Does your AS/Autism stop you from having fun?

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in some ways it does.
due to severe sensory problems,am housebound most of the time,unless can get out in the car,so the things am find 'fun' [going for walks in park when theres no shouty children,looking for cats,racing the RC car,horse riding through the RDA,going for drives etc] are difficult,up to impossible even with a car.
with walks in the park [in this part of manchester] it's all building work going on around them,regular police sirens and horns beeping,as well as screaming children because of the many schools squashed near each other here.

with looking for cats,everytime am go out in the daytime looking for them a drill or jack hammer goes off from the idiot illegal builder yard neighbour,a house or car alarm goes off,the building work being done to the area [anyone who knows urmston will know what am mean] constant road works,and at the very least there are screaming children from the surrounding schools and nurserys-the same thing goes for racing the RC car-cant get much further than the carpark without having a meltdown,so only get to go anywhere when have got the car.
not been able to do RDA sessions [horse riding therapy] for a long while,due to routine being messed up from being moved around too much.
And just going for drives almost always ends up with meltdowns,because of police/ambulance type sirens and motorbikes going past,and because of hitting/kicking out at the staff who are driving,have to sit in the back of cars,which as any tall passenger knows isn't any 'fun' [unless are in a limo or people carrier maybe],they have looked into what modifications can get under motability-and no surprise,all of the modifications they do are for physical problems only,no soundproofing option.

But even though am very limited with 'fun' outdoors and indoors [due to other residents who 'kick off' then set am off] am like to do painting/drawing as the NAS bought am all the proper art stuff,like using WP/ouch/ICHC/SOMC/catster/YT all day and the main important one-getting GFB [cat] in past the staff and getting lots of rubs,kneeding,dribble and purrs off him,those are definitely all fun.

No way. I can still go to places and have fun. I can go to the arcade, the zoo, rent movies, travel, and enjoy my time with B&J.

Only good thing about public arcades is deer hunter, and it won't be long before PETA has that being considered crualty to animals too. Personaly I would rather go to a friend's house and play a massive epic game between 6 or more people... Wait, I don't really have any friends, scratch that, lets just play that new game that makes it seem like you have a social life, but in reality you are just conversing with AI...

I can enjoy the things I do when I'm alone - is that "fun," or is it just intellectual stimulation? Or is there no difference between the two terms?

To enjoy myself with other people is rare. I love to have a lively conversation about books/music/movies/etc. - preferably over dinner. Unfortunately, that rather involves having another, like-minded person to talk with. But too many people (more than two or three) will spoil it for me.

I can go to places where people are having fun & do the same things they are doing, by myself - and that can approach a feeling of "fun." Usually, however, I end up "people watching" from the sidelines - observing other people having fun.

I know I've had fun in the past - I'm certain of it. So it must be possible.

But most of the time, what is fun to my NT acquaintances isn't fun to me (their version of fun usually results in sensory overload for me.)

just the opposite

I think my AS hinders me in many ways. Because I have a hard time socializing with other people, because I don't have any very close friends, and because I really prefer to be in my comfort zone; that limits my opportunities to have fun. So most of the fun I have is by myself. But I do have fun listening to music, watching TV, and playing computer games.

Well said, DeLoreanDude. I can occasionally go to and have fun at parties and events. But I can also have fun playing video games, reading, or just wandering around inside my own head.

Nope, not at all. In fact, when my family and I go to disney world this coming summer, I am going to try to become an extra in the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. Having AS will not stop me from that, although if I don't get picked, my AS might make me depressed about it for a period of time.

No way. I can have fun just staring at a shiny object. NTs are missing out!

(More traditionally, I like to crochet afghans, read sci-fi and fantasy novels, and play computer games.)

Actually, if you are not 18 or older, good luck. I did not want to go up myself, but it would have been pretty cool.

Well, I don't have fun usually at parties, I mean, I'm always the one sitting down in the corner, which I found really hard when I was younger.
I do have more fun than the average NT does, IMO. Just in different ways, like, I enjoy spending hours on Photoshop and stuff, much more than going to a party.
I remember once someone said I should go to this teenage night club that my brother goes, and I said, 'Parties aren't my thing'. I guess that's a good way of summing up my social life xD(I know not everything social is parties, it's just that parties are one of the biggest social events ).
But, going back to my point about having more fun, I think I do have more fun than NTs. I spend hours doing what I love(basically being on the computer and obsessing over obsessions) everyday, VERY happy. NTs just aren't amused by things like that. NTs bore me xD.
EMZ=]

I'm over 18, thank you very much.

Good to hear, I hope you get chosen!

I wouldn't say it's very bad, but yes aspergers has affected my ability to have fun, but not entirely. AS has given me other ways to have fun that a lot of nt's don't see. I would say the control my family has put on my life because of my diagnosis has hindered the fun status as well... Soon as I am out I am doing my best to break out of my shell.

I suppose it depends on what I'm doing for fun. If it's things I regularly do then no it doesn't. Of course that's because during those activities, I'm usually either alone or with family. Of course my social impairment kills my chances of having group fun because I can't make friends easily.

Because of poor motor skills I don't like doing too many things like playing video games, making food and playing hand ball in front of people.
Because of sensory issues I don't like restaurants, being in crowds, and even going to see live music.
I hate the heat too, but I don't go swimming at the beach. Well, I do have a fear of water, but I don't even like sitting on the beach.
I try my best to ignore the sensory issues, because I have to walk in the heat, I still watch live bands and I can't avoid crowds because I have to go shopping.