having other Disabilities???

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On top of having Asperger's, I was born with a bone disease called osteogenesis imperfecta.

I look normal (average height, weight, etc.), but my bones break like glass because my body doesn't produce enough collagen. In bones, collagen acts like the steel rebar in a concrete structure, in that it gives them tensile strength which allows them to bend slightly before they break.

It's the same thing Samuel L. Jackson's character, Elijah, had in Unbreakable.

I don't know exactly how many bones I've broken, but I know it's somewhere over 100. When I was younger, I tended to break my wrists a lot simply by trying to catch myself when I fell down. I think the worst break I've had was when I broke my right knee-cap in half in a car accident. It was actually worst than breaking my back because it required surgery to fix.

I have (on top of the high functioning autism diagnosed at 5 but had it since birth) schizoaffective disorder bipolar type (I don't agree but this is what the docs say) GAD severe memory problems but this is inconsistent meaning sometimes I have incredible memory (almost photographic) but other times my old age syndrome comes in and don't remember anything even as recently as 2 seconds ago. I can remember tiny details in things and notice patterns but not remember what I am doing. I also have fibromyalgia but it hasn't been as bad recently. I have been weird since birth though. I don't even know what "normal" means. Sad.

On top of Asperger's Disorder, this is what I have:

Axis I:
Asperger's Disorder
Dysthymic Disorder (link)

Axis II: Schyzotypal and dependent traits most likely part of profile to Asperger's

Axis III: Bilateral Deafness (left ear since birth, right since 4½), history of scarlet fever at around age 5-6 (yes, I know... not a common illness)

I do exhibit some bipolar tendencies (at least that's what I have noticed since finding out about Asperger's) although from the assessment, the result of Dysthymia makes more sense to me.

I am fluent in PSE, which stands for Pidgin-Signed English - basically a bridging of American Sign Language and regular English sign language. I have established a high standard to speak whatever I can in the English grammatical structure, though occasionally signing in ASL simplifies the hand-signing whereas it is a bit more complex to sign some of the stuff in English.

I exhibited quite a lot of Autistic behaviors growing up, and nobody even really thought I was that different from everyone else, not even the multitude of psychiatrists I have seen during my schooling years. I had my own IEP because I was deaf, yet that didn't help me much since I still struggled in school. I attended deaf schools from the age of 5 all the way up to 17, when I decided to attend a public school full-time for my Senior year. Recently in September of this year when I went down to Maryland to visit my grandmother (in West Virginia, really). I went to a County fair, where I bumped into the mother of a classmate of mine from middle to high school. She remarked that her son had mentioned to her several times that he knew something wasn't right with me because I was so smart, yet so emotionally behind. He never really understood why, but he just knew something was up. I told her that I was looking into Asperger's as an issue, and she said that made a lot of sense to her.

Sheesh, I'm trailing off as usual. I need to stop doing that.

As for the speech thingy, my mom tried to force that on me over the years - it always ends up with me getting into a meltdown, or just plain yelling to tell her to stop doing that. She has since then stopped doing that ever since I told her about Asperger's. My grandma, on the other hand.... you know the quote "you can't teach old dog new tricks" - well, that's her. She's learning slowly, through my negative reactions and telling her over and over again to stop picking me about my speech and expecting me to read her lips all the time.

BTW, I'm temporarily staying in the suburbs of Philly, around Bucks County. I miss Alaska, sigh.

Sefirato -- You sound a lot like me if I'd been deaf. And you're probably no more than 20 minutes away, too, lol.


My mom is psycho about it, really. She would try to get me to correct my deaf ex's speech, which I refused to do. She says people can't understand 70% of what I say. I'm told this is untrue. I had speech therapy in school twice a week, and twice a week out of school, too.

Seems maybe they should have been focusing on more practical issues...

I also have OCD, though I'm not sure if that's counted as a disability.

Heh, I don't know about 20 minutes, but that's a possibility I'm in Southampton.

As for people not understanding me: that is not always the case. My grandma can't understand me 90% of the time, but my other family members can understand me about 50-70% of the time, which is pretty good. As for the general population with other hearing people, it is around 50-70% also, it is just different between person to person. Same goes with lip-reading - if they speak too fast, mouth moving very little, have bushy mustaches, there's no way in hell I will expend my energy to read their lips, so that's why I use my "Neo" communication device - for these times where people either are generally too stupid to speak clearly or just can't speak clearly, either. (I want an Ubi-Duo though - sooo expensive though).

Mostly deaf since birth, almost totally in right ear and partially in left. Can hear well enough without hearing aid, but I've worn one in my left ear for most of my life.

Hearing not quite bad enough to send me to deaf school, learn sign etc My parents made the decision to get me into mainstream schools. Not sure if it was the right decision, but I've made the best out of it. Can lip read pretty well, and I use it to boost my hearing so to speak.

Funny, after years of assuming my deafness was the cause of my social problems, it would seem now that Aspergers played more of a part here. Though I certainly don't doubt that deafness didn't help.

ADD, bad eyesight, and mitral valve prolapse

Bipolar
Scolosis
AD/HD
epilepsy(?)

Nope. Asked my SO. About twenty minutes. I'm in Abington, down the street from the Willow Grove Mall.


With my comment about people only understanding me about 70% of the time -- I was commenting more on my mom's obnoxious standards. Honestly, I have better speech than the princesses I went to high school with, and most people just think I have a weird regional accent or a tongue piercing.

I get used to deaf accents pretty quick, helps with some sign. My sign isnt' so hot, but when using total communication with the folks who are able to speak, I get by really well. Most deaf people - esp 'D'eaf people - tend to fly by in the same annoying way as hearing people. Being HoH has its own challenges.

I can't really wear my aids because I can't stand how loud things are that way. I have auditory sensitivity as it is, and wearing aids takes up so much more energy - energy better spent on lipreading, figuring out words from context, and battling the concurrent auditory processing delays that I likely have (and will be getting tested for).

Something I wrote a few years ago after a *real* fun stop at the post office in Suburban Station:

Sign Language

You don't speak louder? Bet that I could help
with that. I'm sure a swift kick in the rear
would boost your snotty voice a decibel
or six. It's not my fault that I can't hear.
Don't treat me like I'm stupid. I can read
and count. It's really cute you feel so smart
and eloquent when you stand next to me,
and my! what gems of wisdom you impart!
And now you can't repeat what you just said?
That's such a shame- but then again, I doubt
that you had much of worth inside your head
that would have brightened up the world once out.
So here's my thoughts on all of this, in sum:
Yes, I am deaf, but you're the one who's dumb.

Hypersomnia and narcolepsy.

PTSD
Major Depression

LOL, I love that "poem" you wrote, it's awesome. I might as well use that to vent my frustration - you don't mind if I borrow that? Might help me get these snotty people off my backs from time to time.

Abington, that's where I was born. Never lived there, though. That's cool that you live near the WG Mall, I've passed by that mall several times in the last two weeks to the UPS hub in Horsham, I'm working with them for the Christmas season as a driver helper in the Southampton area.

Thanks --- it's a Shakespearean sonnet. Iambic pentameter -- except for the last line.

If you want to borrow it, that's fine. It's one of the poems I tend to share freely, so if you'd just make sure the name "Lauren Gilbert" is under the title, I'm okay with it getting around.

I know it's a bit out there to suggest to another Aspie, but if you ever feel the need to commiserate (and have the patience to work with me and my 'sign' - bah), feel free to PM/IM.

I also had asthma as a child and teen. I grew out of this when I started smoking cigarettes. I also am gluten intolerant, if that counts.

HA!! ! I knew you were. I am too. I actually meant to ask you a while back. I have awesome recipes if you ever want them.