robertmannma Report post Posted August 5, 2012 Hi everyone, I am new to this site and thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself. My name is Robert Mann, I am 25 years old and I live in Llandudno, North Wales. I have Asperger's Syndrome, which I was diagnosed with at the age of 14, and am very proud of the fact. I really enjoy the positives that come with being on the Autism Spectrum but I also struggle with the many difficulties. I frequently experience anxiety and have difficulty coping with stressful situations and I also have a number of sensory sensitivities to things like loud and high pitched noises and flickering lights. Following the death of my mother, with whom I was very close, at the end of 2009 I have also struggled with occasional bouts of depression and continue to suffer from tension headaches. I often feel that I don't quite belong in the world, with social situations being very hard for me and thus I have trouble making friends and forming relationships with people, although I have been successful in forming a few meaningful friendships that i value greatly. I hope that on this site I might make some new friends and build my confidence somewhat. As hard as i might find being on the Autistic Spectrum sometimes, however, I wouldn't change it for anything. Having Asperger's Syndrome has made me who I am today and who I am is someone I am proud to be. I have studied at Bangor University in North Wales and achieved both a BA in Creative Studies and an MA in Media Practice, I have made a film about my experiences with Asperger's which can be viewed online and am now actively in the process of making an ever bigger documentary project on the subject with filmmaking being a field that I hope to pursue a career in. I also actively pursue a variety of other interests including photography, which I have become very good at over the last few years and am also considering as a possible career route, watching films, something which I do frequently both at my local cinema and at home, collecting autographs, which I do when I attend an autograph event held in Milton Keynes every summer and another smaller event taking place in Wrexham, and stargazing, which I don't get to do as much as I would like. I also have some other interests and like attending Autscape, an Autism conference that I takes place once a year and which I attended for my second time this year. I look forward to being an active member of this site and hopefully forming some new friendships. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkshine Report post Posted August 5, 2012 Hello Robert - I like your list of interests Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A-S warrior Report post Posted August 5, 2012 Hello Robert - I like your list of interests i like yours too darkshine, i always look at your interests list and think wow, what a guy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mannify Report post Posted August 5, 2012 Hi, Robert I wonder if you're related to my husband somehow? He likes working out his family tree, but we haven't found a Robert Mann on there yet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkshine Report post Posted August 6, 2012 i like yours too darkshine, i always look at your interests list and think wow, what a guy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shnoing Report post Posted August 11, 2012 Welcome, Robert! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trekster Report post Posted August 16, 2012 Welcome and good luck with your project, really pleased you find Aspergers to be beneficial, i hope to be back there someday with my ASD. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
