Autism as a Whole
People who exhibit odd behaviors because their brains function differently than what most people would consider normal are labeled as having autism. The brain interprets information differently than everyone else's due to a neurological condition. A multitude of conditions can be classified within this spectrum of autism, including Asperger's Syndrome (AS), Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD), and Low Functioning Autism (HFA). Although there is still much dispute about this, some specialists also think that attention deficit disorders (ADD) fall under the same category as autism.Those who are on the spectrum frequently exhibit the following traits:
Unusual PassionsStrange Social Exchanges
atypical bodily motions
Unusual Responses to Things, People, or Circumstances
Unusual Words and Sentences
Unusual Skills
Asperger's syndrome
When I was 34 years old in 2005, I received an AS diagnosis. Due to their ability to communicate, people with AS do not always receive early detection because of their speech impairment. Instead, people with AS typically speak more like little professors. Oh my goodness, I cannot recall how often I was told as a child that I was a little professor. HAHA I'm also told that my speech patterns fluctuate and that there are moments when I sound nothing like the little professor.I am now aware of how I mimic other people's speech patterns in different contexts and at different times based on what I subtly believe is appropriate for that particular scenario.
That's how I socially manage the seeming incapacity to detect those nonverbal cues that neurotypicals (NTs)—those without autism spectrum disorders, or non-Aspergers—give off with their bodies. I think I've taken more English classes than the majority of English majors, and I've put a lot of effort into improving my writing.
I would not have made it through college if it had not been for my fortunate 9th-grade English teacher, who taught me how to see a paper and turn words and writing into a math formula. Heck, on a paper I wrote about Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull, I was the only one who understood that the story was about standing out from the crowd and not following the herd. That was my first A in that class, by the way.
For that one, I believe I had firsthand experience. That is the document that altered my experience with social communication. From then on, I started to feel confident using writing as a communication tool. At around the same time, I started working as a junior camp counselor, and for the first time, I started interacting with people, not just another person in a structured program. Naturally, the children I looked after were the ones who helped me socialize the most—I didn't get along with other counselors or people my own age—but it was a start.
Even now, I still prefer to socialize with animals or 5-year-olds, but I think I've gotten better at interacting with my peers as long as it takes place in a structured environment like group therapy or even playing board games, as opposed to just going to parties where people sit around and talk about pointless topics.
I much prefer to be by myself at home, working on a computer, reading a good book, or making art. I've also discovered that creating art serves as a sort of icebreaker as well as a release for my emotions, which I have no words for.
I actually like to talk to people; I just never know where to start. And this so-called irrelevant chit-chat like the weather just doesn't make any sense to me. I mean, if you want to know what the weather is like, look outside for Pete's sake. Why do you have to state the obvious just to say something? Quiet is nice too.
I am finding that many of these things are very characteristic of Aspie.
