Asperger's Syndrome

It was in 2008 that I made what for me, was an exciting discovery - that I have always lived with Aspergers Syndrome (or High Functioning Autism).

I just have a different perspective on life - a life that is perhaps rather more dispassionate and less emotional.  It's very difficult to explain why I found the discovery of AS quite so exciting.  "Earner" in a series of articles on "Hub Pages" has tried to explain how daily living is affected for adults with AS.
I can relate to much of what he has written but I would have to say that the effects for me have not been quite so extreme - but that may be due in part to having had unusual opportunities when I was younger - including the chance to become a trainee computer programmer in 1967 when I was already over 30.
"Aspies" tend to be rather verbose so in what follows I have tried to describe something of what life has been like for me using (in italics) some of the typical characteristics that appear to apply to me.

I have always had difficulty demonstrating empathy – an inability to develop real friendships – a lack of shared enjoyments or achievements with others – unable to make eye contact. Adults with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) commonly experience difficulty starting social interactions, they have longings for greater intimacy, and a profound sense of isolation (only a small proportion marry).  The failure to react appropriately to social interaction may be seen as disregard for other people’s feelings, and come across as insensitive.   I've lost count of the number of times I've realised immediately that what I had just said would be misunderstood!

I seem to have had a theoretical understanding of other people’s emotions, without being able to act on this knowledge in fluid, real-life situations.  Some years ago I had been told about my lack of eye contact and tried to do something about it.  Some may even force themselves to use eye contact – resulting in a demeanour that appears rigid or socially naïve.  As a kid I used to look for companionship but eventually almost gave up.

There may be an unusual sensitivity (or insensitivity) to sound, light, touch, texture, taste, smell, pain, temperature and other stimuli.
Language can be another problem area and speech may convey a sense of incoherence – a failure to provide context for comments – a failure to suppress internal thoughts – the conclusion or point may never be made.  Maybe this explains why I have made extensive use of "mind maps" to picture some of my understanding of many of the influences on "The Journey of Life"

There may be a delay in acquiring motor skills such as riding a bicycle – poor co-ordination – poor handwriting – a difficulty in identifying and describing one’s emotions.  There may be hyperactivity, aggressive or oppositional behaviour and chronic frustration.
I have always been a workaholic, and I do tend to express my thoughts rather aggressively.

There may not necessarily be disablement in an environment in which an exact mind, attracted to detecting small details, is an advantage.  Self-promotion is difficult.  
There was one occasion when I didn't speak to my manager for six weeks (he said afterwards that he knew he had given me a job that he expected would take about three months and that I would speak to him if I had a problem).

Most children with AS want to be social, but fail to socialise successfully, which can lead to later withdrawal and asocial behaviour, especially in adolescence.  Difficulties with social interaction may also be manifest in a lack of play with other children.  People with AS often interact better with those considerably older or younger than themselves.
In my 20's most of my social contact was with people in their 60's and 70's.

Children often display advanced abilities for their age in some areas – but are sometimes seen as problem children or poor performers.  There can be an extremely low tolerance for what they perceive to be ordinary and mediocre tasks.  Lack of support can lead to withdrawal.  Nothing was ever good enough for my father - and even at the age of 90 he once went for me with a bread knife.

There may be a feeling of being unwillingly detached from the world around them.  The intense focus and tendency to work things out logically often grants people with AS a high level of ability in their field of interest. 
I have always had a blinkered approach.  It must have been very disconcerting for a preacher to be questioned afterwards by someone who never looked them in the eye, and who may have had his eyes closed for a lot of the time. 

An autistic savant is an autistic person with extreme talent in one or more areas of study.  Savantism is not unique to autistic people.  There is a theory that everyone has savant-like skills, but these may be lost in non-autistic people because of a shift in the way they process information – a shift that is slowed or incomplete in autistic children so that their savant-like processing style may be preserved.
Is this the reason why I still have this knack of asking the awkward questions about things that other people take for granted, to which there are no easy answers?