First of all, let me say that I am a 40 year olf woman with Aspergers. I wasn't diagnosed until 3 years ago by my therapist. I was diagnosed as retarded when I was 5 until testing later proved that my Kindergarten teacher was wrong.
I learned to read quite easily at the age of 5 and have been an avid reader ever since. I have hobbies and interests but because of the Aspergers they can get quite obsessive. I have 3 children, 1 girl, 2 boys, and both boys have autism and I have raised them pretty successively.
What's it like to be Autistic?
I can tell you that at times it's a pain in the $@# for several reasons. First, the world is a hi-fi stereo that's on too loud and it impacts all 5 of your senses. Some things are too noisy, some things feel too rough some things taste funny, some things are too bright, and some things smell too strong. On the other hand, because of this, you can pick up things ordinary people seem to miss. For example, I can smell things far away or that are undetectable by other people. This has saved my life one time when I smelled a small gas leak that was barely detectable. Or, soft things feel very soft and I purr like a kitten when I take something soft and rub it against my skin. I'm like a gourmet chef and gourmand in that I know how to spice up food to tempt the pickiest appetites and I have great taste in food. Also, I'm an artist and I know what colors clash and don't clash and I know what is aesthetically pleasing. Music is also one thing I'm good at and that is because I know what sounds like perfect tone and pitch and how the music is supposed to sound.

That's just the 5 senses, there are other aspects to being autistic too. I don't understand the nuances of social behavior and I frequently miss cues. Because of this I make mistakes that some people think are funny and others find embarrassing. It doesn't matter, because if the mistake is explained to me, I'll think it's funny too. I have a great command of the English language and frequently I use big words in my diction. Some people find this annoying and say so, while others think I'm well educated and others think I'm trying to be funny

I don't understand how people cannot follow the rules, when rules were meant to be followed. For example, driving. I always follow the rules and other people don't and sometimes it leads to near misses on my part. Rules are necessary so that people can work and live together. But ordinary people don't seem to understand this, while Autistic people do.

Speaking of rules. Autistic people live by them and form rituals and routines to deal with the everyday world. They can be quite rigid and some autistic people do not take kindly to having their routine mucked up.

Autistic people like to work and play, though our definition of play may be different from yours. For example, some autistic people will watch a certain game show obsessively and make rules about it and form a rigid routine around it. Others will twirl a blade of grass around for hours. Me? I like to write webpages, study witchcraft and other subjects, and have interesting discussions with my alters or other people. May sound weird, but it suits me.

That it for now. If I can think of ther things to write here, I will post them.
For more information on what it's like to be autistic, you might look at my Personal Journal . Or my Aspergers and Autism Page
If you have any questions about Autism or Aspergers, please feel free to email me at hobbittmom@aol.com