Is anybody familiar with Autism? I don't think anybody knows this but I am Autistic (but higher functioning; I'm not like Raymond in "Rain Man"). I wasn't diagnosed with it until I was 11 years old. In my early years I wouldn't say very much and when I did talk it was usually nonsense stuff or lines from movies. I had a lot of trouble with making friends. Social difficulties are common with Autistic people. When I was in the first grade, I read the comics in the newspaper so much that I memorized each and every writer for all the strips. When somebody would ask me who the writer was for a particular strip, I would immediately tell them. I remember my sisters showing their friends all this and I didn't really care. I can remember things that go waaay back when I was five years old. This is one of my strengths since I can "see" words, memories, and everything in my head.
Being Autistic has been difficult for me sometimes. I get shy whenever I'm at someone else's house and whenever I have company. I have a lot of difficulty making friends. In fact, many of the people here are the only friends I have. When I meet somebody new, I have trouble looking them in the eye (but when I get to know that person a little more, I can look at them in the face when they speak. It's a matter of being comfortable)
The school I go to has really helped me since I started going there. The school is called "The Winston School" and it is for kids who have learning differences (ADHD, ADD) or have had trouble in public schools. It is named after Winston Churchill (he had a lot of difficulty in school). In June, I am going to graduate.
A message to those who have Autism or learning differences: Do not let these conditions prevent you from succeeding. You can overcome these obstacles if you just try.

i dont know a lot about autism, but there is a guy at my school who is autistic. hes not very social and he never pays any attention in class but he still always makes the highest grades. me and a friend of mine tried talking to him but he never would really talk back to us.

(early) congrats on your graduation BJL.

I know a little bit about it. Congratulations on graduating.

my cousin is eight and is autistic.
he was diagnosed at 5 and has trouble communicating and staying focused, his speach is lagging and he hums one note almost all the time. but hes made a lot of progress at the special school he attends.

congratulations on coming so far and overcoming so much, bjl.

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation. :)

As I've mentioned here before, I'm also disabled. Yeah, it's a struggle for us who weren't born with perfect minds or bodies, but that doesn't mean we can't succeed in this life.

congratulations bjl , about the extent of Autism I know if is from Rainman (thanks for the explanation it helped alot) Me I'm learning disabled and VERY shy but with the help of church and a Pychiatrist I'm starting to over come it

Originally posted by BJL
Is anybody familiar with Autism? I don't think anybody knows this but I am Autistic (but higher functioning; I'm not like Raymond in "Rain Man"). I wasn't diagnosed with it until I was 11 years old. In my early years I wouldn't say very much and when I did talk it was usually nonsense stuff or lines from movies. I had a lot of trouble with making friends. Social difficulties are common with Autistic people. When I was in the first grade, I read the comics in the newspaper so much that I memorized each and every writer for all the strips. When somebody would ask me who the writer was for a particular strip, I would immediately tell them. I remember my sisters showing their friends all this and I didn't really care. I can remember things that go waaay back when I was five years old. This is one of my strengths since I can "see" words, memories, and everything in my head.
Being Autistic has been difficult for me sometimes. I get shy whenever I'm at someone else's house and whenever I have company. I have a lot of difficulty making friends. In fact, many of the people here are the only friends I have. When I meet somebody new, I have trouble looking them in the eye (but when I get to know that person a little more, I can look at them in the face when they speak. It's a matter of being comfortable)
The school I go to has really helped me since I started going there. The school is called "The Winston School" and it is for kids who have learning differences (ADHD, ADD) or have had trouble in public schools. It is named after Winston Churchill (he had a lot of difficulty in school). In June, I am going to graduate.
A message to those who have Autism or learning differences: Do not let these conditions prevent you from succeeding. You can overcome these obstacles if you just try.

Wow, I can relate to this so well. I recall during my early years that it was very difficult for me to make friends. They would do something and not include me in. I felt so lonely. I often would get into these mad rampages which managed to cause a fight to break out. I remember those days . . . they were absolutley horrible. Not to mention, that I had problems in learning. It was hard for me to understand anything that the teacher said the first time. Once the second, third, or even the fourth time came around I finally understood it. I am kind of like this way now. I still do stuggle in school some but I do make reasonable grades. Also, I am shy around people, especially meeting them for the very first time. I have trouble looking them straight in the eye as well as carrying on a conversion with them. But I have noticed that once I got to know them a little bit - - - I don't have near as much trouble of looking them in the eye. I think I have something that is related to autism but I really don't know. Anyways, some of the problems that I'm dealing with have somewhat prevented me doing the things I needed or wanted to do. But with time, I hope to overcome them and be successful.

Check out this article I found just now.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030501/od_nm/science_autism_dc_5

LONDON (Reuters) - Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton were geniuses but British scientists believe they may have suffered from Asperger syndrome -- a form of autism.



The condition, first described by Viennese physician Hans Asperger in 1944, is a disorder that causes deficiencies in social and communication skills and obsessive interests.


But it does not affect learning or intellect and many people with AS have exceptional talents or skills.


Although it is impossible to make a definitive diagnosis in people who are dead, Simon Baron-Cohen of Cambridge University and Ioan James of Oxford University studied the personalities of Einstein and Newton to see if the two scientists had symptoms of AS.


"Newton seems a classic case. He hardly spoke, was so engrossed in his work that he often forgot to eat, and was lukewarm or bad-tempered with the few friends he had," New Scientist magazine said on Wednesday.


Baron-Cohen said Einstein was also a loner and as a child he repeated sentences obsessively. Although Einstein made friends and spoke out on political issues, Baron-Cohen suspects he showed signs of Asperger syndrome.


"Passion, falling in love and standing up for justice are all perfectly compatible with Asperger syndrome," he told the weekly science magazine.


"What most people with AS find difficult is casual chatting -- they can't do small talk," he added.


But Glen Elliott, a psychiatrist at the University of California at San Francisco, said geniuses can be socially inept and impatient with other people without being autistic.


"Impatience with the intellectual slowness of others, narcissism and passion for one's mission in life might combine to make such an individual isolative and difficult," he told the magazine.


Baron-Cohen said he hopes the research can improve understanding of Asperger syndrome and make life easier for people who suffer from the condition.

I had read somewhere,that there is a theory that Autism may have some type of relation to Schizophrenia.I think that's just a theory,for now,not definite.They seem to see a lot(well,some)similarities between the two.

Anyways,BJL,if you had never said anything about being autistic,I would have never known.You seem to do well.I think it's great that you are doing well. :)

Thanks for sharing your story BJL. You're proof that anyone can overcome adversity and become a stronger person. I wish you the best in all you do. :)

My friend's brother is autistic. He's fairly high-functioning; he says strange things, sometimes has trouble relating to people, and is really hard to control - but he has friends and he does well in regular classes. His life is pretty normal.

I remember you saying before that you were autistic, BJL, and I definitely never would have guessed before you said anything. Congrats on graduation! :)

As you all may know here, I am mildly Autistic. I know there a couple members at this message board that are that way. Does anyone know if anyoen here has "down-syndrome". And yes, I am in the FTLS program at my school (that's where I am now)

Anyway, there is a program at 2 of the schools in my district where kids that have hard functioning are in. It's called Life Skills.

The one kid in there is very hostile towards family and friends. He is shaved head because over the years, he grew less hair. It seemed to be small triangles of small hair. I'll tell you more about him later. And even a female aide goes to the bathroom with him,.

Anyway, I do feel bad for the students though.

Originally posted by Brett Ferino


Anyway, there is a program at 2 of the schools in my district where kids that have hard functioning are in. It's called Life Skills.


That's what our school has.

anyway BJL, congrats on graduating! I know your family must be very proud of you. :)

Thank you very much for sharing, BJL. I've always been very curious about autism, yet no matter how much I read on it and watch on the discovery channel, I am not able to fully understand it. I usually have this mindset of people with autism fitting one particular mold, such as Dustin Haufman's character in "rainman," or others that are unable to communicate at all. I know their are different kinds, but books I own don't offer adequate information on them. It wasn't until last year, watching discovery health, that I learned people can have autism and be very high functioning. I didn't know anyone with it could do so well. This lady on the program helped invent this sort of hugging machine. It was a remarkable invention, and she was a remarkable lady.

One of my favorite actors was diagnosed with autism, but I've never been able to understand how he could be such a marvelous actor if he had it. It's people like him, that lady, and you that are teaching us about this disorder and dispelling the myths. Thanks. :wave:

BJL-thats really awesome that you were able to overcome your disablity and graduate and begin to lead a normal life. Congrats!! Good Luck!! :cheers: :yourock: