Am I really that different from others?

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It’s said that people with Aspergers “feel” different than others. I know this is true for me.

But, how do I come to this realization (and know that I am in fact that much different than others)? Pretty much, it is based upon the fact that other’s public persona is different than my public persona.

Of course, it is more complex than that. As someone posted in a TED conversation:

Much different is really in the eye of the beholder. People with Asperger's are different, yes, but the extent of that difference really depends on which Aspie and which NT you're comparing, and even if you chose the most AS Aspie and most NT NT (which is to say that furthest to their ends of the spectrum that each label extends to), I'd still argue that we're more alike than different.

I don't know if that helped at all - I may have misinterpreted your question...

I think if we were being watched by intelligent life from another planet, they'd be unable to see the differences we make so much of. So no, I don't think very different at all. But some people do see huge differences. I can't really understand that. Right up until they start going after one another over misunderstandings and imagined differences. But that happens on Wrong Planet between individuals identifying themselves as having ASD, too. Some people look to hurt others over anything and nothing, others look to avoid hurting. That difference seems real.

My feeling of being different is mostly as a result of subtle feedback I get during bad social encounters. I think most NTs are finely tuned experts at spotting anyone different who doesn't fit their idea of the stereotypical norm. They don't seem to hold back either on making it pretty obvious to you.

I was always more mature for my age and spoke with a formal and precise vocabulary. I had a creative ability beyond my peers and obsessed with nonconventional interests, and never followed the latest and greatest trends. So yes I always felt and knew I was different, but not that much. The most difference I felt was in the way I was treated by others.

Different I was. Different I am. Different I always will be. I have always felt that way, even during the times of greatest success.

awareness is different. action, reaction is different. sometimes the way I am makes me feel like others have the awareness of a goat. and they do. other things I will never get. sometimes downright blank. how we do things, interpret things, and see things in our minds, are different. there is a difference in the way we learn. I could always tell that there is a difference in how I react to things verses a normal person. simple things. like the call of a loon, the trains, or a loud banging, the touch of a hand. some are extremly pleasant, some.... sensory overload.... I keep it inside very well, so people don't see it, but it is there, and I know it is a feeling that NT's do not have. sometimes I even tell people that they are missing feelings. I ask alot of questions about stuff like that with NT's, and I know it is not that way for them. all the people I know, have known me for asking really strange questions. truth is, those questions are only really strange to them.