I know people with Asperger's

Hi there,
I just want to say hello here.
Just want to say something positive really.
I do not have asperger's (I don't think so anyway, although of course it's on a sliding scale so i may be a little bit), though I once did an autism test on the internet and came out with a higher score than my friends.

I have a freind with asperger's, and he is a great guy to know. His Mum thinks I'm a bit asperger too.

I am adult staff at my local air cadet squadron, and one of my cadets is aspergers. He also has dyspraxia. He is a great kid, and sometimes comes to me for advice. He functions just as well as all the other cadets, and takes part in all our activities. He enjoys the military structure and gives 100% in every activity. None of the other cadets know he is asperger's, they haven't noticed anything odd about him, and he is made very welcome.

So that's it, really. I just wanted to say that it's great to have somewhere to say this.

Good luck in everything you do!

Hey, thanks for that message - It's very positive. Is Dyspraxia allowed in the air-force though?

Anyway, I am an Aspie and there is also an Aspie in my class at college. I get on great with him because we understand each other. However, we are both quite depressed.

nice, cheers to the kid glad things are working out for him.

millitary wouldn´t have me because i´m Asperger, since we tend to have problems with authority :p

Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia and ADHD are all accepted in the RAF, and are not discriminated against. Anyone with any of these conditions is given extra help, if they so desire it, and there is a guideline document for those who are helping them.
Given that dyslexics have a greater spatial awareness than most people, they are usually very good at jobs such as engineering.

Drill is the thing that most people with LD have difficulty with, I don't know why, but in the armed forces that's how most LD are picked up in the first place.

As far as the ATC goes, we will accept teenagers with learning difficulties, as long as they are able to physically and mentally able to obey commands for health and safetly reasons (ie: firing live rounds on a range, taking control of an aircraft and being able to parachute away from that aircraft if something went wrong).
I've worked with an Anorexic cadet, a sleepwalker, and I've heard of cadets with Down's syndrome working their way up the ranks to cadet warrant officer.

'My' Aspie (I like that name, Aspie, it sounds more positive than Asperger's) cadet really shines when it comes to initiative exercises. I made him a team leader for one exercise, as I was interested to see how he would perform - I did ask him in private beforehand, so he could say no if he wanted to. But he took the job on. He commanded his group well, and also took notice of their ideas when they raised them. He worked out what had to be done faster than anyone else, and the team were happy to take his lead. I was so pleased, and he was happy with what he had done too. It raised his confidence greatly.

i wouldn't do well with military stuff, i hate being told what to do, i want to make my own decisions.

Spiggy wrote:'My' Aspie (I like that name, Aspie, it sounds more positive than Asperger's) cadet really shines when it comes to initiative exercises. I made him a team leader for one exercise, as I was interested to see how he would perform - I did ask him in private beforehand, so he could say no if he wanted to. But he took the job on. He commanded his group well, and also took notice of their ideas when they raised them. He worked out what had to be done faster than anyone else, and the team were happy to take his lead. I was so pleased, and he was happy with what he had done too. It raised his confidence greatly.

That's a really good paragraph to read and I understand why he performed the task so well. Some of us [Aspies] never give-up trying to figure-out how to socialise. We are constantly monitoring social situations or rerunning them in our heads. We also study how people behave and react. Thus, as the Aspie matures his/her knowledge of people in general can be a very important asset indeed.

Personally, I am 24 but people have commented on my leadership abilities. I think this is so because I have never given up trying to figure people out in my life.


Anyway, thats all I want to say. This thread is excellent Spiggy - really great.


Kevin.

i wouldn't do well with military stuff, i hate being told what to do, i want to make my own decisions.

lol i am like that to. i hate it when somone tells me what to do.

Unless you are plagued with social bad luck, Chucky, and whatever you try, nothing really works out