Let us get Aspergers Autism Spectrum into perspective

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Autism Spectrum Disorder is a spectrum and we are all individuals.

I am the same person I was before the diagnosis.

I enjoy movies I enjoy swimming I enjoy having a drink I enjoy eating all different kinds of food.

I laugh at sick and dirty jokes I play video games.

I am learning to drive I am working in a job I kind of enjoy.

I am no genius but I am no ret*d either and most of the time I am not felling down or depressed.

There are enough threads here about the negative sides of ASD but as hard as it may be it's not the end of the world.

Even for people reading now who might be very depressed who feel this does not apply to them it does depression and bad times pass.

The very fact people are here reading and posting says a lot many people in this world can not read or write.

We should do our best to not let ASD define us.

Thank you! I'm so glad someone said this.

Equally, there are neurological differences between Aspies and allistics, even between Aspies and HFAs, and those differences have real-world consequences, so in that sense it does define who we are.

What that should do is allow us to work to our strengths, be aware of out weaknesses, and try to get on - but most of us will never pass as allistic. What it should not do is limit us unreasonably. We do have both strengths and limitations, but NT society will make the most of those limitations to marginalise and discriminate, and that should not be hidden.

I'm learning that it's perfectly all right to be introverted and solitary, and that it's nothing to be ashamed of. Some people are social butterflies, others aren't, and it really doesn't matter!

I yam what I yam.

Nothing defines us. We are not concepts.

You are not defined by your gender, nationality, height, weight, food preferences, sexual preferences, etc.

But they all make up part of who you are to varying degrees.

There is nothing special about ASD to warrant saying "ASD doesn't define us".

It defines us as much and as little as gender, nationality, etc.

So this line is bothersome to me. Like, none of it is relevant. One of the words you used has a rather negatively charged history that I would question any use of it for any reason.

Also, many autistic people are depressed as it is a very common comorbid. In both this case and the previous, I see no value in saying "At least I'm not like those other people who do have those problems" at least not in this way. Because if you're trying to talk about autism in a good light (which is great, I like that) picking elements that other people experience for real and excluding them narrows exactly how much of the spectrum you're actually talking about.

I have been called that word plenty of times as a child in school and adults done nothing to stop it.
Nevertheless it was an unwise choice of words and I hope it does not detract from the positive point I am trying to make.

I understand the message the original poster was trying to get across, but it was heard by deaf ears. A lot of people use aspergers/autism as a shield for bad behavior or personal issues (I'm not perfect on this one myself). They also tend to be the vocal 1% of the group, but a lot of that 1% is here.

It is nice to see a happy face in the crowd though.

I'm not feeling down at the moment but depression is something that I'll always go through, however briefly. It does pass but it always comes back. Such is the nature of bipolar.

I'm not too down on myself about my autism. I'm trying to work on my social skills but don't beat myself up too much when I still make the usual mistakes. It's a lot of hard work but I'll eventually see some progress.

I really focus on autism when I have terribly social anxiety. It's a comfort zone and I like to use it when I most need it. But I have multiple diagnoses and it's almost like (I can only imagine) have split personalities. I put more focus on one at certain times. It's sort of like some days I'm more ADHD, then I'm more autistic and then I'm more bipolar because that's what I'm dealing with the most at that moment.

I don't use it an an excuse, a badge of pride or anything more than a reason for why I'm like this. Who knows what I'll be like once depression comes back but for now I'm coping quite well.

I do consider myself patriotic, a feminist and a very big nerd. I do enjoy my introversion but sometimes I want to be able to socialise more.

I don't think I properly understand this thread. Be proud of who you are and don't use autism to define yourself? I think if it empowers people and they don't end up arrogant and egotistical or hurt anyone then it's fine by me if they use it to define themselves, but I wouldn't want them to focus on only the negative and feel their life is futile because of their diagnosis. And yes I feel the futility of my own life because sometimes depression can seep into my more positive thoughts.

I got what you were saying and I like your overall message. I got hung up on the word choice and didn't say much about the rest. Sorry about that.

You do not have to be sorry your right it was a poor choice of words.

I am the same person as I was before my diagnosis heavily but not totally defined by my Aspergers-Autism. The difference is that I know about it. Since it is a "pervasive" neurological condition how could it not define me? It is not something irrelevant like the color of my hair it is my brain, the thing that makes me human. The knowledge that came with diagnosis is another reason no to use it as an excuse.

Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 20 Jan 2014, 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Come to think of it I'm not the same person. Before my diagnosis I didn't think I was capable of learning the types of things I learned after my diagnosis. It gave me hope in myself and I basically learned all I could about science and any other subject I didn't know much about. It was because of seeing people here who seemed so much smarter than me and I thought that could be me too.

I've made huge social improvements including feeling comfortable to talk to strangers.

I feel like a completely changed person. Even though I don't like IQ tests my IQ is probably 20 points higher now. I have more confidence than I ever have before.

I now have my own small group of friends, have made new friends, have moved to the city and become more independent. I've come far from a socially withdrawn select mute. So, thanks to my diagnosis I am a completely changed person.

That's not probably what you meant but to me I have changed so much for the better that I no longer feel like who I once was.

And yes, it is our brain and I don't consider myself NT. People can define themselves as autistic in so many ways so it's confusing to know what the OP meant by it. I like the more fact based it is the way our brains are structured approach. I guess autism is no longer my special interest so it's not all I'm about.

Absolutely!

I feel about diagnosis that nothing changed, but at the same time everything changed.

What I mean by this is that I am still the same person I always was, but I *understand* a whole lot of things about myself that I didn't before. I have felt a lot of shame and subsequent low self-esteem about the way I am as I've been told - and have told myself - that I am bad, wrong, lazy, stupid, worthless. I've had a lifetime of comparing myself to society's expectations and finding myself wanting, but finding out the reason for it liberates me from those expectations and has also finally after 44 years put me on the road to self-acceptance.

Unfortunately 44 years of self-hatred won't be undone in a moment and also all the challenges of trying to live in an NT world are still there, which is why I get depressed. I did like your post though, it is good to read a positive point of view.