My name is Bill and I am 72 years old. I was diagnosed autistic when I was eight - no-one talked about Aspergers Syndrome then. I had been taken to hospital for tests because my mother was afraid I was brain damaged following an accident with a swing some years before. (She was theatre nurse to a surgeon who specialized in brain injuries. Shortly afyer this, I overheard her talking about me to her friend, also a nurse, and I thought she said I was artistic.) My mother only admitted this when, after I want into therapy in my forties and my autism was found.
I have sensory issues, especially with clothes, and some pitches of sound can make me shut down, for want pf a better term. I also have some difficulty with people's speech and often have to repeat their words to myself before I get the meaning (I can now do this internally, which is better than aloud). I was selectively mute until I was five. School was a nightmare right until I left. I could not mix, was always in trouble . Personal interactions were, and continue to be, very difficult. Friendships seem to evade me. I just don't seem able to do it.
I have rules for me and I need things to stay the same to avoid stress.
Over the years, though, I have learned to be a bit more flexible in my thinking. I still "over-explain" and tell the same jokes over and over. My partner worked with autistic children and she mostly understands, though she still thinks I am rude if I ignore her friends while working on something -I just don't see them.
This is turning into a book! I had better stop.
I have sensory issues, especially with clothes, and some pitches of sound can make me shut down, for want pf a better term. I also have some difficulty with people's speech and often have to repeat their words to myself before I get the meaning (I can now do this internally, which is better than aloud). I was selectively mute until I was five. School was a nightmare right until I left. I could not mix, was always in trouble . Personal interactions were, and continue to be, very difficult. Friendships seem to evade me. I just don't seem able to do it.
I have rules for me and I need things to stay the same to avoid stress.
Over the years, though, I have learned to be a bit more flexible in my thinking. I still "over-explain" and tell the same jokes over and over. My partner worked with autistic children and she mostly understands, though she still thinks I am rude if I ignore her friends while working on something -I just don't see them.
This is turning into a book! I had better stop.
