| Autism is on the rise, especially Autism Spectrum | | | | together, and if I get into an argument with |
| Disorders such as Asperger's Syndrome. It is | | | | someone, I will hold a grudge for years. |
| reported that about three quarters of those | | | | My social life has been sprinkled with just a couple |
| diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome are male. A | | | | of good friends who could accomodate for my |
| mere one out of ten are women. Upon my | | | | lack of social graces, and now I find that I have |
| diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome at the age of | | | | gained a couple of very valuable friendships whom |
| 32, I found myself inundated with the typical male | | | | seem to look at me as the "little sister type." This |
| stereotypes of this disorder. "You can't have | | | | is important to me because if I am unable to |
| Asperger's because you function so well!" Really? I | | | | handle being "me" in this big bad world of social |
| would challenge anyone that claims that I "function | | | | reasoning, I will be plagued by depression and |
| well" to talk about my life with me. Lets see, yes, | | | | anxiety. People with Asperger's are commongly |
| I have been married for eleven years and I have | | | | refered to as "uncordinated". This is something |
| two children. Not that I place my marriage in the | | | | that I love to correct people on since many |
| news for public scrutiny, but I will admit that our | | | | women and girls with Aspergers are very athletic. |
| marriage has been anything but easy. In fact, we | | | | I was a soccer and softball start, yet my life |
| have been in and out of marriage counseling for | | | | passions are snow skiing and mt. biking where I |
| years now, and I am extremely vulnerable to | | | | have succeeded at the competitive levels. Most |
| relationship predators whom tried to tell me just | | | | days you will find me ski mountaineering or out on |
| why I wasn't happy. Lets see, going down the line. | | | | an isolated mt. bike trail, joined only by my Ipod |
| Career? Well, I owned my own business for ten | | | | and large selection of "gospel rap". |
| years. Did I profit? Not really. I made a small living | | | | Yes, I have found some social networks for |
| for myself, but in the end I emassed so much | | | | women with Asperger's. I participate in an online |
| debt in order to keep our family in a comfortable | | | | women's yahoo group geared towards women |
| "self employment role" that I couldn't pay it back. | | | | with Aspergers. I also frequent a site devoted to |
| Kids? I'm a good mom. Both my children are also | | | | those who are married to Asperger's spouses. I |
| diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, and my | | | | find some common factors in the womens |
| kids think I'm fun. Anyone else that spends any | | | | groups: An innability to function well in relationships, |
| large amount of time with me will find that I am | | | | innability to be in crowded or loud places, and the |
| adventurous, a joker, silly, and never able to live | | | | fact that us aspie women oftentimes place |
| too serious of a life. My kids dig that, and they | | | | ourselves in dangerous social situations. I have |
| prefer to spend their time with me as much as | | | | heard of women being robbed at knife-point, even |
| possible. I can't really say I am anything close to a | | | | raped because they were lost in their own world |
| nuero-typical "soccer mom". In fact, my kids are | | | | of aspie thinking while walking through an empty |
| oftentimes forced to quit events because of my | | | | parking lot. My biggest issues? Knowing when |
| lack of interest in getting them to their functions. | | | | someone is flirting with me. Knowing when to tell |
| Socially I could pass as "normal", in fact, for my | | | | my husband that a guy made me uncomfortable |
| entire 33 years I have passed as "typical". Still, | | | | because he sat and listened to one of my many |
| this comes from years of having to supress my | | | | aspie-common obsessions which include politics, |
| true feelings of fear, depression, anxiety, and | | | | sports, and religion. |
| obsession. Living a life undiagnosed oftentimes | | | | Living our lives as aspie women brings |
| leads women with Aspergers to the point of | | | | complications and difficulties. For those of us who |
| professional intervention. Mine was during my | | | | are able to seek social acceptance and ask for |
| marriage problems. While we were going to a | | | | help when we need it; we find that our lives can |
| very good psychologist here where we live, we | | | | be outragously happy and rewarding. |
| learned that many of our issues were based on | | | | Will you follow me on this journey? I hope so. |
| not knowing how to "be married", but also, my | | | | Please check out my blog and follow my |
| psychologist started to pick up on many of the | | | | adventures as a woman diagnosed with |
| classic signs of autism. I have sensititivities to | | | | Asperger's. I want to help present the realities |
| sounds, smells, to this day I can't be around a | | | | that us oftentimes undiagnosed and little |
| smoker, I can't stand to hear shopping carts clank | | | | understood women face everyday. |