As an adult I find the difficulties I encounter is being able to somehow deal with emotions and come to terms with the world around me that does not always seem to understand me from the inside instead tending to assume or judge from the outside. It is difficult to connect with outside organisations as such organisations take a great deal of investment of mental energy and effort, not to mention the anxiety associated with getting to the venue and dealing with facial blindness. Reading signals is extremely difficult and making sense of 'hidden language" and body language is not always easy.
I seem to put a lot of time into Asperger Syndrome Advocacy and I have often been told that I spend too much time in this and should devote more time to other pursuits. I have even been told that I hold myself back and put up obstacles in moving forward with my life. I would like to remind people that say this that for the last 20 years of my life, I have tried to make an effort to get and be sociable where necessary and I feel I need help as do other adults with Asperger Syndrome or Autism that have come to terms and accepted their diagnosis. The major issue is for adults who have been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome is "where next and what do I do now and where can I get help? Despite a series of questions combined into one, there is really no simple answer but to try and do your best to cope and survive.
Things are slowly starting to change from when I first sought counseling as a student at the University of New England. It was in these counseling sessions that I first was exposed to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. This was recommended by Dr Tony Attwood just after some counseling sessions I had. What this therapy does in my understanding is to find positive solutions to negative thought processes. Sometimes as a student at university I would encounter episodes of feeling down more so than depressed, and I needed to find ways of overcoming such thoughts. The thoughts could include having severe doubt in my own abilities, not being able to make friends and difficulty in handling the university environment. Having this counseling early was able to help me today but exercise is also beneficial.
I understand the world is not going to change nor people but you can only do your best where and when you can. Some people close the shutters and some people I have known from the past have chosen to delete or ignore my communication with them on Facebook. Again this is their choice and not mine. I believe that society cannot be changed but instead slowly educated on the needs of a person or people with Autism.
I have endured a lot of very challenging periods in my life. On the positive side I have traveled to a great deal many countries, met some very interesting people and made some very good friends as opposed to failing university, being unable to undertake postgraduate study and failing in a romantic relationship. I believe or more so I see with people that choose to close the shutters not so much an issue with me but more so an issue with them. People are not always able to deal with reality and tend to shirk it when or wherever possible. If the problems of the world could be fixed then other problems would be created. Humility and endurance make a person stronger and for anyone who has endured such experiences, it can help build and define their character. If for instance Abraham Lincoln were to not split rails and accept his failed as a law student, and not attempted numerous times and not run for president, would he have become President of the United States? Abraham Lincoln as well as Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were achievers. If Edison had of given up on producing the light bulb after numerous attempts then perhaps we would still all be in darkness today?
I believe that early intervention is needed for people to understand the Autism Spectrum but this does not mean that adults diagnosed later in life are without hope. Some are critical of me and what I represent and others are supportive but reclusive. My main concern of course is the adult population because many are without help and support. We live in a very busy world and there are a lot of people neglected in this busy world. Too often having a person to take the time to listen or be around is not always possible and unfortunately for some adults they are frustrated and feel alone in the world. It is hard for something to be done and it is essential and imperative that Autism organisations both in Australia and world wide start to work towards the needs of persons with Autism more so than being competitive with each other.
People seem to not be able to relate to Autism and you often feel like you exist as a Phantom in an audience being seen by those who know you are there but not to others who don't want to know you are there. More and more awareness and publicity needs to go out about Autism and more so and importantly towards the adult population. In a meeting with Julie Attwood MLA recently I was made aware of the Minister for Disabilities in the state of Queensland being aware or more so interested in children but what about adults? The adult population tends to be forgotten about and it needs to be acted upon fast. The wheels of change move very slow in Australia and more so in Queensland but we need to ensure we keep the wheels turning when and when we can.
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