Anybody undecided for awhile in considering joining WP?
I found out about Wrong Planet whilst looking up fan discussions and theories about various different characters. This led me to someone's blog. Apparently they were a member of Wrong Planet and the blog linked me to a thread on Wrong Planet debating whether certain characters are autistic. The name of the forum was memorable to me because it reminded me of an episode of Arthur (1996 - present). For those unfamiliar, Arthur was (and still is - surprised it's apparently still going) a children's show about a talking aardvark and his friends. The episode tried to explain what autism is to a young audience. It compared autism to being on an alien planet where everyone is yelling and no one makes a great deal of sense.
Anyway, a couple of years later or so I started going to online therapy sessions. I went to discuss how to build a healthier self image, how to cope in certain situations better and general self-improvement. During one of our sessions, my therapist asked me if I'd ever considered the fact I might be autistic. I said no and wondered if I should be considering it. She sent me a PDF about anxiety in autistic individuals and how it can differ from how anxiety impacts allistic people. In her message she also remarked that I probably knew all this.
Which reminded me of the blog post and how it had mentioned a place called Wrong Planet. I decided to make a thread here about my experience with the online therapist. That's all I had originally intended to do, to see if I could relate to any of the members here and if it was worth looking into. However, since I was here I kept asking questions and posting responses, and well - I forgot to leave.
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24. Possibly B.A.P.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 34,483
Location: Long Island, New York
I lurked during the assessment process and joined the day I got my diagnosis. Back then I had no idea that WP accepts undiagnosed people, and is a great resource for those that suspect autism.
I had been on a couple of other forums but never had any desire to join a support group. I joined out of curiosity and WP was the first place to come up on google.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
It is Autism Acceptance Month
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
I wasn't planning on joining any forums, but when I first had internet in my house (in late 2009) I finally had the private opportunity to research autism to try to understand my diagnosis better. After a couple of months of googling about autism, I inadvertently stumbled upon a WP thread and I had an itching urge to post a reply, so I signed up an account just to post that one reply. Then somehow I became a regular member here and have been coming here nearly every day since. Over 11 years! Do you think I'll still be visiting this website when I'm an old lady?
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Female
dragonsanddemons
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Joined: 19 Mar 2011
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 6,659
Location: The Labyrinth of Leviathan
It took me probably a year or so to join, then another year or two to work up the courage to actually post something. Yes, I said years, and no I am not exaggerating. It was my first real forum experience, and I have horrible social anxiety. Took me a while after that to really warm up to it, but now I don’t shut up
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Yet in my new wildness and freedom I almost welcome the bitterness of alienage. For although nepenthe has calmed me, I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.
-H. P. Lovecraft, "The Outsider"
Last edited by dragonsanddemons on 18 Oct 2021, 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
funeralxempire
Veteran
Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 39
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 25,549
Location: Right over your left shoulder
And that's the way we like it.
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Watching liberals try to solve societal problems without a systemic critique/class consciousness is like watching someone in the dark try to flip on the light switch, but they keep turning on the garbage disposal instead.
戦争ではなく戦争と戦う
dragonsanddemons
Veteran
Joined: 19 Mar 2011
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 6,659
Location: The Labyrinth of Leviathan
And that's the way we like it.
Thank you Sometimes I worry that I’m annoying.
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Yet in my new wildness and freedom I almost welcome the bitterness of alienage. For although nepenthe has calmed me, I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.
-H. P. Lovecraft, "The Outsider"