What Aspies can do!

For Aspies the conventional world can be a very difficult place to find your niche and to fit in but as the spectrum is so broad, we do have our own unique attributes. When working with children on the Autistic Spectrum at Corinda State High School some years back, I encountered children whom at the age of 9 to 13 were literally like adults. They knew about electrical circuit boards, knowledge pertaining to certain subjects and one even conducted his own physics experiment in the family home and I found this truly amazing and interesting. For one boy his keenness was to ensure all the books in the library were in the right place and it was amazing to see these children and what they knew despite their age group. What really concerns me is how the mainstream education makes accommodation for such children as I have heard that Education Queensland doesn't really give a stuff about Autism. It seems that Corinda High School makes accommodations for these children but the mainstream system still sees from what I am aware of the very fact that children with Autism are seen as naughty or have severe behavioural problems. I have heard from parents of Autistic Children who have told me that teachers and other authority figures have questioned their child's behaviour and made comments that these children should be on medication and this has really annoyed me for I received the same comments when in the "war hell" of high school. Who gives these people the right to make such assertions and more importantly why should Autism be made or seen as an obstacle which needs conformity? As an adult with Asperger Syndrome myself, I have always been fascinated by finer detail. I can remember and maintain an interest in information relating to numeracy or figures. For instance working in a library gives you access to statistical information found in the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Did you know for example that according to the Australia Census of 31 December 1962 that the highest make of Motor Cycles was the Vespa recording a statistic of 10 832. Also in 1962 that Holden Cars topped the list at 72 801 with Nissan being 1. Volkswagen recorded 21 273 and if you were the proud owner of a Morris you were in the 25 787 statistic. I also like the old system of money which was Pre Decimal. Australia used the Pound Sterling measurement devised as L - Libra S - Solidus - d - Denarius. For instance the old money measurement looked something like this which in 1966-1967 reflected monetary costs in both Sterling and Dollars. For instance if you bought a suit it probably was priced at 20/- and maybe a tin of fruit at 50d etc. The old money was confusing as 12 pence made a shilling and 20 shillings made a pound and there were other coins thrown in such as Florins, Farthings etc. According to the Printed Publications of the Commonwealth Bureau of Statistics the "Official Bureau of Census and Statistics" in 1964 the "Official Year Book of the Commonwealth" 50 1964 issued in December 1964 cost 20/ 20 Shillings = 1 Pound and overseas it cost 27/8 27 shillings and 8 pence so I guess that was 1 pound and who knows what it was in exact cost which was why the Pre Decimal System was so confusing to understand and how people put up with it for so long you have to wonder. There are many areas where people with AS have strengths and statistical information I guess can be but one area of strength.