Hi all!
It's great to have a community of like-minded people, where we can share and learn from our experiences.
I'm a 30 year old male and I was diagnosed with Asperger's when I was 13. I've always been a social outcast, never had any friends, and have had a wide range of intense special interests that have changed a lot as I've grown up. Starting in high school I developed social anxiety, and when I was a university student it got so extreme that I was paranoid of other people and had delusions, and I was forced to quit. My social anxiety has since died down a lot, but I still feel uncomfortable around other people and I usually get drained from putting on a "mask". I have a full-time job but I still live with my Mom; I'm still not able to support living on my own and she has to help me with a lot of daily things that most other people find simple to do.
I hope to eventually be able to support myself and comfortably live on my own, be at ease with other people, make a friend, find a partner, learn more and be proud of who I am, and help other people who are on the spectrum.
Society may not be catered to us autistic people, but we have a lot of unique abilities and can be successful and can provide a lot to the world. We need to learn how to harness our power ![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)