Hello, my name is Cliff I am new to this forum. My wife says I've got Aspergers; and I must admit to having many of the personality traits. Do people believe that it is a matter of either/or, that is to say a black or white situation regarding clinical analysis or definition, or should it be a matter of degree, that is we have Asperger type tendencies to a greater or lesser degree? My symptoms have changed over the years, with some diminishing whilst others have got stronger. Small repetitive noise really drives me crazy these days. On a bad day the quiet ticking of a clock irritates, let alone the refridgerator or the pc router in the office! I don't do body language reading or play guessing games when others try to suggest things to me. If its not said; I don't hear it. I can look someone in the eye whilst talking to them, but not for too long, after that I've got to look out the window to concentrate on what they're talking about. It just becomes too weird otherwise. Multi tasking is often easy enough; BUT when somebody starts talking, it all goes to pieces. I can talk to a large group of people these days, in the past, especially as a youngster, it was not possible. This ability would soon deteriorate if I didn't have to practice it often because of my work. I guess conditioning and training can over-ride some Asperger symptoms.
I welcome any comment.
Cliff A.