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Tomas

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Everything posted by Tomas

  1. I can understand why you could do with the help. Sharing must be pretty tricky. (A little tip - noise cancelling headphones are awesome!) With the public spending cuts it's really unfortunate that high functioning autistics are pretty/very low down on the priority list, for assistance, and housing etc. But you might get some help; never say never. How you attain your diagnosis varies from area to area. First port of call might be the GP.
  2. I've suffered from depression most of my life, I first started being prescribed anti-depressants about 24 years ago. As I've got older I became more self aware, and recognised the names of the emotions I was feeling. Life can get more complicated and as time went on I was becoming more anxious. In times of severe stress I got chest pains, so went to the doctor. After discussing it and doing some tests we concluded that it was most likely stress related.
  3. Having read your post a few times and given it some thought, my response is: you want to be realistic about your expectations of other peoples reaction to your telling them you are an Aspie. I say this because I have found that a common response is one of indifference or condescension (as opposed to the desired recognition and understanding). The main benefit for me is that it has helped to substantiate my claims ESA and PIP (crucially alongside diagnosis of Chronic Hep C and Depression & Anxiety). This was helpful as I have been struggling to maintain work, and yet I can appear fit and competent to those without significant understanding of these conditions. As for being able to be myself, this has really come from me and not from others. What I mean by this is: if the diagnosis helps you accept yourself and be less critical of your weaknesses, then you may be able to objectively appreciate your strengths too. I really needed this, but I still find I can feel inferior to NTs in social situations as a diagnosed Aspie, simply because it doesn't change the fact that often simple social interactions can be messy and incompetent when they "should" be routine. I also hoped that my family would acknowledge Aspergers, but they are unwilling to talk about it at all, even when I've mentioned it; (they just move swiftly on). Having a diagnosis may give you permission to be yourself more, and in this respect it seems worthwhile. It doesn't really facilitate the compassion of those you speak to in my experience, and you can't easily say to everyone you meet: "I have Aspergers - please be tolerant of my atypical demeanor". It's just not appropriate or practical, of course. When I first "came out" (as you put it ) I felt somewhat vindicated, although I had mixed emotions about now being a confirmed Aspie. 13 months later I think I actually take more responsibility for misconstructions that arise. While it's still difficult, when things go wrong I can say to myself that I did my best.
  4. Personally, I think fewer diagnostic titles would be less confusing. As "a spectrum syndrome" I do think people with Autistic traits could simply be described as having various degrees of the syndrome, such as: "High Functioning Autism", "Medium Functioning Autism", "Low Functioning Autism". Thus I am inclined to recommend the term "High Functioning Autism" (HFA). Might this already established term not cover the predicament (?) I acknowledge that it does not address the specific presence of elements from the Triad of Impairments, however, perhaps that's not necessary, as everyone is so individual anyway (?)
  5. Be aware that your GP may or may not know what they are talking about, and due to their egos some doctors will not have the integrity to admit that. If you do your own research, you may well be more informed than your GP. I say this from personal experience. I did receive a formal diagnosis of Aspergers, eventually. It was quite a farce to get seen, but I ended up with an NHS Adult Aspergers clinic in Dorset. There was a six month wait. The actual diagnostic process took about five hours, over three appointments, over a three week period. A telephone interview with my mother about my early childhood was also part of the process. I am confident in this thorough assessment, and the detailed report. Previously, I had actually been told by several "professionals" (who had not spent sufficient time with me) that I was "definitely not Aspergers". I now put this down to their "professional arrogance"; they were clearly responding to well known clichés about the syndrome, as opposed to the actual findings of specialists in the field of Adult Autism. Being a "Spectrum" syndrome, one may have various Aspergers traits of varying degrees of severity, therefore being "on the spectrum" may be obvious or not. Adults tend to have spent their entire life subconsciously learning how to hide these odd characteristics, thus making adults more difficult to diagnose. The upshot is that an Aspie may suffer in silence, while the NT world expects normal behaviour, these demands can have a profound negative impact on the Aspies quality of life, bringing around anxiety, depression and isolation. An accurate diagnosis is important. I also believe that a backlash of over-diagnosis' of Autism would have a negative effect on those who really require the compassion of the general public, so for this reason too, it is equally important that diagnosis aren't achieved without sufficient analysis.
  6. Hi I can kind of relate to your experience from different points of view. You see, I was somewhere in the middle as far as family wealth and class, and I went to many different schools, some full of rich kids, others full of poor, so effectively I have experienced being the one with less than most, and one of the kids with more than others too. I appreciate, that my situation was unusual, but you'll have to trust me when I say I really understand. As an adult I have been poor all my life, and at times have been homeless, despite having educated middle income parents. Personally, I think we can find reasons to be resentful of our circumstances, even if we are not exactly sure what is holding us back. I was so confused about my problems growing up, because I didn't know I was autistic. Neither did anyone else, and so consequently I have had people saying "you have everything you need, what's your problem?!", or "it's not about what you've got, it's how hard you try!". I really believe that if at the times I had felt poor I had possessed more, it would not have helped in the slightest. Likewise, when I was better off than the others, it did me no good, I was still in utter turmoil. This is because I had learning difficulties and social problems that no-one could understand or help with, instead I was always labelled "trouble". I don't deny that there are clear benefits for those born into privileged families, on the contrary, I wholeheartedly acknowledge this. My point is that sometimes, it isn't about that at all. I'm not saying that this is the case for you, but it was for me. At 40, I can look back and see kids from a range of backgrounds, all of whom have had varying degrees of success. In fact I can think of many who are now dead, and several who are extremely successful. While those from affluent backgrounds generally fair better. If people have issues not related to wealth and class, that are not attended to, then they can fail dismally, irrespective of their background. Of course, without the basics, such as a roof, food, and enough cash for a quality of life above poverty, it is very tough indeed for anyone to succeed. That's why I believe in the socialism, the NHS, etc.
  7. Wow, what a shame. I wonder how this came to pass - Bureaucratic BS concerned with money over all else, I expect. I guess the moral of the story is: "If you're doing something worthwhile, be wary of who you entrust it to". Maybe they need more feedback from the likes us. I subscribed to NAS a few years ago, and never really got that involved, primarily due to my scepticism about their consideration of adults with HFA. I think their website is quite comprehensive, but was uncomfortable with the persistent use of children as examples of autism. (That said, on recently revisiting the site it looks to have been covering adult issues a lot more nowadays). That emphasis on children in general really irks me because these children are destined to become adults; it's short sighted to not present a balanced overview of the autistic population. It's also very frustrating for those of us who feel somewhat invisible and misunderstood by society in 2014. Example: many people (including GP's!) have no idea what the ramifications of Asperger's Syndrome can be. I find the lack of comprehension to be a gross oversight as HFA is not that uncommon. It should of course be noted that the presentation of symptoms is markedly different in adults, thus a little more understanding of the adults situation is welcome. Incidentally, I write this from the point of view of someone who was officially diagnosed with Asperger's in Feb 2013, at age 39, after a really troubled, misunderstood, and confusing, and traumatic life, up until then.
  8. Considering how difficult it is to achieve a definitive diagnosis, (particularly in adults), how do people justify saying so and so was/is Autistic, (particularly if the subject is deceased)? It seems hopeful at best. Sure it's nice to think that we are of an ilk that has spawned many marvelous people, and tbh I don't doubt that, but really: Hollywood actors? Come on folks. This may already be the case, while it would not be good for those of us who are actually on the spectrum, but I do not wish to see Autism become "trendy". That would be bad for a number of reasons. Specifically: it trivialises the syndrome, it makes it more open to stereotype, and it redirects attention away from those who really need consideration. Well represented characters in the media, can serve to raise public awareness, but the value of this can be undermined if not done diligently. If Leonardo Da Vinci was and Aspie then great! - but I don't think we'll ever be 100% sure he was.
  9. Yeah, it seems all they do is send out prepared printed advice booklets, most of which is common sense and sign posting. This might seem cynical but I haven't found them to have been any help since I joined several years ago. I do hate "information" that turns out to be: redirection to "information" that turns out to be: redirection to "information" that turns out to be.... etc. As if people who require support need to be messed around by some inefficient bureaucratic farce that leads to nowhere fast. If I had the energy I'd be a great leader, and solve a lot of problems by eliminating institutionalized stupidity.
  10. Hi. ' Any Aspie/ASC people into Architectural Visualisation, here? This is my special interest and it would be fascinating to discuss with others on the spectrum. I use 3ds Max, V-Ray, and Photoshop, along with some other programs. You?
  11. Hi, I'm Tomas, I first joined back in 2010, but never really got into the habit of using the forums here. Since then I have received a formal Diagnosis of Aspergers, and started to use Wrong Planet quite a bit. Now I'm back here looking for more Aspies here in the UK to chat to.
  12. The OP has probably purchased by now, but for anyone reading this, I can recommend an iPad, I have had mine for a while and have used it a lot. I think going for a "cheap" brand may turn out to be a false economy, as if it's frustrating to use, you simply won't use it at all. So yeah, saving up and getting an iPad is not a bad idea. One thing I haven't missed at all with my rather low spec iPad2, is having lots of Storage, mine is only 16GB, and I'm glad I didn't pay much more for a 64GB or 128GB or something. The other major consideration is whether it is Wi-Fi only, or actually has a sim in it. so you can get online nearly anywhere. Mine is Wi-Fi only because I'm usually at home or somewhere I can connect to the local wi-fi network. If you wanted to use it in the car or on the train/bus, then you might consider it worth getting one with a sim card, but that seems like an expensive extra to me.
  13. Blimey, it's been four years!

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