Researching my own condition.

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I spent a little time today looking into spectrum disorders. I had come across the mention of Kanner's Autism a few times here recently, so I looked that up. Web MD seemed to have the easiest to understand info.

After checking out Kanner's I believe that's not my condition. Although there are some similarities to my condition, there were areas of difference that just didn't fit me at all. I also checked out a link they had to Rett's Syndrome Autism. It primarily affects females--males with it usually don't live long after birth--I definitely don't fit under Rett's, although I am female. The symptomology for Rett's is just too specific to have any doubts. I had checked out Classic Autism long ago, and don't fit that, either. However, every time I look into Asperger's Syndrome, I see myself in the symptoms. The online test I took confirmed it. When I have more time I will take some of the other online tests, too.

Knowing why I am different has been a great relief. Although that doesn't fix anything, it solves the unpleasant mystery that had haunted my life for decades. I guess it's like shining a light under the bed to finally expose the bogey man, and finding only dust bunnies, a few dead bugs, some old crumbs, a few old magazines, and maybe a stray sock or two. Not great stuff to find under the bed, but at least not the bogey man, either. Knowing what's wrong helps me deal with it better mentally because I can wrap my mind around something that is known, whereas I couldn't do that with a mystery condition. It also provides a trail I can follow when researching my condition, so I can find out things to help me deal with life as an Aspie.

With the help of the I-net, and WP, I will continue my journey of spectrum discoveries.

That is what used to be called Infantile or classical, Autism. It is usually a lot more obvious than something like Asperger's.
Remember that Kanner described Autism to begin with. And those children were severely effected by their condition. At that time, no one even thought that an autistic could be high-functioning, that would have been an oxymoron.
When I studied psychology, Asperger's was still only known to a few, and some intermediate autistics were sometimes labeled as "Childhood" schizophrenia. They were pretty disabled but capable of speech.
Everyone on the spectrum is different, so it may be best to try and not take labels TOO seriously. They are not a Be All End All.

Sincerely,
Matthew

I used to do hours and hours of research on my particular condition when I first found out about it. I've researched autism at the age of 15 and than I've researched AS between the ages 20 and 25.

We are all different to each other. 'Normal' people feel different too. They also believe that there is 'something wrong with them'. Aspergers is just a label as society loves to label and place evertyhing in nice neat boxes, This is how we try to understand things. There is nothing wrong with you, you function slightly differently to the majority. The perception and assumption that the majority is right or correct is faulty.

You probably function more in tune with your inner self whereas the majority function from the facade that they build to converse and conform with others (facades), to gain acceptance (which can only ever be tempory).

You are different, only because you are unique. Do really want to be the same???
You have been taught that you have a problem - you do not have a problem. Others who only want conformity have the problem, please don't buy into their problem.
People (mostly family) try and change you, because they do not understand you and they become aware of their vulnerability when you don't fit in to their 'norm'. People with aspergers are type cast as anti social etc when the fact is that they generally have their need for self acceptance met, others have a desperate need for acceptance from others as they have no self acceptance. Much of human behavior is devoted to attempting to get acceptance and avoid rejection.

Please accept who you are, a unique and magnificent person and no person who has ever lived is as unique or magnificent as you. This is a fact.
Cheers

Actually, many of the kids Kanner described were at the same level of visuably autistic as the kids Asperger described.

Only one of 12 kids that Kanner described in that original paper was nonverbal.

Ok, my bad. However the picture people got out of that is autistic people were mostly non-verbal. Or just echoliac. That is how almost every textbook I found on the subject described autism. And Asperger's was not known at all..

Sincerely,
Matthew

Yes, the term high functioning wasn’t in use at Kanner’s time, but if I remember correctly most autistics in Kanner’s study were somewhat verbal. Two of the studied autistics did end up getting a higher education. Both had jobs and lived their adult life independently. Today they would be labeled high functioning because of the outcome.

Labels are always arbitary.