I "have" Asperger's.
November 21, 2023 at 2:07 am
(This post was last modified: November 21, 2023 at 2:14 am by SeniorCitizen.)
... with a 150+ IQ.
In 1953 I had the highest pass mark in London in the 11+ exam (which determined which school I would then go to). I went to a top London Grammar School ... where I was top of the class in most subjects. In my final exams there I got 100% in Maths, Physics, and Chemistry. University beckoned.
One day, whilst in class, I began to feel "unwell". I came close to passing out. When the sensation went away, when I looked at the book in front of me, there was just "marks on paper ". I had lost the ability to recognise letters of the alphabet. When people spoke I just heard "noises" that didn't even sound like language.
By the next day I'd recovered enough to understand what people were saying and to read ... but after four or five words I'd forget what had been said or what I'd read. This went on for weeks. Tests found that I had "abnormal brain waves". Because my grandmother had spent decades in a mental hospital with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. I got slapped with the label: "Suspected schizophrenia". It became apparent to me that plans were afoot to have me "committed" ... so I ran away from home. I got to the Scottish Highlands ... where I spent "a period of time" living rough. Not eating. I fully recovered from whatever it was that afflicted me. I went to the police and was sent back home. I didn't return to school. I got a job in a laboratory ... where it was soon realised how smart I was. I attended evening classes. As when I was breezing through school, I was able to understand everything I read ... then I had another "attack"... which I took weeks to recover from. This was when I was 17 ... I've been ok since.
I'm now 81, and in good health. The interesting thing is that I'm extremely "quick witted" and don't look my age ... most people think I'm 60ish.
After the second bout of "whatever it was" I gave up trying for a sophisticated career.
There is one well-known person whose mannerisms, way of thinking, etc. is similar to mine ... Elon Musk.
In 1953 I had the highest pass mark in London in the 11+ exam (which determined which school I would then go to). I went to a top London Grammar School ... where I was top of the class in most subjects. In my final exams there I got 100% in Maths, Physics, and Chemistry. University beckoned.
One day, whilst in class, I began to feel "unwell". I came close to passing out. When the sensation went away, when I looked at the book in front of me, there was just "marks on paper ". I had lost the ability to recognise letters of the alphabet. When people spoke I just heard "noises" that didn't even sound like language.
By the next day I'd recovered enough to understand what people were saying and to read ... but after four or five words I'd forget what had been said or what I'd read. This went on for weeks. Tests found that I had "abnormal brain waves". Because my grandmother had spent decades in a mental hospital with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. I got slapped with the label: "Suspected schizophrenia". It became apparent to me that plans were afoot to have me "committed" ... so I ran away from home. I got to the Scottish Highlands ... where I spent "a period of time" living rough. Not eating. I fully recovered from whatever it was that afflicted me. I went to the police and was sent back home. I didn't return to school. I got a job in a laboratory ... where it was soon realised how smart I was. I attended evening classes. As when I was breezing through school, I was able to understand everything I read ... then I had another "attack"... which I took weeks to recover from. This was when I was 17 ... I've been ok since.
I'm now 81, and in good health. The interesting thing is that I'm extremely "quick witted" and don't look my age ... most people think I'm 60ish.
After the second bout of "whatever it was" I gave up trying for a sophisticated career.
There is one well-known person whose mannerisms, way of thinking, etc. is similar to mine ... Elon Musk.
