Why isnt there anything out there for adults with AS?

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Actually, I don't think that inlightened me at all .

It did reafirm my theory that many people with AS think of it as an illness or defect to be cured that will then make their lives much easier . My opinion, and it is no more then that, is that you will never be able to untwine the parts of you that are AS from those that are NT . Nor will you be able to keep the gifts of AS if you try and get rid of the faulty bits. What might happen is that a labotomy might make you a happier but poorer functioning human and I believe that is the cure that those who are currently defing AS are seeing as the best out-come ....brave new world indeed .

I don't know you or how your AS effects you but I certainly know that I spent most of my life wishing I was dead . It wasn't easy being AS, especialy before anyone knew why I was different...(not that the majority of humans now understand or except what I know to be true after my own research ). I find the average human to be a rather intellectually incurious and unimaginative group as a "whole", though of course their are exceptions. The one thing I can say for all of them is that they are certainly less interested in my well being then I am, (self centered lout that I am ). So I have no intention of turning my brain over to their judgement on what is best for me .


Perhaps the difference is not in how hard we find it to be AS in the current environment but a belief that we can never change that environment to be one in which we can funtion to our optimal level AND keep our AS . I think it is possible and am working towards that goal. I could be wrong but I still find it a better alternative then trusting a group of scientist and psycholgist who I believe have made a mess of the world as it is...to decide what functions should be cured and at what cost . I don't share the same ethics, ideals or end goals and they have and so....they can't have my brain . If you want to hand yours over...well, it's your to do as you see fit . Hope you enjoy the Matrix.

its off topic but I love your avitar sinsboldly !
it made me smile, in a weird sort of way

There is a prevailing attitude in the UK that disabled people are only suitable for low skilled jobs. I have no idea where this attitude came from or whether it was the result of the education system in years gone by denying disabled kids anything higher than a primary school education or the opportunity to take exams leading to qualifications. The consequence of this attitude is that most disability organisations try to channel disabled people into low skilled jobs and are often unable to help disabled people with a higher level of skills and qualifications find careers that make use of them.

Asperger Technical is one exception to this rule as it was set up to help scientists, engineers, and IT workers with Asperger syndrome find suitable employment. However, it only operates in the UK and has yet to make any serious impact with any employers.

http://www.aspergertechnical.org.uk

At the moment, self help is the only consistent source of help for adults.

Magliabechi.

I am an adult with Asperger's. I went 43 years without a proper dx. The school I went to as a child threatened to take me away from my parents because they were "bad parents" in spite of them having five other children who were NT. There are some things I have learned to adapt to and things I haven't. I have other issues because my AS was not diagnosed until last year.
I had to start a meetup group (First meeting is next Tuesday) because right now there is nothing in my part of the state.

Are you in some indirect way saying that you'd have a 'better' personality if you didn't have AS?

I don't know what I said that would suggest that. I was saying that I did not outgrow my AS traits because I did not know I had AS.

I need an agent (to sell my work, since I never seem to be able to explain myself to people), and a manager to help me publicize it when I sell it. And a personal assistant to make sure I have time to do other things once I've figured out getting dressed (and having clothes) and eating properly, and keeping track of all the ridiculous things people expect me to do.

I could also use a Blackberry, since I prefer email to phone, but while I could just go out and buy one if I had the money, I don't have the money.

I need enough money to cover basic expenses, something disabled people on welfare aren't allowed to have here, since they want to give us incentive to work, even though they know we'd already be working if we could.

I don't have the slightest interest in going to ASD support groups, since I don't enjoy in-person encounters with people I have nothing in common with except a diagnosis, and I get all the ASD support I need on the internet, like here. It's not like if I become friends with someone with ASD we can help each other with our problems. We're all in the same hole together and in that sort of situation it's better to get away from the others and tread water on my own so we don't drag each other down.

I had a bad experience with the Autism Society here, where a worker gave my contact information to another woman with AS - the worker was convinced we'd be bosom buddies, and the next thing I knew I was getting this woman's life story, and I was not ok with this. I need to choose my own friends, thanks.

I'm glad someone posted the link to the NAS document. I shall have to have a look through. They are our hope, since they seem to be the only ones on the job.

Edit for spelling

My guess is because Aspergers is a form of autism and according to the criteria, there is no problems with self help skills, we will do fine in the world with no help because all we need to do is cope with the condition. They also figure, go to the library, check out some books on body language and relationships and psychology and read about it and poof, we do fine after that because we have learned to read people and learned how people think and feel so we know to use those steps we have learned by making those assumptions. AS is still seen as a childhood disorder and they figure we outgrow it by the time we are 18 because we had learned to cope by then and had outgrown all the symptoms.

At least the AS children are lucky now because they are getting the help they need so that their lives are easier when they are adults and there have been aspies who made it through without a diagnoses because the diagnoses didn't exist then so they found their own ways to cope. They ended up with jobs and can hold it down and getting married and having kids.

To get help, you need to have a psyhical disability or a mental illness such as Bipolar or Manic Depression.