robert7111a
-
Content Count
700 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by robert7111a
-
-
Hi Theresa, sorry I don't know how to send personal messages but I have participated in your research
Best wishes
-
I'm here to learn and take direction from this forum as well as (hopefully) give useful advice. Often I don't think before speaking which has gotten me into trouble before. Thus I use "self-talk" particularly if I need to rehearse a situation before going in.
I have learnt from public forums that views/opinions can be skewed or misunderstood and one just to try and not take things too personally.
-
Don't worry, I tend to misinterpret things sometimes. But I think that's human nature anyway
-
Tally, on 16 March 2012 - 02:04 PM, said:
I am utterly speechless. I don't even know what to say.
you dont like me or my posts, there you go i spoke for you.
A-S Warrier. I read Tally's last post above as a compliment. I got the impression he liked your post - or am I mistaken?
I used to have a website with my pictures until Fotopic folded...
I won't go into detail as it's completely off topic. -
AS-Warrier, you have summed this up in a nutshell perfectly.
Yes I am AS so am pleased that the traits I/you have described are "normal" to AS.
-
Hi Scumble and welcome
Yes it took me some time (years!) to realise I had AS after a lonely life... So glad there are like-minded people on this forum to share experiences with
-
Personally I don't think the Government takes autism seriously. And they never will. They are not interested. Just like a cure for cancer/diabetes/AIDs etc etc. Unfortunately, parents have to speak up in order to get what they want/need. I dread what will happen now with austerity cuts etc
-
You want what you can't have (first rule of attraction)
Photographer's do it in 1/500th of a second but the memory lasts forever (Ansel Adams)
-
That's pretty amazing if your grandmother knew what a Leyland National looked like. Was it just the shape, the fact it was a single decker or did she have some quiet obsession that she didn't want to let on...? I grew up with Leyland Nationals and Daimler Fleetlines but didn't have a particular interest in buses then.
-
Mel, I understand your point. But twitchers are glued to their binoculas because they don't want to miss a specific bird/species. Also the point of a hide is to remain inconspicuous and quiet so if birds get a hint of human noise (i.e. conversation), they will fly away. Twitchers generally save the conversation to club meetings/slide shows etc.
-
K2.
I work in the medical field and see first hand patient experiences with doctors. I also hear doctors not explaining things properly or in an inappropriate way that a patient cannot understand. I hear every day "It's all in your head" if for example, a teenager says she can't hear and there is The trouble with allopathic medicine is that it is always the symptoms that are treated rather than the cause. If a doctor doesn't particularly understand a patient's condition, he will avoid the subject rather than take interest. Of course, there are a lot of good doctors out there but it's often a matter of chance who you are referred to and who you see "on the day".
I have learnt to research things myself if only to get a balanced opinion or wider view. One can easily spend a lot of time and energy researching things but doctors get offended if you come across as knowing more than them. Doctors are also busy and often don't have the time which does seem rather counterproductive. Don't lose heart. Knowledge is a powerful thing.
-
A meltdown is where a person is put into a situation they cannot deal with mentally and where they cannot escape from that situation.
Classic example, I was on a course recently for work with M.Sc people and without warning, the lecturer wanted us to get into small groups and discuss some aspect of the topic. These were people I did not know. My mind immediately went blank and I panicked, not knowing what to do or say. I went into meltdown and wanted the floor to swallow me up.
-
Hi Theresa
Yes I self-diagnose. I work in medicine and have a special interest in vaccines and autism (although this isn't my area of work). I see about 2-3 autistic/AS children every day in my clinics and through my observations and reading, I have a better understanding and can relate better to them. Many of these traits I see in myself which is why I have "discovered" my problem after all these years.
Can I still assist in your research?
By the way, the new DSM-V (Directory of Statistical Management of Pyschriatic disorders) is going to make a diagnosis of Aspergers much harder next year as the Government want to move away from state control of the UK health service and privatise it. This can only be bad news for would-be parents
-
When I was a kid, I used to look over my shoulder every so often or turn around a full 360 degrees every 10 paces or so when walking. People must have thought I was some alien. But the reason for this was fear and nervousness. Fortunately I grew out of this when I was 15 and have never looked back since (pun intended...)
I don't know if this counts as OCD but I am obsessed with routines and if I make plans and they are spoilt for whatever reason, I go into a quiet semi-meltdown for a few moments before "recovering" and working round them. I need structure and routine in my life but am better at doing things "on the fly" which most people do naturally. I have certain ways of doing things and don't adapt to change very well.
I like photography. When out and waiting for my subject to appear (such as a train or a cloud to move away from the sun), I fidget, constantly check my camera settings, focus etc instead of just sitting back, relaxing and waiting. To me, this is OCD.
I worry a lot. Is this OCD?
-
LancsLad
You are right about the escape, freedom thing. I used to be fanatical about collecting numbers which led me to become interested and knowledgable about rolling stock, how signalling systems work etc. Then when I moved to London 20 years ago, I was in a job where I was teased and taunted everyday leading to severe depression. As I was new to London then, I took an interest in the bus scene and "escaped" at the weekend doing bus trips all over London and the Home Counties partly to get to know areas and partly to collect bus numbers and the garages they worked from. I would sit on each bus generally from the start of its journey to its finish. But it was also about the types of buses then which (to me personally) were more interesting than the buses today. This interest only lasted about a year when the older buses left the scene and newer ones that I didn't like were introduced. I Now I can't stand the buses of today but I respect those that do like them.
I obsess about my photography hobby. Yes my main subject is railway related although there are many types of trains I don't like (but some I do). But I love photography. It's my means of escape. But I get very nervous/excited when I'm about to click the shutter because I have this constant anxiety of getting the shot right first time. It's like OCD. With a moving train for example, I only get one chance to capture it. If I fudge the shot, then that's it and I get really annoyed at myself.
But everyone likes a steam train, an old Routemaster bus, an old Triumph, Escort etc and I suppose part of this is pure nostalgia.
-
Amberzak
Yes, you'll do well to avoid this drug as it is well known to produce suicidal thoughts and is dangerous for people with bipolar disorder
-
As a former "train spotting anorak", (and now a railway photographer (amongst other things)), I am interested in "what turns people on". Is it simply the act of collecting numbers to complete a "set", collecting depot/garage codes, the colour scheme, type, design etc...what is it that is interesting?
I also hear that in order to improve social skills, Aspies should join together in a particular activity that they like (such as train/bus spotting, or whatever), but many prefer to do this in solitude. When I go out with my camera to photograph railways, I prefer to do this alone because it helps me stay focused and free from distraction. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so need to get the shot right first time especially if I want to see it in print. I'm sure many train/bus spotters are "Aspies". What really does annoy me (and I apologise for generalising here) is when people involved in the same interest get in the way without showing consideration. For example, if I am expecting to photograph a specific train of special interest (and other "spotters" are there too to see the same thing), often a shot has been spoilt because of an inconsiderate person getting excited and running to get "their shot" without realising the consequences of their actions. Is this an Aspie trait...i.e. only thinking of themselves?
Comments/opinions would be most welcome
-
Hi Theresa.
I'm really sorry but have not had time to read through my emails (work etc...) but I will have a look this evening. Just had a quickie look at your link but I don't think I fulfill your criteria. Because Asperger's was virtually unheard of until the 1980s, I am one of the "lost generation" who never received a diagnosis and had to struggle through the education system without support etc. I left school in the early 1980s by which time it was too late
-
I went through a short phase during the early 1990s collecting bus numbers and garage codes and travelling routes around London when the Routemasters, DMS's, Metrobuses, Titans and Olympians were abundant. But this was a short phase (about a year). Before then, I didn't have much of an interest (prefering trains) and since the early 1990s, I DETEST buses and go out of my way to avoid them. The seats are hard and uncomfortable, bus drivers are generally rude and I get travel sick.
As for shopping centres and toilets, I actually don't mind busy shopping centres. But I only use public toilets if I really have to and am very obsessive about cleaning the toilet seat and using taps etc. I will tend to use the toilets in certain large department stores where they are likely to be regularly cleaned but it still doesn't stop me from wiping the seat.
I miss the old hand towels...at least you could pull a clean(ish) towel out of the dispenser and dispose of it when finished. The warm air from these dryers can't be good for asthmatics or those with allergies.
-
Matzoball, I panicked more because of the suddeness of the announcement (so no time to mentally prepare) and I generally do rubbish in groups anyway unless it's on a subject I am really confident about
LacsLad, I could not mentally prepare or use any strategies because of the sudden unexpected announcement. And there were no windows to look out of (which I never mentioned in my original post anyway...). To be honest I don't know how I coped, guess I just observed and nodded at the appropriate times. This was a one-off course where most the lecturers had specially flown in from the US/Denmark/Switzerland etc and therefore I did not have the option to speak to them beforehand about my problem. I'm not quite sure why you think that I have the feeling that my peers don't have a right to be there...? Can you explain? Of course they had a right to be there...it's part of our learning and we all paid for the course!
-
Hi, I am looking for some advice for dealing with panic attacks
Last week, I went on a course for my work. I was fine during most of the lectures where there was no interaction but just taking notes. But then, suddenly, without warning, one of the lecturers decided that we should all get into groups of 3-4 to discuss and give views on the topic just discussed. I immediately went into panic mode, broke out into a sweat, got really frightened and I felt like a field mouse with the kestrel above ready to strike. I just wanted to die!
I could not call the other delegates my peers. These were all younger people (mainly girls) with MS.c degrees. I went from feeling reasonably comfortable taking notes to being "forced" into a situation well out of my comfort zone. I wanted to leave the room (to pretend I needed the toilet) but I just froze in my seat. I could not participate in the group activity. The topic was very simple but my mind just went completely blank.
Any advice/tips of how to deal with this situation would be encouraging - thanks
-
Thanks Pancakemaker. I'm hoping to learn lots from this forum...x
-
I am married to a NT wife and she is the most loving and understandable person I have ever encountered. Although she doesn't like socialising and goes into meltdown like me, she is definately not AS. I think she already knew, but following my recent acquired knowledge (though my research), I told her all my oddities etc were now definately due to AS and it hasn't changed a thing (other than the fact she is happier that I am happier with what I have learnt about myself). I am a nerdy collector and my wife is soooo understanding of my "clutter" (I collect model trains). She knows these are "me".
-
Hello I am new to this forum and would like to introduce myself. My name is Robert and I only discovered recently that I had Asperger's and a form of dyslexia. I grew up knowing there was something wrong with me but nobody told me what or why and I had to struggle through school, life etc on my own. I never got good grades and left school at 15 to take up work. Fortunately I have always been lucky on the work front. But I seriously lack social skills; people look at me funny, whisper about me, think I'm wierd which makes me very self-concious. I had very few friends. I wanted to research autism and aspergers as I see children in clinical practice and this has helped me to identify and relate to such children
I was taunted and teased during some of my working life - working in areas well outside my comfort zone. It drove me to serious clinical depression, OCD and parasuicide. Again, I nearly ended my life after a breakup with a girlfriend. Recently, I attended a course for work attended by young, M.Sc students who didn't know each other at first, but soon got chatting and socialising with one another. Yet nobody talked to me throughout the whole 2 days. Yes, they said "hi" but that was it. Then we were asked (without prior warning) to get into small groups to discuss and give views on a topic just lectured on. I went into meltdown, panicked, twitched, stressed, broke into a sweat and just wanted the floor to swallow me up. This really brought home my difficulties.
In addition, I have bad reading comprehension. I never understood why until recently. I got rubbish grades at school, am totally dyslexic when it comes to maths/arithmetic and just cannot get the plot of a story or film. Somebody will ask me what a film/book is about and, again I would go into meltdown and not have a clue. This is why I don't read fictional books/watch films etc. I am fine with factual books if the topic is of interest but I still have to read the same thing zillions of time before it registers. I used to think the two halves of my brain weren't connected until I discovered I had AS.
It's too late for me now. I never had the support I needed because AS was virtually unheard of during the 1970s when I was growing up. But I want to do something about it (and in particular try and find ways to improve my reading comprehension). And of course, I am not ashamed now to admit I have AS and am looking forward to participating and sharing on this forum
ocd whats your story? how do you cope?
in General Discussion
Posted · Report reply
Hey A-S Warrier, take a break! I used to allow people to wind me up because of my social naivity and vulnerability. It drove me to parasuicide. My wife has taught me to be calm and to be more forgiving of people. I haven't been on this forum long enough to "know" anybody but from what I've learnt from other forums, moderators have every right to ban members if they don't like them. I myself was banned from a forum because things turned sour. Please don't let this happen to you.