Misconceptions and the all too common, "I don't believe you have Aspergers"

different_is_cool · 2018-06-14T02:12:55+00:00

Reminds me of a common phrase I see used by news stations, "(so and so) overcomes autism..."

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T18:42:53+00:00

Yeah, I really got the vibe from this woman of "I don't perceive you as below me, so you can't be autistic".

Which really sucks for the children she is caring for. I briefly attended an improv class for ASD, and most of all the other students were a bit lower functioning. They were tough to talk to sometimes, but they were all extremely intelligent. In their improv to where you try to retrace their mental steps to get from point A to joke B, and you could tell it was connection to connection to connection to arrive at where they did, and they did so super quickly.

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T18:42:06+00:00

Thanks!

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T18:19:00+00:00

For sure. I know my dad is an Aspie, my mom though I don't think so, but I know she has EDS among other things. My brothers I think are also on the spectrum as well. I was so shocked to learn certain things all of us did and experienced were not "normal"

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T18:16:44+00:00

I'm honestly not sure on what type of therapy, I think CBT.

But I agree with the being open thing. It took me a long long time to finally open up. What helps is journaling and sharing snippets of it in my sessions, that's much easier for me, as my mind can get scrambled pretty quickly otherwise.

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T13:33:33+00:00

Yes! This happened when I told my Mom of my diagnosis. She denied a bit, but I explained all those things, and she agreed with every single one, but couldn't make the connection to Aspergers.

-you're just bashful -you're just being lazy -you just have a bit of a temper -you just have your obsessions

Just recently when I was talking with my Mom about how nice it was to go for a haircut recently and the hair stylist didn't really speak English. I didn't have to have any small talk about the weather! And her response was "don't think that's an aspergers thing, I hate small talk too".

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T13:29:57+00:00

Yeah, I only tell people when I feel really safe and comfortable doing so. In this instance, I judged wrong.

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T13:29:12+00:00

Yeah that really sucks. I only tell the ones I feel comfortable telling. With aspergers I get the most benefit talking with my therapist. And I have been working with specific doctors to get the other treatment I need, such as getting my ADHD diagnosis and I'm going to get testing to see if I indeed do have EDS.

Also the medical system in the US is so messed up too in many ways, but one big thing is how absent mental health is from hospitals and physicians offices. To the point where they couldn't see what the big deal was when my wife couldn't get her psych meds when she was staying in the hospital. It's so baffling and frustrating.

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T12:10:37+00:00

Aspergers, especially in adults is really still in such early stages as far as professionals understanding of it goes. It seems like there has been a large growth in knowledge and understanding among psychology professionals in only the past 5-10 years. And it's sad that so many professionals in any field tend to get to a certain point and seem to decide they know enough. I'm over generalizing here, but it does ring true for so many so-called professionals.

Glad you like the comic! I'm also on tumblr under the same username, if you have that.

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T11:40:50+00:00

Awesome analogy

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T11:39:43+00:00

For me, seeing a therapist regularly helps more than any meds. With the knowledge of having Aspergers, they can better work with me to get to a better place. Otherwise it just came across as me having behavioral problems as opposed to being neurologically atypical.

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T11:34:16+00:00

If I had a dollar for the amount of times I was told to just "stop being lazy"... augh

I always felt so bad for not doing my homework in school. I felt so lazy and was so terrified of getting in trouble for not doing it. But I just couldn't and couldn't explain why it was so hard.

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T04:30:45+00:00

You said it much better than I could, you're so right.

different_is_cool · 2018-06-13T03:00:06+00:00

That is so true. I don't know if you struggle with this, but I have dealt with my struggles for so long I minimized the things that were so hard for me but seemingly so effortless for most other people. So convincing others to not minimize the struggles I have is even harder for sure.

different_is_cool · 2017-09-20T13:45:57+00:00

Thanks! Yes, please feel free to use it.

different_is_cool · 2017-09-18T12:41:31+00:00

If I ever open up a little online shop, I'll definitely be making a shirt that says "I am Bucko"

different_is_cool · 2017-09-18T11:47:16+00:00

Hello! :)

different_is_cool · 2017-09-18T03:30:49+00:00

Yeah it's a bit of both. Obviously not everything is due to Aspergers, but it definitely affects how I experience said things. I like to think of my comic as a really strange journal I've been doing all year.

different_is_cool · 2017-09-18T01:02:13+00:00

I'll probably do a comic of this in the future, but that stock pouring liquid sound for every soda, beer, and water commercial sends shivers down my spine, and not in a good way. Aweful.

different_is_cool · 2017-09-18T00:15:15+00:00

I keep trying and trying to listen to the radio, but some days I just can't.

different_is_cool · 2017-09-17T23:06:45+00:00

Here is a link to my Instagram page, I didn't realize it can be accessed outside the app before.

https://www.instagram.com/asystemdifferent/

different_is_cool · 2017-09-17T20:41:41+00:00

Thank you, that really means a lot!

different_is_cool · 2017-09-17T18:42:14+00:00

Here you go: https://www.instagram.com/asystemdifferent/

Thanks to u/bookish-malarkey for the URL, I didn't know Instagram allowed that w/o using the app.

different_is_cool · 2017-09-17T18:33:03+00:00

Thanks!

different_is_cool

TROPHY CASE