Bio of An Aspie Catholic

Welcome. Come in and sit on the comfy chair. The name’s rocklobster, and I am an aspie and a Catholic.

What, you don’t know what all that means. Here, let me tell you.

Aspie means I have Asperger Disorder.

For most of my life, I was unaware of my disorder.  I spent most of my school years in special education, but it never seemed like I “belonged”. I did not seem mentally disabled; it was mostly my questionable social skills. As my stepmother would say, I’m book smart, but not street smart.

It was not until I started college that I learned the truth.  My stepmother was quite surprised, to say the least.

Asperger Disorder is named for Dr. Hans Asperger, who discovered it in 1944. His work was not translated until 1991, which explains why there is so little info on it. Dr. Lorna Wing calls it a “triad of impairments affecting social interaction, communication, and imagination, and accompanied by a narrow, rigid, repetitive pattern of activities. [“The History of Asperger  Syndrome” in Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism?, Current Issues in Autism Series (New York: Plenum, 1998), pp 11-27] It shares qualities with the following PDD’s:  Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Integrative Disorder, and Fragile X Syndrome. Because most AS people hit developmental peaks early, they appear normal, albeit with unique interests and styles of of social interaction. The condition currently has a ratio of 1 in every 80 births, according to new research I’ve heard about. It’s more common in boys than girls.

Some of the common autistic behaviors I exhibit are as follows:

1. Persevation– Repetitive Behavior: In my case, I like to make lists because it helps me to organize.
2. Lack Of Eye Contact— My stepmother has worked very hard to correct this, but it is still a problem.
3. Linguistic Comprehension–In my case, in my youth, I had inability to differentiate between rhetorical and non-rhetorical questions.
4. Stereotypies–Repetitive motor movements. In my case, I pace a lot if I’m bored.
5. Preoccupation with special interests–Aspies like myself may collect lots of info associated with our interests (my parents dubbed me the “little encyclopedia” because of all the stuff I had learned from books I’ve read)
6. Lack of Empathy regarding others’ feelings.
7. Increased sensitivity to certain stimuli — I find loud, ringing noises EXTREMELY irritating.

I usually not depressed about my situation. I consider my AS a gift from God. My willingness to interact with others has led to meeting interesting people, both in real-life activity as well as online. Many of these people have actually helped to enhance my spiritual journey. The years I spent in special education classes exposed me to people with various mental and physical disorders, and made me see them as people, not as objects of ridicule, disdain, or pity.

So what are my interests?

They include the following:

My buddy!

God

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anime

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sci-Fi:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro Wrestling:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alternative Music:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and Christian Music:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I hope you will follow me as we journey together with Jesus. Remember the words of G.K. Chesterton: “The Christian ideal has not been made and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried.”

 

Advertisement