What is Asperger’s Syndrome?

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I think I agree. Basically, to my mind, Asperger's Syndrome is just "pathological" eccentricity.

To AsPartOfMe, Your message really hits the mark for me--very impressive, actually, but one comment I kind of find it difficult to understand. To me something important relating to understanding autism, possibly re the developmental process as related to nurture, is being omitted and/or over-generalized about here, but I do not have the verbal skill/ intellectual capacity at this time to be able to put my finger exactly upon it. Maybe you or someone can help me out, and I will try to think about it some more. You wrote:

"Autism describes core traits. Some people have them a lot more “severe” then others, in some of of us some of these traits are “mild” enough that we have learned to mask them while others are noticable no matter how hard we try to act “normal”.

It means that autism is a “spectrum,” basically whose symptoms vary from very mild to very severe.

From the ability to be a world leader to being confined to a wheelchair with a helmet preventing the person from injuring him/herself severely.

I’m on the “mild” side—but with some disabilities preventing me from being, say, a teacher. More emotional than physical, though I’m slightly dyspraxic.
I’m not very verbally proficient.

Some people have the ability to “seem normal” in certain situations—but, under stress, their symptoms reveal themselves.

Okay. Thanks to the two people who helped me out: "Core traits" is a term I have a problem with, and I think this is actually the area the op was asking about. The messages on different degrees on the spectrum of autism, though very intelligent and interesting, on some level seem to me to be kind of side-stepping looking at the original question. The other part of the comment I have a problem with is the reference to "masking" these so called traits. Don't people ever transform or harness these genetic tendencies? I think that is an integral part of human development. The comment seems to me to place too much weight on genetics.

Sometimes I feel like I have the ability to “seem normal”—but many times, it turns out that my disability is evident.

As for “side-stepping”: nope. I’m not “side-stepping.” I’m talking about the nature of autism.

Obviously, we are not trapped by our genetics. We can transcend our genetics.

Maybe I can change my skin colour or height while I'm at it?

I’m 5 foot 4 3/4. I don’t have to concede that I’m short and can’t do things that taller people can do. I can transcend my genetics in that sense.

I guess I should reply. To Isabella, I am extremely sorry about the suffering you have had to go through. I must say I feel a real connection with you. Happened to read your lovely writings on another thread on another forum yesterday, read the whole thread, and that thread was extremely beautiful and inspirational to me, especially your messages.

Who is the op? No idea. My hunch, though speculative, is a psychology student or intern studying autism and/or maybe helping/asking us to study it with him, but what he is getting at, though I may misunderstand, is to pinpoint the basic dynamic behind autism, and he approaches this with a question about how special interest of an autistic person is different from the special interest of, for example, a jock interested in sports. Maybe he already knows the answer, though I kind of doubt it. In any case, I think it is an extremely well chosen line of questioning, and if you are wishing for certain information that will give an insight into autism, this is surely a good place to cast the line.

Okay, I just went back and read the op's second message on page 1. I think I can answer the question, but my personal communication style is to not directly give certain kinds of information but to try to present it in a way that it can be perceived more comprehensively. There is a (supposedly) American Indian proverb that was all over the internet a few years ago, almost like a cheap suit, "Tell me and I’ll forget Show me and I’ll remember. Involve me and I’ll understand." Actually it almost irks me, not sure why. Oh I know why---just now had an insight: because this so called proverb is in itself telling and not showing. WTF ha ha. Anyway, I am willing to share something on this thread with maybe some green tendrils on some of the other threads I am writing on. Follow the yellow brick road home (or to hell:-) I will be more specific on this thread, though.

In my mind, HFA = "Higher Faking Autism".

"Higher Functioning" quite often means the person is even more exhausted, more stressed, and more trapped in the masking charade than lower functioning people. They fake their behaviours whether knowingly or not, until they eventually crash and can't do it any more. Lower Functioning people don't seem to have these faking / mimicking abilities and thus, they don't have the same peaks and valleys as those considered HFA.

Of course I'm speaking in generalisations and this isn't true for everyone, but based on the many books I've read about female autism in particular, it seems to be common that HFA is a misnomer. They are only functioning better because they're faking more.

That being said, I'm not HFA. I was told I require 'significant support' in both communication and repetitive behaviour, which equates to Level 2. I still masked throughout my life because I didn't know any better. I didn't have any idea I was autistic until a year ago.