886 wrote:
I just love how there's nearly 700 men and only 200 women.
That's just hillarious.
Well, make that 201 because I just signed up there, and (after months on and off becoming familiar with this site), joined here.
This is my first post.
My daughter is an Aspie and on this site, somewhere. She's the one who told me about Wrong Planet.
I knew I had tremendous difficulty socialization-wise, my entire life. Two broken marriages, a couple dishonest boyfriend/fiances... heartbreaking, and isolation.
Somehow I came through it with three children and giving up, and staying 10 years in isolation.. and then the school began looking at my youngest child after several years observation, and saying he was suspected for Aspergers Syndrome. I had never heard of such a thing. I began reading on A.S. in 2006, and I went to the college guidance counselor asking, how do I find an Adult Aspergers specialist... he dismissed my concern out of hand as if it were nothing. I went to mental health and asked how to find an Adult Aspergers specialist, they too didn't seem to give a **** ... and then, finally in 2009, my son is verified Aspergers by a specialist. My daughter is 17 by that time, and finally a counselor diagnosed her with it, therefore my 2nd child in 7th grade and struggling with difficulties, I insisted, I wanted her to see the specialist to rule out any possibility.
Like before, family, and those around us, "No no, she doesn't have Aspergers...." Nobody ever noticed or cared. The Autism specialist had a vastly different opinion, and told me "Your daughter has Aspergers in the Spades (not only Aspergers, but a very difficult time struggling with it)." So that was two children verifiably Aspergers. The same day, I asked to schedule my oldest daughter, an unconfirmed Aspergers -- but suspected by her counselor. And as you may guess, the oldest saw the Child Autism Specialist, in spite of her High School guidance counselor telling her too, a few years ago, "I just can't see you being Aspergers" and family shrugging it off as nonsensical speculation, and my mother scoffing, "Three out of three children would be impossible." Well... our family beat the odds, because my daughter (who is a member of this forum) was the last in line for appointments with an Autism Specialist, and she is indeed Aspergers.
I'm in my 40's... lived in isolation my entire life, ignored, treated badly by people because I was "different" (shy, awkward, sensitive, etc), and nope, not one specialist yet. I was referred to a woman who supposedly had credentials to make a diagnosis, I was later told by the community workers who sent me to her, that he spent about one evening brushing up on what Autism is, and when she sit down with me for an hour... right in the middle of describing a key Asperger symptom, i.e., being "rude and insensitive" and when I realize I have been and told by somebody, I FEEL AWFUL -- she stopped me in the middle of discussion, and cupped her hands rather smugly. "What you're describing to me isn't Aspergers. If you were Aspergers you wouldn't care if you hurt people's feelings."
Of all the ignorance! I was devastated... floored... I knew she was IGNORANT AS BLISS of what Aspergers syndrome is. Of course we care whether or not we hurt people. There's a stupid myth circulating that A.S. people have no human empathy.
People are falling through the cracks in the system, because of ignorance in the very so-called professionals who should know better.
When the events were told to the community workers who had been called in to help my kids with coping skills... the head caseworker told me, that their psychiatric worker was wrong.
Three out of three kids, diagnosed A.S. by an Autism specialist... and Mommy has the same problems as the kids. I'm frustrated from waiting on a valid diagnosis from somebody who actually knows what the **** they're talking about for a change. Its mind-boggling... 40 years without recognition, slipping through the cracks...
At least now, knowing what has plagued my children and myself, I can go forward with some understanding.
01 Feb 2008, 2:35 am
who woulda thunk...
