Post #46 - Dealing With Others' Expectation of Your Condition

In many ways I believe that Asperger Syndrome presents rather like Biopolar Disorder in so many ways, hence why loads of Aspies, especially female ones, were misdiagnosed with the condition in the past.  Why is that?  Well, now that spring's in the air and it's getting lighter in the mornings, my being feels much more energised, which is the total polar opposite of how totally drained I feel in October/November when the nights draw in there's very little natural light available.  I often have trouble sleeping, but luckily my handy Audible app is able to read to me during the small hours, failing that, I read the letters page of the Radio Times instead, as I find that particularly soporific and the levels of pedantry are unrivaled.

I am, by nature, a fairly fiesty person and don't have any issue in defending my own position in an eloquent, yet firm manner. I am a depressive, mainly because this, combined with it's evil twin, anxiety, is technically known as a 'co-morbid' condition to my primary diagnosis of AS.  I take SSRI medication to level my moods and whatever the pros and cons of the drugs involved, they do work for me, despite making me very tired indeed and unable to consume a great deal of alcohol(!)  Those who condemn clinical intervention are welcome to do so, but I don't think that it would be fair to those around me to leave my moods unchecked.  It's an old analogy, but would you really suggest to someone with a broken back that they should begin limbo lessons next term and just 'get on with it'?  You wouldn't?  Hmm.

I called a friend out last night (oh, how I'm enjoying using this American terminology!) when she visited and started condemning a colleague's husband for taking time off of work to deal with his work-based anxiety and depression.  Did she really and truly believe that the gentleman in question's GP would sign him off at the drop of a hat?  No?  Well, let me tell you, they don't tend to.  Gawd help my friend if she needs assistance during a personal crisis of her own then! Carry on being a martyr if you wish to, but don't feel the need to judge others who choose to have children and, horror of horrors, need to take their child(ren) to school or nursery before commencing work.  Maybe we all need to go back to a time when women were given their cards on marriage?  No, well, I thought not.

Post #45 - Me, My Aspie Son and The Nintendo Wii U

Now, there's a problem, well insofar as my son loves to play on the Wii/WiiU, but he really cannot bear to lose.  Usually a defeat concludes in him stamping on the hall floor like a latter-day Rumpelstiltskin - I do worry about him clumping through the Homebase laminate.  He sees a speech therapist/SALT every other month and she's working on his attitude to defeat, but he still plays up.  For example, I've just purchased a new WiiU game featuring Mario, plus his brother Luigi and the other residents of the Mushroom Kingdom(!) but I made the mistake of changing the disc to Nintendoland and beating him at the Mario Chase - it was the first time as he's succeeded every time to date.  Cue: rage, screaming, shouting - the lot.  He calmed down after his father spoke to him for a bit.

To lighten the mood, here's the genius of Jim'll Paint It's Mario and Luigi on Rogue Traders.  It's fab.  Do check out more of his work (plus his merchandise) via http://jimllpaintit.tumblr.com/

Post #44: My Aspie Son

Until recently I believed that my son had what is commonly referred to as 'Classic Autism'. I now no longer feel that he has and does indeed share my diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome.

Why is that? Well, the similarities between both of our respective personalities is fairly uncanny, plus he's extremely verbal.  Mind you, who knows where anyone actually sits on this lovely autistic spectrum?