Getting to know each other, Dino-style

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What is your first name? Lynne

Age: 49

Location: Portland, Oregon, USA

Current perseverations: Ubuntu Linux, creating online roleplay games, natural health (gain and regain)

When did you discover AS? This year

Do you have other psych diagnoses? No

Do you have a degree? Went to college, but never stayed at anything long enough to graduate in it

Kids? 1 poodle

Favorite music, other than NIN Laughing Electronica, Space music, and the like

Job? Unfortunately, yes

Relationship with significant other, past or present? Approaching 7 years now

Plans for the future? More of the same

Anything else you feel is pertinent: Discovering Aspergers has illuminated the strange things of my life in ways I never knew could be, before. It's made me understand a lot of things, and accept a lot of things. What's left is to mourn a few things, and then move on.

What is your first name? Josh

Age: 31

Location: CA

Current perseverations: Pod-casts, High Fantasy, and Doritos.

When did you discover AS? Summer 2007

Do you have other psych diagnoses? PTSD, Bi-polar disorder(which is in question), and ADD(which is in question)

Do you have a degree? No, but my English comprehension is "College-Level". Whatever that means.

Kids? No

Favorite music, other than NIN? *Laughing* The National, MGMT, and Broken Social Scene.

Job? Yes, it's called breathing.

Relationship with significant other, past or present? Single

Plans for the future? No, it will never be "the future". So, why plan for it?

Anything else you feel is pertinent: When confronted by Zombies; always run. Humans hold the speed advantage. Holding up in a fortified position allows the biomass to congeal on your location preventing escape and or rescue. You don't even have to run, walking at a steady pace for long durations ensures the stumbling horde will never catch you. Never ever turn back for any reason and you should be fine.

What is your first name? Jamie

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Location: Ohio

Current perseverations: Writing, philosophy, comparitive religion

When did you discover AS? Have know about it for many years but never really looked into it until recently and discovered they were describing me almost perfectly.

Do you have other psych diagnoses? Possibly bipolar.

Do you have a degree? BA :history, minor in Philosophy

Kids? No

Favorite music, other than NIN : From Jazz to Bluegrass to Classical, no genre limitations.

Job? Retail, working on a novel, and I have exhibited paintings around my city.

Relationship with significant other, past or present? I had a five year relationship with a woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but we split up. I have learned so much about myself through that loss. I am currently single and find it difficult to have hope for meeting someone I can actually connect with on that level again.

Plans for the future? I want to make a difference in the world somehow or at least leave a positive and memorable impact on it.

I hate to promote stereotypes but I happen to love trains and train tracks. I don't collect model trains or anything like that, but I do enjoy walking along the tracks, watching trains go by, wishing I could hop one and ride it across the country (possibly a goal for a less secure time in my future), and reading about historical and literary works involving trains makes them all the more interesting. I get obsessed with certain authors for long periods of time and often read their entire anthology before being able to move on to another. I love art of all kinds. I love to write serious essays, philosophical arguments and I have recently found confidence in my ability to write fiction as well. I love comparitive religion and how it may or may not be tied in with philosophical ideologies etc. I have painted at least 40 paintings using different mediums and find that my desire to do it comes and goes with periods of obsession and then long periods of indifference. I have had difficulty expressing my empathy outwardly to people even though internally it is there and sometimes it is a very intense internal empathy. I am getting better at that though. I love people even though I know I have difficulty showing that to them and this can be a constant struggle. After reading through several different descriptions of AS, I now realize that I am not alone. Everything I have been struggling with throughout my more conscious years has at least a loose definition. Just knowing there are others out there struggling with the same awkwardness helps me greatly. Thank you WP.

What is your first name? Jenna

Age: 23

Gender: Female

Location: California

Current perseverations: Astronomy

When did you discover AS? 19

Do you have other psych diagnoses? None

Do you have a degree? BSIT/ Software Engineering

Kids? Yes, one son who is almost 2 and another one on the way.

Favorite music, other than NIN: Anything instrumental. Jazz.

Job? Yes, IT.

Relationship with significant other, past or present? Married. I’ve been with him since I was 17. One and only.

Plans for the future? Having another child. Get a PhD in Physics. Move away from cities.

What is your first name? Trevor

Age: 39

Location: west virginia (formerly new york for 30 years)

Current perseverations: history, politics, philosophy

When did you discover AS? this past year. my life makes complete sense now to me and my parents

Do you have other psych diagnoses? Bipolar II, Borderline PD, Panic disorder...the list is actually quite long

Do you have a degree? nope. dropped out of college

Kids? 2 daughters and a son

Favorite music, other than NIN : eclectic.

Job? programmer

Relationship with significant other, past or present? divorced for 3 years

Plans for the future? get back on my feet and get my life together.

Anything else you feel is pertinent:

What is your first name? Steve

Age: 44

Gender: Male

Location: Idaho

Current perseverations: Astronomy, Rocketry, Skeptism

When did you discover AS? 4-5 years ago when my nephew was diagnosed.

Do you have other psych diagnoses? No

Do you have a degree? Ph.D Aerospace Engineering

Kids? No

Favorite music, other than NIN : Rock (Rush), classical.

Job? Laid off last September.

Relationship with significant other, past or present? No

Plans for the future? Find a job. May have to change careers since my part of the aerospace industry in currently imploding.

Anything else you feel is pertinent: No

What is your first name? Dithra (well, sort of)

Age: 38 - at time of writing!

Gender: Female

Location: Wales, UK

Current perseverations: faith stuff, gardening, all kinds of feathered and furry beasties

When did you discover AS? Have been aware of it as a syndrome for a while, only began to suspect myself Aspie in the past few months

Do you have other psych diagnoses? More than I care to admit. If I get the Aspie 'label' I'd happily stick it right over all the other ones!

Do you have a degree? BSc in Zoology

Kids? No (glad not to have to justify that answer here)

Favorite music, other than NIN : Don't think I could easily pare that one down. Currently enjoying classic and prog rock, with folksy and indie type stuff always there in the background (not literally, the clash of sounds and styles would seriously mess with my head!). Tend to like decent lyrics, any empty manufactured tune with meaningless lyrics just annoys me

Job? Yep

Relationship with significant other, past or present? Yes, after a long wait, I am happily settled with a quirky man who pretty much 'gets' me.

Plans for the future? Despite liking to make God laugh, I tend not to tell Him my plans!

Anything else you feel is pertinent: My friends once put on a Muppet album and timed how long it would take for me to enter from the room next door (I was, of course, unaware of the 'experiment') 9 seconds! I have a long held question as to whether my soh was shaped by early Muppet exposure, or whether I gravitated to it as my natural humour home. I'm beginning to suspect it was the latter.

What is your first name? Diane

Age: 45

Location: UK

Current perseverations:

When did you discover AS? Not diagnosed (but pretty sure I'm not NT)

Do you have other psych diagnoses? No

Do you have a degree? No

Kids? A son age 20

Favorite music? Love lots of music from one extreme to the other

Job? Seamstress

Relationship with significant other, past or present? Seperated from son's father years and years ago - spent over 10 years with just my son - now sadly just out of a 4 and half year relationship which we tried really hard to make work

Plans for the future? Find a job (although I have one) working with people who don't dump all over me and pay me buttons. Also trying to find someone new to share my life with - and it's hard work!

Anything else you feel is pertinent: I think I feel quite at home here - and hope to make some new friends

What is your first name? Dolores

Age: Nineteen

Location: 1994

Current perseverations: Chromosomal anomalies; UFOs.

When did you discover AS? Age fifteen or sixteen, I believe. Diagnosed at age seventeen.

Do you have other psych diagnoses? Anxiety, supposedly.

Do you have a degree? No. I will be starting school in the fall. I plan to go for a certificate in developmental disabilities.

Kids? I'm not sure whether or not I'll ever want children.

Favorite music: The Who, Smashing Pumpkins, Talking Heads, Dead Can Dance.

Job? Childcare, part-time only.

Relationship with significant other, past or present? None.

Plans for the future? To be happy. I don't really have plans. I just hope things turn okay.

Anything else you feel is pertinent: I'm not happy. Reluctantly on meds. Never been kissed. My favorite food is sushi.

Oo! I'm so happy I found the grown-up version.

What is your first name?: Some people call me Raqui - you can too. It sounds like Rocky, but it's not the same.

Age: 37

Location: USA

Current perseverations: Learning all I can about AS, writing complex mathematical verse poetry, and figuring out a way to survive the cacaphony of noise on the train to and from work.

When did you discover AS?: Depends on what you mean by "discover". I always knew I was weird, I just didn't have a name for it until very recently.

Do you have other psych diagnoses?: A bazillion, but none of them really felt right until now.

Do you have a degree?: Not yet. I'm working on it. I just went back to school for a degree in Economics.

Kids?: Not yet... but I'm working on that too, if it's still possible.

Favorite music?: Indie/folk/rock (Ingrid Michaelson, Ani DiFranco, etc) and Silly/pop/rock (They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, etc)

Job?: Investment Materials Specialist (I read retirement plan documents and translate them into spreadsheets so the fees are more transparent and uniform. It's awesome. I am very lucky.)

Relationship with significant other, past or present?: I was married for three years a while back... it didn't take. Like many women with AS, I was unable to read what was wrong with the relationship before it had materialized into disaster. Since then, I've learned my lesson and have figured out that I need a few close NT women in my life to screen men for me. I have a great guy now, and according to my sources he's planning to propose to me next month (FXd!).

Plans for the future?: Man plans, God laughs... I always plan for the future, but it never turns out the way I plan.

Anything else you feel is pertinent: No... I'm just glad to be here.

What is your first name? Chris

Age: 45

Location: West Central Iowa

Current perseverations: Balloons, UE,

When did you discover AS? Diagnosed as HFA in the military

Do you have other psych diagnoses? none

Do you have a degree? no

Kids? 1

Favorite music, other than NIN Andre Rieu

Job? Field Service Engineer for a major IT corporation.

Relationship with significant other, past or present? Married 3 times, currently married.

Plans for the future?

Anything else you feel is pertinent:

Age: 19

Location: Seville

Current perseverations: reading, watching HFA related movies, Nightmare before Christmas family guy and similar "cartoons" and listening to paramore almost all the time.

When did you discover AS? Diagnosed last year.

Do you have other psych diagnoses? no

Do you have a degree? Im trying to become an IT, so far I have done first year and it could have gone better.

Kids? Dont have any but I´d be willing to if I found a suitable partner who wanted to have some.

Favorite music, other than NIN Green day, sum41 and similar bands

Job? Im trying to get a degree first.

Relationship with significant other, past or present? Had a couple of what some may call relationships but neither of them lasted long.

Plans for the future? Get a degree a job, move out and if possible find a suitable partner.

Anything else you feel is pertinent: nope

Age: 40

Location: American Midwest

Current perseverations: Modes of transportation, twirly things, water.

When did you discover AS? Autism diagnosis in youth.

Do you have other psych diagnoses? No.

Do you have a degree? Yes.

Kids? Not yet.

Favorite music, other than NIN? Bach, hardcore, bluegrass.

Job? Professor.

Relationship with significant other, past or present? Happily married.

Plans for the future? Hope things stay similar.

Anything else you feel is pertinent? Birds.

Age: 53

Location: American Midwest

Current perseverations: Books of children's fiction with subject of magic.

When did you discover AS? I have high functioning autism. Have had an autistic diagnosis since very early childhood.

Do you have other psych diagnoses? No.

Do you have a degree? No.


Relationship with significant other, past or present? Happily married.

Plans for the future? Maybe buy an RV in retirement and be able to see the country while taking all familiar things along.

What is your first name? Jay

Age: 33

Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Current perseverations:

When did you discover AS? For myself, very recently. Same story as many others - I always knew I was very different than most and have always had certain peculiarities, etc. However, I need to tell a story to explain the rest:

In the early 2000's I worked on a data collection system for the precursor to the Autism Genome Project. It allowed researchers to enter DSM-IV, ADOS, and/or CARS test results in a double-blind manner to be linked with genetic data in another system for later analysis.

The data entry system contained the full written versions of the tests / diagnostic instruments. Throughout the project as I read the test entries and created web-based versions of them, it repeatedly occurred to me that I fit a lot of the criteria (either currently or when I was a child, as many of the items are quite specific to children). Well, at the time I wasn't very introspective so I ignored it and moved on with life.

Recently I have begun having marital problems. Without going into details, I researched my perceived oddities to try to help my wife better understand from my point of view. Again, it led me directly to ASDs. This time, however, something clicked and I realized that I am most likely an aspie. I dove much deeper in researching this time and found WP in the process.

I don't have a diagnosis, and I probably won't pursue one. However it's enlightening and comforting to know that there's a whole board full of people here who can understand and relate.

Do you have other psych diagnoses? no

Do you have a degree? no

Kids? No

Favorite music, other than NIN Laughing: Technocrap and trance, especially if they include vocals

Job? None presently - taking time off. In the past and probably the future, programmer, web developer, entrepreneur / business owner.

Relationship with significant other, past or present? Married 7 years

Plans for the future? Other than work, etc, lots of travel and by various means. I want to drive through every US state and at some point complete a full circumnavigation by sailboat.

Anything else you feel is pertinent: Meh.