Yea, as soon as they say its all biological, its giving the message there's nothing you can do, only medication. not saying medication is'nt necessary, just definatly not for some, most even. the fact that society is messed up and everyone is full of high anxiety and stress means nothing, ok im starting to get dramatic

That's okay.

Illness is prevalent on this board.

Yea totally i was really shocked!! espically if its just doctors disagnosing, surely you need professionals, doctors are shit. it's good that most people are against meds though..


by the way, I talk ALOT of shit when im tierd, hence my long essay of a post, before

I have ADD as well, and was on meds for it for most of my life. I'm off the meds now. I'm eating better, sleeping better, have more energy. The meds either made me lose my appetite, made me feel lethargic, or sucked the energy out of me.

Yeah, I read about that too And once I read on Wikipedia that Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter has AS too, but that was a long time ago, and I tried to find it again, but to no avail. I wonder if JK Rowling really intended her to be?


Yeah, like I've had to arrange certain things around my bed before I fall asleep and my blankets not touching certain parts of my bed, 'invisible barriers' . And I usually go through dietary phases wherein I eat primarily a certain few foods for a few days or a week or a few weeks. I have very young recollections of having to, for instance, suddenly jump from here to there in one leap! or else I might die...and make this certain part of my fingertip touch the banister as I'm walking by, or I have to keep touching it, and touching it...till I feel satisfied. I cannot see the pens on the computer desk, the bag on the steps has to keep its exact position (if someone turns it to walk down the steps better, I move it back because I like it to stay the same), and general OCD stuff. My *coughtherapistcough* diagnosed me with generalised anxiety disorder and has noted my OCD tendencies, and keeps asking me about social anxiety disorder and goes over SAD traits with me, but I don't feel most of them, like I don't get sweaty palms around a roomful of people and that. I just get really desperate to get out, even if it's my own family around...she doesn't get that. It's mostly alright because she's elped me with other things.
So, yes, I get that feeling like if I don't do something, something bad will happen but I don't know exactly what. :/


That's good.
I can see why you guys refuse medicine so strongly...they add so much more negativity and problems that it doesn't seem worth it.

i'm the kind of person who everyone tells me i can't have anything mental because i think i do with out being diagnosed, but i have my reasons.
firstly, I hear voices sometimes, mostly my own or people i've never met which i can not silance at all, once or twice so bad i couldn't hear anything else, it was scary i started crying and couldn't stop crying for the rest of the day, thats how my friends know, and they beileve me sometimes they know to just leave me alone. (this is true please don't give me any shit about it).
secondly teachers in the past have comented to my mum that they thought i had depression or somthing because i was really detached (i guess i still am), i don't think i have depression, i just can't seem to pay attention to something, or keep eye contact no matter how hard i try, in some conversations.
Thirdly i have no idea at times what is real or not in my life, dreams and day dreams, I once dreamed that a guy asked me out....it was only when i went to talk to him i realised it had been a dream.

i just find it so irritating, it's like thats me there is nothing i can do about, people say i'm stoned, I'm not stoned. i joke about it all the time i say i have millions of imaginary friends and the voices tell me to kill, it hides how i really feel because lots of people say stuff like that. All i really want is for someone to tell me why i'm like this but i can't because if i tell my parents they think i am lieing.

please beileve me I don't want you to think it's a lie.

I feel like that sometimes...yeah I don't know what it is either. I was thinking perhaps my own weakness at respect/a short attention span
But, no, I don't mean to undermine you.

That actually sounds neat to me, because dreamland is better than real life usually, but I do suppose it can cause problems. Do you mind it or not?

Hi, I'm new to the forum and I was diagnosed with Aspergers and ADHD last year at age 40 (yep, I'm kind of old for this place, but Aspergers does make one a bit immature)!

I really got into the Vines after my diagnosis, because I connected to Craig's lyrics and music more than any other musician before. The first time I heard Get Free back in 2002, I remember thinking "that noise sounds just like the noise in my head." So I drooled over Craig like a pervy granny for a year or so, and then the Vines pretty much faded here in the US. Then last year I was googling Aspergers, Craig's name popped up, and I was completely hooked all over again.

I was really moved by Vision Valley, every song on the album had something for me to relate to. I've read every article on Craig posted here on the forum, and it gave me so much comfort to see him pull himself back from the edge the way he has. I really do think he's a remarkable person, and I have to say that at this point in my life he's probably my greatest inspiration! I've spent the past year working hard on repairing my marriage and my relationships with my parents, friends & co-workers. It's really hard work, oftentimes very embarrassing and stressful, but at least I'm finally understood by the other people in my life. It's helped me so much to see how well Craig has managed the same process, on an infinitely larger scale than I could ever imagine. And it's so wonderful to see how the other band members, his manager, and you guys have stuck by him through all this. I'm thinking of mailing a card to him via his management, just to let him know how much his example has inspired me to stay positive. Being diagnosed as an adult really sucks, because there's a ton of damage control to do. I don't think I'd have coped nearly as well if I hadn't had his example to follow. And I really, really enjoy this forum - I have laughed myself completely sick over some of these threads, and especially the slash thread! Unbelievable!! His poor ears must really be burning, not to mention other regions southward!

Anyhoo, if anyone has Asperger questions, I'm here. I've pretty much become an expert out of necessity. Nice to be here on the forum. Toodles!

wow, this is a really interesting thread! I never knew so many other people have these same problems, like hearing voices and such, i used to full on have imaginary friends and different characters for myself, and things sometimes sound so repetive in my mind, like sometimes i cant sleep all night becuase one verse from a song or one line of words that someone said will play over and over in my head till i literaly almost drive myself insane. i also find it hard to go about my life sometimes becuase i have such bad anxiety attacks and i get such horrible feelings about certain things.. Ive often thought that theres something wrong with me and i should go on medication.. but i realized this is who i am and ive learned to deal with it, i go about my days, i have a lot of friends.. but its still non the less annoying!

I actualy have a really close friend from california who has aspergers syndrom and a couple years ago she had a mental breakdown and was hospitalized becuase she thought that she murdered someone, it was really horrible and sad. She just came up to washington and visited me, she was MUCH better, it was almost like there was nothing drasticaly wrong with her. She's been going to a special school that teaches people with autism to function normaly... does anyone here go to such a school?

I don't know, i have sort of cycles I guess, I've been begining to realise that i have about three stages of dreams they each seem to last about a month. For a month i have little to no dreams, then i have average dreams that are totaly beleivable, then i start to have unrealistic dreams, you know how people say dreams make sense when you are asleep, well mine make sense when i'm awake but when i'm asleep they don't need to cause no matter what happens in them i have this really secure feeling this feeling that even if i did somthing horrible or something bad happens to me, i feel calm and i'm not under pressure to do anything, then i wake up. I can see how my mind works yet i can't stop it so first off i love it, it is a perfect world. Then it starts getting worse, I start to have dreams that family members die and i don't care and when i wake up they are still dead to me and i still don't care, until i see them and then i freak it's really odd especally because when i'm in another one of the "stages" i can see everything thats going on. Something that happens more often is what i think is happening to me at the moment, i live two lives one in the perfect world one in reality and when i get back to the real world it isn't that good at all and i get depressed, i don't want to wake up and when i do i start to dislike people, and such like........... So at the moment i really care but i don't want to do anything about it because getting rid of the perfect place is getting rid of the easy part of my life and giving way to the borring world where stupid people have power and crazy people have guns...... Not trying to offend anyone here (besides i think i've made myself look more crazy anyway, at least you have pride). then when i get really into my world i can't return and i start having no dreams again.

i just read back my posts it sounds more like i'm a big attention seeker, but if i was i'd tell my parents, and publish it wherever i could and i'm not...only here because somehow it is easyer telling people you don't even know if they are real.

Thankyou for understanding

That's a really sad story, but I'm glad she's doing better. It sounds like her breakdown was OCD-related. I know that OCD-related guilt can get to the point where it can literally cause psychosis in some people, especially those with AS. I read that almost 80% of people with AS also have pretty bad anxiety. Aspergers makes you somewhat socially paranoid, because you can't read social cues or connect with other people well. Then if you're already prone to anxiety, depression, etc. it just gets worse from there.

The only real "treatment" for AS is educational training to learn how to communicate with people, control anxiety, organize our lives, etc. I'm sure that school is a big part of your friend's improvement. AS is a neurological problem that affects everything we do all day, especially communication with other people. It's hard for us to make ourselves and our intentions understood, much less understand other's intentions, moods, feelings, etc. Lots of people with AS end up taking antidepressants for depression/anxiety. I just take Ritalin, it prevents sensory overload in pubic and keeps me from getting irritable with people when I'm misunderstood by others (which happens daily).

Hi! Thanks for sharing, your story was really neat.
This: His poor ears must really be burning, not to mention other regions southward! made me laugh! We like to think that such can be approved of, but I don't know if you know, the ghey/slash threads are going to be removed. ( ) They're up for three days more so we can go through and save stuff we want, though (and I believe we're on the second day).
And I like your username too going Gone is one of my favourite songs, I hear him say my name.. What's your name?


Oh, , that sounds a bit exhausting! But it is really great you have a haven to make you happy when reality sucks...but on the other hand, I'm sorry reality sucks . I had two extremes like that when I had depression in the past: I wanted everyone to leave me alone so I could dwell in my head...and school, the ultimate face of reality, was hellish. I would refuse to go to school, I would break down in tears on the way to school, and on days I accomplished getting to school, I skipped half of it.

i guess reality dosn't suck, i just realise that i have been out of it so long i don't know, it's just so borring...and the worst part really is the real dreams you would not beileve how i felt yesterday when i woke up from a dream about my mother dieing, it made me feel so guilty and worse when i found out she was alive, i really love my mother and life without her at this current time would be hell.

I thought for a split second that I might have it when I was reading the description...turns I have social anxiety. I don't have problems with being touched and stuff.

whats social anxiety?

I feel bad for you! Don't beat yourself up about dreams - they are out of your control and they really mean a lot less than you think. Dreams are just your brain's way of letting off steam - you don't pick them and you're not responsible for them. And yes, reality does suck at your age - back then I was pretty much in a constant dissociative fog from asperger-related stress. I wasted my entire teenage years beating myself up because I believed I was just a freak, and it turns out I was born with a neurological disorder that no one had even really heard of at the time. So don't blame yourself for feeling bad, sad, mad, whatever. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to feel bad about feeling bad. You're only responsible for your actions, not your feelings. And once you let your bad feelings just sit there, without trying to change them, they tend to lighten up a lot. End of asperger-induced monologue!!

thanks, that helped me as well

fear of social interaction...you can be medicated for it.

Its when social sitautions make you really nervous and scared. Sometimes you just have to avoid them all together. I get it quite a lot.

what the people above me said, basically. sometimes it can be something small, but it can be really serious too.
it's basically extreme self-consciousness, and someone who (actually) has it will constantly be nervous and afraid of judgement. they'll worry about what others think of them too much, to the point where they can't even walk down the street without worrying that people are looking at them, judging them, laughing at them, ect.
it's linked to agoraphobia and aspergers i think, and trust me, it's not nice to have. :S

People are so silly, like over in the music section thinking anyone who likes the same bands as Craig are just trying to be like him.

I have aspergers... Its pretty much been known since I was a kid. I had all sorts of problems. Took me ages to begin to speak and even after that I had issues with speech and communication. I had severe depression even when I was young. ADHD. Hearing/processing problems, in kindy I could hardly spell (dyslexia) but got to join a year 2 class for maths, I was extremely unco... I could go on. I did heaps of alternative therapies, I had allergic reactions to most of the medications. There was one drug (I think for ADHD not aspergers) I took for a while which ended up making me ridiculously socially inappropriate, good of them to tell us a possible side effect is loss of inhibitions I did things like the elimination diet and some sort of sound therapy where I'd get two weeks off to go on a holiday and listen to music for two hours a day, I liked that one. And stuff to fix my co-ordinations, aside from being unco in general I didn't have the reflex where you put your arms out when you fall over, I was constantly getting carted off to the dentist to have teeth shoved back in.

No one ever told me I had it really until a few years ago, or I didn't realise. But, the effects weren't too bad until about five months ago when I was going out and drinking way too much and kinda had a bit of a mental breakdown, and I've been quite depressed ever since and I've just started seeing a psychologist again. It sucks, I'm alright most of the time I can go out and I'm fine talking to people I don't know at gigs and things, but every now and again I kinda freak out and can stand to be around people. I have hypoglycemia also so I find it heaps harder to cope if I haven't eaten enough.

Has anyone read The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time? I bought it about a week ago when someone told me about it. It would be terrible to have AS that severely. It was interesting to read though and see how some of the protagonists behaviours relate to my own. Like not liking different foods to be touching on my dinner plate.

Being the noob that I am I somehow thought this thread only had three pages Idiot. I read most of the other pages. I didn't know that voices/getting words/lines stuck in your head was AS stuff. When I was younger I'd hear voices, but creepy ones. It was like... everything would get out of proportion, and then I'd hear a voice and it sounded like a young kid but it wasn't speaking clearly and I couldn't hear it. And then I'd have nightmares kinda Alice In Wonderland style where I'd be in a hallway and I'd be really small and the hallway would be huge and I'd run to the other end and I'd be big and it would freak the fuck out of me. Seriously. And I'd always have a line or word or phrase stuck in my head, not necessarily from a song.

No just a touch of OCD

Hi there, La. Nice to hear your input. Thanks for sharing your story! I realize I've been kind of lucky in a way. I wasn't diagnosed until last year, and for awhile I was very envious of younger people with AS who'd been diagnosed as kids. I thought how much better off I'd have been if I'd had assistance (and ritalin) back in 2nd grade. But what I hear from lots of those folks is that it's still very rough. Because they were "labeled" at such a young age, they were then stuck having to deal with all sorts of well-intended neurotypical teachers and professionals who all wanted to "fix" them in some way. I now see that can be just as damaging as growing up the way I did, with people just thinking I was a hyper, clumsy little a$&%%4#*!

I have the same problems with uncoordination, I think they call it dyspraxia. Supposedly it even affects how we think and talk, things in our head become as uncoordinated as our bodies! I couldn't ride a bike, skip, jump rope, tie shoes, play any kind of team sport...I was just a goofball! I'm still not good at any of those things, but at least now I know why. I never could figure out why it took me twice as long as other people to do just about anything, and it trashed my self-esteem for most of my life.

I'm thinking of reading The Curious Incident. That kid had the math fixation, right? Has anyone seen the movie Mozart and the Whale? Don't know if that's been talked about on this thread yet. It's a pretty good movie, they did a decent job with the issue. It's the true story of a guy and girl with Aspergers who meet in a support group & fall in love. The girl is very similar to me, I could relate to her alot. She had a lot worse things happen to her than I ever did, though. It's worth seeing, if you guys haven't already.

I'm not sure if its a good thing to have it diagnosed early (I just asked my mum and she told me I was diagnosed at around five, just at having Aspergers markers). One would jump to the conclusion that it would be good having help from a young age, but I didn't really understand what was going on back then. Some things definitely helped. I had an exam to get into an accelerated unit when I was in year two, so for a fortnight before the exam mum put me on the elimination diet and I ended up acing it. And then in my class it was full of quite a few other kids with probably similar problems. Looking back now there were a lot of maths/science genius types who had obvious ADHD and social problems so... I was never teased or anything because I was among similar kinds of kids.



Well I know, I started walking before I started to crawl, is that part of it? I think it has something to do with sequencing. My swimming coach told my mum once I was the most uncoordinated child he had ever come across! But, it sounds like you might have been worse than me. I couldn't swim, that's for sure. But, I did special stuff for it. Then I just did heaps of sports growing up, I wasn't fantastic at sport but I loved it. I think doing jazz dance may have been the most beneficial thing for me. Because not only does it help strength and coordination, it helped with sequencing and having to remember the choreography.



Yes, he's brilliant and maths and loves it. He counts prime numbers to calm himself down. And there's other things, it seems he has quite bad OCD. With things like eating and colours. And he's got really severe AS, so he can't understand facial expressions aside from happiness and sadness. I've never been that bad, I've always understood emotions. Actually what I found really the most interesting I think is that he never lied and hates lying. I can't stand lying. I just never do it. No matter how much I don't want to tell the truth about something, I still do. I never realised that was an AS thing.

I haven't seen Mozart and the Whale but it definitely sounds like something I'd love to watch. I'll have to try and rent it out or buy it some time.

Words have always been my fixation. I was reading at 8th grade level during 2nd grade, but of course I couldn't really grasp some of the concepts in these books since I wasn't mature enough emotionally. I used to (actually still do) quote paragraphs from favorite books, poems, song lyrics in my head when I'm stressed. My OCD-like food & schedule quirks have pretty much calmed down, but I still have some issues about eating certain foods (mostly based on their color and texture). But at this point, you really can't tell I have AS unless you actually live or work with me. Socially I can do ok; I know my own limits and don't push them anymore. And yes...honesty is a huge issue for me, too. I used to get into so many arguments with people whom I felt were lying to me. They never could understand that I wasn't upset over what they lied about - I was upset over the fact that they lied, period!! Yeah, those with AS usually can't lie or "fake" anything - I know I can't. It used to make me mad that people were constantly po'd at me for expressing my opinions, but now I'm able to see their side of it. And no, I'm still not great at reading facial expressions & tone of voice. I used to just assume the worst - that people were generally displeased with me most of the time, because it was safer to assume that. But since I've been in counseling for it, I've learned to relax a lot more with other people. It's not easy, but things are going a lot better lately.

Tha'ts too bad that you had a breakdown like that. It will get better. And keep an eye on your hypoglycemia-it can lead to diabetes if your not careful.
I have read that book. It usually takes me a few months to finish a book (I have a short attention span when it comes to reading books), but I was able to read it from start to finish in three days. The storyline just grabbed my attention-and kept my attention.

Woa, guys. La and Carla, I mean. I had known it was difficult for Craig, but I didn't know life with AS could be so complicated Thanks for the accounts I like reading them.
I mean, the world can be really narrow. One time I read the quote (something like this; I don't remeber exactly), "We must accept peoples' differences as the familiar until differences make no difference anymore." I agree.

The other day i had a sort of breakdown sort of thing and got really upset, i wasn't exactly sure why, i was crying for about an hour, and i was shaking, i couldn't stop, which scared me more, then i decided i was going to talk to someone, so i called one of those hot lines you can talk to people about your probeblems.......thats not something i'd usally do.....i talked for 20 minets (lucky they are free), by the end of it i'd really calmed down, but afterwards i realsied how much those people talk down to you, the guy just kept saying thats really scary and stuff like that, it makes me think perhaps i have a sort of childish view on my dreams, then again i think it would scare you too......he also kept saying you sound tired, which is obvious concidering my main problems are to do with dreams.

Thank you, thank you!! You are such a sweet person!! There are some really nice people on this forum, I'm really enjoying being here.

Yeah, having AS is hard to describe. AS is a neurological disorder that affects communication: how our brains & nervous system receive, process, and transmit information. It affects everything we do all day, and it can be exhausting and infuriating. But I'm not sorry I have it - it has its advantages, too. The hardest part is the damage it can do to relationships and careers when you don't know you have it. I was working as a customer service rep at an insurance company, and when angry customers called, I'd start shouting back at them!! It's funny now, but at the time my bosses didn't know wtf to do with me! They didn't want to fire me because I was very good at the technical review part of the job, so they promoted me to legal reviewer. That was great, because then I got to shout at attorneys all day!! I actually liked it a lot, but the stress started to kill me. I was so stressed that I literally looked like a meth addict. And because AS makes you communicate in a very direct style, my co-workers thought I was just a beoch from hell. I had some good friends, but I mostly ate lunch with male co-workers or alone, reading a book. There were always rumors about me cheating on my husband, or having an eating disorder because I was so thin. So I do know how Craig must have felt to have been lied about.

I think you should talk to a professional about how you feel. I'm not an expert on mood disorders, but I do know someone who's bipolar and to me this sounds like the same thing. It's an absolute hellish way to feel, and you deserve to get some help with it. Those hotline people don't have a clue - they're doing the best they can over the phone, but that's not going to be enough to make you feel like someone's really connecting to what you're going through. Please don't joke with other people about your feelings anymore - that's just degrading yourself, and you don't owe them any humor at your own expense. I did that all my life about the AS symptoms, and it's just something you should never do, trust me. You don't owe anyone anything regarding how you feel - you only owe yourself.

I don't know anything about the mental health system in Australia, but here they have LCSWs (licensed clinical social workers), and they are the best people to see to discuss your feelings honestly. Then if they find you really might need medication (and bipolar folks do need it usually), then they refer you to a psychiatrist, but they'll continue to see you for the actual therapy. That way you're not seeing a "shrink" for your problems, you're seeing someone who's a little more human and personal. My situation is very different from yours, I know. But I just wanted to throw this your way. Hope I'm not being too pushy (but that IS an AS trait)!

That wasn't very nice and I don't think you deserved it! I'm glad you calmed down, but...there are people who will be more understanding, like Carla said. Maybe you should ask your parents--or tell your parents you think you should see a therapist. I mean, if you do think so. I can tell you that it's greatly helped me Mine's name is Sheila, she's very nice, she likes travelling and geography like me and she grew up in Indonesia even though she's American born...She knows what it's like living under two cultures and in different countries and with different languages like me, which seemed like something small but is more influential than I thought.
(Actually, I recently read that Hispanic-American young women (they only talked about Hispanic-Americans because it was Latina magazine but I reckon it's the same for Asian-Americans and other mixed people/immigrants) are more likely to commit suicide due, as they think, to the combined pressure of the expectations of two societies. )


You're welcome And thanks for saying I and we are nice
what a story! Are you doing better in work now?
I used to spend lunch (and maybe other periods sometimes) in bathroom stalls at my middle school, then I'd hide out in the dressing rooms behind the auditorium stage or go outside in the sun (sneak). And when I went to high school I'd walk across campus to the middle school campus (there's an elementary, middle, and high school all on this giant area of land...then a college across the street...convenient? or just weird? ) and sit in the sun there too...not because I wanted necessarily to be back in middle school (I didn't want to be in school at all) but because it was familiar.

Oh dear. I can see where that's coming from because every now and again I don't want to be around anyone. But, at high school I was blessed to find the most lovely friends. The famous five We had our own little spot on the grass in the senior area and so there wasn't the stress of having to talk to people I didn't know well. It took me a while to adjust to the change but I did... and then two years later I went back to my primary school for a get together thing, the whole place had changed, the landscaping and a new building had been put up. Shook me up so much, I hate change.


That cultural thing is interesting. I don't know if that's an America-specific thing or if I'm just very lucky where I live. Probably more the latter since there's been a bit of racial (and socio-economic) tensions around Sydney. But, I live in a much more accepting area and everyone is really accepting of each others cultural differences. I was born in Oz but my dad is Norwegian and my mum's parents were from Europe, out of my closet friends one was born in South Africa, one in Scotland, two are from New Zealand and there's one other Aussie.

Aw ^ that's so cool you have a diverse 'famous five' and that you can be accepting and all that, and that you are part European! I think that while we are all still one people and not so different from each other -cause we're all humans; Different places have lots to teach you...many kids I go to school with are able to get caught up in the notion America is the only country in the world, and are arrogant about their beliefs. Yes, they think African tribes and European mannerisms are weird, but I don't know if they realise every other in the world can look at their lives and think that it's weird - see, that's one thing we all share in common, if they'll believe nothing else . (I say this in good humour.) 'Different' doesn't equal 'corrupt' or 'negative.'

....The above sentence speaks of people, of course; I wanted to clarify before I said "but difference in daily life (new landscapes, new places, new foods, new clothes, rearranging of furniture, change in schedule) can be scary for me," and agree with you, and seemingly contradict myself .

Thanks, Ana (did I spell that right?)!! I'm doing much better at work....now that I'm not working!! My company downsized 200 of us a few years ago, and I tried another insurance job for a year and hated it. Hubby told me to take a break, and that's when I started getting better. I'd planned on starting grad school for Latin American studies, and I decided to get a psycho-educational evaluation before I started - I wanted to finally get some answers to my cognitive problems before I started grad courses. That's what led to the AS diagnosis. I've been off work 3 years, and I'm ready to go back and do something, at least part time. Not sure what. I've taken two semesters of Spanish and I'm just finishing a semester of Portuguese, so I haven't given up on the grad school idea. Don't know right now!

I know what you mean about the culture clashes causing so much stress for young people today. Look at that VA shooter, who was of Korean descent. My aunt is Japanese, and she's told me so many sad stories of how Asian parents expect so much out of their kids and never really allow them to be children. Her dad was a Buddhist priest, and her childhood was extremely hard...like being in jail, nothing but schoolwork and various other lessons, 6 days a week. The kids lived in constant fear of making some kind of mistake and "disgracing the family." And now those kids are living here in the States and seeing other kids having fun, without any responsibilities at all.

Here in Atlanta we have a very large Hispanic population, and I know how much they miss home and how hard it is for them to adjust to life here, while at the same time working two or three jobs! It's extremely hard on the kids, because they're expected to act as translators for their parents & grandparents, while still trying to fit in at school, get good grades, etc. And the daughters have the most stress, because they're still expected to bear so many family-related responsibilities that the sons don't have to deal with. I'm not surprised at their rising suicide rate. That's just tragic.

I'm so lucky to know so many Latinos here; they've been so good for me! My best friends are from Brazil and Colombia, and I volunteered teaching English as a Second Language for two years after I stopped work. Those folks were wonderful, the best and kindest people I've ever met in my life! I was terrified to try teaching because of the AS, I knew there'd be plenty of times where I'd goof up and look just plain stupid! And yes, I did!! But the first time I did something goofy and I heard them laughing, I realized that they were laughing because it was funny, not because they were being critical of me. That moment showed me that there were nice people in the world, after all. Just being around those folks turned my life around, and I'll be enternally grateful to them for that.

hmmm I should get this thread started up again

I also have AS. I was diagnosed with it at 4 years old. I have troubled talking to people, making eye contact and trying to form sentences. I also have sleeping problems associated with AS. Though I have steel cage memory, good at maths and science such as biology and art and I use to have this obsession with native birds as I would always read this old bird book as a little girl. My mum told me that I has AS when I was 9 when I told her I didn't fit in at school. I would use to behave erratically, get bullied alot and would spend lunchtimes by myself.

The first few years of high school was the worst. Just of lot new people, changing friendships and a new place. I even had a fallout with my best friend because of my condition. I got suspended from school once from hitting back at a girl who was harassing me. I had a few romantic relationships but they didn't last more than a few months. Last year I had a nervous breakdown, suffered anxiety attacks and was diagnosed with depression because of being bullied in the past and not understanding why my brain is different from other people. I'm currently on medication and starting to patch up things with my best friend. Things at school are better as no one really bullies me anymore because they know about my condition but I still have days where I don't want to talk to people or like being touched.

Sometimes I take things literally and I don't get sarcasm and jokes most of the time. I use to work at subway but I had to be let go by my boss because I was rude to the customers. I didn't like talking to strangers or know what to do in an angry customer situation or knew that I was being rude to the customer. Also one of my workers made sarcastic jokes that I was a lesbian but I would deny them and once she put her hand on her should and I didn't like it (I hate being touched on the shoulders or collarbone).

I currently have an interest in indie rock music. My favorite bands are the Vines (of course ) and the White Stripes plus Kasabian. I'm learning how to play bass guitar and the standard guitar as some sort of therapy. Everyday I try not to let my condition in the way of my life. It's cool there are people on this forum with same condition as me.

ah. well, yea, lets start again.

i diagnosed with AS too. well, not professional diagnose, actually. just friends and a test diagnose. rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php . and they say im positively an AS.

and i diagnosed with ADD too.

Erm... I didn't really want to write in here at first but, well, now I do.
I also have Asperger's and was diagnosed with it in May last year. But I had been reading about it for much longer and had gone through a loooong investigation to get it. Also since September last year I go to a school that has a class especially for people with AS.
I'm not too keen on writing my entire biography here like some else has done so I'll just stick with this.

interesting trend here, cause erm....*raises hand meekly*

sorry I tend to go into details alot

Hehe me too
I could have written something as long as yours too if I hadn't limited myself

yeah

I tried the quiz out as well. I got 168 out of 200 which means I'm very likely that I'm an aspie.

^ i got 170 if i weren't mistaken.. that's quite a lot. and yea, the aspie quiz said that i'm very likely an aspie.

well, i remember that some of my friends often call me 'autis' or 'idiot'. that's funny name i think.

okay...but some people would call me weird

yah. 'weird' is something usual for me.. :-> and i cant doubt a thing..

and one of my friend, a boy, said that i'm the weirdest girl alive coz he can talk about anything with me. from common things till boys things *dirty joke etc*. and he said that wasn't embarassing. coz im really weird. :|

Just so you know, that quiz has very little to do with the true symptoms of AS, and if you believe you have it you should go to a professional. I got 178 on it but I'm fairly certain that has more to do with social anxiety disorder than AS. There could be any number of reasons a person will score highly on a self report quiz like that.

Yeah I scored 182, I don't know what it might mean though. I forgot what the questions were, something like "do you like slow flowing water?" ummm...I don't know sure, why not.

yea.. i'd like to go to the professional for the advance test. especially when i think i have more than one mental disorder. but my mom said that i dont need that. she said 'Why should we waste our money for them? they'll say you're what you're not.' i think my mom had a 'special' moment with psychology or kinda. but i really want to go..