I have always been interested in asperger's/autism because I've always thought I had a few traits of asperger's.
When I was younger, I rarely talked, typically played quietly by myself, and did not really talk unless I was asked a question. I remember reading maps for hours when I was younger. I would just open up an atlas and was just fasicnated with maps, cities, countries, etc. In the 3rd grade I drew elaborate maps of states and the metropolitan area i lived in - city/suburb borders, highways, county lines, etc. Even today my eyes are glued to maps when I walk by them - I find myself studying every detail of them. I like to draw maps of every state in the US on paper or napkins for my friends. Even today, I find myself looking up facts/figures for local, national, and worldwide population statistics, demographics, histories, and the like. I also remember being a torrent of emotion at times, and didn't understand it - for example, once I was crying uncontrollably, while in my mind I was perfectly calm and didn't understand why I was crying (that doesn't happen anymore though). I also used to automatically resist it if they tried to give me a hug, although that has changed as well.
Unlike most people with asperger's that I hear about, I don't have too much trouble meeting / getting to know people. I think people like my "quirkiness" and ability to recall facts/numbers. My parents/brothers/friends would come to me for help with questions on all kinds of things and I usually had something to say about it. I don't have much problem with eye contact, and I can usually carry on a conversation, although I have a bad habit of cutting people off once in a while. My family and friends laugh at times because I miss things that most people might pick up on - like people hitting on me, for example. I find out later if someone had a crush on me and how it just went over my head. One woman introduced herself and was talking to me and I politely ended the conversation only to have her come up to me two minutes later and give me her number (shows you how much I pick up on that). And when people ask me questions, I take them quite literally, but I am getting better at this.
Does that sound like asperger's?
When I was younger, I rarely talked, typically played quietly by myself, and did not really talk unless I was asked a question. I remember reading maps for hours when I was younger. I would just open up an atlas and was just fasicnated with maps, cities, countries, etc. In the 3rd grade I drew elaborate maps of states and the metropolitan area i lived in - city/suburb borders, highways, county lines, etc. Even today my eyes are glued to maps when I walk by them - I find myself studying every detail of them. I like to draw maps of every state in the US on paper or napkins for my friends. Even today, I find myself looking up facts/figures for local, national, and worldwide population statistics, demographics, histories, and the like. I also remember being a torrent of emotion at times, and didn't understand it - for example, once I was crying uncontrollably, while in my mind I was perfectly calm and didn't understand why I was crying (that doesn't happen anymore though). I also used to automatically resist it if they tried to give me a hug, although that has changed as well.
Unlike most people with asperger's that I hear about, I don't have too much trouble meeting / getting to know people. I think people like my "quirkiness" and ability to recall facts/numbers. My parents/brothers/friends would come to me for help with questions on all kinds of things and I usually had something to say about it. I don't have much problem with eye contact, and I can usually carry on a conversation, although I have a bad habit of cutting people off once in a while. My family and friends laugh at times because I miss things that most people might pick up on - like people hitting on me, for example. I find out later if someone had a crush on me and how it just went over my head. One woman introduced herself and was talking to me and I politely ended the conversation only to have her come up to me two minutes later and give me her number (shows you how much I pick up on that). And when people ask me questions, I take them quite literally, but I am getting better at this.
Does that sound like asperger's?
