B's views on Aspergers...

B & I got talking about Aspergers today while baking scones, so I thought I would continue the conversation here & give some of B's views & Ideas about AS (or "gas hamburgers", as he likes to call it :).

B mentioned the following characteristics that he believes AS gives him:
* Pretty good concentration- the advantage to this is that it helps in school (his teacher Cherie thinks so) & helps him to concentrate on books better. The disadvantage is that it makes him have trouble when switching activities.
* Good imagination- spices up his life a bit & "might even spice up your mother's life" (I quote...). The disadvantage is that, if you have OCD, sometimes imagination may give you some triggers.
* You care more about your own interests than the popular culture ones that other kids care about- the advantage is that B thinks that perhaps this makes him more resistant to teasing because he doesn't care as much what other kids think of him. B also feels he can avoid getting into violence in shows & games more easily because he's not into some of the things other kids are into. The disadvantage is that some kids may not want to be your friend because you don't share their interests.

B doesn't think that it's bad to have AS. He thinks it's ok to be different. The worse thing that could happen would be to be sad that you're different. B thinks it's best to just be yourself. It helps to not hang out with people who tease you. (Mom wondered if it also helps to be surrounded by people who, even though they are helping you with OT, Speech, & other stuff like that, really like you for who you are & aren't trying to change you. B thought this was true.)

B also has OCD, which is the thing that bothers him the most. Here are a few reasons why:
* For one thing, it lies to him. It makes him worry about things that have about a one in one thousand chance of happening.
* Sometimes it makes it harder to get rid of the thought that bothers him.

B says:"What helps the OCD is a little plushie I have names\d Rufus. He's a naked mole rat. Just having Rufus around & looking at his cute little face distracts him from the thoughts. Sometimes he does funny things like jump on my head. I carry him pretty much where ever I go. I have other pokemon plushies that help too. If the thoughts are mild then watching a dvd can help, but not if they're too intense. Sometimes playing a game with dad or talking to my parents or teachers can help. Medicine helps me cope with the OCD, plus seeing Dr. M is helping me too. I'm not sure if anyone can completely recover or get rid of OCD but I hope so."

alexander's daddy once asked if B knew any other kids with AS & what he thought of them. B says that he knows some kids with autism. Two are at school. "One of the kids is not in my class, so I don't to see him much. He has more trouble than I do. He'd been tapping on a door & it was driving me crazy, & when I went to find out why he was doing it, the teacher explained that he had autism like me. I've talked to him, he doesn't talk much back, but he's pretty nice. The other kid is in my class. When I talked to my class last fall about having OCD, Tourettes, & AS, he told me he thought I was very courageous. I think that's because he wasn't able to talk about having AS. I enjoy talking to him, but we are not close friends because we don't have a lot of interests in common. I have another friend with AS, who used to go to my school but is now going to college. He's one of my best friends. We share interests & some of the stories he told me about going to my school were pretty interesting & funny. It's nice to have a friend with AS who's older & can share things with me. "

So, there's B's views on the subject for today :)