Asperger Syndrome

Here’s a free collection of resources about Asperger Syndrome (on the Autism spectrum)- Asperger Syndrome blogs, support groups, first-hand experiences and advice from people who have Asperger Syndrome, etc.

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Asperger Syndrome Blogs

Here’s a list of Asperger Syndrome blogs.

****Email alexbalinski@gmail.com to submit your blog to this list.***

Name	URL	Year
Autistic Hoya	autistichoya.com	2017
Autistic Not Weird	autisticnotwierd.com	2017
Everyday Aspie	everdayaspie.wordpress.com	2017
AutNot	autnot.wordpress.com	2017
The Silent Wave	thesilentwaveblog.wordpress.com	2017
Neurowonderful	neurowonderful.tumblr.com	2017
Life With Aspergers	life-with-aspergers.com	2017
Unstrange Mind	unstrangemind.com	2017
Jeannie Davide-Rivera	aspiewriter.com	2017
John Robison	jerobision.blogspot.com	2017

Asperger Syndrome Support Groups

Asperger Syndrome Support Groups On Facebook

Other Asperger Syndrome Support Groups And Forums

Daily Strength Asperger Syndrome Support Group (418 members, 3,102 posts)

Asperger Syndrome Survey

We’re surveying people about their experiences with Asperger Syndrome. Here will be a collection of their responses.

*This information is not meant to replace medical advice, and the information gathered via surveys may or may not be correct. Hopefully it will be helpful to you!

*Response format = Answer (Name, Age)

**Click here to share your experience with Asperger Syndrome**

Asperger Syndrome Symptoms

What symptoms have you experienced?

Pica, OCD, ADHD, ODD and anxiety. (Hannah, 10 years old)
Noise sensitivity, light, sensory overload, food, not good in school, but copes well with home school. Stress was a main one but since taking the pressure of school from him, his anxiety has lessened so much. My son was banging his head with his hand violently, saying he was dumb, etc. Now he has excellent self-esteem and his grades are great. (Mary, has 17 year old son with Asperger’s)
Anxiety, depression, lack of knowledge about social cues, and sensory issues. (Caleb, 22 years old)
A lot. Pretty much everything. Mostly noise and meltdowns and outbursts. (Mariah, 22 years old)
Hyper sensitivity, minor OCD, can’t see social cues. (Kyle, 23 years old)
Stimming, social difficulties, sensory to sound and touch/certain materials, smells or sounds. Difficulty reading people. Easily irritated with people and/or circumstances, change, technology, school, rejection, etc. (Gordon, 23 years old)
Social difficulties, face blindness, auditory processing difficulties, sensory overload (to light, noise, touch), eye contact difficulties, inability to read facial expressions/body language/tone. (Hope, 24 years old)
Sensitivity to loud noises, inability to remain calm while around a large group of people- specifically strangers, unable to comprehend sarcasm most of the time, eccentric behavior, and my interests are limited. (Zack M., 24 years old)
Social issues, sensory integration issues, echolalia, face blindness. (Rachel, 30 years old)
Heightened senses, easily overloaded, difficulty with executive functioning, poor social skills, anxiety. (Meg, 31 years old)
Who I am is not a symptom. What symptoms have you experienced of your race, religion, gender, sexuality, ethnicity or nationality? (Anonymous, 32 years old)
Sensitivity to bright light, loud and high pitch sound, chemicals. Difficulty relating to and interacting with peers. Empathic abilities (which I think may be related to the aspergers). Sensitive digestive system, (which I think the cause of aspergers has more to do with the “gut brain” then the actual brain.) Can be easily overwhelmed. Hard time with change. Delayed social emotional maturity (I feel like I am just now going through the emotional side of teenage years.) Lack of motivation. (Cassandra, 34 years old)
Anxiety, difficulty processing emotions, missing social cues and subtlety, etc. However my biggest problem is that my tone and facial expressions do not seem to match how I’m feeling, and what I think I’m portraying, leaving people with a far different experience of me than what I intend. (Joy, 37 years old)
Not understanding social cues, social anxiety, depression, fascination/obsession with various subjects, stimming. (Em, 41 years old)
Social anxiety, awkwardness socially as a child. (Rebekah, 42 years old)
A little of everything I guess. (Rina, 45 years old)
Anxiety, sensory processing issues, depression, hyper focusing on different topics. OCD. (Lory, 48 years old)
Social difficulties mostly, also extreme focus when I’m interested and zero focus if I’m not. I count everything, feel too much, and worry about social faux pas WAY too much. (Beth, 53 years old)
All of them. (Bruce F., 58 years old)

Asperger Syndrome Interesting Facts

What interesting facts have you learned about Asperger Syndrome?

I’m different. In a unique way. (Hannah, 10 years old)
Always be truthful. Logic always wins. One plan might work for one, but not for all. (Mary, has 17 year old son with Asperger’s)
The symptoms of those diagnosed with it vary more than I once thought they do. (Caleb, 22 years old)
We are all unique and special. (Mariah, 22 years old)
We usually have higher intelligence and memory retention- we all have different gifts. (Kyle, 23 years old)
Sometimes the aspy brain can do things that a normal brain can’t. (Gordon, 23 years old)
10% are savants — no language delays or intelligence deficits. (Hope, 24 years old)
Everybody experiences it differently, speech and language are more advanced at an earlier age. (Zack M., 24 years old)
It was not an official diagnosis until 1994, and until the early/mid 2000s most doctors thought only boys could have it which delayed my diagnosis until I was around 23 years old. (Rachel, 30 years old)
It affects men differently than women. (Meg, 31 years old)
The concept of happy can be difficult for us. While we are perceived has having a difficult time understanding emotions more often then not what’s actually happening is that we feel so much it’s difficult to process. We are all in “defense mode” to one degree or another. In other words we have a need to feel safe because in some way we don’t feel safe because we are in the fight/fight/freeze loop. Some famous people most likely had aspergers. (Cassandra, 34 years old)
Gender fluidity and difficulty with emotions are common. (Joy, 37 years old)
Girls get it too. You don’t grow out of it. Lots of people have it. (Em, 41 years old)
That is looks different in women than men. (Rebekah, 42 years old)
A lot and unfortunately not enough! (Rina, 45 years old)
Can be genetic. There is a wide spectrum of autism-related disorders. (Lory, 48 years old)

Asperger Syndrome Difficulties

What are the most difficult aspects of living with Asperger Syndrome?

Socializing with people. They don’t think like I do. (Hannah, 10 years old)
Trying to come up with an answer when it is beyond my control. E.g. why has someone done that, or why can’t I do that, etc. (Mary, has 17 year old son with Asperger’s)
Dealing with anxiety and depression. (Caleb, 22 years old)
People understanding me. (Mariah, 22 years old)
I can’t be touched, too many noises cause overload, some lights cause it too. (Kyle, 23 years old)
Being around large crowds of people, relating to others, feeling lonely, feeling inadequate or weird. (Gordon, 23 years old)
Inability to read social cues via expressions, body language, or tone — taking language literally. (Hope, 24 years old)
I’m unable to understand how to properly console a person in need, I can’t always understand when a person is using sarcasm, difficulty finding a job that is suitable for me, some people think I’m clueless or oblivious. (Zack M., 24 years old)
People touching me without my permission at church, or stopping my stimming (knee bouncing and the like) by holding my hands still on my knees so I can’t move and they think they’re helping because they think I’m anxious when really it almost makes me melt down into a crying fit entirely. (Rachel, 30 years old)
Trying to function in a neurotypical world. Passing for normal, but having to put forth so much effort to do so. (Meg, 31 years old)
Allow me to compare this to that weekend I didn’t have asperger’s, so I’ll know the difficulties I face are due to that and not my personality. (Anonymous, 32 years old)
The sensitive digestive system, being easily overwhelmed, lack of motivation, hair trigger on the stress response, thinking there is an expectation from others for me to be able to function at the same adult level as my peers because I “seem normal”. (Cassandra, 34 years old)
People not understanding my true intentions. (Joy, 37 years old)
Social situations are exhausting. (Em, 41 years old)
The inability to be comfortable for more than an hour in social situations. (Rebekah, 42 years old)
Getting enough help at certain ages or as a female. (Rina, 45 years old)
Being thought of as dumb, &/or antisocial. Depression. I’m very straightforward & honest & can often be abrasive. Some people admire this quality & some think I’m not very nice. (Lory, 48 years old)
Lack of understanding by others that sometimes, I’m trying as hard as I can just to reach minimum. (Beth, 53 years old)
Being different and not having deep relationships with people. (Bruce F., 58 years old)

Asperger Syndrome Advice

What encouragement/advice can you share with others who have Asperger Syndrome?

Just be yourself. People will either like you, or they won’t. (Hannah, 10 years old)
Take each day as it comes, e.g start each day as a new day. (Mary, has 17 year old son with Asperger’s)
Reach out to others with Asperger’s and share your struggles with them. Also, it would probably be helpful to seek professional advice. (Caleb, 22 years old)
It gets better. (Mariah, 22 years old)
Be yourself, use your gifts to your greatest ability, rise above the negative. (Kyle, 23 years old)
Don’t be ashamed of it, it’s not a disability, it’s an ability. Screw the haters! (Gordon, 23 years old)
Don’t make excuses and keep learning. (Hope, 24 years old)
I can’t give an answer for two reasons. 1) I don’t know what it’s like for others living with Asperger’s. Their experiences and needs may be completely different from my own, therefore it would be difficult for me to give substantial advice that could aid them in their difficult situations, whatever they may be. 2) I’m still learning all I can for my self. I do not claim to know everything about Asperger’s Syndrome or any other forms of Autism. If I am ever able to assist someone, or give advice, it will be after I have educated myself to a proper degree. (Zack M., 24 years old)
You have to speak up even when it’s frightening or your children will endure the same mistreatment you did. Also, you’re not broken, so don’t let anyone tell you so, or tell you you did it to yourself. You don’t need to be cured, they need to be more accepting of neurodiversity. You can wire a house “wrong”, but if the lights still turn on and the house doesn’t burn down, who cares how it’s wired. (Rachel, 30 years old)
It can be difficult, but even Aspies can learn to deal with the difficulties. (Meg, 31 years old)
You are not alone. We all may experience it differently but we will inevitably have things in common. Don’t try to do things the way neurotypicals do if it doesn’t work for you, try different approaches and find what works for you. Find the courage to express your needs to others, even if it comes out sounding weird or not like you want it to, because the more support you have the more you can grow and heal and thrive. And most importantly love and accept yourself for who you are and where you’re at right now! (Cassandra, 34 years old)
Being different is awesome! The world is filled with people who are the same and are ever trying to increase that sameness out of fear, but most dream of being special. Being unique is a real opportunity and not something to be ashamed of. Yes, there are negative aspects of autism, as there are of anything, but there are really cool things, too. Focus on your strengths, and leverage them into making your mark on the world, while continuing to improve your skills with the things that might be holding you back. Every day is any opportunity to grow, and strengthen your weaknesses – don’t let it go to waste. And while you should be proud that you are different, remember that there is still a lot of ignorance out there. So for now, be thoughtful about who you share yourself with. No one asks an athlete why they’re so good at sports, so you don’t have to share the secret to why you figure things out that other people can’t, etc. Just be your awesome self, and share with people that are worth sharing with. (Joy, 37 years old)
Don’t give up. (Em, 41 years old)
There are other people who have this and they are good people. (Rebekah, 42 years old)
I don’t know if they still use the letters LD (Learning Disabled). But in the early 80’s a teacher once told me you are not Learning Disabled, you Learn Differently! You can learn anything you want, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! Now that was a great teacher!! (Rina, 45 years old)
Always push forward, or through difficulties, & always know your worth. Never be afraid to ask questions, or ask for help. (Lory, 48 years old)
Meet other Aspies. You’re not alone. (Beth, 53 years old)
Find out all you can, and seek professional psychological help from those who specialize in Asperger’s/HFA. (Bruce F., 58 years old)

Asperger Syndrome Diet and Exercise

What’s been your experience with diet and exercise?

Small for age and height. Doesn’t like to take in a lot of unhealthy foods. (Hannah, 10 years old)
A gluten and dairy free diet has been good for my son. (Mary, has 17 year old son with Asperger’s)
I’ve regularly practiced exercise for most of my life. I’ve been on diets before, but not very many. (Caleb, 22 years old)
Food the taste. (Mariah, 22 years old)
None, I work so hard I burn it all off. (Kyle, 23 years old)
It doesn’t last long. Can’t seem to keep a healthy lifestyle consistent. I want to eat healthy but lack of adequate sleep makes me resort to caffeinated soda, which I try to cut on or quit, but it tastes too good. (Gordon, 23 years old)
Eat well and on a schedule. (Hope, 24 years old)
I am very lazy, and I do not exercise. I eat a lot of junk, but I am trying my best to control my appetite as of late. (Zack M., 24 years old)
Little to no impact on autism symptoms, but exercise sometimes helps with comorbid anxiety/depression. (Rachel, 30 years old)
Through experience I’ve learned that eating strictly organic foods helps decrease symptoms some. Eating simple is better. Giving up wheat, soy, and corn and taking the right supplements has made the constant pain go away. Giving up dairy gives me more energy. I’ve learned that I have a difficulty processing anything that’s high in protein. I have recently reintroduced organic white meat chicken into my diet because my doctor wants me to eat more protein to help balance blood sugar and so far so good. Also giving up fast food, super processed foods and sugary treats (which I never really liked all that much anyway) makes a difference in my health. I am trying to eat as healthy as I can and with that and taking that supplements I get from my nutritional councilor (who does muscle testing) that I’m healthier then I use to be. It’s difficult to be motivated to exercise, but when the weather is nice going out and doing something fun out in nature will get me exercise, or taking my dog for a walk. When my friend was teaching a small yoga class I enjoyed that and hope to be able to motivate myself to go back to doing yoga someday. (Cassandra, 34 years old)
They have changed my life. I had no idea how much what we eat affects every aspect of our lives. Most of what we eat is actually poison and our bodies deserve better. I like to think of diet and exercise like a job. You have to go to work to make money to have a place to live, right? Well, your body is where you live and you’re not going to get another one. So you have a job to do to pay that rent to continue to live there. Show up to work as often as you can, do your best each day, and after a while you’ll be used to “going to work” like you do with any new job (just without the social issues!). Trust me when I tell you a lot of depression, anxiety, crankiness, irritability, etc. can just be poor diet choices. When I make bad food choices over a few days, my mood and tolerance plummet. As for exercise, I like to remember the Chinese proverb, “To move is to live.” Our society structure essentially makes us zoo humans, and our bodies weren’t meant to sit all day. Get moving, get out, get sunshine, participate in life (even if it’s by yourself), and you’ll feel so much more alive. (Joy, 37 years old)
Diets are boring. (Em, 41 years old)
Not good at sticking with it due to social issues related to being in a gym. (Rebekah, 42 years old)
The job I have provides plenty of exercise, and I do believe you are what you eat! You eat crap, you’re gonna feel like crap. You eat heathy, you’re going to feel healthy :). (Rina, 45 years old)
I’m either doing really well to eat right, or doing really bad with diet & exercise. I do try to eat well, & drink plenty of water for the most part. (Lory, 48 years old)
I have a lot of texture issues with food. (Beth, 53 years old)

Asperger Syndrome Treatments

What’s been your experience with treatments (therapy, etc.)?

ABA has been helpful, therapy has been really good. (Hannah, 10 years old)
Ritalin has been good. (Mary, has 17 year old son with Asperger’s)
I don’t remember most of it. (Caleb, 22 years old)
Therapy- good. (Mariah, 22 years old)
Meh, it’s ok. (Kyle, 23 years old)
It’s been helpful, and made me better communicate with others and adjust to sensory issues. (Gordon, 23 years old)
None. (Hope, 24 years old)
It wasn’t until recently did I find a therapist who actually helps me. In the past however, that has not been the case. (Zack M., 24 years old)
Cognitive behavioral therapy has been the best as it trains your brain to recognize pathological thought processes, and work through them instead of ruminating on them, as we can easily end up doing. (Rachel, 30 years old)
I got a lot of therapy before my diagnosis. Once I received the diagnosis, though, I needed very little. Everything made sense. (Meg, 31 years old)
That I don’t get them. I understand that to be the typical human experience. (Anonymous, 32 years old)
Products from True Hope have helped with depression and anxiety. Being determined to heal myself and finding the right therapists (councilors) has helped. Also having the support and understanding from my mom has made a world of difference. The more people that I feel that I have as part of my support system the more confidence I have to grow and develop toward being self sufficient. (I’m not there yet.) (Cassandra, 34 years old)
Therapy has been a gift! I learned the basic concepts of emotion processing, and through practice am improving. It is an excellent tool to help you learn acceptable social behavior and how to navigate social situations. It is infinitely helpful to have someone to explain the pieces to social puzzles you can’t figure out on your own, or to help you externalize when you’re stuck in your own head. I would recommend finding a therapist on the spectrum, if you can. Remember that most people don’t marry the first person they date, so keep looking until you find the right therapist for you (but make sure you’re not rejecting ones because you don’t want to face real issues). Medications can be very helpful to help you manage symptoms. I was on an anti-anxiety for a while, and it really helped me overcome serious fears and issues that I’ve been able to continue to control on my own since coming off. (Joy, 37 years old)
Didn’t get any. (Em, 41 years old)
Therapy helped me accept myself and limitations. (Rebekah, 42 years old)
I definitely could use more therapy, but the mental health organizations only work with young adults down to children (which is awesome). One more thing ‘if you meet one person with ASD, then you met ‘one’ person w/ASD’ (period). (Rina, 45 years old)
As an Aspie adult who discovered late in life, I never experienced treatments. (Lory, 48 years old)
It’s been positive if you practice their advice and LISTEN. (Bruce F., 58 years old)

Asperger Syndrome Recommendations

Anything you would recommend for someone with Asperger Syndrome?

Find a good social group in your area. (Mary, has 17 year old son with Asperger’s)
Therapy. (Mariah, 22 years old)
Find a support group or talk to somebody you can trust about it. Remember if you don’t seem normal, refer back to your diagnosis. I love referring my diagnosis because it makes sense of why I am the way I am, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. (Gordon, 23 years old)
Read — not just articles online. Read books on autism. Learn from people like Temple Grandin. (Hope, 24 years old)
You’re not broken, so don’t seek “cures.” It’s a fundamentally different way of how the brain is wired, and there is evidence of these differences in brain wiring before birth. Accept yourself as who you are and that your differences may be by divine design. Where it’s because this is the trial you’ve been chosen to bear, or that autistics thinkers are actually sought after for some processes because of the fact we don’t think like “normal” people, you are still a human being and a child of God and deserve to be treated as such. (Rachel, 30 years old)
Go at your own pace. Define your own success. Don’t use it as an excuse, use it as a tool. (Meg, 31 years old)
Look up the programs that the “Asperger Experts” have and see if they are right for you, (it helps a lot of you have your parents on board.) Also look into trying the products that True Hope has to offer. Create a safe place for yourself and go there when you can and need to. Practice being with and moving through feelings and sensations instead of fighting them, it’s hard but worth it in the long run. (Cassandra, 34 years old)
Ignore the words used by the media and others like “disorder”, “suffers from”, “disability”, etc. Autism is NOT a problem – it just means that you think differently, and it’s clear that our culture has an issue with anything different. Don’t internalize these ideas – you are unique, and that is to be celebrated. Sure you have struggles, but so does EVERYONE! Being on the spectrum just means you might need different tools to help. Find out what you can do well, and capitalize on that, and if it’s a trait of your spectrum, all the better! You are not less than neurotypical people or a problem. Definitely work on interacting with the world as best you can, but being different doesn’t mean you have to take a backseat. In fact, it might put you right up front! (Joy, 37 years old)
Diagnosis means finding people who think the same as you. (Em, 41 years old)
Love yourself, and be happy with who you are. (Rebekah, 42 years old)
More Education outlets &/or resources! Find out what the child is interested in & not what you as their parents want them to do. (Rina, 45 years old)
Accept yourself, always be yourself, & be good to yourself. Don’t put too much thought or emphasis on what others think about you. (Lory, 48 years old)

Asperger Syndrome Resources

What specific resources have you found most helpful?

Tony Attwood books were so helpful. Now it is other parents, and what seems to be logical works for us. (Mary, has 17 year old son with Asperger’s)
Treatment/Therapy. (Caleb, 22 years old)
Books. (Kyle, 23 years old)
Support groups, being able to relate to other aspies. (Gordon, 23 years old)
The Autistic Brain by Dr. Temple Grandin. (Hope, 24 years old)
Therapy, family, music, fresh air once in a while. (Zack M., 24 years old)
The book Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger’s Syndrome is a cute book written by an autistic boy in England who wrote it in the style of a computer manual because he saw there were no books for Aspergers people written by an autistic person. (Rachel, 30 years old)
Websites and books written by Aspies. (Meg, 31 years old)
My support system of people especially my mom. True Hope. My religion and all that comes with it, because without the help from God and Jesus I would not have made it this far. And believe it or not myself, being in tune with myself and what my needs are. My wonderful friend and nutritional councilor. (Cassandra, 34 years old)
My therapist and others on the spectrum, learning from their experiences. (Joy, 37 years old)
Facebook pages that address Aspergers in adults. (Rebekah, 42 years old)
Not many in regards to some age categories. (Rina, 45 years old)
The internet, other Aspies & autism groups. (Lory, 48 years old)
Probably the clinical psychologist. (Bruce F., 58 years old)