What's your view on (your) autism?

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I have been diagnosed with asperger's syndrome, and my mother believes that I am disabled, handicapped, because I am socially stupid, and am very bad at predicting human behavior or emotions. I resent that idea.

Of course, there are some issues, things I have problems with. But I think I have loads of qualities, too. I am really intelligent, curious, creative, smart and developed, I think a lot, am good at solving problems, and I am very good at logics and analysing. I think everyone will recognize something. My mother sees none of that, the only things she sees are problems, things that I have to get help with, she looks at it very gravely. But don't NT's have their issues too, but in a different way?

By saying that I am disabled, she denies me, my identity. Wether I/she like(s) it or not, asperger's has grown to be a part of who I am, my whole personality. By saying that asperger's is such a great handicap that is ruining my life, she is rather offensive, because then almost everything of my personality is envenomed by my asperger's. I have some problems, like evryone, but I do have qualities too. I don't think I see it in a very subjective manner, like my mother sugested, but in an objective one. Despite some people I can watch myself at a distance, some can, others can't. I can do that, and I don't like her being so negative about my asperger's.

How do you folks see your ASP and how does your environment see it?

I was thinking about this topic myself, but in these terms:

At what point do autistic traits become autism, as an "-ism"?

For instance, I have many AS traits. Many. Almost all of them. But have had them with varying intensity throughout my life. I have been impaired in the past, but feel I have worked through it. The traits I associate with the thing they now call AS have always tested my persistence and my creativity - and they continue to - but I have prevailed, and I do not currently feel disabled. If anything, I have turned many of my weaknesses into strengths. This is, I believe, one of the primary challenges of life. But do I "have" it? It depends on your definition of "have". Would I be eligible for aid? No. I have demonstrated that I do not need it. Would I have been if my environment had responded differently? Quite possibly.

Maybe it is a semantics thing. I am in my early/mid 30's, and didn't grow up in a time/place where "social" impairment was really a consideration.

As a rule, parents rarely understand their children.



This is how I forged my way through high school, then college, and eventually, work. For social interaction, just try to intuit general rules, apply the template and if on occasion you are wrong, laugh about it.

Judging by your post, it seems you'll be fine. Your attitude is very positive.

I don't want to discourage you but u just described my pain and i' m old,tough guy who went through a lot in life and when dealing with NT,could be your mother,boss,"friends", it is the same pattern over and over again,
they totally denies your identity,existence,thoughts and feelings, dismissing anything that dear to you as irrelevant and even your proven qualities and talents are taken as a evidence to your craziness/
I watched them from a distance for a long time and i know I'm going to get a lot of nasty comments for this but i learned to regard the NT as totally irrelevant to me and my life,
i have no appreciation for them and i don't respect them and i don't expect nothing from them,
they have very bad memory ,if at all, and consequently have no capacity for introspective process and regrets,
theire very short attention span guarantee that they never get any sustainable mental image of another person,
all they care about is what the others stupid ppl are saying about them so they think that by praising your talents they do you a favor,
i know it's very lonely and tough but if u r interested in the advice of an old man mine is don't expect anything from an NT,
try find someone like you who could understand and support you because life is hard enough even without this stupid folks making it almost unbearable.

I'm a self diagnosed 40 year old that missed out on being diagnosed as a child/young adult. I stumbled upon AS by accident while doing some self reflection and it fit so much that I started to think back at my life and...wow. When I told my family, they collectively laughed in my face which was not nice but at the same time was good because it showed how I have adjusted over the years. My family and myself do not look at AS as a disability or even worse a handicap, do not mention it much at all and I do not use it as an excuse unless I can make it funny as in a joke of some kind. I do not look at AS as a limiting factor in my development and my life but rather as an influence that has positives and negatives. I may not be the typical Aspie, if there is such a thing in the first place, but I was fortunate to pick a field of study, Math and Computers where my Aspie traits can be an advantage.

I'm also a parent and I can understand how your mother has reacted even though I think it may be a little extreme. Parents want the best for their kids and any problem or defect their child has can reflect back on them so there may be some unecessary guilt invovled. Don't expect everyone to adjust overnight to the news of an AS dx. It takes time.

Only my family knows about my AS and one other person. My family is supportive but the subject rarely comes up. They see me as a little different but not because of AS but because its just how I have always been.

Good Luck

Oggleleus- You and your family have a very healthy attitude. It's not a disability if you don't allow it to be. (At least that goes for you and me- someone else may have symptoms that are more difficult to deal with.) You just step back and say, ''oh, that's why I always felt so different'' and go and live your life!

I'd say we are environmentally disabled, in that we are surrounded by a majority of people whose needs and desires are completely different from ours. If most people were autistic, then non-autistics would be disabled, because their needs and desires (socializing, getting attention, imposing themselves on others, lying, producing lots of noise and crap, and so on) would be insufficiently met or not be tolerated. In and by itself a high-functioning autistic mind is not disabled, it has advantages and disadvantages like any other functional mental state.

Everyone believes I am disabled. I believe I am, too.

However, I really want to overcome my social deficits and my aversion to chores so that one day I can become a housewife.

My autism spectrum disorder is a disability and of course an impairment in a few ways.

My environment sees me as non-disabled and vastly as having no problems with the ASD.

I hope that anyone who that disability means something bad and sad respects that the word disability means something very very different to me. It doesn't say anything about my value, not that I'm bad or anything. Disability doesn't mean someone has no abilities.

I think of disability about as defined by the social disability model. Not exactly, but I think it's good.

And, impairment because, there are some things I can't imagine how to get around, because that's just how I work. I can't change my head to work differently and function through breaks of routines, because my head just won't. That's something I can't stop my head to do - just how a person with an IQ score of 100 can't suddenly make themselves have an IQ score of 140.

So I need to work around that, forever, especially because I dislike routines. I really hate having to have routines. I can't believe anyone would like routines! But there shows diversity of personalities.

That's what I thought of in 5 minutes. I may add something later.

The thing is isn't everybody disabled in some way or another? Who on earth can do everything perfectly? Admittedly the things we can't do well have a greater impact on our lives than most but life is full of people who really want to be able to do things others are great at and can’t.
That is how I try and see my ASD I may be lonelier than most I may have difficulty coping with people in general but I have many talents I can concentrate on something I'm interested in when others run out of steam, despite the fact I have been treated appallingly by so many people I have still come through it with my kindness humility and humanity intact I think that is one of my greatest achievements.

I find life both terrifying and unbelievably beautiful at the same time, I am just me and the world is going to have to get used to it because I have to.

My asperger's is my curse and my blessing.

am do not understand when people say autism or as is-or isnt a disability based on own experience as if there is only one way to experience autism or as.
the disability depends on the support needs and how life is affected,those with few support needs and NT like ability in life,are not going to be disabled by their autism or as,the term more for that type is impaired,as they have a specific impairment in a part of their autism/as whilst they may have workarounds for the rest.
but for those who think aspies and hfas cannot be disabled,am have lived in residential homes with them and they can definitely be described as disabled,eg,one was most disabled in communication whilst another was most disabled in her need for routine,change and severe autism related challenging behavior.
it doesn't have to be seen as a bad or profound word [disabled] as it just means the person has difficulties that affect their every day life in some way for over a year.

for autists who are disabled-this is often because of others/modern world not being compatible with them,but it also can be under the medical model,am affected very strongly by autism [one part of it-the sensory side,has been labelled profound by docs] and am house bound here most days because of it,no amount of medications, aids,therapies,specialists,support staff [am get 1-1 and 2-1 day and night support],alarms,padding,house adaptions etc have ever given am a much better quality of life,am also disabled physically most days by autistic shutdowns [complete paralyis in both legs for upto a day,or extreme weakness at the least].
am have gotten through life seeing everything as challenges rather than things to avoid,am put as much effort into each day as possible no matter how difficult it is,and staff and the specialist team are always trying to find am things to help to give a quality of life,it's very easy to give up hope and only see the bad side if are constantly around nastiness about being a burden on others for the support needs of autism.
am find that getting the support of those who understand,cancels out the ignorant crap those idiots come up with a lot more easily.

The government thinks I'm disabled and unfit for work and...everything, and they just looked at me for several minutes (which I just kinda shrug my shoulders to).

Me, I'm just a little slow at doing things, as everything requires quite a lot of mental energy to accomplish. There's many things that "normal" people can do, that are impossible for me to do, but hey, that's just how it goes for some of us. I like how I am disconnected from people's emotions and their group-forming ways, as I like being the "loner" that is forced upon me. I like the interest, the [good] obsessions; I don't like how I cannot do many things for those I love due to the label [that I would do if I could], as I like doing everything I can for them. This latter part is the worst part of Autism to me (who'd think, someone who is "Autistic" doesn't like it for he cannot help others he loves more).

Concerning me, I'm apathetic to this Autism thingy.

To be fair, the things you are able to do supersedes what they can do at the cost of social interaction. All great things come with a price. Social activity is the price. Question is; would you want to be like everyone else? It's people like us that makes the world what it is. Finding flaws, problems, etc, far quicker than conventional methods

Problem is, everyone,including most ppl in this forums, see "Social activity" and "social interaction" in the NT or conventional way,
well, u don't miss anything,social interaction the NT way, stink
it is shallow,full of deceits and lies and not worth of your time,
your only disability is having a hart and a brain which is a serious flow if not a sin in our time.

I have high-functioning autism. The social part is the hardest for me. I have trouble reading people and understanding what they mean sometimes. I spent so much of my pre-adult life trying to fit in with people and win them over. Then one day in 2007, I decided to just forget about it and just accept who I am. Besides, I like who I am. Sure, there are drawbacks, but the benefits more than make up for that. If someone can't appreciate that, then they can just make like a ghost and disappear. I'll just stick with those who like me for who I am, like my family.

As Scott Weiland said, "I think I think too much."
And that basically sums it up for me, too much anxiety - not enough
self conceptualization about social structures -- and contextual errors
proceed to upset me to a point of mutism sometimes, loud noises,
horrible smells that kill me, and god, I hate my stomach..