Goods and Bads of Autism
Hello, Internet! Cole here. Recently, I realized that perhaps it would be prudent to discuss my Asperger’s more thoroughly, since that is the main subject of the blog. I haven’t really talked about Autism very much for a variety of reasons, instead focusing on things like 11-page stories about bees. This month, though, I’d like to bring things back on track a bit. I discussed my condition a bit about a year ago when I first started this “sub-blog”; now, I plan on fleshing things out a little more.
To begin, I’d like to elaborate on what kind of Autism I have. As I said before, I have Asperger’s Syndrome, which means that I’m just a step away from normality. Specific “symptoms” that I experience include repetitive behaviors, social awkwardness, and narrow interests; the former two I can mostly omit when writing, but the latter may show up – or may have already shown up – from time to time.
My situation isn’t as bad as that of my unfortunate brother, but I am definitely affected by it. I’m not very good at dealing with social situations because my brain works differently, and I need to work at not being socially impaired. As a result, I don’t have many friends, and I have trouble making plans with and spending time with the ones that I do have. The life I lead is lonely sometimes, so I mostly distract myself with my work; when I’m not doing that, I numb myself with the Internet.
My condition’s not completely terrible, though. I do very well in school because of my Asperger’s; I can learn most of the material very quickly and easily. Despite my social shortcomings, I am still able to find friends at school who share my interests. I don’t see them a lot outside of school, but that’s fine with me – I become uncomfortable when exposed to society for too long. My situation also gives me a different perspective on the rest of the world – because I’m an outsider from most of my area’s social structure, I form my own opinions independently.
These are, more or less, the conditions I live under. My unusual neural structure is both a blessing and a curse – I’m good at school, but less so at social banter. With that said, I hope that this article is enlightening, even if only a little bit. If you have any questions or want me to write about something specific, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.
Thanks for reading, Internet, and I’ll be seeing ya!