Check out my new blog: http://adultswithautism.org.uk/?page_id=6
Autism/Aspergers syndrome is a developmental disorder. Autistic children grow up to be Autistic adults. Some people think “how can you be autistic, you are nothing like Rain man” well most of us on the Autistic spectrum are not exactly like him Although I do now Autistic people that share some of his ability to remember important dates and huge amounts of facts and data that can be recited instantaneously. Autistic symptoms are based around the central Autistic diagnosis criteria called the “Triad of Impairments” This encompasses a) Social and emotional difficulties b) Language and communication difficulties c) Flexibility of thought (imagination)
Recognising the Triad of Impairments in my experience is just the starting point, and as many people affected by Autism will tell you, Autistic spectrum disorder can be a hugely complicated condition to understand. And even though there are common symptoms that Autistic people may share, Not everyone with Autism display all the symptoms all the time. Then when you add in other factors such as personality trait’s enviromental factors and co-existing conditions then trying to find a “one approach fits all” mentality to working with Autistic people is not going to work. I sometimes think that everyone on the Autistic spectrum is practically a sub category in themselves.
Steve
@aspietrait101 I think people don’t bother asking me to social things any
more because I always say no. Now I just tell them that autism makes it to
difficult which is not good really. Do you find it difficult to do social
things with people, do you have to work hard at being sociable?
@aspietrait101 Do you enjoy being around other people? Would you rather be
somewhere by yourself so you would feel more comfortable.
I completely relate. I feel like I’m lucky to have a good job too. My
coworkers know that I’m different but they don’t know the half of it.
Sometimes I wish I could express my anxiety and stress but expressing is
even more stressful. Over all I have a pretty good work experience –
compared to what it could be.
The Dr tested me but couldn’t pinpoint the disability becouse I had been
able to mask it well with my abilities, I watched a crime movie where a
child with autisum was the key to solving the crime & recognized the
connection, I deceided to investagate & found your video a match on social
interactions. I’m a checker at Walmart and am finding difficulty moving up
in the world, I am thought of as being strange. Please help me help myself
if you can.
Hi Walarbid. I will do my best to help. Have you thought what your goals
are in life? What are your strengths and things you like to do? do you have
hobbies that you could share with other people by joining a club etc. Do
you have friends and family you can talk to and give you support? It can be
hard for most people to move up in the world as you say. I think that
feeling happy/good about yourself should be the first goal. Lets talk more
and work on some ideas. best wishes Steve
Hi Steve, Your explanations/videos are very helpful & I thank you for that.
I understand that you were not diagnosed until you were in your 40’s, but
wonder what your childhood experience was like. I have a son who has been
diagnosed as being on the spectrum and am searching for information which
will help us to help him cope. Thank you,
I’m 29 and currently on my way to becoming an autism specialist and
advocate, I was diagnosed at 16. I gotta say the first fifty seconds of
your video really make me happy. Happy because it will be really nice to be
able to share the same message I’ve been trying to get across to so many
people all my life from another source. Thank you and I wish you the best
in all your endeavors.
Hi nathanwobbe Thanks for your nice comments. It really is great to share
our experiences with other people. In some ways I feel we can learn more
about our condition in this way than thinking that we can only learn from
the “professionals” doctors etc. I have definitely learned a lot from
peoples comments that have been posted on my videos. I also wish you all
the best for the future. Regards Steve
Technology helps me
I would also like to start my own little music company. I have a small
synth-studio. But starting a company is for an Aspie extra tough.
Yes it is one of the main reasons i make music. I am know busy with
creating my own website about me and my music- hobby. Hopefully i can turn
it in to my job in the future. I like to produce music in Cubase and also
live sound etc.
Hi Steve, This video is really useful, thank you. Can I ask something? My
teenage son was diagnosed as not quite being on the spectrum despite
having some traits, because he could identify emotions from a story card,
shows affection and has a good sense of humour. Socially he does seem to
have some similar issues to the ones you talk about in your video and I’m
sure it’s no co-incidence that the only two close friends he has have
aspergers. Anyway, he is having a lot of anxiety right now about
the possibility of accidently causing offence to someone which is making
it more and more difficult for him to speak to people in a relaxed manner.
He also has a fear that he might inadvertently do something wrong which
will get him into a lot of trouble. For example he keeps receipts very
carefully. Realistically he always sticks to rules, tells the truth and
never dropped a piece of litter in his life but he’s becoming more and more
anxious. What do you think? Raz
Hi Steve – thank you for this video. My 19 year old daughter is on the
spectrum and is going through the agonizing process of trying to find a
job. She is a very hard worker and a friendly person who has some good
social skills. We’ve had her in a job placement program through the state
of Texas since she graduated high school last June but nothing has resulted
from it. She’s very depressed over it all, so we’re going to take matters
into our own hands. She and I plan on canvassing the town with her resume
and see what results from that. Do you have any advise for my daughter
when it comes to interviewing? Thanks for all your helpful videos, Steve,
and keep up the good work!
Only seen video now and I relate very much with what you said. Thank you
I’m 39, suspect i may have aspergers ( a psychiatrist has mentioned it to
me previously ) and resigned from my last job after a new boss came in and
decided I had “performance issues” and undermined all of my work. i am
wondering if a formal diagnosis would help for future employment – i have
been described as not being a team player and speaking with a rude tone. i
am a fairly quiet person by nature, and i don’t intend to speak with a
rude tone. my previous job involved a lot of part numbers, which i really
enjoyed, and if i was so bad at it why was i employed for 11 years ?
Hi, thanks for your really helpful insights. I am a Brit recently
relocated to San Diego. I am a volunteer teacher, currently developing a
course for young people 15 -18 with Aspergers to help them with preparation
for the world of work. I would like to show them your videos if that’s OK,
as I think they are good.
This video makes me very happy, I’m 19 year old and undiagnosed but I
relate to almost everything in this video, which makes me feel a lot more
normal. Especially being able to talk about work but not knowing what to do
if invited for a social event, and the anxiety and confusion behind social
tasks. Knowing there are people with the same difficulties as me makes me
feel less alone.
It was suspected that I was autistic from a young age, but this video
inspires me to get a diagnosis once and for all, just wanted to say thank
you again for putting this up
Hi I completely relate to what your saying I am a young graphic designer I
got sacked from two different apprenticeships for bad communication skills
in the process of getting diagnosed would be great if I could talk to you
other than YouTube
Thank you so much for this Video. It has helped me a lot, to understand a
new friend that I have who is a highly functioning autistic adult. Thanks
again,
Sincerely Fredrick Fowler
I know it’ s not much of a comfort but I have exact the same condition as
you describe, I’m a self- diagnosed asperger of 43 years old. Things do not
get easier with age, as I always hoped. I work as a medical professional,
not exactly the ideal job for an autistic person as i have to deal with
many people with many different demands (patients, staff but also
management). You could say I went with the flow and ended up here. I also
got sacked ten years ago after just a few months, due to lack of
communicative skills. I learned that sometimes it is better not to
communicate at all because your clumsy ways can be perceived as arrogance.
But still every day I wake up with anxiety for conflicts, irritations and
problems that this next day will bring. There are two choices you can make,
in my opinion: fight your fears for the rest of your life and put on the
iron mask every day, or give in and end up in social welfare. But then
you’re no longer in charge of your life either and the money you earn
keeping up with the NT ratrace keeps you independent from outside
interference AND allows you to buy stuff you like and to isolate you
comfortably from the ”maddening crowd”. If you’re ‘highly functioning’
meaning your IQ is OK and you’ ve had a full education (no matter what, web
designer or welder), I would suggest- contrarily to what I mostly read- not
to trust anyone with your diagnosis: it could ruin your life. I personally
don’t think that happiness is a reasonable target for an AS person but I
would be glad to find myself corrected.
Thank you so much for your video. My 7 year old son was just diagnosed with
HFA with language disability. It really helps to understand how he may be
feeling at times.
hi, im viraj and i had a very bad attack of anxiety and depression recently
and a lot of what you mentioned really resonated with me. I have felt much
of the same nervousness when entering a room and meeting people and anxiety
at not being able to comprehend information. i really respect that you made
this video. kudos.
I find your videos so spot on.
I am Canadian and I was diagnosed with Aspergers (High-Functioning Autism,
now) in late March 2013 at the age of 54.
At the time of my diagnosis, I was already off work for a year on
Disability due to my Major Depression. I can’t go back to work due to the
trauma of doing 2 people’s work because of management not wanting to staff
our department properly.
So, in addition to Aspergers, I also have to deal with Major Depression.
Dealing with Aspergers is hard enough on its own with the Major Depression
affecting me as well. If it’s not one it’s the other and sometimes it’s
both 🙁
Does anyone else suffer from this dual diagnosis as well?
I know some autism spectrum disorders can actually be pretty hard. one of
my cousins who has Aspergers Syndrome he’s my age he’s 15 years old and he
is very sensitive to the environment. He will only focus on one thing and
he has social anxiety sometimes awkward around people. It can be very hard
for him.