how can someone be proud of having aspergers?

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Without it, I would not be a genius. Without it, I would not be a multi-instrumentalist. Without it, I would have made some pretty stupid decisions common for NTs.

What's not to be proud of? I'm different and I like it. Social difficulties? Ah, I can work around them.

I can't be proud or happy about it. I have to accept it, otherwise I could sit here and cry and cry forever, but deep down I really hate it. I think being proud or happily accepting it (especially at an early age aswell) can depend on how the person is affected. Some people with AS don't really care about other people and friendships, and are just happy being alone and focusing on something they enjoy. Others with AS might not realise their social mistakes, never really worried about what others think of them, can appear oblivious to knowing when people judge them, and stim in public without worrying about other people and what they're thinking. Also, Aspies can be really intelligent, and sometimes go on to get a good career what they enjoy and can succeed in life.
Unfortunately, I'm not like that. I'm the type of Aspie who is self-conscious, worry too much of what other people think, concentrate too hard on not letting people judge me yet being sensitive about it at the same time, fears rejection, fears being different, and you might say that I have got social anxiety along with AS - which makes things twice as challenging, since I worry about being judged, yet am clueless of how to avoid being judged - which is VERY awkward. But....it's just the way I'm wired. I get embarrassed easily, and I must just be an Aspie with some typical NT traits - which is the anxiety of being interior to other people. Also, I'm not very clever for an Aspie, (I'm actually slightly under average to most NTs), so I have learning difficulties aswell (I have been diagnosed with Dyspraxia). I get obsessed with people - which isn't really an intelligent type of interest, and it won't get me far. I wish I was more of an intelligent Aspie - then I would be more proud. It's taken me 11 to 12 years to accept having AS, because of the shame. I always will be ashamed of it, because I hate having a slow mind, meltdowns, stupid obsessions, hypersensitive ears, anxieties, extreme routines, stubborn thinking, too much emotion, give off vibes where ever I go even though I act normal, and unable to stand up for myself properly. Life's hard enough, without having a brain wired the wrong way and full of unwanted and stubborn thoughts, preventing you from keeping employment due to doing and saying stupid things all the time. Grrr I HATE AS! I wish it never existed!

Exactly!! ! The benefits outweigh the difficulties. NTs aren't expert communicators either, and their lives are full of problems I don't have. But I can instantly figure out or conceptualize so many things that they can't.

One, I'm not proud of it but I do try to stay positive so I don't kill myself or other people.

Two, you missed out a few symptoms.

Asperger's is usually about:

A lack of social skills
Sensory sensitivities
Poor motor skills
Poor theory of mind
Special Interests which take over the person's life

People with Asperger's are often picked on and isolated for being different. They may not be able to keep up with trends or be bothered to care at all. Their interests are usually on the extreme side and about things people don't much care about, but it's all they are able to talk about and they are unable to be able to have a normal conversation. It's something that much be learned and practiced over many years unlike non-autistic people who can just pick it up and use it at the time everyone else is using it.

Then there's also the fact that people with AS can perceive the world differently, even experiencing the senses more extremely and interpreting the world differently. When people can't relate they will say it's weird behaviour or that it's all in our minds.

Because we are so different and picked on from others we isolate ourselves and some of us begin to feel more pride and that it's better having AS than being an NT. I don't feel that way, btw but I can understand why some would feel this way.

NT's can have obsessions but not to the point of someone with autism. Can you involuntarily copy the speech, dress style and complete personality of an actor you like? Do you talk nonstop about neuroscience? Or like me when you write creative stories is that the only thing you can commit yourself to? You barely put any time in eating, cleaning and the people in the world outside feel like chattering obstacles.

Nt's cannot easily imitate autism. They would have to feel discomfort or even have outbursts over the slightest change, be disturbed by every noise, feel uncomfortable in their skin, may have a hard time knowing how to position their body, eat the same meals everyday, have some sort of routine for functionality, be at an absolute loss of what to say to people that doesn't include their interests, fail to recognise people in different light, have to wear the same outfit everyday, repetively move their fingers/ arms/ legs or do some other action without realising it, and spending many hours a day looking up the same information over and over again that's related to their interests.

Autism is something like that. And I do realise that some people on the forum may not be able to relate to that but they are some common symptoms.

Ahh ... but you may not have realized that:

1. Lack of communications skills is an advantage to those of us in the engineering fields, as well as programmers, technicians, assemblers, truck drivers, CAD/CAM operators, and other careers that rely more one the ability to actually do things than just talk about them.

2. Our tendency toward obsession can be used to our advantage, in that even when we do not seem to be working on a difficult problem, we are still thinking about it, usually from perspectives that the NTs never realized existed.

When I was earning my Master's Degree, neither the instructors nor the other students really liked me as a person, but when my projects and papers consistently earned the highest grades, the students would (reluctantly) come to me for help (especially as their last resort), and the instructors would grudgingly invite me to help teach the classes.

Of course, I expected monetary compensation for my time and effort, but they never quite agreed to those terms...

We are not loved, we are not liked, and most of the time we are barely tolerated; but if our career talents are sufficiently developed, we can be needed.

If you see autism as a disability, why would you use the term Neuro-typical, which grows out of the Neurodiversity movement? I see the world differently, some aspects of my position are difficult. but i wouldn't trade them for the perceptions i am capable of due to my slightly different brain composition. In making such a generalization i don't think you've given the question as much thought as i have, nevertheless to address another component of your questioning of 'pride'. I have seen people here who believe they are superior to neurotype, which i do not agree with. But the potential abilities of the autistic should be embraced, and the difficulties learned to cope with. Lack of communication capacity can easily be debated. an aspergerian can thoroughly communicate the intricacies involved in the special interest/s they have studied. What is lacking is the ability to initiate casual conversations, which as far as i can figure, are essentially affirmations of emotions NT share. These forces are mysterious to me, and occasionally i find myself momentarily envious of the neurotype, but i do have emotions, they are just all devoted with greater intensity to items of intellectual interest.
In the end, suppose you are right, autism is purely a handicap, the abilities fall short of equation to the disabilities. What was your purpose in taking time out of your day to try to bring us down? If you come across an individual with mental retardation are you going to tell them their life if worth nothing, they should not be proud of themselves? Furthermore what of a child, learning the alphabet and etcetera elementary knowledge, would you tell them their accomplishments are insignificant?
Alright i'm done ranting now.

I don't get so absorbed into my special interests that I forget to eat, sleep, wash and go toilet.

That's cool. I did a bit of DJing for Radio Freedom - online internet based radio station a few years ago under the name of DJ Aspie, guess where I got the name from, got quite a few people listening especially when I did the New Years eve/day set and even put the big ben chimes in - taken from a KLF song - the radio station is very KLF orientated hence the name Radio Freedom - taken from the track 3AM Eternal which starts with the sample "This is Radio Freedom <gun shots>".

I also applied to Hospital radio in Radio General in Warrington but they were quite nasty to me, really downing me about everything, I applied and had a dodgy printer at the time so the print wasn't too good on the CV I sent in, then they interrogated me as to why I couldn't work voluntarily for their station 24/7 - erm probably 'cos it was voluntary and I had other things to do like work and other commitments. I found them very rude and didn't bother applying ever again to them, although at the time they weren't aware I had Asperger's although I don't think that would have made much of a difference.

Which festivals are you planning to DJ at and do you have a name for your group, at the moment I work as bar staff at quite a number of them so I'll listen out for you, and if I'm on a break when your playing I'll come over and give you a cheer! Also what style of electronic music do you play? I like a range of electro music most things from hardcore like Pendulum and Prodigy, to the more softer pop stuff like Black Eyed Peas, and the inbetween stuff like Hot Chip.

One can be proud of having Asperger's by being proud of the things one has been able to accomplish despite the challenges that AS brings.

I don't know if proud is an appropriate term, but it's nice to have found a reason for my quirks that is not "you're a freak." Also some of the most famous scientists and inventors are widely believe to have AS, Nikola Tesla being a key example. So, I am glad to be different.

Being an Aspie has made me a little different, strange,.. a geek if you will.
but it has also given me insight abilities and understanding of subljects that most NA's cant even comprehend
I wouldnt be me without it..

I'd rather just be born NT, so that I wouldn't have to struggle with some social cues, and I would love clothes shopping. I don't know any NT women who aren't obsessed with clothes shopping.

Must be a british thing, it's not all that common in neurotypicals here.

I separate depression from AS. I know not everyone does.

But I am proud of having AS in a way. I think it is the NTs who see it as black and white thinking..as a disability and seem to believe that disabiltiy=all negative. I won't deny it has it's share of frustrations but unless being an NT equals a perfect life, I will keep AS.

But I don't believe I would be able to understand the kids I teach as well if I didn't have AS. Or enjoying since I would prefer socializing. Or enjoy the other activities I focus on. NTs have goals and interests too so I don't know how much of mine are because of AS.

There's a box?

Exactly, NTs suffer from depression too, but for some reason it isn't as associated with being NT as it is with having AS.



Having Aspergers is just a different way to be, and a different way to experience the world, a very wonderful and beautiful way to experience the world in my opinion, and a rare experience too. Most people with AS could consider themselves lucky. They are mostly above average intelligence, and almost all of them have some special talent or ability. Aspieness comes with its own unique sets of problems, but no more or fewer problems than most NTs have, just unique ones.