Introduction

Ok.
What to say in my first post?
I am Rachel.
I am 23 years old.
I believe that I have Asperger's Syndrome, because
1. I meet the diagnostic criteria.
2. I have spent countless hours reading material written by autistic people, and I identify with so much of it that it cannot be explained away by coincidence, or introversion, or me just being anxious, or whatever reason my psychiatrist has for me not possibly being autistic.

I have spent far too much time staring at the computer screen today. If this post is disjointed and inarticulate, it is because of that. I apologise.

I believe that what I have is not a disorder but a profile of abilities and problems. My main problems are weak social skills and terrible executive functioning. I do not believe that these are tragedies that ruin my life, I believe that these are problems to be overcome. We all face problems. Crying about them doesn't help.

My goals in life are to become a professional musician (I will be in my final year of a music degree (majoring in composition) this year), an autism rights advocate (this blog is the start of that) and to take over the world.

My goals for this year are:

Graduate from university.
Get my driver's licence.
Move out of my parents' house.
Learn to drink an entire glass of liquid and get ALL OF IT in my mouth. My mouth does not include:
my chin
my left ear
the table
the floor
my shoulder
my left arm
my nose
my cleavage
the front of my pants
my back
my foot
the dog
(Honestly, I thought that the occupational therapy, physiotherapy and hippotherapy I received as a child were meant to help with my Clumsy Idiot Syndrome...)

My favourite blogs, which everyone should read

http://ballastexistenz.autistics.org

http://thiswayoflife.org/blog/

http://whitterer-autism.blogspot.com/


I also suck at concluding my writings.