Video: Dave and Asperger's

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Documentary about Asperger's Syndrome shown in TV in 2005 is about me, I have mild Asperger's Syndrome, I was diagnosed in 2002.

I knew I was different from the age of about 6 years old, hypotheses included the reincarnation of King David or Pliny the Elder, a left behind Space Alien and finally mild autism. Other pupils were loud and ran around randomly, while I preferred a mature intellectual life. I became interested in astronomy/science ~3 years old, so I'm told, it that made me stand out in school. I later became fascinated by mineralogy. I was bullied badly because I was odd, sometimes beaten up, for years. Bullying mostly stopped in secondary school as I found a group to hang around with.

In 1987, at 14, I went to an astronomy lecture, but due to the excitement of it all I had a panic attack and I had to leave (a panic attack over astronomy?). This began over a decade of anxiety & panic attacks and increased reclusiveness, which I completely overcame in 1998. Perhaps due to my bad experience with Astronomy, I turned to Mineral collecting.

One of isolating aspects of Asperger's is, we tend to talk at people not with people. However, in 1998, I did a 6 week geological mapping project with a friend, and I every hour or so we would sit and chat. After 4 weeks, our conversations became two way. While this was an improvement, it also led to my growing sense oddness. This processes I am told, is called gaining insight, some young adults with Asperger's try to transition from the basic social skills of childhood, to the more sophisticated social skills of adult life, but fail.

A diagnosis was a great relief, I felt better about myself and understood myself more, I didn't need to be normal so badly (whatever that is). I set up a social group in 2002, made many good friends and found a girlfriend though the group. I find people with Asperger's (I have met aver 100) are all extremely kind and interesting people.