2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session 2013 special election arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration international internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

I too just listened to your program and found it lacking.

I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome 5 years ago, when I was 55. The diagnosis did help explain why I am who I am and why people were so frustrating to me; and why they are so frustrated with me. I have had a long an varied career (IT, radio newscaster, security director, project manager... the list goes on.) The longest I ever survived at a job was 2 years, with the shortest  less than 1 day. I have been called immature, lazy, arrogant know-it-all, SOB, the smartest guy in the room, the dumbest person on the face of the planet, etc. Even after I was diagnosed the poeple I worked with, including my various managers, didn't know about Aspergers, didn't want to know, and worked as hard as they could to get rid of me as qquickly and legally as possible (I have been laid off due to "company cutbacks" more times than not.) On the rare occassions I was "allowed" to explain about what Aspergers is, as soon as I used the phrase "autistic spectrum" the person or persons listening would take a step back. I don't know if their expressions were of pity or disgust (one of those annoying little deficits we Aspies share,) but soon there after I was again among the unemployed.

So would eliminating the seperate diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome be of benefit to one with it? Likely not. The majority of the so-called "average" individuals (or neuro-typicals (NT's) as we call them) only understands "autistic" one way and one way only, and they really don't want to be relieved of their ignorance. No matter what label you give a person, so long as the NT's preceive that as being "different" they want no part of you - it's as if you have a deadly, highly infectous disease and your being any where close to them might infect them.

Now, I can only speak from my experience, which has not been good. However, given the large amount of experience my 60 years have given me, I feel that I can speak with a certain amount of authority on the subject.

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
view in context