Rachel Roth
Active Member
Hi, I’m Rachel 
I’m a little nervous to join here, as I am an NT. My husband is an Aspie and recent new member Rudy Schmidt. I am a psychologist (with only a bachelor’s degree, not really qualified to do much here ) and love working with children, especially ‘at risk’ children (though I hate that phrase! It makes them sound like they’re on the cusp of joining a gang or something, and every one of them I’ve ever met have been -amazing- people!) .
Rudy and I have been married for five years. As he’s already mentioned, the move from his native Wales to America triggered an uptick in his Aspie traits. For five years I had a lot of guilt about that because we had no idea he was an Aspie-I thought his meltdowns were just a sign that he was unhappy with his life. Time and again he would meltdown, seem to lament his choice to leave his home, and I would myself meltdown out of guilt.
Then we realized that he’s an Aspie. That has changed everything for him, mostly for the better. It’s changed a lot for me, too—I no longer view his ‘meltdowns’ as a reason for guilt or even necessarily all that much of a negative thing—it’s just his way of easing off the pressure so he can cope more effectively again.
I myself am ‘differently abled’ as well—I was born with Spina Bifida. There was a hole in my back at birth, and it frayed my spinal column. I cannot feel anything below the knees, and I use a wheelchair to get around.
I was also born with hydrocephalus, or water on the brain-I have a shunt that drains my cerebral spinal fluid. Sometimes these differences cause neurological problems—for example, I get tired after what most people might consider half a day’s work, and I have to lie down for a few minutes to recharge or I get so sleepy I can’t focus (ADHD medication helps with that, but it’s not a fix-all).
I’m joining the forum because a)I have a definite professional interest in Aspergers’ Syndrome, as I’ve helped and hope to continue helping children, some of whom have AS, and b) because this is such a big part of Rudy’s life. He shares everything with me, and I want to be able to share this forum with him, at least partially.
I know I’m long-winded, so thanks for listening. I’m excited to hopefully learn a lot!
~Rachel
I’m a little nervous to join here, as I am an NT. My husband is an Aspie and recent new member Rudy Schmidt. I am a psychologist (with only a bachelor’s degree, not really qualified to do much here ) and love working with children, especially ‘at risk’ children (though I hate that phrase! It makes them sound like they’re on the cusp of joining a gang or something, and every one of them I’ve ever met have been -amazing- people!) .Rudy and I have been married for five years. As he’s already mentioned, the move from his native Wales to America triggered an uptick in his Aspie traits. For five years I had a lot of guilt about that because we had no idea he was an Aspie-I thought his meltdowns were just a sign that he was unhappy with his life. Time and again he would meltdown, seem to lament his choice to leave his home, and I would myself meltdown out of guilt.
Then we realized that he’s an Aspie. That has changed everything for him, mostly for the better. It’s changed a lot for me, too—I no longer view his ‘meltdowns’ as a reason for guilt or even necessarily all that much of a negative thing—it’s just his way of easing off the pressure so he can cope more effectively again.
I myself am ‘differently abled’ as well—I was born with Spina Bifida. There was a hole in my back at birth, and it frayed my spinal column. I cannot feel anything below the knees, and I use a wheelchair to get around.
I was also born with hydrocephalus, or water on the brain-I have a shunt that drains my cerebral spinal fluid. Sometimes these differences cause neurological problems—for example, I get tired after what most people might consider half a day’s work, and I have to lie down for a few minutes to recharge or I get so sleepy I can’t focus (ADHD medication helps with that, but it’s not a fix-all).
I’m joining the forum because a)I have a definite professional interest in Aspergers’ Syndrome, as I’ve helped and hope to continue helping children, some of whom have AS, and b) because this is such a big part of Rudy’s life. He shares everything with me, and I want to be able to share this forum with him, at least partially.
I know I’m long-winded, so thanks for listening. I’m excited to hopefully learn a lot!
~Rachel
