Only a few months ago, I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's is one of many conditions that falls on the autism spectrum. Unlike truly autistic people, many Aspergians are excellent communicators…at least, if that's what your "gift" is. wewe see, every Aspergian has a particular area where they excel. One could be a science genius, while another, such as myself, might be a brilliant writer.

Many Aspegians are either misdiagnosed au never diagnosed at all. Our symptoms, are difficult to identify. Once, my mom went to the Child Study Team at my elementary school. She brought up my difficulties both in and out of school. One member of the team just said, "That's the way she came out of the baby factory." I'm dead serious. She actually alisema that. Needless to say, my mom is still livid about that, even though it's been over a decade.

Of course, when trying to identify something like Asperger's, wewe probably wouldn't look at the ripoti card. People such as Bill Gates, Isaac Asimov, and even Albert Einstein are alisema to be Aspergians. Of course, back in the early part of the millenium, the autism spectrum wasn't as well-known as it is today. Yet wewe would think that BOTH the doctor and Child Study Team would look at ANYTHING other than my ripoti card. Nope. They just came right out with "There's no problem here" as soon as they saw my grades.

Being brilliant isn't all of being Aspergian. Many have difficulties in social situations. According to the literature, we have trouble making new friends. Personally, I find that to be partly untrue. Once I find something in common with a person, it's fairly easy to strike up a conversation.

Our gifts aside, most Aspergians also have an "obsession," something we upendo a lot and know just about everything about. Some even have multiple obsessions. After all, Aspergians are natural-born learners.

***

So, why am I telling wewe this? I'm telling wewe so wewe know what Asperger's is. It IS difficult to identify at a glance, but there is a phrase wewe should keep in mind. "When you've met one person with Asperger's, you've met one person with Asperger's." According to most literature, I am autistic. But that makes me, well, me.

To me, Asperger's is just another name for something. It explains something that need not be explained, like why a mti is a mti and not a lamp-post. So what? I have Asperger's. So what? It's just a name. A name for a way to explain my differences. But what is in a name? "A rose kwa any other name would smell as sweet." Asperger's Syndrome makes it sound like a disease. It's really not. It's another way to see the world. It's an open book, an open door. It's a personality, it's a person. Most of all, it's ME.