definitely NT too. Yes, there are difficulties with school, work and home life, but it is possible to learn how to mimic NT behavior for social situations and it is possible to learn to focus for school, etc. Was it hard to do? YES! And in my early 20's I did have to live in my car for a few months and was almost completely broke with only a few dollars left. I simply decided that that was enough of that crap, so I got a job and went to college for my degree. How? I forced myself to do what had to be done. Shear brute force of will to get 'er done.

So, don't lose hope. You can have a life. Just stop talking and buckle down and do it!
Good Luck!

Career: Check

Job: Check

House: Nope

Family : Nope

Social Life: Nope

Sex Life: Does my hand count?

Career: I'm doing very well in college so I'm pretty sure that won't be a problem

Job: been working at the same place the last 3 years

House: I'm only 19

Family : again only 19

Social Life: I have close some friends and a lot of not so close friends, but I don't go partying or clubbing

Sex Life: Same answer as previous post, lol

I would like to know, too.

I know someone with degree, career, and house, but not the rest.
I have degree, a few friends, and almost none of the rest at this time. (I do have my own ancestors, and we are close.)

But, had I known about AS/me earlier, I might have adjusted and taken steps accordingly, as I am seeking to do now.

Wishing all those luck as we navigate the journey...

Why are you asking?

Are you concerned that you might have AS/HFA?


Are you writing an article on the disorder?

Last edited by Willard on 23 Jul 2010, 8:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Social life,sex life Non-existent.
Career job etc Nope, didn't graduate from school.
House family etc Still live at home, but I'm under 18.

Aspie is a person with Asperger's, it isn't Asperger's.

Your questions are too hard to answer generally. There are people here who live in group homes to people here who have marriages, kids, jobs, cars... autism is highly individual.

I intend to have it all, and I don't care what additional difficulties I will have to overcome.

I have all of those. But none of them are normal.

social - not counting family oriented events, every once in a blue moon
sex - assuming this means with others so no
job - right now night shift @ a grocery outlet, pay is crap but it's fairly simple
career - want to go back to college but too many issues
house - still staying at home

Lately I've had a few down moments where I just wanted to find the quickest way to end my misery, or what I perceive as that. It's tough to hang in there and keep going but somehow I still am.

Oh yeah, about Rainman, Hollywood will never tell you the full story and anyone who assumes that all autistic people are like that is quite frankly an uneducated idiot.

One more thing, about that list of famous people you seek, perhaps you should be asking "how did those people manage to become successful with it?" instead of asking for just a list.

Acting is not a profession that most people suffering from a disorder that tends to come with loads of social anxiety would be drawn to in large numbers. I like the idea of acting, but the thought of cameras, crews, live audiences - not so much. Much rather voice animation, but these days you have to already be a celebrity to get those parts.

Dan Akroyd once said in a radio interview that he had AS, and for a while it was not clear whether or not he was joking when he said it, but he has since confirmed that indeed, he does have Asperger Syndrome and was diagnosed when he was a kid.

social: I don't have any friends whom I regularly hang out with, nor do I desire company. I think of myself as socially undesireable. I've had people trying to befriend me, but not being sure of their true intentions I reject such requests.

family: I'm happy with my current situation. I'll try to stay in touch with my father brother and sister. I don't want kids or marriage. I 'll get a high paying job, a nice house and spend money on my interests.

house: I'm in the process of moving out, have signed the necessary papers. I feel ashamed for not moving out earlier as my 16 year old sister just moved out, because I've been living like a parasite for the last year and because once you have the motivation it's not that hard to move out.

sex: extremely low sex drive, but me and mr. left hand are friends with benefits.

Job: currently a freelance programmer and freelance portrait and landscape artist. Also on disability money to help me trough university. Both of them require little or no social contact. Typically I draw family portraits/wedding portraits w/e on request. It's boring because you can't express yourself as an artist and unless you have a large network it's hard to make a living out of it. I don't see myself ever working in a stressfull and social demanding enviroment.

career: I'm currently a second year med. student who graduated his first year with straight A's, so hopefully check on this one. I don't imagine myself as a doctor though I'm skilled in verbal conversation I don't like eye contact and touching others. Plus I don't consider myself to be very empathic, something which is important for a doctor. I'm thinking of becoming a pathologist because it's not as demanding socially. My dream was to become a scientist, but it's a long journey and I'm not ready to make such a sacrifice. Also I've thought myself to be fluent in three programming languages so hopefully I could make it as a developer if needed.

A chance? Yes certainly.


Are our chances of obtaining all these things AS GOOD as those of NT's?


Considering all the employment and "outcome" statistics i've seen for people with AS not to mention the number of older adults (like me) in this group who are unemployed, financially dependant, socially isolated, etc.....No.


I don't personally know anyone with AS who is defacto homeless..... but i'm sure they're out there.

Several people in this group have claimed they've been homeless before for fairly long periods of time and I think a few currently are still.



It would certainly appear there's an increased suicide risk for people with AS/NLD too.


Life is hardly a bowl of cherries for enough of us with AS/NLD and similar conditions.



This is why I become a bit miffed at those who make broad generalizations about neurological conditions like AS/NLD.

One on hand you have the doom n' gloomers like Autism Speaks, Dr. Byron Rourke, etc.... who act as though AS, NVLD, ASD's and other neurological conditions are an unqualified tragedy for EVERYONE.


On the other....you have people (plenty in this group) who claim that all these conditions are just a neurological "difference" rather than a disability.

Career: definitely, for 30+ years

Job: as above

House: this is our second house, upgraded 12 years ago

Family : married going on 30 years, 4 children, now those children are married or in relationships, 2 grandchildren

Social Life: More than I want

Sex Life: Yup

Can't say it has been easy, but all the hard work has definitely been worth it

Career: I work part time at the no-kill animal shelter, 20 hours/week. I'm pleased with this. I have a degree in education that I may or may not use in the future, but it is unlikely that I will ever work full time or around lots of people.

House: I live with my parents. In the next month, I will move into my own apartment in low-income housing in a very nice part of town. We're hoping that, with services, I'll be able to maintain this living arrangement.

Family: I have my mom and my sister, and that's all I need. I had my grandma before she died last year. They're all immensely supportive of me and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I don't want kids and don't think I should have them.

Social Life: Meh. Mom? I'm working on joining the church youth group (I'm 22, but more on par with middle schoolers and may fit in well with them). This is lacking.

Sex Life: Not interested. At all. No thank you. Gross.

He's a curious NT.