good enough to pass

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I can mostly pass for NT well up until not that long ago I thought everyone was like me and that I wasnt that wried I kept most of my thoughts and observations to my self didnt realy feel the need for social interaction in fact it always made me tired say just talking with even people i know i need at least 5 times the amount of time alone just to calm down. I wear jackets with pockets for my various figet toys and keep my hands out of veiw and busy but just thought it normal. I always thought i was shy but lots of people are. I first heard of AS becuse of my sons dx then mine I think sometimes it's harder at act NT but if I act the way I feel I get treated like i freak keeping it all in I used to have migrines a lot now letting some out and not careing has sent them away but still it can be very stressfull and difficult at times people just dont get it or care

I empathise (or at least co-identify)


I strongly resist the medical model that AS is simply a medical "problem" to be "managed". There is so much that is clearly down to what can just as easily be described as a dysfunction in broader society, which demands a potentially pathological conformity towards norms.

Many people don't like people who are different, very often.
Even there, there is inconsistency. An extreme athlete, or compulsive money-maker may get approval, while an olympic-level thinker is far less likely to.
(and they all tend to involve sacrifice of "normal" behaviour modes, sacrificed or neglected in the pursuit of whichever mountaintop is seen as the goal)

There is a society out there, so some degree of interaction on its terms, however irrational, is going to be necessary. Think like a fish. Go with the flow where that works, swim against the current when you have to, and look for a quiet shady pool that suits you.

I can ususally pass as an NT, especially around people who don't know me too well. Yeah, I'm introverted and have my quirks, but it's nothing that would make people automatically think AS if they saw me. However, to people who know me well, it's pretty obvious to them that I have AS.

One of the biggest factors that has to do with my coping with AS is finding people who accept me, despite all my oddities. WP has helped and so has finding people who have common interests. Most of my friends are fairly introverted and smart, so we all get along (usually) and in my personal experience, other people who aren't completely accepted by the majority of society themselves have an easier time accepting others like them.