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Hi! My name is David, and I'm an Aspie.... I think...

D

David D

Well-Known Member
Sorry if the AA style intro is a bit corny, but anyway...

I'm 51 years old and have felt socially awkward and uncomfortable my whole life. A few years ago, my wife was reading an article in Time Magazine and a little while later, she turns to me and says "This is you!". She had been reading about a guy with Aspergers.

Well, after doing a lot of reading, talking with a couple of doctors, and taking several online tests, here I am. I'm "very likely an Aspie" as the tests say. I'm not as quirky as some, but definitely not neurotypical either. I've struggled and worked to be social over the years, but still find it very uncomfortable and can get very anxious depending on the situation. As I tell my wife, I understand machines and electronics better than I understand people! I guess my "talent" is fixing things. It comes naturally to me. My family used to get a kick out of me repairing appliances when I was 7 years old. If only I understood people as well!

At any rate, I finally decided to join this forum in the hopes of finding some sense of it being ok to be me!

David
 
That is the secret to life David. We all must come to understand that we are OK. We are different but that does not make us wrong, it makes us special. Yes we struggle more, but we also try harder. Yes we look at things differently, but that gives us a unique perspective.
Weather you believe in creationism or evolution, you should believe that you are everything you were meant to be.
 
Thanks Peace! I've found that knowing I have Aspergers is a relief as it provides an explanation for how I am. Knowing why I am different, instead of just thinking I'm weird, is comforting.

David
 
Hi David! Welcome to Aspies Central. It's definitely ok to be who you are. Yes, we do go through many hardships, but we get through them when we have a solid support group. We're extremely friendly here, and we treat each member as part of a close-knit family since we are always there for one another. Feel free to chat with us on any of the threads (or even start a thread of your own if you want) or on the shoutbox with any questions, concerns, or personal insights you have. I hope you enjoy everything we have to offer here.
 
Thank y'all for the warm welcomes! I actually posted a reply here last night, but it hasn't shown up yet as it had to be approved by a moderator? I suspect this reply will wind up delayed as well. I won't know until I hit the post button! Here goes...

(edit) - Well, since this one posted, I guess my first reply is still hanging out in cyberspace somewhere. At any rate, I'm glad to be here and hope to find some help dealing with this now that I know what it is!

David
 
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Welcome here :)!

It's certainly okay to be you. I understand though that it's a difficult issue (acceptance). I haven't quite worked it out yet for myself, either. Sometimes I compare myself to people who don't have autism. It's a bit frustrating! But I do think it's okay to be as we are. It's different yes, but I couldn't imagine another way of being (though I would love it if I didn't have such sensory issues).
 
It IS frustrating feeling like an oddball all the time! I am self-diagnosed, but consider myself borderline. I have taken several online tests as well as met with a doctor, but he specialized in children and didn't feel like I had enough to "qualify" as having Aspergers. My feeling is that being my age, I have had many years to learn interpersonal skills and coping skills. I WAS officially diagnosed as ADHD several years ago, before I had a clue about Aspergers. There aren't any adult Aspergers docs in my area that I've been able to find, except the children's specialist that I visited. I do have meltdowns, and often feel very awkward around other people. I don't cope with stress very well, get depressed often, and everything seems much more intense for me that most people. When people talk to me or look at me, I tend to take things wrong and always worry that I'm doing something wrong and that people aren't happy with me. Being a perfectionist doesn't help things either!
 
Hi David,

It sounds to me like you're a useful person. I can barely screw in a light bulb. At least your wife thinks you're all right socially LOL---otherwise, how'd you get married? I probably got ADHD myself LOL--I don't recall what you do for a living.

Many times, I believe, eccentric people are just that--eccentric. Where would we be without Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein? Where would the humane treatment of animals be without Temple Grandin?

I believe, many times, that people supposedly on the "autistic spectrum" (while not denying the existence of the spectrum) frequently do not suffer from a "disorder" per se. The "disorder" comes, I believe, when one is not able, despite normal cognitive functioning, to support one's self.

I believe one should foster one's unusual interests. Without these interests, which could transcend what exists at present, we would still be in caves and crude shelters. It is the Asperger's-type mind which created cave art, I believe. And which had the incentive to domesticate wild plants. I would think those people would have been thought to be "weird" during their generation. It is possible that most people circa 10,000 BC or so would have much preferred to stick to hunting and eating wild game. It was fun, after all, and it would have provided lots of stories for the campfires after the hunts.

Thanks for "listening." Have a great day.
 
I like to think I'm useful! I have many interests... too many to be honest. Problem is, because so many things interest me (most of them, technology related), I can't focus enough on any of them to get proficient. I'm lucky in that there are some things that come very easy to me. I love music and play guitar, but lack the focus to get really good at it, even though I've been playing for almost 40 years. I only play as good as I do because I "play by ear". I can hear something and almost immediately start playing along. Dexterity is my biggest obstacle.

Almost anything involving electronics or mechanical is intuitive to me. I have joked for years that I understand machinery and electronics, but don't understand people.

Eccentric? I probably am to a small degree. I'm VERY heterosexual, but also very much in touch with my feminine side. I'm much more comfortable hanging out with women than men. I enjoy movies, theater (yes, musicals!), music, am fussy about my hygiene, etc. I can be very talkative (no one is a stranger), but don't like social gatherings. I am much more comfortable being alone in the quiet of my own home. I think it's because I get overwhelmed with distractions and it's stressful. I need LOTS of downtime, which unfortunately causes anxiety because there are so many things that I want to do. Talk about vicious cycle!

I understand the whole "disorder" thing. I am accused of being OCD, but technically, it's not a "disorder" for me, just a tendency according to the psychologist.

I love all of my interests. I'm quite proud that I know something about many things. I like to think that it makes me a little more interesting than the average bear. I just wish I had more focus and drive. I'd be much more successful, career wise.
 
A retro welcome aboard :)

image.jpg
 
David D said:
Thank y'all for the warm welcomes! I actually posted a reply here last night, but it hasn't shown up yet as it had to be approved by a moderator? I suspect this reply will wind up delayed as well. I won't know until I hit the post button! Here goes...

(edit) - Well, since this one posted, I guess my first reply is still hanging out in cyberspace somewhere. At any rate, I'm glad to be here and hope to find some help dealing with this now that I know what it is!

David
Click to expand...

Hello, where ever you are on the time continuum.

I don't know if it's something happening only
with my computer or what-------
but I see this thread starting with
the posting date of May 30, 2013.o_O
 
tree said:
Hello, where ever you are on the time continuum.

I don't know if it's something happening only
with my computer or what-------
but I see this thread starting with
the posting date of May 30, 2013.o_O
Click to expand...
Lol.
It is an old thread. Resurrected recently, as have been a few others. Don't worry tree the computers aren't taking over, yet...:eek:
 
Rocco said:
Lol.
It is an old thread. Resurrected recently, as have been a few others. Don't worry tree the computers aren't taking over, yet...:eek:
Click to expand...

I am entirely comfortable with resurrected threads.
This one had some clang to it though.
I couldn't figure out why people were responding to such an
old intro post. He did say his post had been delayed, but
2 years would be a really long delay.

I see OP was recently (April 2015) in evidence.
OK....just checking.

I have enough puzzlement talking with people who
are on the other side of the world w/o messages coming
from a couple years ago. It is hard for me to think
that somewhere else, right now, it's Sunday while
it's Saturday here.
 
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