philipo

forget the aspergers label to start with.Examine the general and clear physical symptoms of autisim/asd/aspergers.Pay attention to dietary problems and types of learning difficulty.Most people with asd have a unique mix of symptoms that vary from any 'norm' for the disability.The general awareness of the disability is very low and until the last few years.Try and be as objective as you can,examine your reactions to light and sound,insomnia,anxiety.Most of the singular symptoms of asd can easily be misinterpreted as mental illnessnes and so you should be very cautious.Unfortunatley the nhs is abysmal at understanding asd so you'll have to take your time.This website is probably the best fountain of knowledge on the subject but remember that awareness is still in its early days so unless you are non verbal and screaming at noises or running around like a headless chicken flapping your hands then theres little chance the nhs will help you.If the nhs do decide to help you then you face a mountanous struggle against so called specialists who are indoctrinated with very ancient interpretations and definitions of asd,like autisim and aspergers.Remember this is the best place to understand asd so take your time and hold back on any self diagnosis.It may be worthwhile looking at general mental illnesses to keep a balanced veiw .Fill in your profile a bit more as there as certain clear common interests/hobbies/obsessions with asd.keep happy.

with social workers its best to pin it down and be clear..As a matter of course they are ambiguous ,especially if they have ulterior motives.The majority of them live in twilight world where they've all signed the offial secrets act,a peice of legislation designes to stop Germans spying in Parliment in world war one.This gives them carte blanche to be secretive and dodgy as a normal way of working and protects their conduct from public scrutiny.

one of the 'symptoms of asd is problems recongising body language .I'm 48 and only fully realsiing when a woman is interested in me.I realise that my last 2 long term relationships found it fustrating when chatting me up as i did'nt see the signs and just thought they were being freindly.One of the big pluses of asd in men ,and the same for women as well I assume is that the opposite sex trusts you alot more as there is a far more genuine emotional/feeling content in communications.Foe me I've noticed that women find it easy to chat with me as they understand that i'm far more genuine and not out for sex.my 2 main exes were midwives and ,i understand now that they chatted me up and they they instinctivley knew i was a typical porn reading,competeive male .its this aspect of asd's that the opposite sex loves as they know that the personal close stuff is far more a turn on .On the minus side as you found out ,the opposite sex can just use you as a safe freind knowing that you'll not be very sexually assertive.If you look at assexuality ,i think its called,its not about being gay or lez but more about not strongly identifying with your body urges,being a bit more aloof when it comes to thinking sex and power is a big important thing ,like most people or nts as they are sometimes called.This is why I get on well with non political lesbians and non abusive gay men despite being a bit old fahioned and certainly a heretosexual,i'e .its women for me.This aspect of asd will be a rich seam in the future in understanding the wider issues of what constitutes 'sexulity'.As you get older with asd you'll find this is a major asset in finding a more stable partner,but when younger just prepared to be d))))d around by the opposite sex who have little comphrhension of why they really like you.

as other posters check out the NAS and ask them to send an imformation pack.The pack is quite thick and trys to cover all corners so take your time.The next hurdle is the gp and nhs as their awareness of the subject is minimal except for the extreme poles of asdi.e their simplistic definition of autisim and aspergers.Take your time and examine the many symptoms of asd ,but pay particular attention to the physical and behavioural symptoms.While waiting for the tortoise nhs to help,if they can you could learn a lot about yourself and asd symptomsBUT REMEMBER many of the symptoms of asd are so wide they can cover a multitude of illness/disabilities so keep an open mind.If you are under 25 yrs approx I would be very carefull about diagnosing yourself and if you think you have strong indications of asd then spend sometime discussing it with your family as they are crucial to you understanding your perceived illness/disabi;lity.Take it very slowly.

Try to understand your daughters behaviour ,not just in terms of asd and its symptoms.While many people with asd's are generally later developers in the the world of emotions you should hold onto the reigns of normalness,for want of a better world and try to understand your daughters biologiciacal clock and puberty first.By inderstanding some of the typical strong asd behaviours and overlaying this on NORMAL BIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT you may get a much better understanding of whats going on.For most people the natural change and awaremness of our more personal world and needs begins with puberty and its normal to have 'pin ups',for some of us its petula clark and for others it was once the bay city rollers.Where the daughters behaviour may appear more alarming is in its apparently obssesive nature,Come on when we were all younger we were generally the same as we projected outwards into the world our changing pubescant emotional needs.if your daughter has asd then its highly likley that this normal behaviour will be a lot more obsessive.The chewing thing is a sensory input and can be a result of various things.Some people chew their nails,or bits of cloth,or have a favourite teddy that gives a sensory/emotional comfort so don't worry too much or overreact to this behaviour,worrying does very little apart from increase anxiety and your daughter will pick up on it,creating higher anxiety for you all.Have a look at the wider subject of asd behaviours but keep it in context with normal development and puberty ,its just that at this time in her life emotions ,aspirations and the natural desire for self knowledge and independance will be far more charged and subject to natural anxiety and frailty.Talking is good and being honest about your own early teenage experiences,first loves etc..with her will help her realise we are all alot similar than different,asd's aside. Naomumi ,,although its seems that diagnosis for most adults seems you are on a hiding to nothing,the main advantage is protection from the over abusive powers of the social security and the legal system which takes no notice of asd's unless they are extremly severe.As you are probably becoming aware the NHS and many so called specialist are in the dark ages and other than Conginitive behavioural therapy have nothing to offer except drugs,You could try the Hope Centre in Hebden Bridge for a more holistic and progressive approach to asd's,just concentrate on the benefits of asd with your partner,its highly likley he's a creative time bomb waiting to happen once he's more aware of his challenging traits.

not completly futile,at least another institutionalised member of the nhs will gain some benefit from your superior knowledge od asd's,

now i understand!!!!For more than a moment I was considering the positive effects on my nervous system of moving to the norfolk broads,that shows how desperate some of us could be.Ahhh so gone are my pictures of quiet sailing,a bit of relaxing fishing and the absence of police sirens and low flying aeroplanes mixed with the bi annual sickness benefit assesment by the benefits agency in Norwich...Manchester is just a brutal audio soundscape. many thanks for helping me out with the apparently(with hindsight)OBVIOUS!!!

People get annoyed with people anyway ,aspergers'asd or not.History is a rich source of pogroms and wars and thats probably why people have a tendency as they age to 'settle down' with a few good freinds and a few cats and dogs .Many people with ASD's get on better with animals than people and I think this is because of the overcompensation on emotional communication due to the fustration and use and abuse of language and speech. It would be easier to teach your dog to read shakespheare than educate the NHS about Asd's. p.s why do they keep putting Sailsbury hill on my tag and norfolk broads?

The reality is is that most health authorities have been swamped with request for diagnosis and treatment.In practice they are just doing metal health triage.The people exhibiting the most severe symptoms will get help ,usually involving drugs,because its cheap.I've been waiting for 6 months for an appointment to see a Cognitive phycologist,in all this waiting time i've understood more about the subject (ASD) and myself than the nhs could help me with .The most shocking thing is that when I finally get this appointment it is highly likley that I will be talking to someone who has just swotted up on the subject and who knows very little.One major problem that many with HFA face when asking for help is that they come across as intelligent,and so when i go for my appointment the shrink will very likley to be dismissive when I explain i'm a self taught musician.sound engineer.lighting technician.motorcycle and car mechanic,a qualified yatchsman and powerboater with a broad general knowledge of mental health with agreat knowlege of 18,19,20th century ceramics and world history BUT and this is a big BUT.I am incapable of following days of the week and time,get lost going shopping,shreik at the sound of sirens and air brakes on buses and have a strong tendency to run outside and stare at aeroplanes when they pass over!!!! Aftyer 30 odd years of being treated like a d)))))head by the social and the nhs its no wonder I've developed a political revoloutionary tendency.Now I'm rid of my family responsibilities and only understood i had been suffering from asd last Autumn after complaining to my GP's about clear physical and mental symptoms for over 30 years (aged 48)I can only conclude that nothing or very litle will be done for sufferers unless we create a significant fuss,which in my little head of personal madness means economic warfare as at the end of the day the NHS and the 'State' will take no notice unless it interferes with the slavish creed of capitalism.IE the only consensus is money so when I start costing them a fortune then they may be more inclined to spend a lot more money on what is a major problem that probably affects a million people in this country.I'm mostly past caring about getting help from a crapulant NHS but as an older man and a good parent I can only give my life for the benefit of the future,which means our children and our childrens children .Until that time comes for me,I'm so glad as asd sufferers WE HAVE EACH OTHER,and this website is the forefront of KNOWLEGDE on the subject of ASD's.REMEMBER the nhs spends more on gastric bands and doling out methodone to junkies than helping people with ASD's.BY DEFINITION the NHS is fossilised and institutionalised with so many powerfull vested financial interests,and ASD's are obviously not one of them.

Its clearly sensory stuff with the blu tak n poo.One symptom of the social/communication problems is taking things literally.Due to lack of focus it can appear asthough he's not listening to you (just like most kids and teenagers)but in fact you told him not to come out of his bedroom so he did'nt.Although it might appear obvious,ot seems asd'rs are late developers and there may be some sensory problems.I for instance only became awre how I was influenced by textures of material in my early thirties.I am amusician (shy and closet)so I became a sound engineer where I could fullfill my love of music(and controlling sound!)hidden behind the mixing desk at the back of the hall as I'm very shy.At first I was extremly adamant that the band lighting was just s important as the music,then quickly noticed during 'Raves' in the late eighties that the colourfull and beautifull wall hangings had to have the right texture otherwise Ifelt they were visually disgusting and affected the music.Remember that the sense of taste and smell and touch all occour together in the mouth and its normal for small kids to make sense of the world by chewing thing and smelling them .It seems that a crossover of sensory imput is important,for me its sight and sound together and as my sound mixing developed I developed an obssesive interest in how I could introduce smells into the music shows that would correspond with the music!I know it sounds weird ,i was completly unawre I had asd then.It seems that the developmental stages of understanding the senses,and, as puberty starts the emotional languauge of relationships are a little stunted and seem to develop at differnet levels to so called normals.Theres lots of plus points for asd sufferers that come in later life ,rather than becoming set in our ways by 30 somthing,were still growing and exhibit much of the best of younger people.I beleive its these qualities that some would consider 'immature'by age are one of the special benefits of asd's and why older asd'rs are particualry in tune with younger people,we are still fresh and unblinkerd. I would advise you to look at diet,dairy products have a big effect and simple foods seem to work better.As with any kids 'normal' or otherwise,keep them off the crisp and monster munch and be wary of too much sugar and e numbers.A big thing to help your child focus is to be a bit stricter with routines as I think it takes a bit longer for asd'rs to absorb the relaxing nature of predictability.Many asd'rs have problems with time and stitching events(the taken for granted everyday stuff and weekly stuff) together to absorb a pattern.When patterns are established this helps alot to reduce the near constant anxiety. A big component is how you react to your childs apparently disruptive behaviour,you'll have to admit that the disruption is more about disruption for the 'normal peopl world',this will be the biggest stressor for you as a parent.Because the normal social and body language rules are hard to understand for sufferers its important you don't become upset and reactive to your childs behaviour .When you have difficulties then try for eye contact and explain using simple reasons why some behaviour is'nt good.Asd'rs can be very telepathic in sensing others anxiety and i beleive its just a developed compensation for lack of 'normal communicative skills.Dont get lost in labels for your childs behaviour and be wary of all the drugs 'specialists' may reccomend as they are about BEHAVIOURAL CONTROL,not unserstanding the disability.It seems that when a sufferers behaviour leans starkly to the non verbal (ie less understandable)the specialists are far more inclined to use the outdated label of Autisim,if the behaviour leans the other way (ie talkative ,highly perceptive but very socially disfunctional)then they dig out the old label of aspergers.Remember that developmenatl stages are general anyway and for sufferers of asd's they can be well ahead in some areas and behind in others.Difficulties always arise by treating the many problem areas in isolation.Other behaviours in asd children seem to be wandering off alot weird eating habits(my mam used to keep taking me to the doctors thinking I had worms because I'd eat three loaves of bread in ago)To help the child focus you could incorperate more technically/constructive biased play , the lego is brilliant for that as well as 'gadgets',like cameras n walkie talkies ,kids spy kits,telescopes etc.The subject of asd's is litterd with a clear strong technical/mechanical bias and I beleive its an overcompensation to make some logical sense of the world,thats why we have geeks and boffins and inventors.In typical fashion of the pedagogical adult approach it seems recent history on the subject is litterd with words like infant savant,child prodigy,gifted etc..etc..but this does nothing to understand what mental forces create these 'gifts'.Anyway just beware of clear definitions and trust that time and patience will be the biggest help.

Hello and welcome,your in the best place for understandind Autisim/asd etc .Just remember not to jump to the traditional diagnosis of aspergers,everyone is different and every child has yet to reach and express their potential,and by implication,the extent of asd symptoms,Please remember that most specialist are in the dark and its early days for the general subject,and the nhs seem only too ready to put labels on the little they understand and these labels can be very damaging.

In practice the social services can do what they want and remain secret and unaccountable.I'm 48 now and they put me in care at 14 because of ASD(undiagnosed then)they gave me no medical assesment or treatment,no TB vacination and their neglect was such that they kept me in a juevenille remand centre for criminals.By the time I was 18 i was reduced to 9 teeth. On the issue of vacination ,when my first kid was born the mrs was worried about the mmr vaccine and we hesitated until the crystal loving hippy family next door who's kids unvacinated contracted whoopimg cough.That changed our minds on mmr,but a TB vacination is a must as the large rise in drug resistant TB is a real threat,made worse by Aids and immigration.

Obviously the wide nature of ASD/autisim/aspergers symptoms makes it extremely dangerous to reccommend /advise on medication BUT THE SIMPLE TRUTH IS THE NHS ARE MOSTLY RUBBISH AT UNDERSTANDING ASD'S.They spend more money and energy on gastric bands and their understanding of ASD's is not even worthy of a basic GCSE grade.Many people with ASD's do have a much better understanding of the subject ,particulary if they are parents,and good ones at that.Due do the ignorance of the NHS about the subject you'd have a slightly lower chance of diagnosis if you went to a vet.BUT ADVICE ON MEDICATION CAN BE DANGEROUS!!!! If I were to reccommend any medication for HFA ASD it would be candied Angelica ,as used on cake decoration ,try it!It takes the edge off anxiety for me however absurd that sounds,followed in second place by alchohol,although I'd not reccommend this to anyone

if i'd have been diagnosed at 5 years old it would have been Autisim.Since I was 48 befored dicovering my HFA/ASD I would say that adults with undiagnosed aspergies develop survival/coping mechanisms that make them appear as HFA.I personally beleive that the 'medical' establishment have spent over 40 years under the delusion that there is autisim and aspergers,where in actual fact autisim and aspergers(as in old style definition)are really the 2 extreme poles of the same disability.i think what they call aspergers is super HFA ,and more debilitating than HFA although personaly I think the seperation should not be made.Many sufferers of ASD's are so happy for any clearer diagnosis,especially after years of torment from the conventional mental health model so tend to cling to the 'name ' of the diagnosis.All in all we should be gratefull that our understanding of the (D)isability is currently progessing at a quicker pace and as ASD'rs we should have great sympathy for all the thousands of people who have been misdiagnosed by the mostly crapulant NHS as,anxiety disorder,non specific personality disorder,mania,bi polar etcc as once misdiagnosed and pilled up by unaware mental health workers they have a very slim chance that another NHS docter would question a colleauges diagnosis.

Just do it Grasco,the ability to visulise and hear and anticipate the dialouge for screen writing is a perfect example of an asd ability.It uses the internal visulisation to 'set the scene'.Read stuff by Edward Dymetrek,a 50's B movie screenwriter,you'd be amazed to discover how your creative thoughts (and how to write them down!) correlate with actual screen production.You dont need qualifucations to knock out a good script.A film is made up of a collection of scenes ,all in aline LEFT TO RIGHT,each scene has to glue together to keep the continuity of the story, if you do a screenwrite then just send it to a film company ,you've nothing to lose except your time and postage and if they refuse your film then at least the next one you do will be even better.The need to un derstand the pattern of how things fit together is a common thing in asd'rs trying to make sense of the world ,its also a prime qaulity of screnwriting. And thanks for compliment,p.s. Sorry Tanya52 the great Gerry Rafferty died last month,he's an obvious Asd job who preferd to work alone mostly. I'm a completly self taught musician n filmaker ,you can see the rough results at Youtube/ERASMUS320,not an advert,just realise you need to get this creative stuff out,when others give you positive feedback it turns the daily feelings of asd hell into a recongition of what gifts we've been given,'normals get very envious of our so called 'gifts',not understanding the fustration and torment of asd.

I've just done a reply to a post and my location has come up as Silsbury Hill.What i have noticed is that it appears many members seem to come from the ' Norfolk broads'.Is this a technical glitch or is it because people with ASD's like living somewhere quiet?

I'm the same as many of the other posters,I'd track the history and development of technologies and all its supporting background,like the social and political forces that have helped create the technologies,like ships,cars ,aeroplanes,engines,electricity,all very geeky.It seems some people with ASD prefer to be fixated on one or two subjects and this is seen as a symptom of Aspergers but I think single track interests are much rarer and most ASD'ers can marvel at most subjects ,particulary technological ones.While many of us feel very 'different'than so called normal people and are aware how this disability affects us ,we tend to forget the fantastic positives it gives us.I think that most of the great inventors and artist/musicians/creative people clearly show symptoms of asd 's and in fact society would be a medieval and boring place without us.The trick is getting the fantastic positives to work for us in our daily lives so if you are good at one subject then have faith and embrace it as nature knows what it's doing.I'm 48 and only just beginning to accept what a fantastic mechanic/film producer and musician I am,after spending most of my life feeling trapped and alienated by asd.Trust yourself ,those crazy thoughts and obsessive analysis are actually creative brilliance and unobtainable to the general 'normal' population.Dont be shy ,express it as this is the only way we can educate others and bring out the best of asd disabilities.

i think its inevitable that undiagnosed autys/asd rs will be strongly attracted to religion,after all be ing aware that somthing is wrobg mentally and getting no help from the doctors will naturally lead people to find a faith or creed/beleif system that makes them feel better.I'm not knocking religion but it allows people to be irrational and interpret the bible etc as the see fit.To be an undiagnosed auty in a church full of evangelicals really does make the autys feel normal ,especially when the others start speaking in tongues and enthusing their christain experienance.I occasionnaly go to a church,evangelical charismatics supposedly,but why i get out of it is a feeling of calmness and peace from the other church members allowing me to sit and pray and sing with them,its better than any nhs drug treatment,and thats the key,being with other people however wacky they are and feeling safe and unthreatend.religously i'm really a heretic when judged by most christian values.I'm an animist who belives this world is Eden (or hell,if we so choose) and that gods very probably a woman and the bible is a misfit collecton of very unreliable books and that eternal life is aload of bkkllkkkkks as life is called here and now.Yeah logically religion and jesus does'nt add up and you easiliy pick wholes in the absurdity of religions but what is the most powerfull and universal force is FAITH,in the simple things of care,love and empathy and no religion can own that because its within us.Thast the faith and love and care that people use when they write and post on this site thats the empathy and positives of bitter experience they want to share with others to help them ,and it all exists wether religion is tru or not.Just be carefull not to get lost in a bi polar debate ..i.e.god does or does'nt exist,,,good versus evil,,,eternal life or spitiual damnation,there's only nature and love but some churches and goverments and tv channels are all too ready to fill your head full of shhht just to manipulate and control you,being an aware auty/asd'r you are acyually given a higher awareness to realise this,just keep loving and keep your faith in the beauty of the world and the 'god' will always be there.Last year I became homeless and hd to que up in soup kitchens with mostly horrible alkies and drug addicts and 10 pound prostitutes.After getting some found this religous group came over and started trying to save my soul!!!There patter was along the lines of ' Jesus can save you from alchoholism ,as your obviously a sinner cos your homless'.I told them I did'nt drink.They then started telling me how their church could save my sinning soul from drugs and I told em I don't do drugs.They were baffled and I told them to understand Autisim /aspies etc a little more but mentally they were too stupid ,which is why they spent their time like vampires ,sucking the souls of the mostly drunk or drugged up homeless.So remember BE VERY WARY of religous nutters as they will mostly abuse you fro their own selfish egotistical ends.But keep the faith of love and light.

Im 48 and only recently become aware of my asd.The biggest most singular symptom of the last 35 years for me was insomnia and anxiety cused by the feedback loop of insomnia.2 months ago I began my first ever 'medication' which was risperdol 2 mg.The only benefit really was that it helped me restore my sleep pattern,the first 2 weeks I'd wake up in the morning and feel 'stoned' or hungover like after a drinking night out.I had problems walking straight for the first few hours in the morning and the other effect was instead of having 20 brilliant ideas a day i was reduced to 4 to 5 good ideas a day.I stopped taking it 3 weeks ago as I thought is was dumbing me down and my anxiety was just building up somwhere else in my physche.Since refusing to take it my care workers have been completly patronising and authoritarian and treating me like i've been sectioned under the mental health act,i.e. they think that this medication is compulsory for me.I have exxplained that the only benefit i see from it is that it has helped me get back into a normal sleep pattern and i explained that if my sleep pattern goes again i will happily take it temporarily to restore my sleep pattern.Last week I had flu and spent a few days in bed .One night I woke up covered in sweat and went down to the communal kitchen and made a brew.Immediatly my care staff started patronising me about looking really rough and ill and because it was 2 am they explained that this is what happens when you dont take your medication!!!!Rember that the drugs in most cases are about contaiment,not treatment. With asd I would reccommend that you tire yourself out .Physical exercise produces happy endormorphins and helps greatly with sleep.Exercise will be far more positive than chemical sleeping pills.You must remember that many drugs used to 'treat' aha aha aha ASD's have been developed to cope with severe mental illnes ,NOT ASD's its just conveinient and cheap for the NHS to reach for the drugs,usually firstly to contain the symptoms ,not the cause.By taking a drug approach you are setting yourself up to forever be treated by drugs and the drugs in use mostly blot out any of the positive flip sides of asd/autisim which long term will result in hardcore long term mental illness. The aspect of asd's and routines is worth pursuing as routines have a settling effect but routines should'nt be too rigid and to help sufferers adjust to changes in routines you should be positive and try to make sure that a routine change is a POSITIVE one.Sufferers with asd's should also resist the temptation to not participate in normal group activities as allthough asd sufferers are mostly socially shy they MUST learn and be given the coping skills to work with groups.Be carefull to not project the interpretation of the disabil;ity onto the sufferer as iy will result in a very unhappy self fullfilling phrophecy,concentrate more on physical solutions because in most cases the drugs dont work.

Just remember it all swings and roundabouts and being an aspie/asd or whatever you have will have many positive benefits.While there is the myth of it being obsseive/neurotic and a million other misinterepretations ,i'd be very suprised if you did'nt have a creative side ,and remember that creativity covers a multitude of subjects.If you are an artist or musician /writer or whatever you could try to earn a living from it.REmember,when creativity pays ...it pays well and usually allows you plenty of time on your own.The benefits system is appalling,rewarding lazy alkies and junkies with long term rates to provide even more money for their recidivist addictions while being a non specific/undiagnosed looney you just get treated as neurotic and workshy.Examine all those creative impulses,pictures and dialouges in your head,stuff that you most probably thought was just 'madness',its not.Its the natural result of being hypersensitive and hyperaware.Love your'shadow' self as this is a core centre of your individual being.An artist should charge a mininmum of 25 pound and hour .Now at that rate you'd easily be able to earn more than the miserable social security system will give you based on 4 hours a week.Trust yourself...if you don't you will be at the mercy of a benefit/healthcare system that does'nt care if you rot in a ditch and a system that has NO POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES except keeping you alive at basic existance levels (providing you shop at liddle and Aldi).All them crazy thoughts and feelings are the gold.Most of our cultural icons are fundamentally MAD and many have had a long time of struggle against'mental illness/insecurity/lack of confidence.

I'm 48 and have only very recently become aware of my ASD.After 30 plus years of complaing to my doctor about anxiety,skin sensetivities ,dietry problems etc I have NO faith in the NHS.We should be aware that the old definitions of Autisim and Aspergers are very probably just the two extremes of the ASD spectrum.Unfortunatley the ossified structures of 'specialists' are ironically refusing to give up their powerbase making it far more difficult to progress with real progress.The NHS reaction (except for Sheffeild it seems)is to shut the sufferer up with drugs that have been made for 'schizophrenia' rather than understand the magnitude of the ASD problem.Despite the 2009 ASD act the rules are ever more the same,COGNITIVE TREATMENT costs MONEY ,so DRUG EM UP,its so much cheaper,basically a drug orientated facistic approach.In my case the response has been to place me in a succesion of 'homeless' hostels where 95%of the residents are hard core heroin addicts and alchoholics who jack up on the communal cooker and clean their syringes by squirting them out on the wall!The reality is that the NHS are in the dark ages and unless you have money and class there is the almost certainty that ASD sufferers young and old will be diagnosed with elastic conventional diagnoses,usually ones that involve DRUG treatment.Its all about money. SO BE REALISTIC and understand that as a sufferer or parent/carer you are in a much better position to understand and treat ASD than the so called proffesionals and take faith with time and understand that collectivley we are on the verge of an ASD tidal wave and the NHS should be compared to the medieval church that would burn you at the stake for declaring the earth spins round the sun.They cannot accept that they are ignorant of the subject and so cling to the Autisim/Aspergers definitions so they can continue to CONTROL ASD sufferers through DRUGS. I propose that provision and treatment of ASD'S should be completly taken away from the NHS and given over to the NAS.The NHS is one of the biggest public frauds perpetuated on the British taxpayers and in reality is vastley overpriced and mostly cryptically privatised anyway.I also propose that ASD sufferers and their carers/families should form healthy creative communitys that could easily be self financing by selling their creative output,,,a sort of disabled BAUHAUS and this would go a long way to helping the wider society's understanding of ASD's and the vast creative potential this D ISABILITY represents.TRUST YOURSELVES ,you know more than the NHS. The goverment will never introduce anti noise legislation or make planning laws or educational policy to help people with ASD's,because it's cheaper to drug us up.

you could try keeping his focus.eg.Instead of trying to sit down and get him to paint a picture(which involves more talking etc) ,both of you sit down and paint your own pictures.Then he will MIMIC you rather than trying to communicate using verbal/oral channels.Keep the languauge simple,as we all know that language is mostly irrelevant to littler ones.Physical contact is important and more so for children with 'learning difficulties'.have him sat on your lap when watching telly or reading,this with give him a feeling of security.I always found after meals as their stomach slows them down. You must also seperate the behaviours out,as a 3 year old he might have had an easy ride with the terrible two's so his behaviour may be more 'normal' than asd aspies etc behaviour.Aspies or not just remember that many parents have to face off with the little toddlers,once they know how to say no ,and when they make the transition from non verbal toddler to walking talking aware young child. hope it helps.It also helps to let your kids see you cry when life gets a bit much,unfortunatley the majority of 'Neurotypicals' are incapable of simpler emotional honesty.another ,if somewhat controversial method to use when our children hit us is to hit them back.OK yeah there's a big debate about what constitutes'reasonable chastisement',but if you have a child ,or a dog or cat ,that attacks you you must give it a reasonable slap back at least once to express disgust and enable the attacker to feel what its like to be attacked/hit/slapped.To not retaliate at all means that you have given that animal no reason to change it's behaviour.I'm amazed that my understanding of body language is better with animals than most people.

You are very much like me Adam ,in subjects and mental outlook.I'm 47 been homeless for 5 months after leaving ex and kids (my choice for 2 years as i was convinced I'd get iller if I stayed)Only sussed my aspies a few months ago )Just trying for the diag with nhs but there ###### and after being a parent /single parent for years I know they should'nt be trusted.Check your medical long term history out.did you have a long history of anxiety/depression ,leg pains and insomnia ,with many periods of withdrawing from people and having the desire to live in the wild?I have a good long think these last few months and a few things are apparent with aspies.People find it conveinient to applaud your skills,even when you have been telling them for years about difficulties with simple things.NORMAl people will just run you into the ground most times with undiagnosed aspies.making the best of your obbsesions for work is a good idea,but only if you are supervised.Aspies are the worlds natural inventors/phyisicists,especially if they have a emphasis on sound/light.I learnt physics and electronics/mechanics due to the ability to visualise the effects of the electrons running down the wire and visual cognition when you turn a cog on an engine and somthing else move I have no teenage /further education.There is also somthing about 'whats hidden' , and how it works,whats beneath the bonnet.There's also a misconception that aspies have one or two core subjects that they are obssesive about,i think that comes from 'normals' who have'nt yet realised that many aspies have loads of subjects that they have an in depth knowledge and one or two subjects would be unusal and may indicate an obssesional state. Keep on it,if you are young then its a great thing to have ,if older then it's great knowing why society/familiy/freinds treated you as a beautifull suspected mad person who is 'gifted' and all that patronising middle class ######. philipo!

you'll be fine smiley ,having a bit of swimming and exercise is a good release of stress and you get a buzz from the exercise .the roads will be busy with half term but then its a good thing seeing other people and parents all doing the same thing .The dunes at southport are cool .There's a wildlife bit and a bit where they train horses and ride sandyachts on the sands.have a nice break .philipo. ps bought a trimumph t120 from southport years ago .