Well, I was always said to be on the autism spectrum, but I never really took it that seriously - and I am not saying that it shouldn't be, but that is how I approached it, I guess. The elementary school psychologist had recognized this in me from an early age, but my parents at that time did not accept it. I had engaged in some fairly unusual behavior at that time however, chewing on my shirt, and acting like a dinosaur or other animal, telling jokes when it was not appropriate. The psychologist would have to take me out of class to analyze when I did things that were unusual, and sometimes to work out my energy and have me jump on a little trampoline.. I must have done something particularly off one time, because I remember she broke down in tears once.. Also, I could sometimes be easily subverted into poor behavior by the other kids.. I remember one time as a small kid, some other kids actually convinced me to throw a rock at a girl..
Some of these behaviors might also be attributed to the fact that my dad was a pretty bad alcoholic, as that likely can make for an atypical environment for development. But the degree to which this played a role, as opposed to the 'autism' I supposedly have, is uncertain, or impossible to tell. Certainly it's likely that this wouldn't help ameliorate the problems of an autistic kid, in any case. (Eventually diabetes made him quit)
Anyway, my high school experience was fairly alienating as well, but I gained the knowledge to be a musician, and by the end of it I started to learn to work hard to get better grades. The arc of my development taught to me to value hard work, as I spent the summers doing farm labor, which I learned to enjoy. Now I am a material handler, and am in charge of a lot of the production flow in the plant I work at, oftentimes taking a management role as well.
As far as I'm concerned, I think I have it under control, whatever the problem is or was. I am not looking for advice on what to do with myself. It had never really been something I thought about until recent years anyway, as this kind of thing is only now starting to sort of capture media attention. If anything, I almost see it as having a possible 'advantage' in the case where it doesn't overwhelm the person it affects, as you can work on peering through a unique perceptual door in human reality. I guess
Unfortunately, I have a younger brother who also supposedly has the condition, but I am concerned about the road he's going down. I am hoping that he will change his values soon, or work toward that. I try to go for walks with him to talk about all kinds of things, and try to nudge him into better views of things, but I don't know how effective I can be. My understanding and wisdom are limited, but I don't want him to end up in jail, or getting into fights. His habit is to go through lots of jobs, and they say he's treated his girlfriends poorly sometimes.. He often does not seem to value stability, and it is very stressful to see. I think sometimes that maybe he should just go traveling, but I don't want push that view outright, as that seems like a cruel thing to say. But if you don't value stability, what can you do
