glider18's Wonderful World of Autism

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good on you Glider18.
i think your post above re "unlocking oneself" is spot on and very true.
It is about self-acceptance, working within the framework of what one is and who one is and running with that., rather than wishing to be someone else or railing against the world because of how hard it is. I did that for years and i am trying hard to reconstruct my life from the ground up based on what I am as a woman with an ASD who wants a great life. I am only really finding this in myself FULLY since my dx. It is a good thing.

A very good thing.

I want to surround myself with a life of respect and positivity. I want to avoid the crap and the people who take me for a ride, who promise...who don't deliver. I am learning finally, to discern things about myself and others. I am learning to do this and beginning to be able to do this because I finally know who and what I am.

I am learning to fine tune my life so it is can be beautiful, and so i can fully be me.

I like your pic above. I am glad you like music.

This thread is positive, inspirational and caring. They are the things we need to focus on.

Sometimes I wonder if music is a skill for me too. I can write really powerful piano and voice pieces pretty much straight from my head without using any chordal knowledge. People who hear my music have said it's quite incredible. I don't think I'm a savant though, no way, but maybe autism helps me to develop music skill. I do know that my approach to writing music is very different from the average persons.

oh...lets see...I lead a very alternative lifestyle, and it has seemed that there has been no alternative for me than to lead an alternative lifestyle..I have rescued many wayward vintage and homemade dolls and stuff toys who may have come to no good if I had not rescued them.
I have created a lot of very heart-felt sock creatures that their owners continue to enjoy..

I enjoy my toys infinitely more than most kids who I have let play with them...but I am also good at teaching kids to have fun with old fashioned homemade toys.

I helped create this venue that I run that is sort of a beakon for other real nonconformist types...anyone who doesn't really fit in anywhere else can most likely find a place at Super Happy Fun Land ..

I preserve the art of the cut-and-paste flyer...

I was about 6 when I decided I wanted to be a singer...and I never stopped...

I am glad that the positive aspects I adhere to have been making a difference---I have received a lot of feedback (both on forum and private message) that my outlook is uplifting. I have posted a lot on the gifts of autism.

Our "inwardness" is probably the root of this gift (Personally I thank God for making me autistic---I would not have wanted it any other way---I enjoy my "inwardness"). We focus intently on those things that interest us---and by some extraordinary means, wonderful things can happen. And those things become pleasurable. I love to research architecture on HABS (historical building survey). But right now I am back into my Hopewell earthwork research. I dug out my many filled notebooks of research and am finding great interest and pleasure in trying to solve some ancient American mysteries. One of my main focuses of this research is trying to find a lost earthwork sight (plowed level due to farming in the past) of the East Fork Earthworks (also known as Hanukkiah, or the Gridiron Mound) in southwestern Ohio. Whether or not I can find the site doesn't matter so much as the fun I have had in trying to find it. See---that is a joy. Investigate your interests.

Ok, I will admit something. Autism is...well...very eccentric. It's a downright mystery. Those of us with autism are a mystery to the world. Many non-autistic individuals are probably curious what it is like to think like us.

My challenge to those of you who either have found the joy of autism, or are looking for the joy, to find the positive aspects in your life and focus on them. I know we cannot ignore the negatives---everyone has those (Autistic, NT, etc.), but at least concentrate more on the positives---it does make a difference. Have fun .

Wow, what a fantastic thread! How did I ever miss it the 1st time around? I guess I was just involved with other things.

I would like to add my 2 cents. Before I do though, I guess I feel obligated to say that I am not technically diagnosed, and have no means for a diagnosis at present. I´m quite sure I´m somewhere on the spectrum though, I´m just not quite sure exactly where I lie...

Anyway, positive things about autism....

Of course, the first is the obvious one about special interests. Like many of you, I am SO GLAD I have my interests! I won´t add much on that point, since you all expressed that so well already, it´s all been said, I can just agree.

Here is one that I don´t think has been mentioned though: and that is, in my case, a challenging life fraught with difficulty pushed me to go down a spiritual path, which has ultimately been very rewarding. It started by my need to find answers to many questions I had- mostly regarding myself, my differences and my place in the world. In addition to that, a rather solitary life has, in a sense, brought me closer to God. Sometimes I think of myself as a modern day monk- (or priestess to the Goddess??) I don´t follow any particular religion, per se, but I do equate myself with a general spiritual philosophy, and I have studied various religions or esoteric subjects as special interests. If nobody minds my being spiritual for a moment: : I believe that each entity makes choices before being born. I believe we choose things like our parents, our life circumstances, our talents, and our challenges. In that sense, I believe we choose things like autism, because our soul needs to develop in a certain direction, and we create our realities to basically "hone" ourselves in that direction. So, yes, I totally agree, autism can be seen as a gift. Basically, we can use our gifts (challenges), or we can refuse to accept them and feel negative. Well, this is something that spirituality has taught me, and it´s enabled me to deal with many difficult situations. In the times when I thought I was the most lonely, God was always there.

Another gift I seem to have is that of relating to my students. "WHAT?", you may say, "Autism- relating to students- how can that be?" I remember when I read the book "Women From Another Planet", some of them said the same thing...that they were in jobs dealing with people, and their autism was actually a gift sometimes, in relating to them. In my case, I notice that many of the other teachers seem to pick out the superficial social aspects of the students: they know who´s popular, or who "acts like a b***h". I don´t see those things at all, and, through seeing my students day by day and watching them work, I seem to able to see them in a more deep and authentic way...don´t know if I can explain it...I also don´t really follow this teacher/student hierarchy, I just treat them as individuals who are serious about the work. I don´t take offense with some of the things that other teachers are offended by. Plus, I love the subject I teach! (Ballet: I was a professional dancer for years, that was my main interest). I don´t really do that "empathy" thing; i.e., I don´t cry "with" them, or whatever....but I think I understand them in theory, and I am able to do this- better than in social situations- because when I watch them work, and see how they use their bodies, I can "see" things that I don´t pick up in social situations. I know many students seem to really trust me.

Thank you for posting Morgana, that was a wonderful post. Your view on spirituality is quite interesting indeed. And I appreciate your belief that we need to accept the gift if we wish not to feel negative. Your students must be lucky to have you as their instructor. You sound like an ideal type of teacher. I am glad you joined this thread .

I remember your poems, Daniel. You should write more of them. Ive been on this board for 2 years and I used to see your poems when I first joined up. Negative or not, they made me laugh...

Yes I agree, I really like the poem of Daniel's you posted zen_mistress. He should contribute more of them.

I am extremely, extremely fortunate to have been gifted in music. I may not be the most technically proficient out there, but I have a feel, a depth to my playing that most others simply do not have.

Growing up, everyone knew I was different: my teachers, my parents, my brother, my friends. Those that didn't understand me chalked it up to me being a musician. I got bullied, no doubt about it, but looking back, didn't most kids who weren't popular? That all seems so distant to me now, it almost doesn't matter.

Music has defined so much of who I am all of my life. I thought I was weird and quirky because music gave me this perspective. I thought that music was at the absolute core of me and that there was nothing deeper. I learned last week that I was wrong, that I have something else that I have been carrying with me all of these years. It's nothing new, really, because it's always been there. It's like an old friend.

Thanks for this thread, glider18.

Poopylungstuffing, you are pretty much doing exactly what I want to do with my life, but I am afraid of being unemployed and not affording to live and equally afraid of ending up working a retail type job which would be daily hell for me. How did you get to where you are? Did you take a business course or anything?

By the way, I would totally come to Super Fun Happy Land and play and sing some of my alternative music if I lived in your area.

Since I love this topic so much, I thought I'd post a link of me singing. Not one of my original songs, but I recorded myself singing each part of a section of "Prayer of the children" and overlapped them.

prayer of the children caitlin test 2.aif - 13.00MB

Thanks a lot, glider 18!

I like this thread! So I will contribute to keep things going.

My special interests are water resources and earth-sheltered buildings. Both have contributed to my current areas of education (climate change studies, environmental studies, and community and environmental planning). As I see it, my interests are the driving force keeping me stable and focused in life. With the research that I have done on my interests I have found missing connections and information in certain areas that have left me with the feeling of needing to fill in those holes with my own ideas and research. Whether or not I end up producing something that could prove useful to the rest of the world will be determined by the acceptance of my work by others. But for me it provides a sense of completeness within myself. I have the potential to redirect particular areas of development on different, more sustainable paths and I will continue to follow my interests until I find the solutions that will make this world a better, more beautiful place. I have knowledge concerning my interests that I find most people would not even consider if I had not been persistant in telling them. I am particularly hopeful that my interests will lead to postive outcomes in the future and I am certain that if I did not have these special interests my life and work would not be as meaningful.

Thank you for the recent responses. Those are great. I can understand WaterWater's interest being a "driving force" to keep stable. I can tell you have incredible fun with this important area of research. With your drive and determination you can make a difference in the world.

Beautiful song sunshower. I wish everyone here could hear it. You did a great job mixing your vocal parts. It delivers a nice message. I'm sure we would have fun recording music if we lived close together. Keep up the great work.

I would love to hear your music fiddlerpianist. I like your perspective on life. I am curious about your "old friend," this "something else" that you have been carrying with you.

I think it is so healthy for us with autism to focus on our positives/gifts. I know life can be challenging for us, but it can be challenging for everyone. So looking at our strengths can give us a positive outlook on life.

By "old friend" / "something else," I was referring to the mild autism I've been carrying with me without realizing what it was.

Here's me on fiddle, playing for a contra dance.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aZcNnFyh6I[/youtube]
By the way, contra dance is great fun! I think a lot of autistic folks here would absolutely love to do it.