Chris Mitchell Employment Seminar

Yesterday I attended the Asperger Syndrome Employment Workshop hosted by Asperger Services Australia at the Novotel Hotel. Chris Mitchell an adult whom I have known with Asperger Syndrome spoke at this seminar and it was very informative. As it was perhaps the first of its kind to be hosted in Australia, it was badly needed and despite some feedback, there were many interesting issues raised. Some of the issues were in relation to how employers and employment agencies need to understand Asperger Syndrome more and how work places can be conditioned and modified to accommodate adults with Asperger Syndrome. Within Australia there is a long way to go as we need to educate and inform the wider community about issues relating to employment. Some of these issues being, adults with Asperger Syndrome working in base grade positions and finding it difficult to obtain staff development opportunities to assist them in their career path. Chris Mitchell had a wealth of information and this information was very useful in promoting awareness of Asperger Syndrome in adults. Some of the things discussed were how Managers can understand Asperger Syndrome better and how a Manager needs to ensure the employee with Asperger Syndrome is protected and their skills utilized within a work environment. There were also the topics of managing anxiety and how to fully utilise the potential of staff members with Asperger Syndrome. Hopefully another workshop like this one will be implemented again in Australia and perhaps more of a response from employers and employment agencies to attend. Asperger Syndrome is a reality and for anyone interested in knowing more about Chris Mitchell and his services please visit the following webpage http://www.chrismitchell.org.uk/

The challenge ahead

Well this afternoon I was informed yet again that I was unsuccessful in an expression of interest application. How many more knock backs does it take before you just don't feel confident to submit an application yet again? I was informed that the University Library is cutting back on staff and that I was unsuccessful due to a person having more computer skills than I did. I have also submitted my thesis outline and I wonder how this will go also? I really get fed up with the employment market as everything seems cut throat nowadays and your self esteem and confidence just obtain a battering at the same time. I am getting counseling with Minds and Hearts because nobody else seems to get me. I just feel so alone at times and if it were for some other adults with AS, I would really feel alone and depressed. Why is the world so harsh for people with AS. Why don't people just try and get it and know what it is like? People seem to think that I put it all on as an act but would it be an act if you experience bad anxiety and social isolation? I work so hard and others also at promoting awareness of Asperger Syndrome and you feel literally like you hit your head against a brick wall. You get tired of people telling you what you can't do and trying to find tolerance and understanding is often just so difficult. At least I can house sit, well that's something I can do. Everything else I seem to try never seems to work out for some reason. Look people, Asperger Syndrome is a reality. People are affected by it and unlike other disabilities it is a stand alone disability. People with other disabilities are able to utilize social skills and other means of support but AS is a social skills deficit. I really am thinking about self employment opportunities because I am sick to death of hierarchy and bureaucracy. These two situations are like a process of ripping your heart out and your soul and throwing them in your face again. April is Autism awareness month and how much actual awareness of Autism is there? What a world we live in just think about yourself and nobody else.

Let the filming begin

Today some of the adults with Asperger Syndrome and myself worked on the early stages of a documentary on adults with Asperger Syndrome. We talked about our experiences of dealing with anxiety and navigating the social world as adults. The documentary will feature my account of having Asperger Syndrome and other adults. We talk about the issues of trying to find employment, being understood by the world around us and managing anxiety. The documentary is currently in the process of the editing stage and I am sure when it is available, others will benefit from what is said and we hope that the wider community begin to understand some of the difficulties adults with Asperger Syndrome encounter. Thank you Chris for your contributions also and your visit to Australia from the UK. The documentary will eventually look at the bigger picture but as yet we are only in the early stages.

Chris Mitchell's visit

This morning Chris Mitchell arrived in Brisbane from New Zealand. Chris is an adult with Asperger Syndrome from the United Kingdom and I have been friends with Chris since I met him in 1999 when he visited Australia for the first time from the United Kingdom. Although the Radio Interview didn't go well due to technical frustrations. Mark who is another adult with Asperger Syndrome needs to be given full praise for at least getting as far as he did. Chris also spoke with Mark and Chris is due to the meet the other adults at UQ tomorrow morning. It should be a good occasion. I have not caught up with Chris for 6 years so seeing him again for the first time was something different. Chris is now having time to himself after his long trip and would you believe sky diving. Not something I would try but good to hear all the same. On Tuesday, Chris will be meeting with the Adult Asperger Group at the University of Queensland and I will be finding out about my progress with the secondment I applied for as a Library Assistant. I am glad I have friends and life long friends now in this Adult Group. My Publication Manual for the Journal of Psychology arrived today, so hopefully this will help me with referencing in my thesis. Unfortunately none of the management of the UQ Library will be able to meet Chris due to other commitments and I am not sure how this employment seminar will go on Wednesday either.

Do siblings understand?

Unfortunately there is often a denial or lack of understanding in some family members and no matter how hard it is for the individual concerned, their minds are closed and there is nothing that you can do. Sadly within some families denial or lack of understanding and support tends to distance the person with Asperger Syndrome from family members concerned. There also can be a focus on the negative traits or expectations of the person with Asperger Syndrome and then criticism if the person with Asperger Syndrome is not able to conform or reach expectations. I find the younger generations are starting to except Asperger Syndrome but the older ones and the peer group I belong to, just don't except or understand it unfortunately. It really gets annoying to have to deal with people who have closed minds and no matter how hard you try, it is like beating your head against a brick wall. Some of the adults I know deal with sibling ignorance or obtain no support from family members concerned and they just give up on trying. If we are to reach the minds and hearts of siblings and other members of the family, then we need to reach people when their minds are open rather than when their hearts and minds are closed.

Hitting Rock Bottom

In my days prior to obtaining employment, I would constantly submit application after application to find myself unable to get through the interview process into employment. For one year, I worked within a School Library and despite my years of volunteer work and hard work, a position which was advertised went to someone else within the library who did not lift a finger and I found myself feeling deflated afterwards. I felt as though I had walked off a cliff and found it hard to know how to structure my day or get out of bed in the morning. When you lose self esteem and nobody understands what you go through, you feel a sense of deep pain and a sense of loss and purpose. People are distant and cold and you feel at your mercy to know how or find ways of overcoming this feeling. Not having any friends nor a partner to shoulder your loss, the world can seem such a lonely and frustrating place. I realise that my experience within this situation is not alone for other adults with Asperger Syndrome encounter the same situation. It is like society does not understand that adults with AS want to get ahead it is just that our different wiring and thinking tends to make things harder for us to adapt and adjust. Often adults find it difficult to get onto any payroll or to find paid employment. You constantly see people around you that look at you and don't see anything wrong when you suffer in silence and nobody really understands. Tragically some adults with Asperger Syndrome have committed suicide or tried to shut out the pain by taking drugs just simply because people don't take the time to try to understand and listen. The world cannot be changed but people can begin to understand the difficulties as it is our brains that are wired differently and we have no control over this. People with Asperger Syndrome stand alone in the disability arena because other people with disabilities have social networks or communication whereas people with Asperger Syndrome have difficulty communicating at all. Navigating the NT world is hard for Aspies and we have to work hard at it and we stuff up a lot or may appear standoffish or aloof but we cannot help this. I am tired of people who look at me as to how I present rather than the struggles I and many other Aspies go through. Hitting Rock Bottom is not a pleasant experience and not one many people would really like to endure. I have had 2 breakdowns in my life and I had to see a GP who doesn't believe in AS to be prescribed an Anti Depressant just to keep out of the doldrums. A hell of a lot of awareness needs to occur about AS and I hope this happens in my lifetime!!!

Taking on challenges

Over the last week I have been proud of my achievements. As I am currently undertaking house sitting, I have been able to do this, attend a Disability Sub Committee Meeting, undertake some more research on my post graduate study and update my career information. I am tending to think that my abilities are perhaps due to areas of my brain that may work harder than other areas. I find that reading more has opened up more neuro pathways in my mind and I am feeling better about myself than I did before. So is Asperger Syndrome a disability or is it just another way of thinking or behaving? We know very little about the brain and perhaps people with Asperger Syndrome in the past centuries existed in monasteries, studied theology and were involved in solitary pursuits. If Michelangelo was not born nor Mozart, what we have missed out on in the world with eccentric and people that had unique talents? I believe that while you are fit and able we all need to look beyond our boundaries and not feel trapped by our own securities or fears. So many people have a great deal more to offer than what they currently do but not everyone is fortunate to experience the same opportunities. People with Asperger Syndrome have a great deal more to offer the world and taking on challenges and venturing out of comfort zones is something that should occur more. We never know the answers in our lives or whether or not we journey down the right path but giving things your best is one way to think positively and look to the future.

The Disabilty Sub Committee

Tomorrow afternoon I meet for the first time as the Staff Member representing staff with disabilities at the University. As I have never sat on a committee before, especially one of this nature, I hope that I am able to raise concerns and address issues that confront staff with disabilities. Within my own situation, I find that I cannot go beyond my current duties without encountering frustration. Over the last 5 years, I have wanted more stimulation and the ability to learn and acquire more skills which seems to always confront difficulty. As I know many adults with Asperger Syndrome, there seems the ever growing problem of them finding employment or more so being granted the opportunity of having a go and learning more. In terms of the Disability Sub Committee my appointment is a milestone for myself and perhaps a pioneering stage for an adult with Asperger Syndrome to be appointed to such a committee. I am on a learning curb with this appointment and I have tried to find out across the university if all areas and departments are covered by disability representatives. As support for staff with a disability is essential, I hope that the work place can be more accommodating for staff so that they can enter employment and finally have the opportunity of hopefully having modifications made to make their working life more possible. I have had to draught proposals and submit suggestions with a couple of them being accepted and I would like to do more than what I am currently doing but only time may tell. People seem to think that because you can only work part time that you are either lazy or putting yourself down. You try and deal with mental exhaustion and trying to navigate the world around you when you confront a lack of understanding and awareness. By serving on the committee hopefully I can make a positive contribution and more importantly make the possibility of staff with a disability to find acceptance and provide input within a workplace. It will be interesting to see how the unfolding year goes. Please note that a lot of adults with Asperger Syndrome have good brains and the recent article concerning an adult in Sydney is one that really needs to be focused on for are we utilizing the skills and attributes adults can make and contribute to in this world? http://www.smh.com.au/national/remarkable-minds-just-waiting-for-work-20100319-qmad.html I have often been told in life what I cannot do. I am incapable of working on the Loans Desk in a Library, I can't go beyond shelving library books? Or you are getting anxious or some other issue as a way of brushing aside the real and underlying issue in that an adult with AS may have such problems but they also have positive and important strong points. Also obtaining the opportunity to learn higher duties is also dealt with difficulty and I have had to go to another library to learn and acquire new skills and could only utilise 45 mins being a school library for being in an inflexible work place. You would think that if a member of staff displayed enthusiasm then surely this could be provided rather than discouraged and made difficult.? If you lived the life in my shoes and other adults with Asperger Syndrome you may begin to wonder how valuable and what more we can do rather than being labeled or unable to go beyond base grade routine positions. I don't dislike the job I do I just want to go beyond it into something which allows me to use my brain more and to acquire more stimulation. I am also looking forward to undertaking a MPhil/Phd as an adult with Asperger Syndrome as the topic of difficulty for adults with navigating the social world and I hope I am able to do this and assistance in promoting awareness of issues that need to be raised and addressed to make the life of adults with AS much better in the world around.

Obsessing

One of the things that really changed my mood recently was one of my parents cutting a cane on an orchid. I felt really annoyed at this and wondered why this happened. An orchid is not like any other plant in that you prune it once it has finished flowering. When I went out to see the orchid, I was disturbed by it being severed and I stressed out about it. This happened on Saturday last and it changed my mood when it happened. I thought why did you cut the orchid stem and why could you do this? Although I have explained to them that orchids don't like being severed in such a way, they were not willing to listen because they think orchids are like any other plant. I have been somewhat anxious of this plant now dying and furthermore not everyone understands yours sensory distress when something like this happens. I have always grown orchids for the simple means of providing an escape from humanity and although I have lost some interest in them over the years, I still do feed and look after them and try and get them to flower. Despite having to live with my parents who don't always understand the many symptoms of AS, the orchids I have also suffered disease and virus. This being due to the need to have a concrete floor beneath the orchid house to wash away and virus or disease. Obsessing is due to many factors and some people with AS can be distressed by certain foods and noises. They can also be stressed out by someone changing their room around or interfering with clothing in their cupboard by throwing clothes away or even buying clothes that you may have a reaction to sensory wise.

Giving things a go

I have now entered the phase of 2 weeks house sitting and I also undertook my Skills enhancement today at the University of Queensland Library. I am proud of achievements but can never really understand why I doubt my own abilities. Despite undertaking the Skills Enhancement and trying to get my head the early stages of writing a thesis, I was able to deliver my best in terms of the skills enhancement and see writing a thesis as a real challenge. As I write this post, I have just settled into the house sit and dealing with a dog with anti social tendencies or more so heightened anxiety. No matter what I do, this do is just coy and I just have to let it adapt the way it feels best. I was able to get it to go for a walk with me this evening so at least that is some kind of a start. I often feel afraid of life because I don't know what is ahead of me. Where am I going? Who I am? Am I being realistic in my pursuits? Such questions go over and over in my mind like a tape recorder and yet to the outside world, I exist an unknown figure. My strength is something I can rely on but are the challenges I am undertaking realistic? A friend has recently asked me to his engagement party. I feel honoured as I haven't caught up with the friend concerned in years. It makes me feel happy that at least someone bothered to include me in something special in their life. I am trying to read as much as I can but I am taking things slowly with my research as otherwise I will burn out. I know all I can do is give things my best and hope my life takes a turn for the better.

Where to from now?

Over the past 24 hours I have focused my attention on gathering information and data on my post graduate thesis. For anyone reading this, a Thesis is by no means an easy task. As a complete beginner to the world of post graduate study, I am new to the concept of Thesis writing and more importantly the procedure involved in preparing for such a task and the amount of work that is needed to go into it. I have met already with my academic supervisor and now starting to provide dedication and commitment to the task that lay ahead. As my thesis topic is on Asperger Syndrome, I need to read widely to ensure that all the necessary information is gathered and hopefully with the might of God and if I can do things right, more awareness will hopefully occur for adults more so than children with AS. As I haven't studied in a long time I know I have to try and adapt to the modern way of learning. As a student in the 90's, doesn't that seem a long time ago now? The work and study I needed to perform was done with books and journals. The Internet was in its infancy and email was revolutionary as you could send an email to someone and they could obtain it instantly. I enjoy the challenge ahead in being able to get my gray matter working again and I only hope that I am making progress as we speak. I am not one for procrastination but more so one that needs to be patient and take time for information to slow accrue and eventually merge together to obtain the a final result. I am currently 3/4 through "Presidential Courage -Brave Leaders And How They Changed America 1789-1989 by Michael Beschloss". This book is an interesting read and it gives an account of all the Presidents of the USA and how they differed from each other. I particularly like the fact that Reagan kept a diary as his closest friend and how Franklin Roosevelt conducted the presidency during World War 2. I only have to find another book to read like this one which was given to me by a close friend for my 36th Birthday. I didn't know that President Harry Truman vacated the White House for construction, and that the White House was first referred to the White House and no longer the Executive Mansion. Furthermore I did not know that President Kennedy was expected to give a speech at Midnight in the Civil Rights Movement at the 100 Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Also that Texas Governor John Connolly said to JFK as a joke that the people of Dallas would murder him which of course Kennedy was killed in Dallas on 22nd November 1963. Kennedy needed to get the Texas Block and have Johnson as a running mate to secure the presidency. Kennedy's visit to Dallas was supposed to be a means of securing the votes to win a second term. As Kennedy was slain in Dallas apparently the Civil Rights Bill was being presented in Congress. As time rolls on and every second is lost and cannot be regained, I like to take on any challenge expected of me. I have been in touch with some Aspies from around the globe via Skype, and this morning I was talking to one who lives in Ireland. All the adults with AS I speak to encounter the same issues in that we are socially isolated or have our own unique wiring but seem to be on the outer with other people. I guess that's the way it is meant to be. I hope over time and in my life time that adults with Asperger Syndrome will start to get more attention than just children for society needs to understand that children don't just grow out of AS. They become adults with it and where next? Well it's back to some more reading now and hopefully some more progress with duties expected of me. George Bernard Shaw was quoted to have said “Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people.” Can we as people make our own contribution to the world no matter how hard the obstacles can be. I just thought I would use the quote of George Bernard Shaw as just a quote in itself.

Further Study in Psychology and AS

I have just lodged my application for further study at a post graduate level in the School of Psychology in relation to research as an adult with Asperger Syndrome. It is early days at the moment and while the task ahead of me is somewhat overwhelming and daunting, I know that with dedication and perseverance that it will hopefully get me through. I have not studied in 10 years and learning how to use APA Referencing will indeed be a challenge. Over the next few weeks I am researching and putting together a mini essay to present to my Academic Supervisor on Asperger Syndrome. I am currently reading information on Asperger Syndrome and my eventual research topic will be the difficulties adults have in their everyday lives and how greater awareness and understanding will be able to help in people in general understanding more and more support available for adults. As I know a lot of adults, their contributions and experiences will be most useful in collating data and information. Adults with AS are somewhat neglected in research and awareness so hopefully the work I undertake will be able to assist more. For me the challenge will be to ensure that research information carried out will be relevant to adults and Asperger Syndrome. I will have to read more widely and gather as much information as I can. I intend to read journal articles and find other sources of useful and relevant information. This is a slow process and one that can only be carried out over time. Should you be reading this post and you may be an adult, friend, or family member of someone with or who has Asperger Syndrome, please feel free to reply to this post or to email me directly with any information at your disposal. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Neuro pathways

Since completing the Dore Program in 2003, I am experiencing the opening up of some neuro pathways that seemed to struggle or not work before. Often I find it an enlightening experience to be able to see the world more widely and I also begin to sense more of who I am as a person. Prior to undertaking the Dore Program, I encountered a lot of difficulty in understanding the world around me. I often encountered a great deal of pressure from others around me, especially men in why I was not in a relationship and questioning about my interest in the opposite sex and all the crap that goes a long with it. What really annoyed me was the constant pressure and defence I needed to provide as to whether or not I was celibate and I wondered, "why is it so important and what's the big deal"? I have since put an end to those pressures and have moved on with my life. I am currently interested in reading and I am able to penetrate through this annoying block I used to have which prevented me from reading more widely and in comprehending and processing information. I still have difficulty in being able to navigate the social world but everyday you gradually improve compared to previously when you either learned the hard way of didn't get it at all. I still experience a large degree of social isolation and relating to other people is still very much a challenge. Broadening myself and finding interests does not come easily as well and find a reliable, helpful and constructive counselor is taking its challenge also. As I get older, I am finding more neuro pathways are opening up but still more time is needed for me to build upon them and to move forward to overcome the many challenges which confront me. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is also helpful in that it finds positive thought solutions to negative thinking patterns.

Does Asperger Syndrome define you as an adult?

As an adult, I have often been told that Asperger Syndrome is not you and it is part of you. In relation to this very topic, I believe that once you are diagnosed you are always aware of the label and you need to create some kind of veneer with difficultly to screen out the AS or adapt it so that it doesn't encroach on who you are as a person. I often find as an adult that I need to focus on my strengths in order to be who I am and not a person defined by Asperger Syndrome. The Asperger Syndrome affects the way you think and feel and often you have to make the most of dealing with it to the best of your ability. Having to deal with anxiety, and over analyzing thoughts can be something of a challenge and often you are forced into a way of living which separates you from others around you. I think you can only try your best to overcome the annoying symptoms and focus on the good ones. I try and live life to the best of my ability and I try to overcome what I consider to be challenges and take a mental note of trying to find out areas that cause annoyance to others and to rectify them where possible. Some people have said to me when I have told them I have AS "Oh that's shocking you must be really hate having it and it is sad you are afflicted by it". I think often people don't really understand that it is not a disease but more so an impairment in some ways. Seeing Asperger Syndrome as a disability only makes you want to focus on its negative traits and allow it to inhibit you in some aspects of your life. I know a lot of adults with Asperger Syndrome and often some of them can deal with the symptoms in a positive way but as you get older it gets harder. I believe that Asperger Syndrome is more or less a difficult to adjust and adapt to the socialization process and the being diagnosed does help. Often when you are slightly eccentric or peculiar, you are not able to control how much or how little it affects you. Sometimes you can exist within a sheltered workshop which means you are controlled more by the Asperger Syndrome rather than seeing it as part of you. I find it hard in some ways to be sociable and to furthermore connect with the community. I find comfort in reading and knowing there are other adults out there just like me who go through similar struggles and difficulties. I can see where they struggle and sadly what they are doing wrong in some situations but I can only help but be a friend where I can. I think a person needs to be careful to not becoming totally consumed with Asperger Syndrome but being aware you have Asperger Syndrome is good in that it precludes you from making certain mistakes. Before I was diagnosed I was different and I knew there was something wrong with me but I didn't really know what. I know I am not perfect but I try to live life my best and there are a lot of areas I struggle with and I just have to try and work on these areas the best I can. I would be interested in knowing the life expectancy on average of adults with Asperger Syndrome as sadly I think some die younger lonely or perhaps never really being understood. People can be cruel but as Aspies we understand your conventions but we cannot help our different wiring. I may not speak for all adults with Asperger Syndrome but what I can tell you is that navigating the NT world is not an easy task. It can be like walking on a busy road trying to read signs to cross over it and sometimes being attacked or misunderstood from all sides. I don't believe an NT vs Aspie world should exist but I do believe that more awareness of Asperger Syndrome needs to exist so that adults with Asperger Syndrome can fit into it also. As I get older I don't really know who I am but I do know of my merits which are that I like to work hard and make the most of life! That's all you can do!

The world as I see it

Yesterday I attended a session of Minds and Hearts and at the session, I spoke with the Clinical Psychologist about navigating the social world as a person with Asperger Syndrome. Despite being told that I am depressed and get anxious, I thought to myself is it it me or is the world becoming harder to navigate socially? I believe people are becoming more and more insular and individualized and sadly, I think a great deal more loneliness and depression is occurring because people are expected to push the envelope more and more. Here it is now April, and you can't help but wonder how quickly time has passed. We seem to live for appointments more so than we leave day to day and it seems that our lives are spent in the pursuit of being busy and in finding and maximizing happiness. As social creatures however, what affects if any does this have on people and the mental well being. It seems that despite our busy lifestyle, people don't really want to stop and think what is happening with their lives. We see the increase in divorce, depression and mental illness and the question needs to be asked as to why these incidences are increasing and what is the underlying cause? I find the world in all honesty is over populated as we speak. This planet is currently supporting 7 billion people and if projections are correct in another 30 years, the planet will be supporting close to 10 billion people. You have to wonder with so many people would affect if any this is going to have on the world's resources and humanity in general? I don't believe that eradicating human beings is the way to go but pose the question as to what can be done about the future? It seems to me that people skirt around the problems that are confronting the planet and people seem fearful as to seriously measuring and sizing up the world of the future. With so many people, why then are people becoming more autonomous from each other? I find understanding regular people is not an easy task and I am aware I am not alone in this process. People have become so wrapped up in themselves and focused on their own lives that seeing the bigger picture is often glanced over or put on the back burner. Accountability for one's own actions seems to be fast disappearing and there is a tendency for people to just do what they want to do and not care about what other people may think or feel. Trying to solve the world's problems would place you in a straight jacket or put you on a prescription of Valium but trying to maintain your own standards and code of conduct is corroding with the very real prospect of a decline in society and its standards. What will the future world look like and what will a planet of 10 billion people resemble? One only has to ponder the question and indeed the issue of sustaining so many people in terms of food, providing resources and the issue of mental health. Humanity has learned to control disease, wars are overcome and people are living longer and breeding faster. I find it hard to live like a headless chicken that gets wound and caught up in the fast paced grind of the world but pushing yourself all of the time seems the only way to survive nowadays despite how it may affect you performance wise. I sense the main reason why Aspies suffer more in a world as mentioned above is because we like to have some kind of routine to everything we do. Our brains think differently and living on edge or without some familiar pattern our anxiety and performance levels are affected. The difficulty in wanting to find a routine or a familiar pattern or code is often a struggle when you are expected to do more with your life, think about yourself firstly and to multi task to the point of mental exhaustion. Added to this there is also the problem of too much choice in that a person is so overwhelmed by what is expected of them and the endless choices that nothing seems to have any value or meaning anymore. Furthermore how many traditional codes of behaviour are also broken in the pursuit of thinking about yourself first and foremost? Also who is really interested in celebrities and how they live their lives? You can't change the world but you can try your hardest to be a civilized human being. I think today if you say things as they are and the reality of the situation you are labeled depressed when what you saying is obvious. I mean we as Aspies say things and speak our minds more to our own detriment on occasions.

Asperger Syndrome awareness.

One of the criticisms I have received is that I am supposedly obsessed with Asperger Syndrome. Let me begin by defending such criticism in that if I did not promote awareness or undertake the work I do, what hope would there be for people like myself and other people with Asperger Syndrome? I have tried to adapt to the way of the modern world but I find I am unable to do so and if I try, then I am not being myself and furthermore, I will become more depressed and unhappy with who I am as a person. Adults like myself cannot help it that we are inflicted with Asperger Syndrome and why should we have to adjust to the world in order to fit in, when our brains are differently wired to other people and we see things differently? I believe there needs to be a greater awareness of Asperger Syndrome for despite its often unknown or negative stereotype, people with Asperger Syndrome have a lot to be proud of. Firstly, without Aspies as we like to call ourselves, this world would be a very boring place and furthermore innovation would not exist. Secondly, there are a lot of good points and positive characteristics that Aspies give to the world. As I said before we are not all talented people but we do possess a lot of dedication, eccentricity and innovation to the world. You only have to look around to see this. I do not want to live a life where I think only of myself either. I am tired of the way the world is going to be honest as I don't think people use their minds enough and furthermore take on the challenge to actually be themselves. I am not going to sit on the corner and just accept things the way they are and not promote awareness where I can of Asperger Syndrome, especially in adults. The polls in this blog are interesting as the votes are coming in and hopefully they may be able to reflect the challenges, concerns and difficulties adults have within the community at large. The issues of high unemployment, and a great over looking of potential in adults with Asperger Syndrome needs to be overcome. I really do not see Asperger Syndrome as a disability but more so an impairment in some key areas of functioning and seeing Asperger Syndrome as a disability is not always the best way to look at it. I know many adults with Asperger Syndrome and they are good people but because society has become more and more casualised and a sense of some routine and accountability are disappearing, adults often struggle to fit in and belong. I believe that labels easily apply in today's world and to quickly box someone into some box is the way people seem to think and feel. When something is difficult or a person with Asperger Syndrome presents an issue or concern, often the wrongful stereotype applies in that they are anxious or that they need to be stereotyped without them having the opportunity to express the situation the way they see it and perhaps be understood and advised accordingly. I do not want to be a famous person or enter the Guinness Book of Records but more so create a world of tolerance and understanding for adults with Asperger Syndrome. My job is to enlighten the world about Asperger Syndrome in adults and I do have other interests, it is just that I am tired of the ignorance and lack of awareness and understanding out there. I know adults with Asperger Syndrome cannot change the world which is not out intention but hopefully getting more awareness out to intellectually curious people and those interested in understanding is but one way to go? Please try to see the awareness that is occurring and my efforts before you criticise for it is not only me that suffers but many adults out there who also want to be understood and accepted in mainstream society. I may not represent the views of all Aspies but promoting awareness of Asperger Syndrome surely is not a problem?

How does Asperger Syndrome affect adults?

There have been some votes on my blog in relation to how Asperger Syndrome affects Adults. In order to answer this question, there is no simple answer but what can be said is that adults with Asperger Syndrome have difficulty in being accepted by mainstream society. Although the symptoms of Asperger Syndrome manifest themselves differently in adults, the common symptoms of heightened anxiety levels, needing time out from other people and being unable to process visual, sensory and body language are very common features. A great deal many adults exist in a world which does not understand them and they experience greater levels of social isolation compared to mainstream society. Amongst adults with Asperger Syndrome they represent the highest in the unemployment statistics, suicide statistics and are more than often not within a relationship within a traditional sense. Adults also have a different process of cognitive wiring and mostly do not see the world and its conventional requirements the same way that others do and furthermore adults can experience periods of meltdown and exclusion from certain sectors of the society just for thinking differently and acting differently. More importantly adults with Asperger Syndrome have a narrow set of interests often being interested in or obsessed with certain special interests. Unfortunately society tends to regard people who are different or eccentric as odd and through ignorance in not understanding, such people are excluded from mainstream society. The diagnostic criteria is something that needs review in terms of adults with Asperger Syndrome. I think some of the diagnostic criteria from my own experience of having Asperger Syndrome do not match that of what it states. For instance people with Asperger Syndrome have a lack of empathy and are not able to show emotion. I believe from personal experience that people with Asperger Syndrome show emotion in a different way and being wrongfully stereotyped makes us unable to perform to our true performance levels. Some people with Asperger Syndrome are misunderstood within the school system and furthermore others are not in employment or in employment within menial to base grade positions. Why is this the case? I am tending to think that negative stereotyping is perhaps the cause and this needs to be reviewed. The world is a difficult place for adults with Asperger Syndrome for although the disability is not seen in a visible sense, a great deal many adults deal with the condition on their own and people don't always see it unfortunately. There are some people who refuse to believe it exists and unfortunately there are some in areas of medicine who don't want to become involved or assist with the necessary help to ensure adults are able to deal with and manage their symptoms. Adults with Asperger Syndrome are not disabled and they should not be treated as such but instead more of a focus on what they can do more so than what they cannot do. Just because adults with Asperger Syndrome think differently to others does not mean that they should confront exclusion or rejection from mainstream society. Instead their abilities should be untapped to help make them useful and important members of society. I would simply describe Asperger Syndrome in Adults by the following: 1. Have a difficulty in understanding body language and knowing how to read signals and visual queues. 2. A preference for routine within their lives as a means of certainty but mostly prefer areas of change but gradually. 3. A different way of thinking and interpreting information around them. 4. Find it difficult to talk in groups or large social situations. 5. Emotions can be processed differently and emotional levels can be higher than in others. 6. A difficulty to enter a relationship and in making friends. 7. Experience impairment in processing too much information at once 8. May have sensory and cognitive processing issues. 9. Find it difficult to obtain employment and deal with hierarchy and bureaucracy. 10. May have mobility impairment due to non verbal learning 11. Usually has one special interest or obsession than many interests as an adult finds the latter difficult. Hopefully these are some of the symptoms of Asperger Syndrome in adults but as stated earlier symptoms can vary from adult to adult.

Excersing body and mind

It is important in this day and age to keep fit. A great deal of time can be spent in front of a computer or at work and little time devoted to recreational activities. I ensure that I eat healthy food, walk when I can and take magnesium to control anxiety. It is important also to ensure you have regular contact with friends and family to over come the sense of social isolation and its negative effects. Recently in the Easter Christian Messages that were on television, some of the Ministers of various churches emphasised loneliness as being a major issue in today's world. No doubt it is a major issue as more and more we focus on our own lives and think or make very little time for others. This process in itself creates a sense of insular type behaviour where people are preoccupied with being busy. In our dollar driven society, so much focus is on money, commercialism and materialism with very little focus on community. What if any are the effects of this and what can we do about it? We need to ensure that we look after our health and we don't really need the government to tell us how to do this. Surely it is common sense. If you eat proper food, exercise regularly, ensure you are interacting wherever possible, then your mind and body are being kept in check. Furthermore, if you try and read more books and watch less television, only good documentaries, then also your mind is getting a healthy balance of exercise, nutrition and necessary stimulation. Too often children are missing out on exercise. They are driven to school and it is understandable why with so many unsavory people you need to protect them but unfortunately children cannot even venture to a playground nowadays without the same problem occurring. Both children and adults need to ensure they are exercising their bodies and furthermore keeping their minds open to reading, having a healthy balance of exercise, nutrition and mental stimulation. The problem with the world I believe is that people are not toiling in the earth enough. Our lives are short on this planet and we seem to connect very little with others and to nature. If you go for a walk around your suburb, park or neighborhood for 20 mins a day you are getting exercise and you are venturing out of your introspective life and sensing nature. Making time to exercise your body and mind is not a big task. It is simple and it keeps your health in check. Children also need to do the same and need to be encouraged to exercise. It is best then to ensure you exercise where appropriate. For adults with Asperger Syndrome, exercise is important for us also as it reduces our anxiety levels and ensures we are getting more serotonin into our brains.

People of Endurance

This afternoon I watched a documentary called "Touching The Void". The documentary was based on the true story of two men Joe and Simon who set out to climb the 21,000 foot ice face of the "Siula Grande"in the Peruvian Andes. This was a story of endurance for as both men set out on their expedition they were able to accomplish their ascent to this peak but peril was to befall them on their return. As Joe descended the icy mountain, his gripped slipped sending him down onto his leg breaking his leg and tendon to the point of severe damage. His climbing partner, Simon soon reached him only to find that with the rugged and perilous conditions that a man with a broken leg was to be a hassle and a further obstacle to getting off the mountain safely. To deal with this situation, both men decided to use a rope between them and Simon would lower Joe further down the mountain, in the hope of returning to the base camp. What Simon was not aware of was that although Joe was further down the mountain, communication was becoming more and more difficult. As Joe descended lower and lower, he eventually overhung an ice pillar and below him was a deep bottomless hole. Without Simon knowing what was going on and the conditions worsening, Simon had no choice but to eventually cut Joe from the rope, sending Joe into the bottomless pit while Simon dealt with the ice, snow and coldness around him. Joe who was now in the hole, had no choice and with defeat and the sense of no hope encroaching on his psyche, he thought that climbing up out of the crevasse impossible. Despite the pain and sense of hopeless, Joe had no option but to eventually climb lower into the crevasse to try and find a way out. Meanwhile, Simon had given Joe up for dead and realised he needed to return to bass camp. After a long and difficult journey or finding their entry footprints which guided them through the glacial maze. Both Simon and the other man at base camp believed Joe was dead. They burned his clothes and started to return to the base of the mountain. For Joe, he encountered the biggest obstacle. Not only did he eventually find a way out of the crevasse and cheating death in the process, he had to navigate over the glacier which started to be snowed upon and the footprints he used as a guide from Simon upon his return had all but disappeared. Furthermore, his damage leg caused him pain and despite eventually getting off the ice covered glacier, he had to endure rocks and precarious conditions. He navigated further down the slope and despite the excessive pain from his leg, Joe started to see death as something imminent. He hallucinated, was in and out of consciousness and his strong willed prevailed. He was near the camp and fortunately Simon and the other man who I cannot remember his name as I mentioned before was at the base camp. They couldn't but believe their eyes that Simon had made it. It is a truly amazing story and one that makes you wonder about human endurance. A similar story is that of Stuart Diver. He also beat all odds to survive the test of time and to cheat death. Can you imagine being entombed in a collapsed building with the cold ice and snow around you and your wife next to eventually die in your presence and knowing there was nothing you can do? Stuart Diver and his story is also unique and there are probably many more stories out there of the test of people and their endurance.

Adults with Asperger Syndrome

Over the past 18 months, more and more adults with Asperger Syndrome have been able to connect either through Facebook, You Tube or via Skype. The good thing is that with adults connecting the difficulties of social isolation, depression and feeling alone and confused is becoming less common. I have met Aspies from quite an array of different countries and we all share the same struggles and difficulties and it is good to know that we no longer feel alone. I often have Skype conversations with other adults and some other adults who are not on Skype, I try to keep in touch with via Facebook and other means. You may ask the question of what is the purpose of contacting other adults? I enjoy meeting other adults because we as Aspies are unique people. Despite our struggles, difficulties and challenges, it is refreshing to know of some of the interests of other adults and to share in the experience of being either odd or eccentric. With more connections then the difficulties of depression, anxiety and social isolation will hopefully be overcome. In the world today, loneliness is a big problem and ever more so for adult with Asperger Syndrome as we find it difficult to establish a network of friends and find support easily. Often shy people have a network of friends and such friends can link them up to prospective partners in most instances but for an adult with Asperger Syndrome this is not always the case. We often don't have this social network and furthermore people don't always understand our different means of wiring when we want support as they may think we are being aloof or not interested. It is just that we respond to interaction differently compared to most people. This is my experience any way. I find I need time alone as do other Aspies as we require a great deal of cognitive energy and mental energy in order to understand and relate to the outside world. Computer interaction is one vital tool to allow adults with Asperger Syndrome to connect with other adults with Asperger Syndrome. There is less confusion with interpreting body language and having to deal with sensory and mental energy levels. More and more adults are out there and some choose denial which is their personal choice and others are coming to terms with accepting their diagnosis. Some adults find it difficult to overcome the problems of exactly how Asperger Syndrome effects them and they either need the help of others or to try and find counseling to overcome this. Fortunately where I live more support is slowly becoming more available and awareness is going a long way to help other people to understand Asperger Syndrome more. I get tired of people who reject me on the grounds that I am unable to conform to a NT (Neurotypical) way of thinking as it is quite simply not that I am not interested just that I would be not the person I would be and furthermore I would be taxing myself mental energy wise to do so. It is good to hear more adults come forward to accept their diagnosis and to focus on the good, strong and positive points. This needs to continue to ensure that we get our voice out there and support also. More awareness will ensure that the walls of ignorance are slowly penetrates to pave way for tolerance and understanding. Dr Temple Grandin speaks about Autism and Asperger Syndrome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiAMAxNXUh0

Are people becoming Tin Pot Soldiers?

A Tin Pot Solider by my definition is a person who has their own opinion and has to disagree with everything you say or never acknowledge your viewpoint and choose not to be agreeable. With society becoming ever focused on the individual rather than the community, it seems that everyone has an opinion. You can do something for someone or acknowledge their birthday for instance and they may say "Oh it's a little early" when you think at least you remembered. Also within a workplace you may notice something that is not right and when you bring it to the other person's attention they have to disagree or prove you wrong. No wonder the world is a bloody dog's breakfast, because nobody wants to take on accountability for their own actions and people seem to want to shirk responsibility. It really disturbs me when people who are doing the right thing are not being praised for their actions and society in general is going down the path of a rabble. The advent of mobile phones in my opinion are the pinnacle of rudeness as people believe they can use them wherever and whenever they want. Recently a person was able to get past elements of security by talking on their mobile phone and what rules if any are there for mobile phone usage in public. Tin Pot Soldiers seems to becoming more apparent in the world today and it seems that everyone has an opinion and nobody can agree on anything. Where has the decency and simply common courtesy gone? I really find the mass media a force that needs to be held into account. Television has trivialized events and people can turn on their television sets and watch the 60 mins or 30 mins of media propaganda that is before them as if it is supposed to be. With the world and people more becoming Tin Pot Soldiers it is no wonder the world is such a mess as look at the way society is going. There is just no accountability and responsibility for people and their own actions. This post is to get people thinking not to express a total opinion and have people disagree with it.

The dating/relationship game

It is difficult when you have Asperger Syndrome to find an enter a relationship. Firstly there are the high expectations on you as a man and secondly the rules of courtship which can often be confusing and hard to fathom. I have contact with many adults who would like a relationship but simply give up, or continually try and find self esteem and confidence are affected by continually being knocked back and living with low self esteem. What can be done to assist adults with Asperger Syndrome find and enter a relationship. It is a very difficult question to answer because you can create chemistry between two people, it has to either develop or exist and happen. Dating for an adult with Asperger Syndrome is like a job interview. The adult is confronted with an upfront situation and being able to sell themselves to other person in terms of playing the courtship game is virtually impossible. Like a job interview which requires the adult to jump through hoops and overcome hurdles, the dating scenario can take on and present itself with the same problems. Furthermore, there is the added problem of understanding hidden social queues and understanding body language and unwritten codes of behaviour. In my communication with other adults with Asperger Syndrome on Skype, we talk about many issues with the often familiar problem of knowing what to do and how to enter a relationship. Some adults have never experienced a relationship nor intimacy and have learned to live life the best way possible in order to adapt to this. As an adult with Asperger Syndrome and being highly involved in awareness of Asperger Syndrome in Adults, I find it difficult to know how and where to assist adults find love, chemistry and a relationship. Can dating agencies be established to assist with finding love or can certain accommodations be made available to cater for certain requirements? Just going about finding an answer to this very problem and obtaining a solution is no easy task. The only solution it seems is to promote more awareness and hope that adults will find love and a relationship if at all possible. Having been in a relationship myself and finding it hard to enter another one, I am not sure what I am supposed to do or what emotional requirement is expected of me in order to reciprocate my emotions with another a female. I am not sure that in my lifetime, I will find another relationship but my only solution is to leave a door open to allow for one if one does venture my way. It seems that you cannot complete separate yourself from baggage as most women my age are either divorced, have children and have a multitude or problems which tend to stand in the way of a relationship. Furthermore, you have no choice but to live life the best you can and hopefully one day that someone may walk through the door. In the adults I speak with, it is interesting to hear of their own accounts of relationships. One adult suggests meeting females from overseas but the immigration process often sabotages and destroys any hope in anything succeeding. I have contacted Minds and Hearts here in Brisbane and have suggested some ideas but I don't know the answers and having contact with Dr Tony Attwood, he is busy for time and cannot always respond to my ideas and questions. I think adults with Asperger Syndrome have their own desire or need for a relationship or not a relationship and I cannot cater for everyone in terms of offering a workable and simple solution to this problem. Some adults have been through painful experiences, knock back and rejection and having been hurt and rejected, their self esteem and confidence levels drop. I speak from personal experience in that adults with Asperger Syndrome perhaps lean more towards an Aspie vs Aspie relationship more so than NT vs Aspie etc. The corrosion of confidence and self esteem makes the process harder and some adults are trying harder and harder to simply ask someone out and finding they are not getting anywhere or perhaps misread social queues of the other person saying they are busy and start to lean towards giving up. There is no magic wand to create chemistry between to people but encouragement needs to allow for platonic friendships to perhaps evolve into something more committed. This in itself is no easy task and for most adults, they simply want to meet a female and start to get to know her and then hope that this may lead to something more serious. As stated before, the relationship area is like the job interview where the adult firstly needs to get through the interview process to demonstrate their abilities within employment, how then can the same apply for an Aspie to meet a prospective partner and also jump through this hurdle to enter the relationship phase? I guess all that can be done and all I can do within my capacity is to try and put some ideas and suggestions onto the table. How this can be done is through research and liaising with Dr Tony Attwood and Minds and Hearts to come up with some solutions. There has to be a way but finding it is the tricky question. Perhaps Brisbane needs a dating agency for adults with Asperger Syndrome?? Some of the experiences adults with Asperger Syndrome confront with relationships: 1. I feel there are too many expectations placed on me and I don't know what to say. 2. I don't how to sell myself to a prospective partner in terms of courting 3. Boring or weird guys miss out as they are considered boring. 4. If you are unable to play the dating game then you wont get anywhere 5. I have asked a girl out and she said no and I have to keep trying to improve. 6. I was in a relationship and it is too painful emotionally to enter another one 7. Being very emotional I am vulnerable to being hurt and rejected. 8. I find women want to go out with guys who are confident and have a good job. 9. I am a woman with Asperger Syndrome and I can never read the intentions of a man I am with. I am concerned about my security and my barriers. 10. I find sharing of space difficult and I find it a struggle to keep up with mental energy requirements. 11. I have given up on looking for relationship and I find my pleasures can be better catered for by other means 12. What is wrong with me and why am I not dating material? 13. I find I am judged too quickly before a woman can ever get a chance to know who I am and my good qualities such as loyalty and commitment. 14. Being single I am seen as deviant, dysfunctional and nobody wants to bother with me. 15. As I am single people assume I am wanting to play the field when all I want is a steady relationship. 16. The immigration process made it impossible, there wasn't a way and furthermore adults with Asperger Syndrome are discriminated by this process as it favours people who don't have Asperger Syndrome as they can satisfy the immigration requirements. 17. Too many expectations are placed on me more so being a man and I find the dating process overwhelming. As you can see from the questions above canvassed across the spectrum of adults, dating and relationships are a big issue but knowing how to tackle the problem is not an easy one. All of us in Asperger Syndrome awareness are working on strategies at present to try and deal with some answers and solutions to such problems.

What is the significance of Easter and Christmas?

I woke up this morning and having today and 4 days off work is a real blessing, figuratively speaking. What though is the significance of Easter and what is its true origins? When I was younger, religious education was taught by Religious and Instruction Teachers within the School System. These select group of teachers tend to more brain wash than educate and enlighten you about the bible and its teachings and opinions and views were more generic and not to be questioned. For instance, one view was that if you were a good person and never sinned then you would go to heaven and be in the kingdom of God. I think both Christmas and Easter have become more commercialised over the years to include Santa Claus featuring more in Christmas Celebrations and Easter Eggs and the Easter Bunny in Easter events. What I think needs consideration is that these icons seem to be more Pagan in origin than more so representing their religious origin or linking them to this. For instance, I understand Santa Claus or Father Christmas derived from St Nicholas who provided presents to the poor and the Easter Bunny and the Easter Egg had their origins from the Pagan season of fertility. At the time of Easter which I think comes from the term Estrogen which has it's origins to fertility. This period of renewed life coincided with the first full moon after the Summer Equinox. It is interesting how both these celebrations have over the years become more commercialised and it seems people do not really want to question their origins. The Christian interpretation represents as everyone knows, Christmas is being the birth of Christ and Easter being the Crucifixion of Christ and he supposed res erection from the tomb 2 days after his death. I think over time that these events have manifested themselves into a combined celebration and origin and authentic evidence to reveal the truths and accuracy of these dates is questionable. Often it is difficult to question religion as you are seen as a heretic and in the time of Queen Mary, you were considered a heretic and eliminated for dare questioning beliefs at the time. I do believe that Christ did exist but I think his image and appearance over time has become exaggerated somewhat. The pictures you see merely show a religious figure but in time of Christ, I think he had a different and more ruggered appearance. A Christian Friend once posed a question which I thought was interesting. What did the real Jesus Christ look like? I think the true Christ like image was as I say more ruggered than the Renaissance one that we see today in Churches. I think for a majority of people both Easter and Christmas are just days of refreshment more so than labour and I think convincing people of their true origins is sometimes difficult. I think people have become cynical of the bible for when you look at some parts of the bible, especially in relation to Adam and Eve, some questions are raised. As humanity evolves, I think more and more answers are linking us closer to God and our understanding of the universe. Events like Easter and Christmas are just celebrating days off and drawing religious significance is often a difficult task if you want to believe and not question. I guess everyone has their own interpretation and way of celebrating both Easter and Christmas?

Living with the demon within

You may wonder what the demon within is but it refers to heightened anxiety levels. Sometimes, especially when I push myself too much, I find my mind and body trying to shut down on more or more so it is a walking a tight rope between trying to do the best you can and not fall victim to anxiety. Almost all Aspies I have spoken to have issues with anxiety and some cannot deal with it and use strategies which are not really best for their situation. In Aspies we are supposed to have large Amygdalas than other people. Perhaps this may point to why we get heightened anxiety levels. I have over the years learned to live and in the worst instances medicate anxiety. I find that it can be controlled by 95% of strategies but sometimes the looping or intense thought processes tend to hijack everything and there is no escape except to use medication to control it. Over the past months I have been pushing myself more than usual. My brain is working more effectively thanks to the Dore Program and some useful strategies, but some of the small things I still find difficult. I find the hardest thing is to make small talk. This afternoon I had to take the car in for a wheel alignment and there were two people in the waiting room with me and I did not feel like making small talk. My mind is in meltdown from the past week. Over the past week I have attended meetings of the Asperger Group at UQ, sorted out the requirements for further study, tried to encourage myself to do more reading, sort out the requirements for more skills enhancement within the University Library, attend a meeting of Young Filmmakers Queensland, sort out my overseas trip, get prepared for house sitting, go to Toowoomba to meet Asperger Adults and finally get my wheel alignment done on the car. So you can imagine that after all of this that surely some time to myself is something of a blessing. Not to mention that I also had to take a stressful call at work regarding an issue. I don't think people really see how hard I actually work. For the first time in my life I am actually able to take on more than I usually do and it is not always possible to do everything. In order to improve my reading, I make myself read one random journal article a morning while at work and then try to summarise what I have read. I really need to push this part of my brain more as this block I have, I want to overcome. I have always struggled with reading and despite pushing somewhat in the past my mind seems content to not go beyond its capabilities. People will think I am sounding up myself but I am speaking my mind. Anxiety is a demon within as it holds you back from doing more things. I have had anxiety to the point of paralysis and nobody could really help me except me having to go to the GP to be prescribed an anti depressant. I find medications work as a temporary measure but I know at the moment I just need some time to unwind from all the things I have been doing. I always believe there is a way to overcoming struggles and difficulties and that spending time wallowing in self pity is not the answer. People really don't know me for who I am because my strong willed attitude tends to prevail. This is why I find it hard to obtain a lighter side which I have often been criticised for not having. Anxiety is something nobody can see and when you experience it at heightened levels you just have to manage it to the best of your ability. Some Aspies have anxiety levels to heightened levels and it impacts on their day to day lives. Some are unable to work and function effectively and sadly they are unable to work and lead a quality of life. I am currently using a breathing technique of breathing in for 4 seconds and out for 8 seconds. Also I will be visiting a Psychologist at Minds and Hearts and hopefully the counselor will see that counseling is a life long measure and not just something that is temporary. Anxiety is an area of challenge and just because you don't see it in a person with AS doesn't mean that they should be overlooked somehow. Anxiety is something that cannot be controlled but understanding goes a long way to help with significantly reducing anxiety levels. I never know how much or how little I am helping adults and myself but all I know is that I work hard and am strong so this at least is a positive attribute! This is worth watching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJpxSB0NFt4