That sounds great...especially the marriage and kids, I so hope you reach that goal in your time frame, I am sure you will. I don't have AS, but, my husband does, and I know first hand from living with him how hard it is to find a place where you fit in. He is so high functioning that alot of times, people don't understand there is something going on and mistake something he does for just being a jerk. It's almost like you have to be perfectly fine, or all the way gone for anyone to understand. He too loves history and trivia as well, and there is a game called Mad Gab that is like figuring out license plates and no one can beat him...go figure....

Welcome Unique1. Like JennyR I am married to a high functioning AS husband. My bother is also AS (not as high functioning) so I understand a bit more than the average person. Under normal circumstances relationships can be difficult. Know that you are not alone and that you will connect with someone that cares and will learn to understand you. At least you know that you have speical needs and can explain that. I wish I had known about my husband before I married him. We would have had differnt types of communication. Today we get along better because I can be flexible (most of the time) about relating to his / my needs. You sound like an 'open' person with positive goals. Stick around, you'll find strength here.

Hello unique1. My nephew is a high functioning AS and is still in school. I don't know what's in store for you, life has a funny way of coming around when you least expect it, but from someone who is "normal", I agree with the others, it's really just a matter of good ol' fashion knowledge. You are a complete person who had extrodianry gifts that unfortunately come with a few challenges, but there are millions of people in the world who can and will understand and love you for your whole self. Someone special is hard to find for all of us, but it's worth looking - good luck to you!

Yes! Yes! Yes!
Don't worry, just keep working and stay healthy, and also force yourself to exercise too, so you can have the endurance needed to deal with "bullies" and evade them. Let me tell you, the biggest problem, by far, is how neurologically normal people take advantage of Aspies. Always too, keep a sense of humor and stay ahead of the pack!

I am the mother of a high functioning aspie 15 yr old son. My husband also shows traits. We have been married for over 20 yrs and blissfully happy. We have two older kids who are like me. I am proud of all my kids. My oldest one is going to college full time with honors and working full time. My middle one wants to be a nurse. My 15 yr old almost has his eagle scout, writes incredible poetry, star on the track team and in reg. ed classes doing B work. He is kind, sensitive, intelligent,humorous,hardworking,lovable,talented,defender of animals,etc. I couldn't ask for a more wonderful son. He is somewhat like his Dad. I hope he becomes the engineer he wants to be and finds a girl to share his life with. My husband needs his alone time but that is okay. He also is a homebody but so am I. Look for a Capricorn. My husband and I are and I think it is the best match. We want the same things and have the deepest respect for each other and our kids. I have heard from the boyscout leaders and other scouts how decent they think Pat is and how he has come such a long way. He speaks up more and has proven himself to be quite a fine young man who loves computers,cats,running,and the outdoors. Get involved with scouts if you can. Read All Cats Have Aspergers(which is kind of childish but very true). It is inspiring and Pat's favorite book. Don't be afraid to share your thoughts, talents and just be you and people will notice you.

Thread to Patrick Wilson:
As to the description of your son, I sat "ditto", as it describes myself, growing up in Canada, Queen's Scout, same as Eagle Scout, with much survivalist training. Most of the details are same.

Here's where we differ, which has caused horrible problems, which for an Aspie, are excruciating.

Parents (dad died 1995) Mom still here, I am sole care provider...they are immigrants from Hungary, with language difficulties. Dad was either Aspie, or low IQ, poor guy was hardworking but fabulous, but pounded down by my mom.

They overestimated my capabilities in dealing with normal neurologically described people. Aspies cannot clue in to people lying to them. Easily taken advantage of.

I was excellent fencer, many tournaments which were never attended by parents.

I was excellent student, but rarely ever had parents attending awards presentations. Same absences for art awards, music (clarinet) bass guitar, awards at boy scouts, even today, my sisters have no recollection of any of my achievements, and they have poisoned their own children, that I am a schizophrenic bum.

Parents, overestimated my survival skills, emigrated from Canada to USA, leaving me with 4 months rent paid, with 600 bucks in my account. I was 18, but Aspie. The appointed room-mate was close to 30, but freaked out on LSD and abandoned me. My school year went fine, but in March 1970, my studio partner carried me to a general hospital from fibreglas fumes poisoning. I technically died but was resucitated...had a sore chest when I awoke. I had a NDE, along with out of body experience...hallucinated that I was Christ being crucified, with all the cinemascope, but all the pain symptoms too. Then I had telepathic experiences with all the other kids who were mostly LSD and other overdoses, bear in mind this was 1970. I was and still am an honest kid. Lying cannot be borne on my soul, because it always eats up half my brain. So I can never lie even to save myself. But I am a survivalist. The general hospital doctors made me sign a form. Next I was shipped to a huge psychiatric hospital, where I continued telepathy experiences with my own age group there. I was in London Psy Hosp for 8 months. So here's a beautiful kid, incarcerated. I won't go into the gory details.

My poor bully mom, came and got me in October 1970.
Instead of weaning off medications, I went through cold turkey, with no help.

In Fort Lauderdale, I enrolled at college and was excellent, but I had to do everything in school all over again. After a year or so, I had more bad experiences with neurologically normal bad people taking advantage of me, so I signed myself into a psychiatric hospital...I was 22.

In 1974, my mom, had Baptist ministers break and enter into my room and flip through all my large 5foot canvases (many) which I was exhibiting locally...they all pronounced that I was definitely possed by the devil. So...after returning home from hitchhiking all over florida, visiting campuses seeking a college for art, these huge footballplayer size men plus the minister's son abducted me in a black cadillac, and took me to their church and threw me in a dark room. An hour later, they came in, and performed a humiliating exhorcism. This really spaced me out. They broke my spirit.

I again sought help from an outpatient clinic. Because I explained "...I wanna kill my mom..." which was merely expressing myself with colorful metaphors, they put me on prolixin, which is a marvelous drug to subdue dangerous murderers, but here I am again, being misunderstood.

I don't want to write an autobiography, here, but the message here must be clear.

Make sure you reward him for his achievements without smothering him. And don't smother him with punishment either.

My happenstance, was that I was always placed in dangerous circumstances and dangerous cooincidences.

I had to fight my way uphill. Got my degree 1979, here I am also stigmatized as a late bloomer. I was married for 13 years, I had a long career as an fine artist and commercial artist, many years.

I certainly don't want a boo-hoo pity party.

My confused states of mind, range from perfectly stable to schizophrenic/withdrawn, even today...I am 56.

Aspies are prone to bullying and cannot screen. Of course, of course, this ranges...each case is different.

Competence is most important.

I can prove my Identity. I have a wonderful girlfriend 42 with 2 daughters, and even her exhusband likes me.

Here are my paintings:
http://home.earthlink.net/~sselpal
http://home.earthlink.net/~stevoartist
My main client:
www.locprecision.com
our commercial site
http://shop.rocketsbymelissa.com
click around and download anything for wallpaper, I love all of you.

I am so exhalted that I now have my new acknowledged diagnosis as Asperger's. I'm with VOC-REHAB, matriculating for Internet services technologies so that I can take over administration of our ecommerce site, plenty of PERL, C++, JAVA, horrendous stuff.

But look, even today, my mom can make my brain utterly stop, or spin off into that maya of confusion.

My support group understands.

My psychologist is trying to set up an event with the local Orlando Carl Jung Foundation utilizing my dream paintings.