Asperger Syndrome: 50 facts about having mild autism

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Hello all,

Been lurking for a while and now decided to take the plunge.

For World Autism Awareness Day this year, I wrote a Facebook message (visible only to those I trusted), detailing what it's like to have Asperger's. Following some surprising feedback, I decided to build up some guts and make it public. Took a lot of bravery, but I managed it and I'm so glad I did.

http://autisticnotweird.com/2015/04/09/ ... ld-autism/

I'm curious- how many of these apply to you too? I always thought I was the odd one out (in more ways than one), especially since I'm the only autistic guy I know who ended up becoming a teacher. But I'm told these apply to more people than I first thought!

(Incidentally, there's a Wrong Planet reference in there, and a link back to one of the sticky threads in this forum. )

I never thought I'd end up launching a blog at all... a couple of years ago my Asperger's was just something I never talked about unless I REALLY trusted the other person. (The blog's got a Facebook page too if anyone's interested. https://www.facebook.com/autisticnotweird )

Confiding in people can be tough, but I'm so glad I did it.

In regard to the first link, you posted..... A common theme, there, was that it's always our fault, and that's soooooo true----that's exactly why I always tell people not to tell others, their diagnosis!

Haha, that's funny- that same fact leads me to the opposite conclusion! If I trust the person, I let them know. Things are more likely to be seen as "Your Fault" if they don't understand why you're acting the way you are.

I can really relate to almost all 50. Write that book! I'm making notes for my own, and your list reminds me of things that I might have forgotten about.

Yes, Captain, I can relate to that list (maybe you should have made it 48 points, twice 24!), although my diagnosis is BAP. Interesting point about awareness and acceptance: this is part of my work, so I'd agree that although a lot of people in the UK have heard of autism, their detailed knowledge of it varies enormously. I was discussing this with someone with AS yesterday who isn't sure whether to declare his condition at work or not - always a tricky decision.

Actually quite a lot of people with AS are academics. From personal experience I know that any number of the tutors and lecturers at the University of Oxford are Aspiens, whether diagnosed or not.

Send me a pm if you'd like to chat.

I like: “19) Eye contact is overrated. People say I act unnatural when I talk to them, but to me it’s unnatural to stare right into someone’s eyeballs just because everyone else is doing it.”

Though, I really wonder if “everyone is doing it”. When I observe other males conversing, it appears as if they “lock eyes” infrequently and when they do, it’s not for long periods of time (i.e. sub-second). Then again, I may be observing an invalid sampling of humans.

I can only glance unless I know someone well and feel comfortable with them. Looking someone in the eye seems intrusive, but that might be my rationalization for an inability to do it.

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

I agree with your linked post.

Another interesting one was: "46) Asperger’s did not stop me from captaining my local youth group for five years and counting, and being one of the youngest captains in the country (I was 25 when I took over)."

This reminded me of when I was 17. I was the president of a local religious youth group. The local chapter consisted mostly of geeks and outcasts (which is why I was elected in the first place). It was supposed to be a social youth group. But, not surprisingly, I was never really social. My parents forced me to get involved, because they were afraid that I would spend my high school years, cooped in my room, entertaining myself. And, they didn't consider that "healthy".

This post is awesome. I can relate to a lot of these.

Relate to almost all of this, yes. Especially 5 and 6, about being "normal enough" for everyone to expect normal things of me, but autistic enough that I'm not always going to be able to meet that. And then the sh!tstorm comes, and it's my fault because how dare I fail to meet "normal" expectations. I strongly relate to this concept and have had this to face my whole life.

Also 33, the one about being unable as a child to tell when someone was lying to me or otherwise pulling my leg. When I was a very young child, probably about five or six, my sister terrorized me with a long description of poisonous spiders and what the effect of each spider's bite would be. She told me with a straight face that all these spiders existed in our own country, and she even gave names and physical descriptions. I grew completely terrified and in fear for my life. It was ALL BS. She just did it to get a rise out of me because she knew how gullible and innocent I was, and she also happened to hate my guts. It was fun for her to frighten me and I was easy to frighten because I trusted and believed my older sister. We're estranged now, surprise surprise, and I hope there's a special place in hell for her as the above was the story of our lives together.

With age, I've improved but I can still be naive if someone is perfectly serious in their delivery of something.

I'm also very naíve, and people say I'm too trusting. It's hard for me to imagine people doing something that I wouldn't do. If they seem like they like me or are good people, I take what they say at face value...and then I get robbed as I'm playing the piano for them. Yes that has happened to me.

I liked it.

God that's awful, Sequoia, really awful. Some people can be scum sometimes. Though not exactly that has happened to me, things with a similar tone and manner of taking advantage has happened to me a lot.

Eep that's horrible. Sometimes i don't like people.

I definitely enjoyed the post, Captain. Welcome to Wrong Planet! I'm looking forward to your contributions to the community.

I especially like point number 5 on your post...

I find myself at that crossroads often. It's irritating.

If I may offer a bit of constructive criticism, though, I think you should consider ending usage of "person-first" wording on your blog. When you put forward arguments that Autism is something that cannot be cured and is hardwired into our neurology, you're doing a disservice to that argument by separating the Autism from the person. As such, "Autistic person" will aid in your argument more than "person with Autism." Just my $0.02.

Again, welcome!