Introducing myself

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Hi,

I''ve just been diagnosed with Aspergers last week, and right now I'm mostly just thinking about it and what it means to me. I guess more than anything it explains things about me. A lifeitme of confusion has been cleared up for me, if that makes any sense? Does anyone else feel that way, if they were diagnosed well into in adulthood?

I'm a teacher, and I live about half an hour north of London.

Patti

Welcome!

To WrongPlanet!! !

Welcome greetings, fellow-traveler Patti, to the WP forums. Yes, it makes perfect sense.

A special Welkome to WrongPlanet, with a K.

Mick Avory

It does make sense. I have no formal diagnosis but have been arriving at this conclusion also after a lifetime's confusion. With the help of a good therapist that is.

All aboard the bandwagon, everyone here has been confused about being confused, you are here to stay and learn well comrade. Enjoy this place

Thanks for the welcome. A little bit about me. In no particular order . . .

I jump at noises, and I cut all the tags out of my clothes because they're so uncomfortable. I smell other things long before others do, and any noise outside my house makes me crazy. Stereos and a bass beat especially drive me over the edge. I pace and rant and can't do anything else until it stops. Heavy equipment and DIY is fine for some reason -- I tune it right out.

I get upset with language inconsistencies or misuse (lately I'm annoyed with people using 'irony' and 'coincidence' synonymously), and I write to book editors when I see things like 'further' when they mean 'farther'. (Is this what drove me to become an English teacher?)

I've spent my whole life trying to figure people out (to no avail). I live by myself, and while I wish I had more than a few casual friends, it's just impossible. I've been divorced twice, and have a grown daughter.

I have meltdowns over the littlest things, especially my computer, when it acts up.

I watch the same movie for months, every night, then move on to a new one when I have it memorised.

Oh, and I love to do jigsaw puzzles. I always have one on the back table in my classroom, and when my pupils are done with their work, they can work on it (these are ones I've already done at home). The kids chuckle because I can sit with the box of pieces at my desk, paw through it, and hand someone a piece, and tell them exactly where it goes (even though the puzzle is 20 feet away).

I'm caring and giving, and would do anything for anyone. I do lots of crafts and cook, and I have 9 blogs (sorted by topic -- cooking, photography, ecology, etc).

That's me!

Patti

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Hello Patti. I'm glad to meet you.
I have an AS brother and an AS girlfriend. A lot of your qualities are similar to my girlfriend. She is very disturbed by the sound of ambulances. But for some reason the Polish ambulance siren(she is from Poland) causes her the most pain. The Canadian ambulance siren(I am Canadian) doesn't cause her as much pain. Perhaps they have slightly different sound? I quote your sentence above because I also do this. I don't have very many symptoms of AS, but I sometimes wonder if I have a very very mild AS, because I have some symptoms and I do find the entire earth very bizarre, as if I am an alien on the wrong planet. (also I prefer aspies to non-aspies). So maybe I am 1/2 aspie and 1/2 non-aspie.
Thank you for sharing details about yourself, it is interesting to me.

Hi and Welcome to WP.

Yes, the acceptability of noises can vary greatly.

Just today I was outdoors reading in my back garden, and realised at some point that the neighbours had been sawing, drilling, and in general doing their usual DIY weekend stuff -- deafening at some points, as they are so close -- but I wasn't even aware of it. But later, long after they'd gone, I could hear this very faint bass beat, probably in a car parked on the next street, and I had to go in and shut the doors because it was so disturbing -- I couldn't read my book.

Smells are the same for me -- I left a shop (without a purchase) yesterday because the assistant waiting on me had bad breath, and I thought I'd vomit if I stayed, it was so repulsive. But other smells don't bother me a bit, no matter how strong or bad.

Sounds like you're in good company with the Aspies in your life!

hey

Well I just joined the site but welcome jigsaw!

I am 21 years old so I'm still quite young, but that part of your introduction is exactly what went through my head two years ago when I first heard of AS, so I guess it's perfectly normal.

By the way I also cut all the tags out of my clothes and correct peoples use of language all the time.

Welcme to you, too!

Oh, I don't correct people I know or speak to -- I don't think they'd like that! Only my students (because that's my job), and an author or journalist when they goof it up (because professional writers really ought to know better!).

I saw a misplaced modifier the other day, and it would have been funny if it weren't so sad, but I at least emailed the journalist to explain misplaced modifiers. It said, "He admitted that he killed the girl several times," when it should have said "He admitted several times that he killed the girl." The modifier 'several times' needs to be closest to what it modifies (his admission), as you surely can't kill someone several times.

I love words. One of my favourite English lessons is some actual headlines, and I have my students make them clearer. 'Stolen Painting Found By Tree' should be 'Stolen Painting Found NEAR Tree' -- that kind of thing.

Nope people certainly don't enjoy being corrected (especially teachers and people that are not my friends), but I learned to contain myself and now it's reserved for close friends, family and academic discussions.