to tell you if it is a really strong emotion that I am feeling but otherwise I have no clue.
I love music and have loved music since the first time I heard it. I love singing to music, dancing to it, listening to it. anything with music is a passion of mine.
I calm down drastically when listening to music so whenever I get upset or am starting to have a meltdown, I grab my iPod and plug in the ear phones and play some music and it calms me right down in no time.
I did not start to read for fun till I was 18 and my parents bought me the first harry potter book. Till then I thought reading was just a waste of time and would have nothing to do with it.
Since then I have become a big-time reader and have read more than 50 books for fun.
I really love audiobooks and own more then 100 of them. I listen to them almost every day as I take the bus to and from work.
I am 5 foot 8 and weigh 145 pounds. I have next to no muscle tone in any of my body even less in my left arm which is pretty much useless. Thank god I am right handed because I cannot use my left hand for anything except typing and holding onto utensils. I cannot move my left hand to cut food, so I hold the fork in it while I use my right to cut the food then take the fork in my right hand to eat with.
I cannot even move it to print with or catch with or anything. It is so annoying.
When they test my academic skills, it shows that I have grade 2 age 7 writing, grade 4 age 9 spelling, grade 6 age 11 reading and grade 9 age 13 math skills. That was done 20 years ago when I was 17.
I am on clonazepam, divalproex, olanzapine, and abilify. The clonazepam is for my anxiety, the divalproex is my mood stabilizer, the olanzapine is my anti-psychotic, and the abilify is for the behaviour issues and helps with my meltdowns.
I was never medicated for ADHD. I was for the OCD symptoms and it was a nightmare. For me anti-depressants caused me to get many times worse.
I found turn based computer games to help a lot. Like civilization and games like that. They are educational and fun.
I always knew that I was different from other kids my age, but I never really thought of myself as having more than just a mild learning disability. So, it was not really that hard or difficult for me, but I think it was for my parents to see how I was treated by the other kids. I had a couple good friends and whenever I lost a friend, I usually found one or more to replace him with. I am still getting used to all of the symptoms and more seem to crop up or get worse every year.
Man, kids get it good these days. I never had any OT, PT, ST or stuff like it when I was a kid. I never had an aid worker or got any treatments. I guess it helps to get the DX early not like me starting at 17. That is way too late to be of much good. I had to do all the regular classes and courses. I had to fend for myself. Teachers never paid me the siltiest bit of attention. I never got any help from teachers to teach me anything. I had to teach myself how to do everything. I was expected to do everything a regular kid has to do at each stage of the game. The problem is that I never told anyone that I really could've used some help.
I really hate September and October. September always reminds me of going back to school and that meant a new teacher and new classroom to try to remember. I hatted going back to school. within a week or two I would be fine I just hatted the going back part not the school part. I did not mind school so much as the change in routine. October is thanksgiving up here in Canada plus I have my moms and my grandma's birthdays and Halloween to deal with. It is just too much to deal with in a short period of time that’s all.
Christmas and new years were not much better for me also. I never get any sleep Christmas eve. I think it goes back to when I was 5 and I was determined to catch Santa in the act of putting out the presents. I stayed up all night and caught my parents in the act. that was the end of the illusion of Santa for me.
There are not that many disabled people That I get to see every day. and the average tantrum I see is from a preschooler not getting what he wants from his parents.
I am a very independent person, so I see a lot more melt downs than my parent’s do.
I hate speaking in public it gives me a total meltdown every time I have to do it. I am not all that successful yet.
I think of all the crazy things I asked for Christmas and my birthday. Like a horse, dirt bike, go kart, hover craft, trip to space, a pet t-rex. compared to some Like a new game or book or comic or upgrade to my computer. Or even a dog or cat seems small compared with some of the stuff I thought up for myself.
Most of my dreams come true for me. I am always
having moments where I feel like I have already done them before and then I realize that I had a dream of doing exactly the same thing. I think that my whole life has already been planned out and I am just going along for the ride.
I also have major anxiety issues and have a hard time adjusting to any change period. The start of school was very hard on me and I still get upset come September because of the start of the school year
When I was 12, we moved, and it was really hard on me. I did not say anything to my parents about how hard it was. It took me 3 years to get adjusted to the new house and location. I acted really bad for those 3 years and got into a lot of trouble. I skipped 2 months of school without my parents knowing till one of the teachers bumped into them at the grocery store and asked if I was alright because I had missed the last 2 months of school.
I also racked up $500 in long distance phone charges in one-month phoning movie studios and threading to sue them for movies that used names that I had thought of using. It was a really bad time in my life, but it did get better.
I wouldn't share with anyone it did not matter who they were. My parents kept having to tell me that I had to learn to share my stuff. I got over it eventually, but it did take a very long time to learn the art of sharing.
I was 17 when I got the DX of Asperger’s syndrome ASD 1. So, for me I would have liked to have known much sooner than that. So that I could have had the proper support in school. I look, act, and seem very much like my blood brother and I only got to see him once 17 years ago. It was really freaky because we never grew up together any, yet we are so much alike. He has the same mannerisms, body language, speech patterns and everything. It makes you wonder how much nurture has to do with it or if it is mostly nature. The genetic code that binds you together is stronger than anything on the planet.
I watch crime TV shows and medical dramas. I play virtual hockey games and watch hockey onTV. I blog about what it was like growing up as me. I read fantasy books and listen to their audio books. I play strategy games on the computer and fiddle with the computer to try and keep it in perfect working order. That is what I do these days to make me happy.
I played the drums, piano, and trombone and got good at each one of them.I have had several girl friends over the years. All this having ASD. So, it is possible to live a semi normal life. Hang in their it does get better. I think the only one that should be called a expert on ASD is someone who has ASD and is able to talk about what it is like to have it. You can ask me anything and I will try to answer it. I cannot answer questions that I have not been asked.
Whenever I find a post that goes into something that I have knowledge in I comment on it and post the comment on my blog if it is worthwhile. I think everybody should benefit from my experiences
I was 17 when I got my first DX of Asperger’s Syndrome, so my parents never put any limitations on me either. I tried every sport in the book till I found
