The struggle with Autism

I usually avoid the subject line because it renames the thread, but I thought that I'd get your attention this way! Sorry to be so long coming back to you, my day took me in an AS direction...

It's really difficult to find people to talk with. It isn't as if dealing with NTs is easy, they don't understand our concepts, our language, our character, any more than we understand the unsanity of their existence. It's like being a molecule of existence that's too large to pass through the osmotic barrier of communication, so we seem to end up shouting at a distance and talking in chinese whispers, barely understanding each other beyond a basic level.

It's entirely isolating. There's nothing as lonely as being alone in a crowd.

This was pretty much the first website that I found after my diagnosis. I was confused, frightened, bewildered and lost, I didn't understand the first thing about who I was, and I had no-one to talk to about it. I had no chance of believing that anyone could possibly understand me - life had taught me that one, in spades.

Then, I found myself reading the exchanges between people already here, and I got it! I actualy understood what people were saying, and even felt that it was OK to express myself in my way, and I wasn't going to get beaten for it, berated, have the pi*s taken, or anything - I was overwhelmed.

Since then, I've talked a lot, I think that there are some people who are glad that I'm here, I'm certainly glad that they are, and I feel comfortable in a way that I've never, ever in my life felt before. At first, I cried a lot just with happiness, still do occasionaly.

I'm incredibly lucky. I'm intelligent, quite learned, and very good at English. This means that I've not only been able to describe things that are my AS experience, but my family here understand what I'm saying and validate me as a human being by agreeing with me! So often I say, and see, Me Too - it's sometimes like a shout of triumph.

We express a wide variety of views, sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree, but no-one's opinion is unwelcome and can even give me food for thought. I've changed my views, opinions and attitudes by taking in what people say and then thinking about it, and I'm very grateful to everyone for the wide open debate that goes on here.

I'm so glad you've joined us, we AS people are few, and we need to stick together. The NAS isn't great, there's a lot we'd like to change, but that isn't anywhere near as important to my wellbeing as being amongst my own kind on this discussion forum.

And the job you do? So what? As Longman says, we don't give proper ecognition to those people who make our life so good. Imagine the foulness we'd live in were it not for the hard work of Refuse Collectors. What would we drink if Water workers didn't supply our clean, disease-free water? And how could I enjoy a meal out if someone hadn't ensured that my food was hygenicaly produced and served on a clean plate?

Sometimes I give support, sometimes I need it, and sometimes I get to say to someone, Me Too!

My advice Peafowl? Talk to us, you've found your community! Welcome to the family

I usually avoid the subject line because it renames the thread, but I thought that I'd get your attention this way! Sorry to be so long coming back to you, my day took me in an AS direction...

It's really difficult to find people to talk with. It isn't as if dealing with NTs is easy, they don't understand our concepts, our language, our character, any more than we understand the unsanity of their existence. It's like being a molecule of existence that's too large to pass through the osmotic barrier of communication, so we seem to end up shouting at a distance and talking in chinese whispers, barely understanding each other beyond a basic level.

It's entirely isolating. There's nothing as lonely as being alone in a crowd.

This was pretty much the first website that I found after my diagnosis. I was confused, frightened, bewildered and lost, I didn't understand the first thing about who I was, and I had no-one to talk to about it. I had no chance of believing that anyone could possibly understand me - life had taught me that one, in spades.

Then, I found myself reading the exchanges between people already here, and I got it! I actualy understood what people were saying, and even felt that it was OK to express myself in my way, and I wasn't going to get beaten for it, berated, have the pi*s taken, or anything - I was overwhelmed.

Since then, I've talked a lot, I think that there are some people who are glad that I'm here, I'm certainly glad that they are, and I feel comfortable in a way that I've never, ever in my life felt before. At first, I cried a lot just with happiness, still do occasionaly.

I'm incredibly lucky. I'm intelligent, quite learned, and very good at English. This means that I've not only been able to describe things that are my AS experience, but my family here understand what I'm saying and validate me as a human being by agreeing with me! So often I say, and see, Me Too - it's sometimes like a shout of triumph.

We express a wide variety of views, sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree, but no-one's opinion is unwelcome and can even give me food for thought. I've changed my views, opinions and attitudes by taking in what people say and then thinking about it, and I'm very grateful to everyone for the wide open debate that goes on here.

I'm so glad you've joined us, we AS people are few, and we need to stick together. The NAS isn't great, there's a lot we'd like to change, but that isn't anywhere near as important to my wellbeing as being amongst my own kind on this discussion forum.

And the job you do? So what? As Longman says, we don't give proper ecognition to those people who make our life so good. Imagine the foulness we'd live in were it not for the hard work of Refuse Collectors. What would we drink if Water workers didn't supply our clean, disease-free water? And how could I enjoy a meal out if someone hadn't ensured that my food was hygenicaly produced and served on a clean plate?

Sometimes I give support, sometimes I need it, and sometimes I get to say to someone, Me Too!

My advice Peafowl? Talk to us, you've found your community! Welcome to the family