The Autistic Spectrum...

[Shaun]

I have ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. Its hard, but if you need anyone to talk to about these problems im here. Don't hesitate to talk to me, ok?

Thanks very much. I'll keep that in mind.

I have Aspergers Syndrome, and whilst I have often lamented its effect, i believe I have not lost out on all that much. I suffer from al the symtoms.
Limited interests or preoccupation with a subject to the exclusion of other activities; Yes, i find it is my gaming, computing and scripting.
Repetitive behaviors or rituals; Yes. I always favour my left foot while walking, i look stupid sometimes and trip up.
Peculiarities in speech and language; NO its not my irish accent...i always sound that dumb. I also tend to mix up words and then go silent for 5 seconds while i work out what I was trying to say.
Socially and emotionally inappropriate behavior and interpersonal interaction; Do I HAVE to go into that? Im just going to say im not very good at making friends. I probably have more friends on these forums than the entire rest of my life. Im also very violent.
Problems with nonverbal communication; Duh. I can read body language about as much as I understand Gaelic (not that much, but im learning).
Clumsy and uncoordinated motor movements. I was never any great shakes at sports. Or anything like that.

I suffer from most other complaints too. My handwriting is abysmal. I have managed to overcome some of the big language and social barriers, but I still find it very hard to make friends.

That's interesting, because I suffer from most of them too. Let's see...

- My interests are very limited and I've turned into a very antisocial being. I never go out, and, I hate to admit on these forums, where people I like will see this... I have no friends. Zero. The interests I do have, I'm very interested in though. Gaming would be one of them, and so would game development or other computer-based creative work. I've got an obsession with language and point out signs to myself with punctuation errors, for example. I'm always questioning many aspects of life when I daydream too.

- I don't know whether I favour a certain leg, but I'm certainly clumsy, and that comes with dyspraxia. I try so hard to do everything correctly, so people around me won't insult my differences, but sometimes people notice these things. Alas, I could be worse off in this department, but still...

- Speech is the one area where I could say I'm probably not affected as badly, but I'm still affected. I had speech therapy when I was young. I said things wrong. One example is hostipal, instead of hospital. That's right; I mixed around consonants. My voice has always been shaky, and I don't think it sounded right in secondary school. Over the years though, I've been able to control my voice better.

- Yeah, I pretty much went over how I am socially on the first one... and I can argue a bit with parents and I hate myself for that, even if it is partially caused by my disabilities.

- And finally, yes, I can't understand any body language. I take things very literally, I can never make eye contact for long, and I never smile.

Thanks for your post, LN; it's helped.