Imagine having an immediate family member.. your brother or sister or son or daughter or parents... having Autism. Communication is very difficult because of delayed cognitive skills. Emotions that can't be determined and are difficult to understand. Constant extreme fixation and fascination for the most trivial of objects, things that "normal" people look at being the most trivial and uncared for of objects. A near complete lack of empathy for even close friends or loved ones.

I can speak out of experience since I have partial autism. I don't, however, experience the "traditional" stereotypical symptoms, for instance constant rocking and hand/arm spinning.. stacking things.. lining them up in an order, etc. I experience emotion and can communicate it. Somtimes I'm very caring and outgoing and others I'm plain self centered.. like any other person would be. Thing is.. I hardly communicate at all, at least in the real world. Often, I'm fixated to one thing intensely and constantly repeat things people say.. and other times just talk to myself in a way as if someone else is right next too me.

As far as medical side of the disorder goes.. I would have what's considered to me one of the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The one I have in particular is Asperger syndrome which falls under pervasive developmental disorder. I know a lot about mental disorders and a lot that has to do with medicine because it's one of my interests. But aspergers and autism in general is extremely difficult to understand.. much less live with.

I have and have had friends with autism or at least one of the ASDs. It's very hard and affects your ability to integrate with other people. Some people have it worse than others. The thing is, it's easy for some people to say that those with mental disorders such as this are weird, out of place, retarded, or even plain stupid. It's also easy to put it off as being "drama" or something that's exaggerated too much. Autism isn't the only disorder that applies here. But, it's only easy for people to say that until they experience something like this. I speak out of experience and on behalf of others.. daily tasks become near impossible at times and "no-brainers" can be something that requires every ounce of already impaired thinking and cognitive skills.

Being a person who doesn't necessarily believe in the treatment options that psychiatrists provide the best "support" for people like this is constant reassurance and mental support. It takes particular people to do so.. close friends, loved ones, people who are accepting of such things and even those who are experiencing the same thing. Behavioural intervention can be used to treat autism.. but it's usually intense and requires an effort from parents and doctors.. and is best when started young.

My aspergers has significantly improved in recent times. But it continues to be a problem in my life and in the lives of millions others. And to those millions experiencing autism or any mental disorder.. it's very hard to cope with, but remember that there are so many others that are going through the exact same thing and that there is hope for people experiencing this. Ride it out the best you can.. and I wish you the best of luck

April is considered to be autism awareness month.. it would have been more fitting to post this 2 months ago. But, I wanted to share this with the community sooner or later, because of what I've experienced and out of compassion for those who are experiencing the same thing.. and to let people know that this is a real problem with real effects on daily life.

Also, this thread doesn't need to be used purely for discussion. Please feel free to share your stories of autism and help others.. or be helped. Because we have a lot of people on our site and in the community who are experiencing autism in some form, also some might not even know it yet. I'm glad if this helps you in any way.

Thank you for sharing that. Having any of the ASD's or interacting with someone with an ASD is tough. But it's equally frustrating for the one with the disorder. They might think they're making perfect sense and get perplexed that they were misunderstood... again.

It reminds me of having 2 cousins that have Autism

Towncrafter wrote:They might think they're making perfect sense and get perplexed that they were misunderstood... again.

That's just a matter of poor communication skills.. which of course branches off of aspergers. I used to have the same problem.. also a lot of people have never really fathomed my general "method" of communication (just look at some of my posts from 2010 here) which is also due to my aspergers. Others just think I'm plain stupid.

Thing is.. frequently being misunderstood is actually the fault of the speaker and not the listener (am I using the right words?) which unfortunately makes it much more difficult.

If you havn't read the book "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime", I suggest reading it. It will really get you inside the mind of a child with a autism.

I really hope that with all the medical advancements Autism and many other things like it can start to be phased out. I imagine it is tough for everyone involved with someone with Autism. Whether it is the person who is diagnosed, the family, teachers, friends.

It's shocking just how many people are diagnosed with it. I've met plenty of people with the disorder, and it's just heartbreaking across the board for those who are severely affected by it. Asperger's is not really as bad as many of the other disorders on the spectrum, and given that it is generally high-functioning in nature, it doesn't really prevent people from participating in society like anyone else, but it's still not something to be overlooked.