I find my routine and my sleep disrupted this evening because I foolishly decided to look at an article written by Kate Connolly for The Guardian.   The subject of the article is Hans Asperger, the Austrian paediatrician and child psychiatrist after whom my condition is named. It transpires that Herwig Czech, of Vienna's Medical University, has written an article for Molecular Autism which bares new evidence regarding Asperger being complicit with the Nazi regime during World

Last week, I outlined the possible reasons why my autism was overlooked in childhood. In this post, I will list the autistic signs I displayed which were overlooked. 1) Referring to myself by name instead of saying “I” Until the age of 5, I would often use my name to refer to myself instead of saying “I”. Recently I listened to an old cassette recording of a conversation between my Granny and I. Granny said, “Would Anna like to pick up the post, or shall I do it?” When Gra

As a child growing up, I displayed all the key signs of autism, yet the school called me “an enigma” and were confounded by my difficulties. I often wonder why I was missed when the autism was glaringly obvious if only people were more observant. Quite simply, I was “hiding in plain sight”. I decided that I would list the potential reasons behind the autism oversight. 1) I was a happy child There is no reason why autistics cannot be happy, but when it comes to diagnosis, bei

There is a lot of stigma and misleading stereotypes surrounding autism. To name a few, that people with autism lack empathy, can’t be creative, are always unhappy and lonely, can’t be interested in people, and if they don’t need someone at their side at all times, or show any signs of independence, then they can’t be autistic. No wonder, then, that many autistics try as hard as they can to hide their autism, to try and fit in, and to not show any sign of being different. The

Autistic people often get very interested in particular subjects or activities, which take up a lot of their time. My interests include: reading, food, clothes and public speaking, and I would like to share with you their importance to me, and why that is. Reading I spend a lot of time reading, submerged in the world of words. The books I read tend to follow a particular theme. I am interested in philosophy and psychology, and will tend to read books that help me understand

Recently, there appears to have been a trend on food television programmes involving dishes which appear to be something which they are not; last week's Show Stopper Challenge on Great British Bake Off, and last night's Masterchef Australia Invention Test, being just two examples. Whilst these illusions aren't a bad thing in of themselves, in the wrong context they can be harmful for autistic children and adults alike. One of my earliest memories of primary school dinners wa

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s when I was 21 years old. I was completely unaware of my difficulties until I was a teenager, and when I became aware, I initially blamed my parents for my problems with making friends. I told them that if they had taken me to more after school clubs then I would not have any problems. I also worried that I might have a personality disorder because I began to understand that I struggled with empathy and could be incredibly indifferent to other p

All people with autism find it difficult to relate to, and communicate with, other people. People with autism usually find change difficult, and often develop intense interests, routines and obsessions. These characteristics are part of the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum conditions. What the criteria does not do is specify what an individual with autism will or will not be interested in. In short the criteria do not specify one type of autistic expression. This is

A morning (un)like many others I woke up this morning with the customary belly ache I get before delivering a training session. Imagine your diaphragm being sucked up into your lungs whilst your midriff is tightly wrapped by a boa constrictor and then you’ll get the gist. I had extra reason to feel anxious this morning, however; I was returning to Bognor Regis JobCentre to deliver a taster session for Aspie Trainers. Past experiences of signing-on for Job Seekers Allowance

Knowing where to start To mark our first blog post, I thought it would be good to start from the beginning, that is, to write about my experience of receiving an autism diagnosis. However, like a lot of Aspies, I had to wait to be diagnosed. Some of the reasons for this included that: I wasn’t aware of the condition until I had reached my mid-twenties; I wasn’t aware that I qualified for the condition; and I didn’t know how to access the diagnostic service. Consequently, whil

It's April, which means that #AutismAwarenessMonth is here again. Aspie Trainers are hoping to achieve more than #AutismAwareness, however. We believe that, with a little help from the community, autistic individuals can contribute to society. Consequently, here are three tips to help non-autistic people to support us to succeed. 1) Accept us for who we are First and foremost, we believe that it's important to see autism as a different way of experiencing the world, as opp

Anxiety is the one constant in life; when I’m not anxious I feel strange. I often feel like there’s something ineffable which I should be doing, even when, for all intents and purposes, there’s nothing to worry about. Consequently, since Monday 10th October was World Mental Health Day (and I’ve been known to struggle with executive function), I thought that I’d share the strategies which I use to help me cope. Fair warning, this won’t be suited to everyone. If you have an