I feel as though
throughout these ramblings, there’s one particular subject I
haven’t addressed enough. That subject is my Asperger’s.
To my understanding, a lot of people with Asperger’s - or Aspies, as we like to call ourselves - get diagnosed fairly late into their lifespan. I had the luck of being diagnosed when my age still comprised a single digit. Or to be more precise, my parents had that luck. My mother in particular met many “amazing” people through my Asperger’s.
In case you’re unfamiliar with Asperger’s, it is a developmental disorder that essentially rewires your brain. Symptoms of the disorder may be, for instance, difficulty in reading subtle hints and body language, repetitive or restrictive patterns of interest, or hypersensitivity. I use the phrase “may be” because Asperger’s doesn’t manifest in the same way in everyone, but the symptoms I listed are some of the most common ones associated with Asperger’s.
In regards to misconceptions about Asperger’s, the most common one I hear is that Aspies lack the ability to feel empathy. I can safely say from personal experience that it’s far from true. I’ve experienced situations where I felt whatever emotion others were feeling, possibly even more intensely than they did themselves. Only I’ve had a hard time putting it into words.
Either way, if I had to describe myself as an Aspie, I don’t recognize too many common traits of it in myself that I could name. I’m not hypersensitive, but I do dislike unexpected physical contact. My interests aren’t particularly repetitive, but I do have a hard time taking interest in new things. Subtle hints, however, I cannot read for the life of me.
In all honesty, I feel rather impartial about my Asperger’s. I don’t consider it a curse, but I don’t exactly consider it a blessing either. If anything, I see it as half of both.
If I had to choose between the two, though, I’d probably lean more towards blessing than curse. After all, it is a part of me.