Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Jeremy Tolmie

independent person, so I see a lot more melt downs than my parent’s do.

      I hate speaking in public it gives me a total meltdown every time I have to do it. I am not all that successful yet.

      I think of all the crazy things I asked for Christmas and my birthday. Like a horse, dirt bike, go kart, hover craft, trip to space, a pet t-rex. compared to some Like a new game or book or comic or upgrade to my computer. Or even a dog or cat seems small compared with some of the stuff I thought up for myself.

      Most of my dreams come true for me. I am always

      having moments where I feel like I have already done them before and then I realize that I had a dream of doing exactly the same thing. I think that my whole life has already been planned out and I am just going along for the ride.

      I also have major anxiety issues and have a hard time adjusting to any change period. The start of school was very hard on me and I still get upset come September because of the start of the school year

      When I was 12, we moved, and it was really hard on me. I did not say anything to my parents about how hard it was. It took me 3 years to get adjusted to the new house and location. I acted really bad for those 3 years and got into a lot of trouble. I skipped 2 months of school without my parents knowing till one of the teachers bumped into them at the grocery store and asked if I was alright because I had missed the last 2 months of school.

      I also racked up $500 in long distance phone charges in one-month phoning movie studios and threading to sue them for movies that used names that I had thought of using. It was a really bad time in my life, but it did get better.

      I wouldn't share with anyone it did not matter who they were. My parents kept having to tell me that I had to learn to share my stuff. I got over it eventually, but it did take a very long time to learn the art of sharing.

      I was 17 when I got the DX of Asperger’s syndrome ASD 1. So, for me I would have liked to have known much sooner than that. So that I could have had the proper support in school. I look, act, and seem very much like my blood brother and I only got to see him once 17 years ago. It was really freaky because we never grew up together any, yet we are so much alike. He has the same mannerisms, body language, speech patterns and everything. It makes you wonder how much nurture has to do with it or if it is mostly nature. The genetic code that binds you together is stronger than anything on the planet.

      I watch crime TV shows and medical dramas. I play virtual hockey games and watch hockey onTV. I blog about what it was like growing up as me. I read fantasy books and listen to their audio books. I play strategy games on the computer and fiddle with the computer to try and keep it in perfect working order. That is what I do these days to make me happy.

      I played the drums, piano, and trombone and got good at each one of them.I have had several girl friends over the years. All this having ASD. So, it is possible to live a semi normal life. Hang in their it does get better. I think the only one that should be called a expert on ASD is someone who has ASD and is able to talk about what it is like to have it. You can ask me anything and I will try to answer it. I cannot answer questions that I have not been asked.

      Whenever I find a post that goes into something that I have knowledge in I comment on it and post the comment on my blog if it is worthwhile. I think everybody should benefit from my experiences

      I was 17 when I got my first DX of Asperger’s Syndrome, so my parents never put any limitations on me either. I tried every sport in the book till I found golf and bowling that I am good at. I know lots of people with ASD that live a pretty normal lives on their own and I am living a pretty normal life, so I think anything is possible.

      you would think that someone would have noticed

      something was wrong and told my parents about it.

      But nope no one did, and it was just a fluke of my

      birth mom dyeing of a brain tumour and for me to get checked out that I even got the DX of ASD when I did.

      I like people to know that I am autistic so that they can see the other side of it. I wear a hoodie that says I wear blue for autism awareness.

      Most people think of autism as being the classic aloof form and don’t realize how varied the disorder is.

      My mom had to become a stay at home mom because every time she tried to drop me off at daycare I would start crying and throwing a tantrum till she stopped trying. The daycare people said after a week that they could not handle me because of the crying and tantrums that I would through. she took me to our pediatrician, and he said because I had come from foster care and was adopted that I was having abandonment issues and that it would not get better any time soon and that she should stay at home with me and be my own day-care provider. so, she did till I was 12 and then she went back to work.

      I did do some pre-school, but I just hid under a table and did not partake in anything and would have nothing to do with anyone, so she gave up on that after a couple of months and just kept me at home till I was old enough to start kindergarten.

      I think it is a big mistake to get rid of the Asperger’s DX because without it in their most of us will not get a proper DX and will not get the services or support we deserve.

      I would have been DXed as PDD-NOS which is what they were wanting to push on me but for one nero doc that said it was Asperger’s.