Five Things No One Tells you About Asperger’s Syndrome
This post is a combination of click bait and Cracked.com formatting. Here we go
1) Communication goes out the window… Both Directions
It is commonly known that people on the Autism Spectrum including Asperger’s Syndrome (Which I will abbreviate as AS from here on out) have trouble reading body language which is considered to be the most important aspect of communication. What is not mentioned is that people cannot read the body language of the person on the spectrum either.
Considering that communication requires body language, perhaps the idea that people with AS are creepy is actually a response from a Neurotypical (a non autistic, which will be abbreviated as NT from here on out) when they feel the communication is a little, well, off. I find it unusual that more people have not made this connection with the way they classify people with AS as generally odd and a feeling of something being different about them.
It gets even stranger. You know that feeling you have when someone stands behind you? That sense of being watched. Your body knows someone is there. Which leads to the next point.
2) We are like stealthy ninjas.
Unlike NTs, when a person with AS stands behind someone, their lack of body language normalcy actually causes them to remain undetected. This creates that whole creepy factor associated with the condition. I have been asked why I speak so much. The real reason is that I vanish quite quickly when I shut my mouth as do all AS people.
It certainly can be beneficial to be unseen when we want to be. In fact many people with AS who are tired of being rejected by their peers seem to disappear from everything just by being quiet. Others like me just use this skill to surprise our Mothers, who should be used to this sort of thing by now. Still the amount of times I walk up to someone and tap them on the shoulder to watch them jump is quite amusing. Other times, people walk into me due to not noticing my presence.
3) Society assumes we are all super geniuses… and judges us as if we are.
People who know me well realize that I am driven by equal parts pride and ambition. In fact, between my books, this blog, and all the crazy things I try to do from day to day, I aspire to make myself larger than life. Part of that is due to my own ego, but it is equal parts due to society telling me I have to be this way.
Thanks to the romanticized Hollywood version of AS, the whole world assumes that this is how we actually are. Unfortunately, because of this conception of our great talents, whether true or not, we have no choice but to be the best of the best. Society won’t accept us any other way. And despite what you may know about Autism, the biggest difference in people with AS is our desire to be part of the world.
If this world does not accept us for who we are as humans, then we take it to the next level and become something more. We become something greater than the average man. sadly, it translates to lots of very frustrated people. Not everyone can be wealthy and famous. Some have to be poor and miserable. Loneliness is of course a great fear in a person with AS. We are willing to do all that we can to be divine among men per say to escape this fear.
4) Sociopaths seek us out
Imagine the most terrifying person possible. A person capable of telling you a complete lie and you believe them. A person capable of killing their own children and getting away with it clean. A person who rapes and beats people and then convinces the people around them that the victim is the real problem. If you know someone like this, congratulations, you have met a Sociopath.
It should then become scary to realize that any time an AS comes anywhere near a person with Anti Social Personality Disorder, (the scientific name for Sociopath which will be called ASPD from here on out) their attention will be directed at us.
Many AS find themselves in social situations where one moment, we are friends with everyone, and the next moment, everyone in the room is either pushing us to leave, or even worse, becoming violent. This can be due to the subtle manipulations of an ASPD individual. Their charms and manipulations allow them to control the situation, whatever it may be, and the first casualty is almost assured to be a person with AS.
When you see a situation such as this, do not assume that all is as it seems. Remember, NTs, that this individual can make fiction seem like fact and vice versa. Always try to figure out all sides of an issue before you choose to act. You never know what actions may come as a result.
5) People with Asperger’s Syndrome help each other
This is the most unknown point of this list. Don’t assume that people with AS ignore each other. We help each other immensely. Entire websites exist where we help each other. From social situations to video gaming, to even sports. (which we do play) Its almost like a religon of sorts except its not one that you convert to.
Still we help each other. We speak to each other. Know that when you mess with one AS, basically all the others will know about it. We gossip just like other Humans. We bring each other hope and when an NT or ASPD crosses one of us, the rest of us know quite quickly.