I have a gift which isn’t always visible in my mirror; my gift is a disability called Asperger’s Syndrome.
I am 25. I was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum by the time I was two but it wasn’t until I was 13 that we realised I had Asperger’s Syndrome.
I’m going to tell you about something that only someone with Asperger’s Syndrome will know; people’s misunderstanding disables us.
‘Be more normal!’ I would shriek at myself growing up in Bournemouth, as I cowered in front of my bedroom mirror as a teenager, with tears burning down my face, painful hands and a shuddering body. I shunned myself for being so alien, for the whispered judgements of people who didn’t understand me. Such people like strangers, working professionals and even teachers, were always critiquing me so that no matter how hard I tried to be normal, I would make ‘mistakes’, and I was always perceived as ‘wrong’… Simply for being myself.
One reason for people’s judgements are my meltdowns is because I’m easily overloaded; I zoom into minor details; every cob web, or crack in the wall screaming for my attention. This and coping with simple changes in routine, (missed bus, new toothpaste, lost keys) whilst multi-tasking my poor communication and awful problem-solving skills lead to shutdowns.
Read more at: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/health-fitness/adult-autism-520452
