Hi. I'm RavenFeather and I'm a newbie here. This is going to be really long so please be patient . . .
I don't really know what kind of psychological disorders I have all together, or if I even have Asperger's. I have been diagnosed with depression and I have anxiety in social stituations. I also have had problems concentrating all my life which would correspond to ADHD. I've always loved drawing and writing stories and have a natural talent for them. I was bullied A LOT in school and have always had trouble with math. That's one of the things that confuses me though . . . If I'm not good at math, numbers, or telling time . . . can I still possibly be an Aspie?
The "requirement" that you should have Math ability or an intense interest in numbers--to have Asperger's--is a horrible stereotype that keeps being perpetuated for whatever reason. You can definitely be very poor at Math--or learning disabled in it (I am, at least)--and have Asperger's. Some Aspies have Dyscalculia--I don't know if I have it, but what I definitely have is very poor Math skills.
This is one of the things I hate the most about how AS is viewed by the common person--no matter what, there still seems to be this idea that, if you have AS, you "should" be good at Math, Science, or academics in general. I'm not good at any of these things, in fact.
I'm incredibly poor at Math, and learning disabled (overall) across a few areas. College is unrealistic for me.
So, don't dismiss the possibility of AS on your lack of Math skills or savantism. It's going to take a lot of people like you and me to change public perception and loosen these horrible stereotypes.
B"H
Welcome aboard. Thank you for joining!
All the best.
You're problems with getting work done can possibly be attributed to Executive Dysfunction, and/or autistic inertia which has a similar description.
You're problems with getting work done can possibly be attributed to Executive Dysfunction, and/or autistic inertia which has a similar description.
May I ask what "autistic inertia" is? I could look it up, but perhaps you have a novel description for me. How is it different from ED, etc
Might put some A-spies there sooner or later.
welcome ravenfeather
To make the long story short: because some people made it a habit to delete their posts so that the following posts were out of context.
There are much stranger ones out there - I'm on a forum where EVERY post MUST quote the one directly above it.
You'll get used to it... we're very forgiving of typos and the like, because we all *know* you can't edit it, and we've all done it ourselves at least a dozen times. If you really screw something up, you can do a "ghetto edit" by putting another post below saying "Sorry, I left a word out, I meant I did NOT agree that..."
Although I'm only 26, I learned from experience that it is possible to keep steady and very close friendships when your friends are patient enough to accept your flaws and they are willing to be explicit when you miss their social cues. Usually these people are somewhat "excentric" themselves, as "normal" people are not naturally inclined to be so patient and explicit. You'll have to go through many disappointments to find these people, though.
I know what you mean. Luckily, as you work in IT you probably have the greatest chance of meeting such people. (My hubby is an IT consultant, too; and i have met his colleagues! 
)
Sorry, AP, if my exuberent welcome looked like 'screaming in rainbows' 
if an error really, REALLY bugs you, just PM a mod, or report the post, and specify what you want changed
The word eccentricity to me equals interesting.
The more "normal" people are, the more boring they tend to be.
THIS
Two of my three ex-girlfriends were in IT and most of the people I ever called my friends are or were in IT or engineering... In fact, my current girlfriend is considering becoming a webdesigner... under my influence, though
So yes, I fully agree. IT people and engineers are the most likely people to get along with Aspies. Their talent of algorythmic or mathelatical serial processing helps them better understand the way they think. Some even say that
Aspies -> IT like fish -> water.
Some of us are not math or IT material, if you didn't know.
These stereotypes are beginning to annoy me.
<soapbox>
I know it's nothing personal, but can we give the normal=boring a rest, please? I happen to work in an industry full of self-styled "wacky eccentrics" so I'm a bit over the whole thing, and I know that most "eccentrics" are just bunging on an act because they're basically deeply uncomfortable with who they really are.
</soapbox>
