Hello. I'm Chris, 29 yrs old and a new member just recently joined. I have Asperger's Syndrome (an Autism Spectrum Disorder) which I was diagnosed with when I was 10.
I can only speak from personal experience what Autism has been like for me, it hasn't been easy let's put it that way - I was bullied at school for the most part, endured problems in college and unable to find a job.
The way my Autism affects me day to day or has done over the years is social interaction, a speech impairment, mental health problems and possible gender dysphoria - It can be one or more of those associated problems rolled into one thing. I went to an Autism group when I was a teenager, but they all had Autism at varying levels and it was almost like I didn't fit in.
I've had professional help from a clinical psychologist too and been in a psychiatric unit twice, and I feel that in general, let down by society's ignorance towards Autism. Psychiatrists and Doctors don't understand autism at times, it's difficult to have a conversation with them. The term "Autism Friendly" gets thrown around a bit and I don't like such terms and name tagged placed upon people and situations. I hate having Autism and know how to conduct myself and try and be as normal as possible. My own personal choice daily is to be socially withdrawn and not going out much. Some people are deliberately rude and it not always being the Autistic person's fault, I have had disputes when out and about in social interaction because people can't understand me - There's always at least 1 person i'd have some sort of disagreement with, or having to repeat myself 2 or 3 times in order to be understood and by the 3rd time of repeating myself i'd have lost my temper and then the other person would have got fed up of talking to me. I'm an alcoholic too and drank alcohol to break down my social barriers. My Autism and Alcoholism go hand in hand, the 2 problems exist together, ironically both words begin in A and end in M.
12 Feb 2018, 5:22 pm
