Its been awhile... Life got adventurous while I was away growing into a woman

Hiya,

I must first start by saying oh my gosh... where did the time go??!
writing this post today I would like to inform you I am 21 going on 22 these days, and my gosh how much I have grown up!
This isn't such a bad thing haha. I have so much to share from the past 4 years now, its going to take some time, though now I will be able to share my experiences, life skills and how I cope as an adult Aspergers woman in my 20's.

I am now going to attempt to give my briefest summary possible as I would love to put together more specific posts which I can articulate so they will be useful for you and others instead of me beginning to write a book here and now about the last 4 years of y life haha.

So...
I made it into independence. (not a smooth adventure... but I wouldn't be where I am now if it had of been)
I am living out of home on my own lease with my amazing boyfriend.
I finished my jewellery course.
I now have a joint studio/workshop space with four of my peers I graduated with.
If you are interested to have a look at how I have been going with my jewellery see my webpage Molly Frances Jewellery Design.

I got to keep my Blue Heeler Archer, he moved out of my mums place with me. and he isn't so young anymore. His 11 now and I am having to cope with seeing him grow old and tired with arthritis. He doesn't run like he use to, slowed right down my poor boy. I love him lots.

I am going to taper this post off here now as it is 2 minutes to midnight here and I could easily spend the early hours of the morning writing away haha.

I hope to hear from you too about how your journey over the last 4 years has gone.

I have missed you.

x Molly

Common Aspergers & ASD Traits

Hi All!

I have been thinking it would be a good idea to refresh people of the traits of Asperger’s and what being an Aspie entails. It has been awhile since I have made a post on the overall aspects of Asperger’s, so I feel a refreshment is in order!

What it means to have Asperger’s/ Common Aspie Traits: (these traits are often disputed in different orders and combinations (no one Aspie will share all of the same traits)

1 . Lack of or too much eye contact.

2. Talks a lot about their interests, loves to share!

3. Has obsessive interests that are a huge part of their life and career aspirations. (I.e. If an Aspie is into computer programming, they will most likely aim to achieve their highest in this area. Thus, making it their career field).

4. Has an extremely good long term memory and a not so good short term memory. This includes things which are of great interest to an Aspie’s mind or caused a significant emotional effect such as bullying experiences. We can remember even the smallest of those details such as the person’s name, despite having experienced this in grade 1. The same applies for vice versa, such as a person who contributed an amazing and gratifying effect on our lives or were an extremely compassionate person that one would be immensely appreciative of encountering. These memories are likely to stick to our mind, being permanently glued to our subconscious and will unlikely be forgotten.

Our short term memory however, is compromised at times. Normally because of ideas and thoughts pertaining to an interest or desire. Therefore, anything that’s not interesting to us at the time will go in one ear and out the other whilst other ideas are playing on our mind.

5. Different sense of humor (can find the strangest of things amusing or funny)

6. Has sensory issues to do with a heighten sense of sound, touch ,feel, taste, and sight.

7. Can have trouble communicating their needs or intentions (a common occurrence is being misinterpreted by other people. Also misinterpreting ourselves, the intentions of others, and their motives.

8. Delayed responsiveness in situations (has a longer processing time)

9. Coordination issues can be common too.

10. An intense need of routine and familiarity. One often becomes distressed when changes are made or are unexpected. As we grow older we can learn to adjust to changes. Compared to NT’s who adjust drastically, Aspie’s tend to require more time to gradually develop the ability to adjust and cope with change. (stepping stones, rather than a large meteorite)

Well, that's a few pointers for now. Thank you for reading as usual! Have a nice weekend!
- Miss Molly x

Aspies struggle to think before acting/speaking - please read this to understand

I would like to share this experience of mine.

I have found after settling into my new school, my first mainstream high school after 4 years of Distance Education, I have a habit that has resurfaced.

I mention in my first post that I had taught myself to "think before I act".

However I am finding I am starting to increasingly slip things out with out thinking.
This is a detrimental Aspergers trait.

Many Aspergers kids have this trouble which can cause them to be bullied and looked down upon.

There are things we will say or do in the present. Only after will we realize it was the wrong thing to have done and that's when we suffer consequences. Wether that be punishment for a wrong doing or conflict from peers.

We do this because we say what ever comes to top of our thoughts. It is to do with how we process information.
This can cause us to say things we mean a different way to how others interpret it.
Once said we are left with the struggle to convince the others what we were actual meant to say. Which can easily back fire as they get confused and we easily stumble over words.

We will speak what our brain have processed from the present social situations and surroundings. This is a way of release for us. This can be an issue when we think things through differently to what is actually going on.

There are Aspies that will not acknowledge their wrong doing.
For those who do; we will spend a lot of time and energy dwelling on our mistakes.

I ask for those of you supporting, living, working and socializing with an Aspie:
 To tell us when we do or say something wrong whilst giving us understanding.

If we known the difference between the wrong and right things we do and say. We can acknowledge our mistakes and learn from them.

Please recognize it is very hard to train our minds to "think before we act". 
We can improve this and may eventually train ourselves to do this completely. However sometimes through difficult situations our speaking/doing before we think can again become prevalent.

If you can understand this is a hard thing for us to do and to accept the odd thing we will say. Things will be much more pleasant for all in the situation.

~ Molly xo