This is the question I am going to try to dissect and answer tonight. The question has often times arose in my head and it rises in aspie's heads all the time. Should we tell people about our Aspergers Syndrome? I have always been the one to tell people about my aspergers and I have been blown off by people because they think I am weird. I have even lost friends by sharing there aspie secret.
The question comes up often because there are so many great things to take advantage of, yet there are also cons like friendships or lack of friendships. As I have grown up, everyone has told me not to talk about my aspergers because it separates me from the rest of my people. I have the "little professor syndrome" and my little professor teaches everyone about disabilities or shall I say diffabilities. I do feel like I create a lot of awareness, yet high school students just can't grasp my concept. Could it be the big words I use like overwhelming, stimming and under or over stimulating??? I am really not sure, but no one understands me.
Above I share all the negative stuff which may lead you to automatically think that I shouldn't share, but then there are the pros. Some of the pro's I have dealt with and I am dealing with are being part of not one, but two documentaries. One documentary is airing this december on wvia if you are interested and the other documentary has yet to be filmed, but I am pretty sure that it will be filmed considering it is no secret. lol I have also just been asked to speak about my disability to a high school class, I am able learn how to live in an apartment by myself at no cost with a job coach twenty-four hours a day and I am able to get sixty minutes of undivided attention from a psychologist who understands me once a month. What more can I ask for??? I am also someone that can show people that individuals with autism can actually function in the real world unlike rain man.
Lets dissect this a little more. If I didn't have aspergers, I wouldn't be able to become famous through documentaries. Okay, lets be honest, maybe I won't be famous, but I will feel proud of myself when I can say that I was on national television. lol If I didn't share this information about my disability and I wasn't able to articulate my disability, I wouldn't have the gratification I have right now. I was really luck to be in one documentary, but two is amazing. I am able to articulate myself in such a way that I bridge the gap between the two worlds of autism and "neurotypicals" not that anyone is neurotypical because that would be too boring.
Another advantage to having the aspergers diagnosis is that I automatically qualify for an IEP which means I automatically qualify to be in this amazing apartment program where I have roommates for a week and I learn how to cook, clean, and socialize with roommates. Don't worry that I will burn the place down though because trust me I am a safe person. Oh and forgot to tell you that we have a job coach with us even in our sleep. Maybe not in our dreams, but while we're sleeping.
During the week that I stay at the apartment, I am required to prepare two meals for my roommates. We all agree on the meals, make a grocery list and go shopping on a budget. The other two roommates that don't cook that night, must clean the dishes, load the dishwasher, clean the stove and floor etc. I absolutely love this because anyone who is planning on going to college must learn this stuff on their own time. I actually get to do this for free in a real apartment that is rented by my awesome school district.
I guess I shall say that aspergers is actually better than having autism because you can actually go to someone and talk through your problems. I get to have someone's undivided attention who listens to me for once, but thats not all. She actually helps me instead of saying well how do you feel about that??? Seriously that isn't just a stereotype of psychologists. They all go to school to get their doctorate to ask you that question. Except for the one I see. This summer I even worked so hard that I am going to brag and say that I have no goals for the next month. The only thing is to get adjusted to school. Next time we will talk about my obsessive tendencies that can sometimes get in the way. I hope and think that I will make a lot of progress over the next year.
The question still remains!!! Do I tell people or not??? If I tell people, who should I tell???
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