Interesting info from tony atwoods book about aspergers

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I remember once I read tony atwoods book 'about aspergers' and I remember reading something in it from what memory serves roughly along the lines of "an individual with aspergers might go through phase where they will deny there is nothing wrong with them at all and any indication from other people that they are different will make them react in a very sensitive way" and also "they will at some point have to reluctantly agree that they are 'different'.

Can I have your views on this?

Yes, there are definitely people with Asperger's who deny that there is anything wrong with them. They will be irritated by the suggestion that there is, indeed, something wrong with them.

With some, I would agree that there's nothing necessarily "wrong" with them--only a "different form of right."

I don't know if it is the same thing, I knew there was something wrong with me, but was very uncomfortable with other people thinking that, so went out of my way to pretend that the way I was was through choice rather than something being wrong with me. For example, I pretended I was very antisocial and not interested in people rather than bad at making friends, I pretended I had no interest in relationship rather than admit I don't know how to form one etc. Don't recall anyone directly saying there was something wrong with me and me denying it, but if they had I would of. Think it is one of those things with autism that observing something from the outside doesn't alway give insight to whats going on on the inside.

When I was young, my parents had me "tested" for various things because I was getting failing grades in school.

At the time, nobody seemed to know of AS (not an official Dx in the USA). So, since I had a genius IQ and no clear evidence of neurological disorders, I was told I was "normal."

So, yes, I resisted thinking there was something "wrong" with me. I was told I was normal, the kids I grew up with were very cliquish and mean, and I couldn't see how anything was "wrong" other than that I didn't measure up to what others wanted from me.

It was at 40 after yet again another social blunder most people know how to avoid that I accepted that somehow, I wasn't "right" and started asking serious questions that lead me to better understand the true nature of autism.

I do not agree that that this type of denial is more common in the Aspie population then in the general population.

I'm sure one of his books is on my recommended list by my specialist, I have not checked any out yet but intend to over the next few years.

You should check them out now. Attwood is not difficult to read at all.

I was like that most of the time until early this year when I had my autism obsession and realized that it actually is kind of a big deal.

I spent pretty much 15 years in denial (2001-2016). There were a multitude of reasons why. One of the biggest was that I didn't really understand Autism till I started reading things written BY Autistics, instead of just about them. Once I started doing that everything just began to click!

Why can't people just chill out and except some people have different brains without making a song and dance about it?

I wouldn't have considered myself autistic I mean I thought I had everything worked out until I watched the PBS documentary "neurotypical". Which featured autistic people really giving their own version of the way the world was. It certainly struck a chord and then I started rearranging my reality as a person experiencing a different neurological reality to normal people. Suddenly my life has a new narrative, and a person doesn't have to feel so damned alone any more.

I should try to get the Attwood book, it seems to be getting a very good rap from many people on the forum. Cant seem to get it on TaoBao(China's ebay).

I went through a denial phase when I was a teenager, and looking back on it, it was definitely a mistake. I wondered why I had all these issues, and I refused to accept autism as an explanation. I honestly thought I was just a normal teen with some mental health issues who was being treated unfairly by the public school system.

Trekkie83 wrote: "I didn't really understand Autism till I started reading things written BY Autistics, instead of just about them. Once I started doing that everything just began to click!"

That might partly explain my own smooth passage. I found WP before I'd been diagnosed, and discussed my skepticism with Aspies:
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