positive posts, tell me why you're special...

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i revel... to know the truth. i no longer feel like a weirdo, martian, robot... i am finally happy to know i am who i am. let the NT s live as they do. actors, fakes, bs ers please know, im not insulting them, its just my observations... i feel bad for them, not for us. we are honest and real. maybe in fact we are the next step in evolution (just another of my observations...) so, here are some of my beliefs; maybe God put us on the planet for a reality check. my nephew is autistic, and he is the sweetest person i know. as an aspie, i have been personally complimented as a gift to those who know of me. i am honored. people, remember, please, just how important you are. people love you. take your gifts, and make them happen. you know your gifts. stop pretending you dont know... be your true self, and watch the magic unfold. enjoy being you...

mike gee

Last edited by mikegee on 06 Jul 2006, 9:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I've been myself for 16 years, and frankly, it sucks ass. I don't think that's really the way to go anymore.

hi vinzer. i am sorry to hear that. i want this post to be about the positive aspects of aspergers. that may be difficult for some people to accept, that there are very positive things about it. i do empathize with you, but please post on another post, ot start a new post about why you think it sucks ass. ive been there too, and i still go there everyday, in fact...believe me. but i want this post to be about the positive things about AS. thank you anybody else have anything positive to say? really, if you really think hard, you will find the positive...

The things that make me special, are

I'm a very good Artist. I have a Library of four Sketchbooks that I've worked on, and half of a book with Paintings.

I have very good focus. Once I decide that I'm going to do something, I stick to it.

I have a very unusual Accent for someone who was born and raised in North America.

My Personality and Obsessions have always matched my Accent, and not on purpose.

I'm able to ignore the Ignorant Youth in my Area, because I'm more focused on Objects than on People.

I'm able to be myself and I refuse to pretend to be like everybody else. People know what my real Interests are, because of
this.

I've been being myself, since the middle of Last December. I've been much happier with myself, since than.

I'm...well, me. It's not something that I generally feel pride in, or shame in either. I'm fond of myself, I guess, and I don't have too many self-esteem issues. I don't think I'm better than NTs, mind, but I don't think I'm worse, either; just different. It's like being a lefty in a world of righties; you're not inherently better or worse for being left-handed, but your life will be more difficult because most things are designed for right-handed people. I'm proud of my excellent reading speed and comprehension, my high ability to learn, and my singleminded devotion to things I care about. On the other hand, I'm less proud of my inability to trust anyone without a long period of covert observation and my inability to go up and ask someone for help or instructions if I have difficulties.

By the way, I certainly don't think that Aspies and auties are 'the next step in evolution!' For that to be true, there would have to be some sort of reproductive advantage in having an ASD, and I rather suspect the opposite is strongly true, with the higher percentage of asexuals among people with ASDs (or is it the other way around?) and the increased difficulty of those of us with ASDs finding a mate. Your idea doesn't seem to have a full grasp of what evolution really is. As for NTs being 'actors, fakes, and BSers,' I'd like to point out that I'm the one who's constantly faking social niceties, not my NT younger sister.

I've been myself for 25 years... there's no magic, believe me, though I was quite happy the last eight years that I made a concious effort to be always alone. Now I decided to get me some social skills and, like my current signature says, I'm loving it, now there's some magic for sure.

I've been myself for about 31 years. I've always said there are good and bad things about AS, and that we don't have the right to pick and choose what sort of symptoms we want, much as there is no one that can pick and choose their positives and negatives, regardless if you're NT or whatever. I don't support an idea that we should, through genetic manipulation or whatever, since that will end up bringing side effects that we may end up regretting in the future.

I can sink deeply into thought about a lot of things. My mind seems to never be at rest, and I constantly conjure up thoughts, ideas and patterns. I tend to juggle what I see and hear with intuition, and I tend to do this all the time. I am constantly trying to make sense of things. Is this a good aspect? I think it is in many ways, though at times it can get overwhelming.

I have interests that I delve deeply into, usually with an emotional attachment. I tend to favor subjects of interest over people. Is this a postiive aspect? NTs would probably say no, but that's only because they're more attuned to socializing a lot. For me, that is something that I just don't really want to become involved with. I can easily explain myself and what I want and what I expect and so forth, but two-way communication becomes a problem. I'm too deep in thought, highly attuned and get too emotional.

I have facets that could become quite useful, but the real world out there has plans for people besides me. Why is that? Well, it's not because of AS, but it's because of what people don't understand about AS. People with this condition tend to be far less social on the job, and that is something most firms should enjoy. They should not like to want people who chit chat all day long, yet for someone with AS, if it becomes known, many people cringe, out of something they don't readily understand. We also sink deeply into our interests, so if we try to land a job regarding our interests ... let's face it, most firms should want people with AS. Since it is considered a syndrome, and considered a psychiatric condition, people look down upon us. That's not my fault.

Even with the positive aspects, putting them to use? NTs are far less productive, but they fare much better in the larger scheme of things. We're more productive, and we tend to have more problems.

- Ray M -

What was the process of acquiring social skills, what did you do exactly?

That's quite a war against many bits of me that is far from over and I could not sum it up in a post, not even a book.

Earlier this year I had the fortune of finding an aspie girl who had most of my traits and I took advantage of the situation, I spent two months analyzing her, days and nights thinking about the way she did everything, until I had a complete database of all the things I did wrong and how they looked like from the outside. After I could not see her anymore, I spent the next month with other aspies I know (there's more than twenty of them ), which gave me a more complete picture of our traits and why we look so weird to others. I also found many of the things they do when they try to be more "normal" and how they still look weird no matter how hard they try (I think it's because they don't know exactly what their problems are). After that I've spent two months analyzing NTs, learning their "right" way to do social stuff.

At the same time I've been reading posts here, which gave me an inner view of the things that happen to aspies and the innerworkings of the social world, as well as some articles and books. I think it has taken about eight hours a day of my life from february, so it's not been an easy trip. (Also, social lifes cost a lot of money!)

So, basically, after you know all the small things you are doing wrong, you just slowly stop doing them, you try to live a NT kind of life (because being social is not something you do only when there's people around you) and I've come up with a lot of exercises I do when am alone, for example, this week I finally bought myself a mirror and I'm starting to practice facial expressions, I've stopped the day dreaming and instead I spend that time describing what I see which helps me come up with conversation topics when I'm talking to someone, gotta do physical exercises to keep my brain filled with enery, stop laughing alone so I don't deplete my humor which gives me more humor to spend with people, sleep well to recharge the social batteries, etc.

I'm obsessed with Biological Sciences and I am a geek, in my opinion this makes me special.

I am unique and won't be like others simply to 'fit in'.

I don't follow the same things that others seem to follow such as football or fashion but then I don't give a crap. I go along with what I like not what others tell me I should like. In fact, I don't really follow anything, its too stressful, I just cruise through life and take what I liike from it and discard what I don't like.

I'm quite blunt and to the point about stuff (provided its not emotional lol) so people tend to know where they stand with me.

Well...I like my imagination...sometimes I'm very proud of some of the stories or worlds I come up with.

I am special because I have heightened intelligence and I am able to focus on the things I am passionate about.

yay i'm glad all of you posted your qualities i think this is a good thing

i do believe much of our condition is based on a perspective of NT s, ie: "oh, yes, they are different than us because..." as opposed to us just being us, naturally. i am glad i learned to be more social and outgoing, although it is still a day to day struggle...

i hope you keep posting positive posts here, it is healthy.

mike gee

You are very welcome!

I'm still not 100% myself, but I'm working on it.

I'm special because I'm really good at tai chi.
I've had two good teachers who both said so in words and actions. One said, indirectly, that my actions were true taoistic, modest, and humble. A real taoist is the true sage who follows nature, I believe we Aspies are alle true sages. He told the other students to learn from the questions I asked. I seem to ask questions that others don't think of asking.

I clouldn't agree with you more, allthough the evolution thing may be a couple of thousands years away.

I'm special because I don't lie.
I read an articel about aspergers not lying and he said that it's not healthy going through life not lying.
Why not? I don't get it. I believe when we die, we are confronted with all the things we have done in life, good and bad, and you can't lie you're way out of it. "No that wasn't me" or "I did it to help her" that's what you hear from people who died and come back. Some even say that is hell, that you can tell a lie once you die, you're standing in front of this being who can see right througt you.

I don't believe we're 'the next step in evolution' but I do believe we are a natural variation with benefits and difficulties. Some of us are balanced more toward the benefits side and some toward the difficulties side.

I am special because I just got accepted at a highly-prestigious university, at 43, to get my bachelor degree. I even mentioned Aspergers in my application essay.