coradia Report post Posted December 13, 2011 Hello, I'm a 26 year male in London, going through a stage where life has stalled between graduation and employment! I am currently in the diagnosis through GP referral route which has taken a year and counting but hopefully will be sorted soon. My psychiatrist strongly recommended me to get in contact with people who faced similar issues in life and thus, here I am here! My parents had known all along that I had autism but they have employed an approach whereas I was treated and trained in life as a NT. This means on the outset, I am closer to NT than people with ASD. We were in Eastern Asia at the time and my parents had no way to gain the knowledge that Luke Jackson's (author of "Freaks, Geeks and Asperger's Syndrome") parents had. Nevertheless, the mental "limitations" of what I think is my ASD does creep into my life rather often and it's a constant battle to train my mind into thinking positively and solving life issues proactively. This is such a paradox because while it does improve my quality of life, it also makes it harder for other people to know the inside struggle that I face! Due to my lack of knowledge of this condition until I was 25 (last year), I had probably made some unfavourable choices in picking the courses in my higher education and my career aspirations. I feel somewhat guilty swallowing up family funds for education that may just end up giving a very poor return on investment. The first page of this document by the Asperger Foundation on problems adults with Asperger face in finding employment sums me up. http://aspergerfoundation.org.uk/infosheets/a_employment.pdf My life situation is rather dull right now but there is no excuse for making my introductory post so heavy-hearted (guilty)! I hope to be able to talk about issues that people with Asperger face and get to know more about my condition. Looking forward to hearing from the community. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkshine Report post Posted December 13, 2011 Hello Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tanya52 Report post Posted December 13, 2011 Hello and welcome aboard. Could you tell us a bit more about your higher degree? Do you have a hobby? Do you have friends? What do you mean by “mental limitations”? Could you give a few examples? I hope you're Ok to talk about it and, if not it’s Ok too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
butterfly73 Report post Posted December 14, 2011 (edited) hi and also welcome! If you wanna read up on this, I can highly recommend Olga Bogdashina's book about sensory input.. (edit, adding the title: Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome) It might put some things in perspective ;-) The orient might not be too bad a place to have started out life.. Did you pick up any meditation skills?! Useful, I'm learning now.. If I'm not to forward.. What do you encounter as holding you back..? With me it is lacking oversight, wanting to solve things myself, not asking for help.. Oh, and putting myself last.. There is more, but these are the major ones.. Grtjes from Holland, Bfly Edited December 14, 2011 by butterfly73 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RainbowsButterflies Report post Posted December 14, 2011 Hi and welcome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coradia Report post Posted December 15, 2011 (edited) Thank you very much for the welcome. Could you tell us a bit more about your higher degree? Do you have a hobby? Do you have friends? What do you mean by “mental limitations”? Could you give a few examples? I hope you're Ok to talk about it and, if not it’s Ok too. BA Geography MSc Management (can't stand the field) PGCE Secondary Geography Found out about Asperger during an Inset session on my PGCE placement and their description of kids with Asperger's resonated a lot with who I am. I get sensory overload from background sounds including multiple kids talking at the same time in the classroom. Analysing chaotic, unpredictable situations (so common in the classroom) takes forever and the classroom is such a fluid, changing environment. As a result, I end up mentally and physically exhausted at the end of the day. It is hard enough for NTs to be a teacher and even worse for me it seems! Had I been aware about Asperger's earlier, I would have most likely thrown "practicalities" out of the window and pursued education that is closer to the hobbies of my AS brain. Hobbies and Interests: Cycling, and other forms of transportation (planes, cars, trains, ships). I like talking about them and controlling/driving them, but not the mechanical side of things. Basic assembly of computers (too klutzy for soldering and programming language is gibberish for me) Computer gaming Photography in small doses - composing a shot is actually rather tiring! Mundane, simple, clerical work in the back office. I do have some friends. They all saw something in me and decided to become friends with me - I was not the one who took the initiative. Great fun to be with them in small doses and I tend to be the one getting invited, rather than me organising and inviting. I do also love being by myself, in my own world though...and playing computer games that involve some teamwork with "known" internet people is very soothing. I get to be in my own world and see the best of humanity. hi and also welcome! If you wanna read up on this, I can highly recommend Olga Bogdashina's book about sensory input.. (edit, adding the title: Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome) It might put some things in perspective ;-) The orient might not be too bad a place to have started out life.. Did you pick up any meditation skills?! Useful, I'm learning now.. If I'm not to forward.. What do you encounter as holding you back..? With me it is lacking oversight, wanting to solve things myself, not asking for help.. Oh, and putting myself last.. There is more, but these are the major ones.. Grtjes from Holland, Bfly Haven't really picked up on meditation. Have made attempts but I don't seem to be able to slow down my mind enough - it's quite restless. I'm actually a rather quiet person yet I still feel stifled when I'm with a group of truly peaceful meditators that eat very fresh, vegetarian food (Brahma Kumaris people if you're wondering). Your last paragraph does resonate with my experience. Not wanting to tell people abut my problems - I feel nervous. I also have a very low appraisal of myself and do put myself last. Read some reviews of the book - ordered and coming tomorrow. Amazon Prime 1 month trial is going to make me broke - activated due to less than 100% honest NT flatmates and the need for mousetraps fast...the stresses of life! Edit: Geography is something that clicks in my brain which is why I pursued it. Edited December 15, 2011 by coradia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
