rufusrufus

Me too, it's a great book

Just thought I'd share this - Rudy Simone is going to be in the UK in the next few weeks - I'm going to her event in Manchester and I'm really excited The ticket prices weren't too bad, and there's a reduced rate for those on low incomes. Here's a link to her website's calender, you can follow the links to book tickets and / or get more information: http://help4aspergers.com/pb/wp_acb0178c/wp_acb0178c.html I'm not on commission or anything, just thought I'd share to see if anyone else is interested Ruth

Not been around much this week folks, the real world is a bit hard at the mo! Anyway, I've just come across this and wondered if it might inspire anyone with their conversation skills at all? Enjoy http://jimhough.com/cf/ibquestions.html

I know, it is frustrating to not know what's going on in your own body and brain I think that as Aspies we do tend to respond more strongly to things than maybe an NT person would, so we are probably more prone to mood swings, because things affect us more. I'm not a doctor though, I think it's a great idea to talk to your NAS lady about it. Best of luck with it

Hmm, I was assessed twice for bipolar disorder a few years ago but was told that my "highs" weren't extreme enough or long-enough lasting to warrant bipolar disorder, only mood swings. That was pre-diagnosis though, and I was already jacked up on strong anti-depressants which were probably messing up my bodily chemistry anyway. Ho hum. I'm drug free now

It is a minefield, and it must be so overwhelming, but we're all here to help however we can

That's so frustrating and shows lack of knowledge and understanding on their part. Unfortunately I hear this time and again of parents being told "we're the professionals, we know best". I think there is a tendency on the part of medical professionals to want to explain away autistic symptoms in an NT way, without recognising that autism isn't just in the brain, it affects the whole body. Therefore they hear "toileting problems" and think "physical cause, most likely of which is constipation" rather than "possible sensory processing / integration / sensory aversion / sensitivity etc". It just ends up in a situation where professionals become the enemy of the parents and can then offer very little assistance

I also remember reading Donna Williams saying that she doesn't feel "I need to go to the toilet" the same way most NT people do. She will get a "feeling" in her tummy and have to think "Could this be hunger? Do I need to eat? Could it be I need the toilet? Do I have stomach ache, am I going to be sick?" - there doesn't seem to be much differentiation between the sensations for her. This could cause problems with toileting - not recognising that feeling? I don't know :s

Aww! He sounds amazing! I agree, there's no such thing as "normal" really, but people still try to fill our heads with a silly idea of what could be classed as "normal", or "typical". The irony is that if someone fulfilled every possible definition of "normality" they'd probably be considered weird!

I used to be like this, never found a way to effectively manage it though, and these days I'm just constantly tired, whatever I do! Sorry I can't help, but wanted to reply anyway

My Mum still talks to me like I'm a kid a lot of the time, I don't think she means to be insulting at all, but I'm the youngest and she still sees me as "her baby". I think parents often want to protect us, so infantize us to justify in their own minds the higher levels of care we need. Maybe they think they have to put things in "simple" terms so we understand? I don't know. I've always talked like a grown up, and always think I understand what's going on, but at the weekend Mum said "You can have ice cream for dessert if you fancy it, but can you use one of the tubs that's already open please?" - ok, message received and understood, she's trying to finish up leftovers. But I didn't have any because I didn't fancy any of the flavours that had been opened. She later asked why I didn't eat the yummy coconut flavour that was in an individual sized tub..... "Well, it wasn't open, and you said to only eat the open ones". Well it wouldn't have been open, because there was only one portion in it, so it would have been opened and finished and not in the freezer any more! Typical example of Aspie literal thinking though, right? Before my diagnosis I would have berated myself for being "stupid" - now I understand that my mind works like that! Anyway, I might have gone off topic a bit, sorry

Really glad your parents got home safely, it was very sweet of you to buy your Mum flowers I'm sure they're really proud of you, well done! If I was in your position I would write myself a little note that says "I can be really proud of myself because I survived their going away" to remind me in the future of what I've achieved - I tend to remember the negative experiences easily, but forget the positive things I should remember!

Ah, that's so interesting, thank-you The area in which my parents have their house has a very distinct local "patois" (spelling?), so their use of the word might not be strictly conventional!

I've started with a "First Steps" course and am now moving onto the "Year One" course. I'm enjoying the language, it is just like breaking a code, and it's so satisfying, but the social interaction is draining. Still, I started it as a challenge to myself, and it's definitely that! I'm going to try to stick with it as long as possible, but won't beat myself up too much if it's too much to cope with after a while - luckily I only have to pay the admin fee as I'm in the Work-Related Activity Group of ESA.

I really struggled learning to drive - mainly because I hate starting anything new (although this was pre-diagnosis) - sitting in a driving seat felt so foreign to me. I also found it really difficult to co-ordinate doing lots of things at once (possible dyspraxia?). My instructor was really good though, endlessly patient, even when I'd burst into tears and he'd have to drive me home. The main thing for me though was just how tired it made me. I started out having 2hr lessons, but ended up doing more frequent 1hr lessons instead, which was much better. My instructor was really laid back and flexible with when and where we did the lessons too, sometimes he'd pick me up from my 6th form and I'd drive home - awesome - I saved the bus fare! It took me 3 attempts to pass the practical, but passed the theory first time (theoretical anything is my strong suit!). Oh, and spatial awareness - definitely not my forte, even when it's just my own body, let alone being in a big metal crate, manouvering around other big metal crates, which are also moving! Nightmare. I got there eventually though. It took about a year after I passed my test before I really started to enjoy driving, and now I can't afford a car I do miss it - suffering with depression and anxiety, being house-bound at intervals, having a car definitely made braving the big wide world much easier. My instructor also taught someone with severe dyspraxia to drive before he taught me, and she passed - he was so proud of her. He did say that there was a LOT of repitition in their lessons though, but that's what she needed, so that's what he did.