Finding Adults on the Spectrum
Tuesday April 18, 2006
When I was a kid, the word autism was virtually never in the news. Today, it's everywhere. And as kids are diagnosed with autism, their high-functioning parents are suddenly faced with the reality that they, too, have autistic features. In fact, some parents are coping with the fact that, like their children, they are diagnosable with Asperger Syndrome (a high functioning form of autism).
For some people, this discovery is irrelevant. After all, who cares if a successful, married adult can put a name to his personality? To others its upsetting. And to still others it's a tremendous help -- a realization that they're not just weird. In fact, they're part of a community of people who can support one another, offer one another resources, and celebrate their differences.
GRASP, the Global and Regional Aspergers Syndrome Partnership, is a great place for adults diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (or wondering if they might be diagnosable) to meet other adults with the same differences, find resources and support groups, and learn more about what it means to live life on the spectrum.
Comments
My son is 3.5 years but speaks very little that others can understand, and we recently where referred to Children’s Hospital for testing along the PDD lines. To prepare for the visit I did as much reading as possible and was surprised how many things fit me, even some very very specific things I read on sites like my fascination with Pi (which i can recite to about 50 decimals), and also many of the broader things that described me as a child and and as an adult.
They diagnosed my son with a sever language delay and not with anything in the autism spectrum, but I still find reading some of this information interesting.
I also really like the book “The Einstein Syndrome”, a lot of that seemed to fit us spot-on!
I think there are a lot of adults out there who are “finding themselves” on the autism spectrum. Have you read the article in Wired Magazine called “The Geek Syndrome?” Interesting stuff!
Pi (which i can recite to about 50 decimals)
I can recite it to 10 decimals, which is bad enough. My son’s psychiatrist has said I’m definitely an Asperger autistic. So there you go
I have two autistic sons, one is 5 and the other is 4. I thought it would be harder since Inever heard of autism. Now I’m reading everything I can to help my boys.