Hello, everybody, I am a new member. My name is Tom and I'm 34 years old, and I'm sure I've had Asperger's syndrome since early childhood (around 4 years old), though I was not officially diagnosed until I was 25 years old.
I could go almost forever introducing myself, though I will do my best to keep it to reasonable length.
Much of the information I give is from my own independent research. Shortly before my diagnosis at age 25, I actually visited my own pediatrician's office and looked at my own medical charts to read all about myself. It was actually fun for me to read about what other doctors said. I also read reports from my school teachers and also the people who worked with me and my parents trying to help me get through school.
According to my parents and my research, my early childhood life was reasonably normal until I was around 4 years old. My doctor's reports did not give many details other than to say I was immature and that there were concerns if I would be ready for school. I actually went to preschool at this time, and my preschool teacher's report gave almost entirely negative reviews about my social interaction and ability to follow directions. After this preschool I was assessed at an "experimental education unit" (I will subsequently refer to this as EEU). The people here did not believe in using "labels", but instead decided most important was to try to improve my behaviors. Many doctors and teachers were well convinced I was autistic, but I was not diagnosed. This was all back in the 1970's when Asperger's syndrome was not well known, and someone with autism was only one with very severe developmental problems.
Consequently, I received no actual diagnosis, and I was assumed to have been "normal". The EEU was very helpful for me, so much that I was able to attend regular school by kindergarten. The EEU did however identify many of my behavior problems and much of my immature behavior got me into discipline problems in school, not to mention being constantly teased by other children. I attended school all the way through high school graduation, then went on to college and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Geography. But then came the problem with finding a job and being gainfully employed, and I must say I suffered greatly.
It was while I was in college I found a book titled Autism and Asperger Syndrome, by Uta Frith, and after reading it, I knew beyond all doubts I had Asperger syndrome. I enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation program, where they required an actual diagnosis, which I did obtain.
As I said, I could very easily write over 100 pages about myself, but I should stop here for now. Before I close, though, I should tell you that I am currently employed full-time in an office job at a community college, and have been so for over 5 years. The job has its good and bad points, and I will gladly give more details later. I am single and live with my parents and am unlikely at least for the forseeable future to marry, or even go on a date (I guess not too unusual for an Asperger person).
If any of you want to ask any specific questions about myself, I will gladly answer them, or at least try to answer them for you.
Tom
10 Mar 2006, 2:16 am
