What do you do if you find out you have autism? I'd find out about some of the folks throughout history who were suspected or confirmed with autism and see what they contributed to the world. If you are diagnosed with Asperger's I'd think about what my areas of giftedness were and how I might use them if I haven't figured it out already.Imwashingmypirate wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:39 amLol. I had my appointment. She wouldn't let me talk about my skin. I'll share what they say but I don't expect to be seen anytime soon. It's the NHS. I think for adults there is less wait and I believe they message every 12 weeks just to remind you that they are still planning to assess you. So that kinda says how long things take.Jersey Girl wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 2:36 am
Oh good. I was reluctant to put this here but I'm going straight on the limb and doing it anyway. When you get to the appointment tell them that when you were 14 some stranger lady on the internet said you were gifted and she's never taking it back.
I hope we get to see the final result of your eval! High end of the spectrum and she's not taking that back either.
Spoke to Oliver and told him I was going to get assessed too and I asked how he felt about that. He said that it made him feel better because we are doing it together and he said what happens if we do have autism. I was like, I don't know. I guess we will look at what it means and go from there. But I realised he was worried about it and I didn't know.
Aw as it someone here that recommended the big orange splot book. Not sure where it is but I bought it.
Here is one such list of Aspie folks:
Alexis Wineman - American model and pageant contestant
Alix Generous - American behaviour scientist, activist, and consultant
Bill Gross - American investor and fund manager.
Chloe Hayden - Australian actor, disability advocate, and speaker
Chris Packham - British naturalist, environmental activist and TV presenter
Clay Marzo - American surfer
Cody Ware - American NASCAR driver
Courtney Love - American singer and songwriter, lead singer of grunge band Hole.
Dan Aykroyd – American actor and comedian
Dan Harmon - writer, producer and actor. Creator of "Community"
Daniel Tammet - English writer
Daryl Hannah – American actor and environmental activist
David Campion - Australian Special Olympics snowboarder
Dawn Prince-Hughes - American primate anthropologist, ethologist, and author of Songs for the Gorilla Nation
Donna Williams - Australian author, autism advocate and consultant
Dr. Vernon Smith - American Nobel Prize-winning economist and academic
Em Rusciano - Australian comedian, writer, singer and presenter
Gary Numan - British singer and songwriter
Grace Tame - Australian activist, advocate, and author
Greta Thunberg - Swedish climate activist
Hannah Gadsby - Australian comedian, author, and presenter
Heather Zumich - American model
James Durbin - American musician
Jerry Newport - American author and public speaker, and inspiration for the movie Mozart and the Whale
John Elder Robison - American author of Look Me in the Eye
Jon Rosenberg - American webcomic creator
Judy Singer - Australian sociologist and disability rights activist, creator of the term "neurodiversity"
Liane Holliday Willey - American author, educator and consultant.
Lionel Messi - Argentinian world champion footballer
Lizzy Clark - British actress and campaigner
Michael Burry - American physician, investor and hedge fund manager, and inspiration for the movie The Big Short.
Stephen Fry – British actor, presenter, and comedian
Susan Boyle – British singer and Britain's Got Talent contestant
Temple Grandin - American scientist and animal behaviourist
Tim Burton – American filmmaker, director, animator, and artist
Travis Meeks - American singer and songwriter. Lead singer of band Days of the New.
Ulysse Delsaux - American NASCAR driver
Wentworth Miller - Australian actor
I bolded Temple Grandin because her story and where life took her is AMAZING. She was non-verbal for a number of years. Look for her TED Talks online and you can read her books as well. I didn't particularly care for the biopic on her but you all might enjoy it. Wanna find more Aspies? Go digging around in Silicon Valley. Maybe check on Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and also try Elon Musk. See what you find out. I'm guessing all three are/were on the spectrum.
Moving down the spectrum...
I have a family member who is what they used to call "profoundly autistic." Different language back then. Hearing impaired, low vision, non-verbal, has all the symptoms of the low end of the spectrum. He's made a difference in so many lives in his own way and as he is also well traveled so many people in other places have been impacted by him. If I haven't seen him for years, he remembers exactly who I am. If I sit on the couch, he comes to sit by me. If he thinks I'm asleep in my bed, he visits repeatedly to look at me. When I leave, I'm one of the people who he kisses on the cheek. He knows stuff. We just don't always know what he knows because he can't tell us. But sometimes he tells us through his behavior. <3