Hello All,
My user name is Sandiney and I'm glad to be a part of this forum. I'm a graduate student in special education and about two months ago my professor approached me about having (HFA) high-functioning autism.
Before this conversation, I thought I had autism, but none of my friends and my family confirmed my belief. Everyone just wrote it off as me being a "ditzy blonde."
During my undergraduate time at my university, some of my peers thought I was just "slow" and thought maybe I had ADHD.
At first it bothered me to the nth degree to admit to myself that I have autism, since I lived to be what I thought was a normal life. I had finished two bachelor degrees with a 3.29 GPA, while raising my kids. Plus, I worked. However as I began to examine my social relationships and behaviors, I had to admit to myself that their was a difference.
I now believe my autism is my gift. It is awesome to have passions for subjects that don't consume normal people. My unemotional nature has helped me to maintain a cool head in emergency situations. The fact that I am rule-oriented and don't follow the social-norm has kept me safe. I love having the hyper-focus to where I can tune everything out.
I don't like it when I stem though, I pace in a circle numerous times and notices that it bothers normal people. I also have a hard time with job transitions. If I'm trained for one task, it is hard for me to switch to another.
I aspire to be an autism advocate and educate the public and I hope to hear from everyone.
Thank You,
Sandiney
My user name is Sandiney and I'm glad to be a part of this forum. I'm a graduate student in special education and about two months ago my professor approached me about having (HFA) high-functioning autism.
Before this conversation, I thought I had autism, but none of my friends and my family confirmed my belief. Everyone just wrote it off as me being a "ditzy blonde."
During my undergraduate time at my university, some of my peers thought I was just "slow" and thought maybe I had ADHD.
At first it bothered me to the nth degree to admit to myself that I have autism, since I lived to be what I thought was a normal life. I had finished two bachelor degrees with a 3.29 GPA, while raising my kids. Plus, I worked. However as I began to examine my social relationships and behaviors, I had to admit to myself that their was a difference.
I now believe my autism is my gift. It is awesome to have passions for subjects that don't consume normal people. My unemotional nature has helped me to maintain a cool head in emergency situations. The fact that I am rule-oriented and don't follow the social-norm has kept me safe. I love having the hyper-focus to where I can tune everything out.
I don't like it when I stem though, I pace in a circle numerous times and notices that it bothers normal people. I also have a hard time with job transitions. If I'm trained for one task, it is hard for me to switch to another.
I aspire to be an autism advocate and educate the public and I hope to hear from everyone.
Thank You,
Sandiney