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okie
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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Joined: 6 Aug 2012
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Posts: 63
Location: North Las Vegas, NV

07 Aug 2012, 8:25 pm

First words to therapist after being given my diagnosis: "I'm not a F---ing aspie!" I didn't get the advantage of a childhood diagnosis, so my education in it has been a crash course.

Having been afflicted with a mental disorder that inhibits my ability to properly read people and interpret their thoughts and feelings, I've entered the field of social work, because apparently I'm insane. It even has "social" in the title! When one of my social work professors gave us a poll to gauge our personality traits, I was supposed to mark an x on a line with one end meaning outgoing, and the other end meaning reserved. I shaded in half the line and wrote "aspergers." I begin my senior year internship this coming fall.

I'm blessed to have a kind, sweet, understanding girlfriend of two years who upon learning the diagnosis, researched all she could about it, including reading two textbooks on the syndrome. She's less frustrated with me now than she used to be.



okie
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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05 Oct 2013, 9:28 pm

Wow. It's been over a year. A lot has happened since I posted this. I graduated with my BASW, and I am working for a charity in the Las Vegas area that aids people with developmental and cognitive disabilities. I try to be very patient when communicating with the clients. I often think to myself, "there, but for the grace of god, go I." They face a wide variety of issues, varying degrees of mental retardation, down's syndrome, and disabilities I've never heard of before, but what really gets me are the ones with profound autism.
I've been working intensely with such a case. It took awhile before I could communicate with him on any level. At first, his mismatched sentences seemed like random utterances to the staff, but I realized that he was taking phrases he'd learned in different past situations and attempting to match them to the current situation. Thanks to my attention, he's getting much better at it. However, he still frequently says completely unrelated things apropos of nothing. I realized one day that I often communicate the same way he does, consciously processing what other people are saying and giving a response likely to illicit a positive reaction. I also often have the desire to express thoughts that do not stem from prior conversation or current events. If I were more severe, I would be this client. If he were less severe, he would be me. It's very unnerving to think about.
On the social work front, I've applied for a social work license in the state of Nevada, and the Board of Examiners should be sending me a letter some time soon.



NEtikiman
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08 Oct 2013, 8:45 pm

This is great to hear! I just got my Master's in Social Work and I've had similar experiences. I've always been drawn to and successful with people on the spectrum. There are still challenges, but it's very rewarding.
I'm glad to hear that you've had a positive experience and I hope you keep it up!


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