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Christmas - A Reminder to Chill

This post is not only for people with ASD, but also those who suffer from other mental health difficulties such as depression or anxiety (or just anyone really). Christmas is my favourite time of year. When else is it socially acceptable to buy a whole tin of Quality Street just for yourself? Exactly. But despite my love of Christmas, I still find it quite an overwhelming time of year. My difficulties and idiosyncrasies are still very much there and are often made worse by the added social pressures of the season. Many people (myself included) struggle with the added social pressures and expectations that come as part of the festive season package. That is why I have come up with a list of things to remind yourself whenever you feel like it's all getting a bit too much for you: It's OK to want to be by yourself. You don't have to like ALL of your family ALL of the time. You don't have to drink or eat anything that you don't want to, even if it's tr...
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Why I'm Not a Person With Autism

Person-first language is a pretty hot-button topic at the moment within the ASD community with varying opinions on either side of the argument. For those of you who don't know, person first language is the belief that we should say things like "person with Autism" as opposed to "autistic person". It stems from the idea that a person is more than just their diagnosis and should be treated as such. Interestingly, it is mostly parents and professionals that prefer this terminology, with people who actually have ASD often preferring not to use person first language. You might be thinking "They're basically the same, why does it even matter?", but what it really comes down to is the connotations. Some people dislike "autistic person" because it implies that they are defined by their disability, whilst others dislike "person with Autism" because it implies that they can separate themselves from their disability. Here's the thi...
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What is Asperger's?

Asperger's, short for Asperger's Syndrome, falls under the umbrella term of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To put it simply, Asperger's is a type of Autism. Whilst there are a few fundamental differences that define Asperger's, the majority of the symptoms are the same for people with Aspergers and Autism alike. So perhaps I should start by defining Autism... Autism is a developmental disorder that is characterised by a few distinctive features. It is important to note that, contrary to popular belief, you cannot catch Autism and you cannot cure Autism . You are born with it and it stays with you throughout your life. What you can do is learn to live with it and develop strategies that help you deal with it and live your life as happily and peacefully as possible. The characteristics of ASD can be largely divided into three key categories which can then be broken down further: Social Difficulties Restricted Behaviours and Interests Sensory Difficulties ...
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A Brief History of Me

Hi! My name is Aoife (pronounced ee-FA) and I have Aspergers. I decided to set up this blog to share some of my experiences as well as my opinions on general ASD discussions. However, I thought I should start by giving you a little introduction about myself and how I came to be diagnosed. From an early age, I'd always struggled a lot in social situations and preferred the company of adults to people my own age. My mum often suspected there was something a little different about me but due to my high intelligence (IQ of 151), nobody ever agreed with here, saying there was nothing wrong and that I was really clever. When I was 11, I started boarding school and within my first year, the head of learning support at my school said to my parents that she thought I had Aspergers and that I should be tested. At that point, my father said that he didn't believe in learning difficulties, that I didn't have Aspergers, I was not allowed to be tested and that I should not be told ab...
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