Had an overall positive experience growing up aspie?

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Transyl,
I've looked up autism associations in the states and, really, from here I don't know which ones are legit and which ones are not.

When I was diagnosed with M.S. the National MS society branch in NYC offered different types of group therapy such as the one I went to which was for the newly diagnosed, and they had other support groups that met to deal with oher types of MS issues, such as agroup for family membres, etc. etc. It was free . On their websit today i can see there's peer counseling, family counseling, crisis counseling, social events, conferences, etc. etc. Most for free or for small cost.

Can someone make any suggestions about services to Transyl? I don't know from where I'm sitting what is offered in the states via associations. but there's got to be lots of places where he can go and find guidance and practical help.

It would depend on where he is located.

I've already put my foot in my mouth several times in this thread. And I don't know where my rights to my opinions as an NT start and end, and this is moving away from the original purpose of the post in case anyone objects, but please listen to me. I reall think you're depressed. Its very hard to get out of it without help. Ask for help on the forum of places where you in your community can find help. maybe someone would even research a place for you if you feel without energy.

I believe in medicine. I believe from personal experinece in antidepressants - cymbalta, prozac, etc. It can help you get back on your feet and give you more drive to be a self-avocate.

So Transyl, please ask for guidance from the forum. there must be someone out there who knows how things work in the states. I don't know.

In America I've been to a few different states. Outside of America I've been to Canada, Amsterdam, Germany, Venice, Egypt, and Greece. The last time I visited my dad they were all around me asking about my last trip. I could barely get words out let alone coherent thoughts. They were just there staring at me waiting for me to speak. My head started to swirl. 1 on 1 is better but I still have a severe stutter. This all sounds like complaining which isn't what I set out to do. I just wanted to share my thoughts.


My state can go up and down a lot. Like I was saying traveling and being around people constantly is hard. That's when I get the most overwhelmed. I'm sorry for derailing your thread. That wasn't my intention. I'll be okay.

I hope your son and daughter have a great life. =]

I'm glad to hear from you.

No, don't say that, my concern about your mood worked out well for me because when you didn't answer, I clicked to check out your other posts and almost immediately it led me to one which was a survey, there are only 3 pages of posts on that one, a survey that was done about whether aspergers is a blessing or a curse, and more questions. And thanks to you, I think that one is the one that has finally made me understand an enormous amount in just 5 minutes of reading and it was knowledge that i sort of had already learned since i started on wrongplanet, but the AHA! lightbulb hadn't lit up and it did this time. Because of the comments from people about what htey'd like NTs to know, I think I got it. Hard to explian, but those opinions were very illuminating to be able to really "get" many things.

for example, from dr.househasaspergers: I'm not behaving the way I do to annoy people. Either I don't know what I'm doing wrong or I don't know how to correct it. Explain to me what the problem is/why it's a problem and suggest alternatives rather than assuming I know and getting angry at me for it.
then there were many explaining sensory things esp. touch, that my son has and here i was able to really understand him in that regard.
many comments, don't have the time now to get into it.

But i want to know that I reached my AHA lightbulb on moment because of you.

So thanks.

Something else I think its important for you to know in regards to your son and his social life:

Socializing on the internet is still socializing. You can have friends where most of the interactions, if not all of them, are online. This fulfills those needs too, and in a way that might match him better.

Some of the people who I went to college with, how I am in contact with them still, is that we play on a minecraft server together. If it wasn't for minecraft, I wouldn't be in contact with these people at all.

In general, most interaction for me, is online. I have a few people I'm close to, but even them, I mostly interact with online.

Do you realize how profound that is?

That it was you who led me to this survey that finally made everything click and fall into place, to be able to understand my darling little boy.

I've copied that survey to a word document, to make a summary of the comments that will help me to explain to the people in Fernando's life whenever it comes up, what aspergers feels like to some or many people. And to be able to explain it to him as well, so that he doesn't have to wonder what this is all about (when he does wonder, becuase right now he couldn't care less).

I had a loving family and friends and I played with other kids and was in Girl Scouts and played soccer and softball, made the honor roll from 7th grade till 12th grade and finished school and went to college and now I have a job and am married with kids.


None sugar coat version:

I didn't talk until I was five and kids called me names like stupid and ret*d and even my own friends were mean to me and I think kids were friends with me out of pity, I had friends when I was in self contained but very few kids from mainstream liked me. Lot of kids didn't like me and I was put in mainstream at age eight to be with normal kids and I faced the real world for real. I was made fun of for how I spoke, my mom didn't always understand me but she did her best and made mistakes and she always knew I had something. I wouldn't say I was abused. I had a nervous breakdown by sixth grade so I was falling apart so I was taken out of school for a while and I was already talking about killing myself and I had depression and was diagnosed with AS that year. We moved to Montana when I was 13 and my bullied years were left behind and I had a school aid and I got help with my school work and made good grades and the honor roll and I was in choir. I would say my teen years were better despite kids not being nice to me in high school but I still wouldn't say I was bullied. I wouldn't say I had a miserable childhood and anyone can have a miserable childhood if you only look at the negative. I look at the positive too and rate it as normal and say mine was happy.

If I read stories about how aspie kids were undiagnosed so they were always misunderstood by their family and treated bad by their siblings, mine looks good. My brothers were nice to me and didn't ever pick on me. They had their moments but it wasn't often. Also the bullying I got looks like nothing compared to what others got while they were bullied. I got the teasing and the name calling and being taken advantage of. I also took a few courses in college, art and Spanish and slow pitch softball. My husband is disabled and I work part time for a company that employs people with disabilities. My husband and I don't have friends and I attend an aspie support group. I didn't get my first boyfriend until I was twenty and both my two relationships were bad and I met my husband at the age of 21 online and met on my 22nd birthday and got married two years later.

Whew! There are some heavy, heavy life stories.

And most of us never even find out until it affects someone close to us.

May the next decade be one where the general public understands aspergers and autism ! !

I'm very happy to have been able to help!

Your son is lucky to have a mom whose trying to understand. I know how hard it is for people to step outside their comfort zone. To try and learn about something that, at least initially, doesn't seem to directly relate to themselves. Seems like he has a good family there for him.

Relating to what Tuttle said, video games can be good for friendships. As I didn't talk much and never liked sports I was lucky to have video games. We'd play Super Smash Bros, Mario Party, Halo, Gears Of War, etc. Those were pretty good times all things considered. I also have had a lot of online friends. They mean just as much to me as offline friends.

And it's okay if you never see them face to face? That's real friendship?

Yep. A girl I met on a message board I talked to for years. She was there for me at a time when I needed it. She was and still is a true friend.

I had a good childhood with supportive parents, supportive teachers, smarts, early severe traits that moderated over time, and generally positive views of myself, others, and the world. It is not always a negative eggsperience to grow up as autistic kid. It seems like your son is generally happy too. The one thing that he really needs to work on seems to be EF skills applied to academics, so he can use his smarts when he grows up.