Negolin
Snowy Owl
Joined: Mar 01, 2010
Age: 43
Posts: 174
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 Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 7:38 pm Post subject: Asperger's Meeting |
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I went to my first social Asperger's meeting yesterday. There were about 20 people there. I didn't feel like I fit in at all. Most of the people seemed very dorky to me (no offense), except a couple.
One girl was moving her wheeled chair alot, and also talked to herself in front of me.
I rock, but in the privacy of my home....and not all the time.
Another guys was picking nose for like 10 minutes off & on. I had to leave. I guess my AS is more mild; however, is this typical of Asperger's?
Thanks. |
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bee33
Blinded by the silence of 1000 broken hearts
Joined: Apr 20, 2008
Age: 49
Posts: 1249
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 12:00 am Post subject: |
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I've thought about trying to go to an AS group, and there's one near me, but I haven't been, so I don't have an answer to your question. But I do wonder whether it isn't easier to interact with NTs: that way at least one person in the conversation knows how to keep it going!  |
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MathGirl
admitted workaholic
Joined: Apr 12, 2009
Age: 22
Posts: 2784
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 12:04 am Post subject: |
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| bee33 wrote: | | I've thought about trying to go to an AS group, and there's one near me, but I haven't been, so I don't have an answer to your question. But I do wonder whether it isn't easier to interact with NTs: that way at least one person in the conversation knows how to keep it going! |
A lot of people with AS ramble on, which also makes it easier. I find it more pressuring to interact with NTs because they're the ones who expect constant reciprocity.
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We are all like specks of dust, floating around amidst the universe and trying to make something of ourselves in this transcendent, independent continuum of space and time...
I really need to stop going on this forum due to time constraints. |
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Asp-Z
Clockwork Planet
Joined: Dec 07, 2009
Posts: 11016
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 11:57 am Post subject: Re: Asperger's Meeting |
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| Negolin wrote: | I went to my first social Asperger's meeting yesterday. There were about 20 people there. I didn't feel like I fit in at all. Most of the people seemed very dorky to me (no offense), except a couple.
One girl was moving her wheeled chair alot, and also talked to herself in front of me.
I rock, but in the privacy of my home....and not all the time.
Another guys was picking nose for like 10 minutes off & on. I had to leave. I guess my AS is more mild; however, is this typical of Asperger's?
Thanks. |
Everyone with Asperger's, and indeed any type of autism, shows it differently.
I personally fail to see your problem with it, other than you've grown too used to the NT norms to accept other Aspies being themselves. Sorry if that sounds harsh. |
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Ravenclawgurl
Phoenix
Joined: Jun 20, 2007
Posts: 1278
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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| sometimes it takes so much effort to act "normal" that in a few particular settings where we feel comfortable we may show more autistic features than in other situations in faact more features than we may actually have if we didnt try to act normal |
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CockneyRebel
Mick Avory, Sensitive brown-eyed Sweet Pea
Joined: Jul 18, 2004
Age: 38
Posts: 87137
Location: In a quiet and peaceful garden, where gentle Mick Avory-like Sweet Peas grow.
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j0sh
NERD-NOS
Joined: Nov 19, 2008
Age: 36
Posts: 1195
Location: Tampa, Florida
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 1:11 pm Post subject: |
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20 people sounds like a really large group! It seems like too many people to actually get anything useful accomplished. The group I attend has about 6-9 of us each meeting. Even with a group the size of mine, the person running the meeting has to play monologue police so the entire meeting isn't wasted on one person talking about their interest (we don’t all care about some wrestling thing that happened 10 years ago ).
Was the group for all ASD's or just Asperger's? Is a diagnosis required to attend? My group is only for diagnosed Aspies. People interested in attending have to meet with the counselor that runs the meeting before they are invited too. Maybe that sounds bad to some people, but I think it's for the best. The problems I experience are those of someone on the high functioning end of the spectrum. The reason I go is to discuss my issues with people who have similar problems.
The person running the group has also saved us from having to deal with some people that would have been very destructive to our group. I don’t think a “cmon in, everyone is welcome” approach is good for having a successful group. People with “other issue” that they think are AS (but it isn’t) can actually be very damaging to the AS group or individuals. An example would be someone who is narcissistic or something, and also enjoys messing with people for fun, could cause serious damage. |
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ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo
Rasta is about freedom and the living God
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Joined: Jun 19, 2008
Posts: 7998
Location: Babylon
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 3:06 pm Post subject: Re: Asperger's Meeting |
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| Negolin wrote: |
Another guys was picking nose for like 10 minutes off & on. |
That's kind of cool. It would be awesome if more people had the guts to pick their nostrils in public. |
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dyingofpoetry
Woodland Elf
Joined: Apr 26, 2010
Posts: 1195
Location: Fairmont, WV
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 3:18 pm Post subject: Re: Asperger's Meeting |
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| ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo wrote: | | Negolin wrote: |
Another guys was picking nose for like 10 minutes off & on. |
That's kind of cool. It would be awesome if more people had the guts to pick their nostrils in public. |
That was the hardest I laughed today. That made my day. 
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"If you can't call someone else an idiot, then you are obviously not very good at what you do." |
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Eingana
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Dec 20, 2010
Age: 29
Posts: 30
Location: England
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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I've been thinking about going to an AS meeting, have been for awhile. Anyway what I was going to say is what others have said to me, I apparently look and act, when you first meet me, very normal. It is not until you really really get to know me that it sticks out that I have AS.
So your not alone Negolin |
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Aspie_SE10
Velociraptor
Joined: Jan 15, 2011
Age: 43
Posts: 461
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 12:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Eingana wrote: | I've been thinking about going to an AS meeting, have been for awhile. Anyway what I was going to say is what others have said to me, I apparently look and act, when you first meet me, very normal. It is not until you really really get to know me that it sticks out that I have AS.
So your not alone Negolin |
Am in agreement with you here: I look and *allegedly* act normal when first met - only when I "come out of my shell* do I show off my AS traits. |
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dyingofpoetry
Woodland Elf
Joined: Apr 26, 2010
Posts: 1195
Location: Fairmont, WV
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:21 pm Post subject: |
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I have begun going to meetings here in West Virginia. We are planning quite a few events and talks for the local community and nearby colleges to promote awareness, as well as planning opportunities to advocate for people on the spectrum...
Now... I also have a similar problem with appearing NT when those who tend to get involved in Asperger's meeting are quite obviously disabled. I am actually the only person like me there. At first I felt very out of place because I function so well. The others have no social skills or they communicate poorly, and/or get overwhelmed very easily. But my abilities just mean that I can take on more a leadership role in speaking for us and them as well as in general organization.
So, don't be discouraged if you attend meetings and you feel out of place because you seem to function better than the others attending. The public needs to be aware that those of us who may be more articulate and those who can socialize are sometime ALSO what autism looks like. We are not stereotypes. We NEED more people who can speak publicly and who can organize events!
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Last edited by dyingofpoetry on Wed Mar 16, 2011 1:49 am; edited 2 times in total |
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auntblabby
Chief Assistant to the Assistant Chief
Joined: Feb 13, 2010
Posts: 18075
Location: the island of loveable toy humans
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| Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:13 am Post subject: |
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| i went to my first one, in olympia [state capitol] a few weeks back. the organizer and i were the only ones who bothered to show. it was interesting. i believe the organizer was a more effective human being than me. he did most of the conversing, and i did most of the listening, which is the normal situation with me. i'm a much better listener than a talker. and if he is reading this now, i want him to know that he is a good guy, and that i am thankful to him for setting the meeting up in a place that was easy for me to attend. |
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Verdandi
Miss Kitty Fantastico
Joined: Dec 08, 2010
Posts: 10148
Location: University of California Sunnydale (fictional location - Real location Olympia, WA)
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| Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:39 am Post subject: |
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| auntblabby wrote: | | i went to my first one, in olympia [state capitol] a few weeks back. the organizer and i were the only ones who bothered to show. it was interesting. i believe the organizer was a more effective human being than me. he did most of the conversing, and i did most of the listening, which is the normal situation with me. i'm a much better listener than a talker. and if he is reading this now, i want him to know that he is a good guy, and that i am thankful to him for setting the meeting up in a place that was easy for me to attend. |
There's a meeting in Olympia? I live in Thurston County.
Ohshi- meeting people. I don't know if this is the right thing to do at all.  |
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KBerg
Velociraptor
Joined: Feb 05, 2011
Posts: 400
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| Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:43 am Post subject: Re: Asperger's Meeting |
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Last edited by KBerg on Sun Mar 20, 2011 1:09 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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