Hello everyone,
I signed up for this forum years ago, and I ended up getting very busy and I guess I just forgot about it. I don't think I ever made a post, so here I am.
I'm currently 32 years old, and I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in my early childhood. My parents were told to raise me very carefully and that I needed a lot of attention. This led to them sheltering me to a large degree, which may or may not have been detrimental, but I know they had good intentions in mind. Growing up, I also had ADHD, which made me very hyperactive and gave me trouble focusing, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I was prescribed Ritalin for the ADHD, Prozac for the OCD, and Seroquel to help me sleep. I had many phobias, some of which were very unusual (I might make a separate post about them some time). I was extremely sensitive to loud noises, certain tastes, and textures. This made me an extremely picky eater, living mostly on plain white rice, plain pasta, crackers, and pretzels. My poor nutrition at the time probably worsened my condition. I spent pretty much my whole school years in special education. From kindergarten through 5th grade, I was in public school, but within a special ed program, but some classes were mixed with the "normal kids". For middle school and high school, I went to a small school specifically for kids with intellectual, emotional, and social difficulties, mostly on the Autism spectrum. Some, like me, were high functioning, normal or above average intellectual abilities, but poor social skills. Others had Autism so severe, they were almost entirely non-verbal and would only grunt or scream. I witnessed children suddenly stripping naked and running through the halls, kids throwing spontaneous tantrums while flipping over desks, and even a kid who believed he was a train. This was very traumatic for me and seriously harmed my self esteem and self confidence, making me believe that I was "retarded" (sorry, I know many people find that word offensive today, but that was what I called myself then). I was considered "gifted" in several areas except for math (oddly enough, someone on the spectrum who is horrible at math). I was not challenged academically there and found myself bored with school.
After high school, I discovered martial arts, fitness, nutrition, and also became more serious about my Christian faith (I know religion can be a touchy subject, so I should probably avoid going too into detail about that here). Anyway, I started lifting weights, performing cardio, stretching, etc, and transformed my body from a scrawny, malnourished kid, into a healthy, athletic one. I started eating healthy, more protein, vegetables, whole grains, and good fats. I no longer needed my medication, and I have been meds-free for many years. Many of the problems I once had were either gone, or much more manageable. I'm still a bit awkward, but I am completely unrecognizable from the person I once was. I went to college and completed my bachelor's degree in exercise science, and have been working as a personal trainer and exercise specialist. I then found a great woman and have been happily married for 3 years.
My hobbies include fitness and nutrition, faith, foreign languages, videogames, movies, martial arts, music (I play piano and other keyboards), and many others.
Thanks for reading!
I signed up for this forum years ago, and I ended up getting very busy and I guess I just forgot about it. I don't think I ever made a post, so here I am.
I'm currently 32 years old, and I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in my early childhood. My parents were told to raise me very carefully and that I needed a lot of attention. This led to them sheltering me to a large degree, which may or may not have been detrimental, but I know they had good intentions in mind. Growing up, I also had ADHD, which made me very hyperactive and gave me trouble focusing, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I was prescribed Ritalin for the ADHD, Prozac for the OCD, and Seroquel to help me sleep. I had many phobias, some of which were very unusual (I might make a separate post about them some time). I was extremely sensitive to loud noises, certain tastes, and textures. This made me an extremely picky eater, living mostly on plain white rice, plain pasta, crackers, and pretzels. My poor nutrition at the time probably worsened my condition. I spent pretty much my whole school years in special education. From kindergarten through 5th grade, I was in public school, but within a special ed program, but some classes were mixed with the "normal kids". For middle school and high school, I went to a small school specifically for kids with intellectual, emotional, and social difficulties, mostly on the Autism spectrum. Some, like me, were high functioning, normal or above average intellectual abilities, but poor social skills. Others had Autism so severe, they were almost entirely non-verbal and would only grunt or scream. I witnessed children suddenly stripping naked and running through the halls, kids throwing spontaneous tantrums while flipping over desks, and even a kid who believed he was a train. This was very traumatic for me and seriously harmed my self esteem and self confidence, making me believe that I was "retarded" (sorry, I know many people find that word offensive today, but that was what I called myself then). I was considered "gifted" in several areas except for math (oddly enough, someone on the spectrum who is horrible at math). I was not challenged academically there and found myself bored with school.
After high school, I discovered martial arts, fitness, nutrition, and also became more serious about my Christian faith (I know religion can be a touchy subject, so I should probably avoid going too into detail about that here). Anyway, I started lifting weights, performing cardio, stretching, etc, and transformed my body from a scrawny, malnourished kid, into a healthy, athletic one. I started eating healthy, more protein, vegetables, whole grains, and good fats. I no longer needed my medication, and I have been meds-free for many years. Many of the problems I once had were either gone, or much more manageable. I'm still a bit awkward, but I am completely unrecognizable from the person I once was. I went to college and completed my bachelor's degree in exercise science, and have been working as a personal trainer and exercise specialist. I then found a great woman and have been happily married for 3 years.
My hobbies include fitness and nutrition, faith, foreign languages, videogames, movies, martial arts, music (I play piano and other keyboards), and many others.
Thanks for reading!
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