Is anyone else autistic?

[Oneironaut]

I’m an Aspie and I love computer programming. Anyone else here autistic and what are your interests?

[SheltieLover]

1. I have a family member with Aspergers

Engines, computers, hvac, electricity are the interests & excels at designimg, formulating, &
implementing mods to ach of these (at a genius level).

I think a lot of folks are undiagnosed, personally.

[area51]

10. +1 n/t

[elleng]

2. There's a Group here:

Asperger's/PDD (Group)

Good luck!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. I am not, but my son is.

He is the most interesting person I have ever known.

He had many struggles with school, despite being extremely intelligent. Currently in a PhD program in astronomy. Spoke with him this evening and learned that an article that he sent out for review is being accepted, with revisions required. Hooray! Part of his degree requirements is to have three articles professionally published. This will be the first, the second is being drafted, and the third will come along soon enough.

I once more or less asked him, "Would you prefer to be neurotypical?" And his answer was a resounding NO! He's used to what he is, even though he understands that it can cause certain problems. For a long time I did wish he were like everyone else but I now cherish his difference.

[unblock]

7. As for myself, who wants to be ordinary?

Yeah there were times when I wish I could do chit chat like normal people. I can analyze the crap out of it but I can't do it. Makes parties and meeting people kinda sucky.

But so what? I'm not lonely. I have things that I enjoy and have done things I'm proud of. And my "disorder" gives me my super analytical skills, and I'm on my second career leveraging that.

Wouldn't change it for the world.

Same goes for minis. Autistic, adhd, severe allergies, and transgender. She's a handful.

If I could change one thing it would be the allergies, without a doubt. Otherwise, as it is to get her to do her homework, I wouldn't change a thing.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. Thank you for your post.

I agree. I would not want to be ordinary.

While I am not myself on the spectrum, I was always different. I was a girl who read science fiction back when no girls ever did that. I graduated high school in three years, rather than the normal four. So I know what it is like to be different.

[hunter]

11. Allergies, asthma, etc., are awful.

When I was younger the doctors weren't as careful with steroids as they are now. I don't react well to these. Any long term use of Prednisone, for example, will reliably trigger psychosis in me. I do take inhaled steroids for asthma. The dose of these is so small they don't have the systemic effects oral steroids do.

I hate parties and other noisy places.

Those club scenes they show on movies and television, with loud music, dancing, and flashing lights, look like hell to me. I got dragged into such places a few times when I was young but always ended up leaving quickly, even if that left me without a ride home. That's another reason I always wear shoes I can run in.

[abqtommy]

4. I have two sons who are autistic. One of them lives with me. He enjoys his

TV, computer and Playstation 4. He's one of the many autistic persons who is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa but he does enjoy life. He "watches" game shows and
gaming shows like Yugioh. He likes anime and MST3K. He listens to classical music
on his radio and TV. He's never been able to do any kind of paid work and I don't try to
push him.

If you do programming then you're way ahead of my guys.

[hunter]

5. In college I used to live in the computer labs, almost literally.

That was in the later 'seventies and early 'eighties. Having built my own computers using 1802 processors, working with BSD was magic!

Now I'm a Linux guy. An easy way to learn Linux, if you haven't gone there yet, is on an inexpensive Raspberry Pi.

I'm on the 'spectrum somewhere, with a side order of OCD. That's occasionally been useful in my life. I can focus on certain things. At times it's also been a pain. It took me nine years to graduate from college.

Probably unrelated to that, I've also got diagnosis of PTSD and major depressive disorder. Meds can be helpful.

[unblock]

6. Mini-unblock is on the pdd/nos. During his testing, we realized I was, too

It became a joke with Mrs unblock and I answering the long list of diagnostic questions.

Everyone was this is the answer for mini, and hey, same for me. Virtually every question was like that.

They didn't diagnose autism well when I was kid unless you were profoundly autistic. So I just went through school with more than the usual social awkwardness and some learning challenges outside of math.


I had a great career with computers though i kinda burned out on that. Starter programming when I was 8, which is nothing these days but rather unusual in the early 70s. I do financial analysis now.

At some point I learned I'm really really good at analysis and pretty lousy at most other things. Fortunately, I learned to use my analytical skills everywhere. For instance, my vocabulary improved immensely when I learned etymology and root words and such. Great! Now I can reason out what some words mean instead of relying on my lousy memory!

Anyway, Mrs unblock and I courted mostly over video games, which mini-unblock learned to play before she could talk.

[GPV]

9. Eldest is pdd and hubby's mini. Youngest is adhd/odd and mine. Hoping that mild mood issues don't

turn into my bipolar, and that their gut stuff never becomes UC.