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As much as I scour the Internet at all times of the day, I can't believe I haven't found this place until now.

I'm definitely not new to the Autistic community. I was diagnosed with AS back in 1996 (when I was 11) and have since lived a... somewhat normal life. I completed high school with minimal support from social workers and graduated with honors from both high school and college. I am known in my family as a musical "genius" (although it's been a while since I've touched a musical instrument... I really wanna get back into that) and am mainly fascinated with technology, as information technology is my field of study and I'm a "gamer since birth."

Sports is probably one of the biggest parts of my life; I'm in my thirteenth season as an athlete within Special Olympics. I participate in eight sports, the two big ones for me being Alpine Skiing and Softball. For those that are familiar with the divisioning system, I would normally be classified as a high intermediate/low advanced athlete for individual sports and an "A division" athlete for team sports, and I also do public speaking on behalf of our local and provincial offices. My main source of income comes from hockey as a rec. league off-ice official, although I'm currently pulling strings to get into refereeing some of the lower division stuff. I'm also well into the volunteer application process for the 2010 Olympics in my hometown of Vancouver, in which I've set as a mission that, if I get selected, to show that a person with my disability can do the job of a typical person.

I'm still a live-at-home person, although I do wish to move out in the near future once I find some financial stability, as rink income and a disability benefit that limits how much I can make in a month is fairly restrictive as far as how much money I have on a month-to-month basis.

Anyways, it's late, so I might as well check around and then hit the sack.

Last edited by musicman2059 on 10 Dec 2008, 6:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

Welcome to WP!

wait a min.... you got diagnosed in 2006 when you were 11... and now you're 23... sure you dont mean 1996....

Welcome anyway

Fixed. I'm guessing my fingers were momentarily one key over to the right when I typed that.

Edit: Right... not left... I really need to get to sleep.

Welcome!

hi musicman, welcome to the site. sports is an unusual thing for aspies, i wasn't sure we were acceptable in special olympics, but it seems we are! glad you found us.

Nice to meet you, musicman2059.

Hi musicman and welcome to the wrongplanet. I too have Asperger's. Even though I am a high school teacher (talented and gifted for the past 2 years, English the previous 19 years), most people know me for my music. I play keyboards, trombone, mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, etc. What do you play? It's good you are involved in sports. I never cared for sports that much, but I did take up bowling and golf. You mentioned the Special Olympics---I wasn't aware that athletes with Asperger's could participate in that.

It sounds like you have an exciting future ahead of you. It sounds like fun to be involved in the upcoming olympic games. I hope you enjoy this website. If there is anything you would like to chat about, don't hesitate to ask us. Welcome to this community.

Welcome aboard Wrong Planet, fellow-traveler musicman2059.

It's a bit of a gray area, but yes, Special O. does consider AS and (I think) all of the Autism spectrum as intellectual disabilities. I do recall an athlete eligibility guideline being that an athlete's IQ should be 70 or under, but that's all it is; A guideline. AS is a disability that results in lower functions regarding social aspects of life and that's enough for them. (Last time I checked my IQ was in the low 110s, so yeah.) That and I know athletes that can function at the same level as me.

Also, bowling is actually one of the sports that I do participate in and I'm able to maintain a 140 average.

Hi musicman