Asperger's & Autism Forum

St. Petersburg, Fla. - A fifth-grade student with autism is being called a hero, after he stepped in to help a diabetic teacher's aide whose blood sugar levels were dangerously low.

On the morning of February 21st, 11-year-old Michael Dupuis was with Audrey McCaulsky, a teacher's aide at New Heights Elementary School in St. Petersburg. When the two sat down for breakfast in the cafeteria, Michael noticed that something was very wrong with Audrey.

"She was sweating and getting...

No matter how well things go in my life, I always feel a sense of sadness due to the fact that... Well, it's like there's a glass casing around me separating me from the real world.
It almost feels like I'm permanently trapped in a bubble. I can laugh and joke with people, and socialise, but I always feel completely cut off from everyone, even my family and the one I love.
I wish I could feel more connected to my emotions. It seems as if everyone else experiences their emotions stronger than I do. That other people are happier, more empathetic.
I want to be able to feel happy and warm, instead of what is not happiness but simple "not being upset" and this cold feeling of not being attached to anything or anybody.
The truth is, I'm an alien. I'll never be able to feel the same way others do. Infact other aspies seem to feel alot more than I do. I have alot of love in my heart, but whenever I try to express it, it's like it comes up against this glass prison in which it cannot...

I am a 21 year old male who has aspergers. I take a lot of medications and they seem to work and then stop working for me completely in about 3-4 weeks. So I am trying medical marijuana since i live in ca and have been through a lot these past 2 years, and i have to say it really helps. I had two appointments with my counselor this week and she even noticed a difference. She said "the apserger's traits seem to disappear almost completely," which gives me much hope and i have to also say that it is working also as an anti-depressant, i am replacing one of my anti-depressants with this and i feel as though it works better! It just helps me enjoy life substantially better. I am re-taking interest in Golf, that i used to love and play everyday, now i only play once a week but i feel like getting out more now.
I wanted to post this because of how well i feel the medical marijuana is working and helping me deal with my symptoms. And my symptoms have been getting the best of me for the...

In a past relationship I was accused of being lazy. I think about that a lot because, well, it annoyed the hell out of me.

At the time, I had 3 jobs and never watched TV because I was busy reading/researching for those jobs. I rarely went to bed before 2am for the same reasons.

However, I can see where the other person was coming from. I could be found napping on the Sofa in the middle of the afternoon, because I'd only had 3 hours sleep the night before. And I could be so wrapped up in what I was reading that I might not have noticed the bins were overflowing.

Etc..

Can anyone relate to this? Do you feel Aspergers has made you lazy, or the opposite?

Maybe it's not laziness as much as selfishness?

Or perhaps I'm just a jerk!

what are the names of these sites? Online Dating sites geared towards those with Asperger Syndrome, Autism, etc.? The only Online Dating sites i've really tried for the past 4 years, because that is when I started using Online Dating, were Plentyoffish and OkCupid, but you don't have to pay in order to use those sites, so the Online Dating sites i've used have been very limited since the overwhelming vast majority of online dating sites they charge you for them, is it the same for those Aspie/Autism Online Dating sites?

Has anyone else observed a stigma associated with being a self-diagnosed Aspie? Such as people saying things like:

"You're just looking for attention."
"You're just making excuses."
"You don't really have Aspergers."
"You're just hopping on the bandwagon."
"If you haven't talked to a psychologist, it's not real."
"You want people to think you're a tortured genius. You're really just annoying and socially awkward."

I don't tell people that I'm an Aspie for this reason. I see people posting comments like these on boards and articles online and I'm afraid of receiving this reaction should I ever "come out". There's a genuine difference between being a run-of-the-mill hypochondriac and actually having the disorder.

Many Autistic people live the vast majority of their life in a zoned-out state where they are minimally accessible to other humans including their close relatives. Despite the obvious inconveniences & stress this causes their family members, think of the concentration it takes: enough to challenge even the most evolved meditating Zen master. Many still react to outside stimuli & are very sensitive to changes in textiles, temperature & touch etc. They also can express extreme displeasure if a room is rearranged or if objects they've lined up get moved.

One of my Aspie skills is the ability to completely zone out. Sometimes I get a few spacey days (like yesterday & today) where I'm sort of on auto-pilot doing what I have to do but not being truly present. Zoning out is even more extreme: it is the ability to completely shut out the world & go into a trance- like state. Does anyone else out there do this? Please tell me about your experiences with this skill.

I do and until recently I thought everybody did. If I am adding two numbers in my head I see the numbers. If I am thinking about a concept like justice I see an image of a stern looking king from ancient Greece, godlike with a beard and sitting on a throne. That may seem highly imaginative but actually I am just recalling an image of justice I once saw in a church. (Remember aspies are not imaginative and creative.)

Anyway the idea of thinking in words sounds boring and weird to me. Now I...

I would like to ask other members what it is like to be in a romantic relationship with another aspie since I have never had luck in establishing romance with men without ASDs and will not consider them again for romance. Recently several of my work colleagues have suggested that I try establishing romance with another aspie. I did take their advice but I knew that coming across a man another aspie is rare. :|