Welcome to Gaia! ::

Whee! First member. Be glad you got me. I'm a valuable addition to any small forum enviroment. I'm never short of the most valuable member. Assuming you can get some more members, I will greatly assist in the proliferation of this guild.

Name: Zachary.
Age: 18
Birthday: January 28
Sex/Gender: Male/Other
Pets: A dog named Lacy... And does my adopted daughter count as a pet? xp

I was diagnosed when I was very young. Like 6 or so. I don't remember much about that time. I know I was constantly in trouble and my dad beat me for not being normal. Everyone noticed that I was different. Nothing about me seemed normal. I'd just do weird things. Sorry, I don't know much about my early diagnosis (I may have blocked parts of it out of my mind), only about my current state of affairs.

I like my escentriacy. I love being essentially a genius. As you probably know, most Asperger's have above average intelligence, and I'm off the scale. Something interesting I've taken note of is that the more free rein I give you my Aspergers, the more intelligent I am. If I try to control my Aspergers, try to be normal, it's like my IQ actually drops. Go figure. I like being different anyway. I don't let people rag on me anymore like they used to.

I hate the way I used to get bullied all the time. My early life was hell. But, that's all behind me. I don't let anyone get to me anymore. Now I use my own special tools to my own advantage, not letting anyone get the better of me.

My facination? My obsession? It varies often. I'll usually get on an obsession for like a couple of months and change. Like I used to spend like 14 hours of a day back on my home forum, though I've kinda dropped out of it after about a year once the population of the forum got out of control. But one thing I have always stayed a fanatic of is Digimon. I know every intimate detail about Digimon. It's the inspiration for my username, and every signature picture I've every used. So, it's kinda a lame obsession, but it's my obsession.

I have a girlfriend who also has Aspergers. As I understand, it's rare to find a female Aspergers. Let me just say, since most everyone has probably thought this, IT DOES NOT MAKE THE RELATIONSHIP EASIER WITH US BOTH BEING ASPERGERS. If anything, it makes it insanely hard. But both of us love each other desperately, and struggle vehedimently to work through our problems.

She was diagnosed like, 2 years ago, shortly after I started dating her. I knew there was something special about her from the beginning, and that diagnosis fit perfectly. As soon as she mentioned it, I recognized it immediately in her.

And as to the rest of your questions... Yada yada.

And now, I demand to know about you! TELL ME ABOUT YOU!!!!!

Name (or anything to call yous besides your Gaia nickname): I like the name of Teal or Tealy.
Age: 16
Birthday: March 10, 1989
Sex/Gender: Male (very femenine)
Pets you own: I used to have a dog, cat, and two guinea pigs, but they all died. v_v

At what age were you diagnosed: Hmm...I don''t remember. I wasn''t diagnosed for a long time...I''d guess...12 or early 13?
Did you notice any signs before being diagnosed?: Asides from thinking COMPLETELY differently from everyone else, I had extreme trouble with eye contact. o.o; I was bullied often, a common thing of children with Aspergers.
Did others notice any signs before you were diagnosed?: They thought I had ADHD.
What do you like about being an Aspie?: My unique way of thinking things and taking care of problems. Not only are they unique, but usually efficient as well.
What do you dislike about being an Aspie?: Asides from being unable to see emotion in eyes, or even look at them, I am commonly bullied for being different. o.o;
A lot of people with Asperger''s ("Aspies") have a particular thing, or a few particular things, that they are fascinated by. If you have a particular fascination, (or have particular fascinations) what is it (or what are they)?: Whoo. I have a buttload. I''d have a bit of trouble listing them all without editing a million times.

I''ve yet to meet anyone else who has Aspergers in real life. o.o;

Favorite actor(s) (you may mention both males and females): o.o I dunno who my favorite is. I have a slew of ones I like more than others, but, I don''t really like one more than others. I have some that I HATE more than others, yes...
Favorite movie(s): dunno
Favorite musical(s)/play(s): dunno
Favorite musician(s) and/or musical group(s): I don''t listen to music.
Favorite anime/manga: o_o I''m not a real big Anime fan. I don''t watch TV often. I used to like Fullmetal Alchemist, but I lost track of it and it kinda drifted away.
Favorite anime/manga character(s): Don''t have one.
Favorite color(s): I don''t really have one. Some I like more than others. Teal is a color I like, obviously.
Favorite food(s): Filet Mingon, watermelon, steak, steamed broccoli with butter.
Favorite kind of cookies: soft.
Favorite quote(s): I always have a quote of the day. Today''s quote of the day is "In life, you have to be a little crazy. Otherwise, you''ll go insane."
Favorite animal(s): I love a bunch. Tapirs, bunnies, kitties, puppies, penguins, fishies, caterpillars, pandas, raccoons, etc. etc. Animals make me feel more comfortable than people do. Most animals. Hellspawn- I mean, wasps, for instance, do not.
Favorite book(s): o.o; I don''t have a set book that I like. I kind of drift along, reading whatever seems to be of quality.
Favorite author(s): see above.

Name (or anything to call yous besides your Gaia nickname): Michelle, online I generally go by Civet
Age: 22
Birthday: 6/6/83
Sex/Gender: Female
Pets you own: A dalmation named Melody (nicknamed Smelody)

Where did you learn about Asperger's from?: Having trouble with certain things, I did a search on the net and learned of High-functioning Autism. Later, during research of Ayanami Rei (of Evangelion) I came across a quote from her American Voice Actress, Amanda Winn Lee, mentioning she may have autism. That had me intrigued so I did more research and learned of Asperger's.
How long have you suspected having it?: About two years.
Why do you suspect you have it?: Trouble socializing, can't infer meanings (I need things told to me directly), difficulty with ambiguity, difficulty with change, obsessive interests, the list goes on.
Have others noticed any signs?: Most of what I realize is aspie-like in myself is from other's observations: "You sound like you're reading from a script," "You should reply to someone when they talk to you," "Why don't you look at me when I talk to you?!" Etc.
A lot of people with Asperger's ("Aspies") have a particular thing, or a few particular things, that they are fascinated by. If you have a particular fascination, (or have particular fascinations) what is it (or what are they)?: Cats (lifelong), Art (lifelong), Ayanami Rei of Evangelion (current), Asperger's Syndrome (current, but starting to wane a bit).

Favorite actor(s) (you may mention both males and females): Johnny Depp
Favorite movie(s): Edward Scissorhands
Favorite musical(s)/play(s): I've only seen "Cats"
Favorite musician(s) and/or musical group(s): Coldplay, Muse
Favorite anime/manga: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, Haibane Renmei
Favorite anime/manga character(s): Ayanami Rei, Iwakura Lain
Favorite color(s): Blue and purple tend to be associated with me. They all serve their purpose, though.
Favorite food(s): Salmon
Favorite kind of cookies: White Chocolate Chip
Favorite quote(s): "I am I"- Ayanami Rei
Favorite animal(s): Cats (though I like most animals in general)
Favorite book(s): "Neverwhere," "American Gods"
Favorite author(s): Neil Gaiman

An extra note: I've been having trouble with my right wrist, so I unfortunately won't be able to partipate as often as I would like for awhile, atleast.

[ Message temporarily off-line ]

Name (or anything to call yous besides your Gaia nickname): Heidi
Age: 25
Birthday: 1.3 1980
Sex/Gender: female
Pets you own: none, I'm allergic to animals. But I have a bedful of soft toy animals 4laugh

This part is only for people with Asperger's and related conditions to fill out.
At what age were you diagnosed: 21
Did you notice any signs before being diagnosed?: Yes I wondered in school why I was so different from everyone else but just thought it was because of the neurological diagnosis I've had since childhood
Did others notice any signs before you were diagnosed?: Yes, my parents noticed really early that something wasn't right. I was diagnosed with MBD (minimal brain dysfunktion) when I was five. It was a pretty popular diagnosis for "difficult" kids in Scandinavia in the early 80s. Many of the children then diagnosed with MBD later got the diagnosis AS or AD/HD
What do you like about being an Aspie?: That my mind works in a different way, that I'm creative and abled to find unusual solutions to problems
What do you dislike about being an Aspie?: the communication problems and the mental health problems that come from being misunderstood almost all my life.
A lot of people with Asperger's ("Aspies") have a particular thing, or a few particular things, that they are fascinated by. If you have a particular fascination, (or have particular fascinations) what is it (or what are they)?: Hmm,difficult question.... It depends. My biggest fascination is probably literature. I've loved reading since I was a child and I now study it at university. I'm also really into movies, beautifully shaped stones, beadery and computer games

Name (or anything to call yous besides your Gaia nickname): Sola works well.
Age: I'll be fifteen on Monday.
Birthday: September 19
Sex/Gender: Female
Pets you own: I have an aged, evil-smelling Jack Russell Terrier. My family is also currently looking for another dog.

At what age were you diagnosed: Age eleven.
Did you notice any signs before being diagnosed?: To be honest, my mother figured something was wrong by the time I was four, but until I was eleven I was diagnosed by the multiple psychologists I went to with ADD and then ADHD. Current diagnosis: ADD and AS.
Did others notice any signs before you were diagnosed?: Well, when I wanted to talk incessantly about my particular interest, yes.
What do you like about being an Aspie?: I don't really think about having Asperger's much. I'm just...me. And I do like being me.
What do you dislike about being an Aspie?: See previous question.
A lot of people with Asperger's ("Aspies") have a particular thing, or a few particular things, that they are fascinated by. If you have a particular fascination, (or have particular fascinations) what is it (or what are they)?: I have been endlessly fascinated by dogs and, to a lesser degree, wolves since literally before I can remember. I think my mother told me once that even before I was a year old, when I was placed on the floor with the Lhasa Apso they had at the time my eyes lit up and I started trying to get near her. Currently I'm considering becoming a veterinarian or, better yet, a dog trainer. I'm also very interested in mythology; I love creatures that don't exist, the more detailed the better. My most recent interest is in languages; in fact, my Gaia username means 'Lone Hound' in Latin. I've found I'm much more fond of dead languages than those still in use.

Favorite actor(s) (you may mention both males and females): I honestly don't know. I don't much pay attention to actors and I never have.
Favorite movie(s): I love Spirited Away, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but my favorite movie of all time will always be The Legend of Lobo. I should mention that I don't watch movies often.
Favorite musical(s)/play(s): Again, I don't see that many musicals or plays. They tend to bore me.
Favorite musician(s) and/or musical group(s): I love Yellowcard, Flogging Molly, Bowling for Soup, Slaid Cleaves, Hoobastank, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, and They Might Be Giants.
Favorite anime/manga: At the moment I'm very fond of Yu Yu Hakusho and Naruto.
Favorite anime/manga character(s): I like Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho because he amuses me with his sarcasm, and I'm fond of Sasuke from Naruto for much the same reasons.
Favorite color(s): I'm fond of tawny yellows, black, and various shades of green, brown, and gray. (I love forests.)
Favorite food(s): Chocolate is WONDERFUL. I also like broccoli, artichokes, celery, rolls, potatoes and steak.
Favorite kind of cookies: Either Toll House chocolate chip or those wonderful sugar cookies they sell in stores, the kind with the really thick icing in various colors with sprinkles.
Favorite quote(s): Anything that makes makes me snicker. I do love sarcasm. "The art of flying is throwing yourself at the ground and missing."-Douglas Adams
Favorite animal(s): Since my 'special interest' (read: obsession) is dogs, it's always going to be dogs and then canids of all types. My parents have tried to curb my interest even a little for most of my life, with little to no success.
Favorite book(s): WAY too many to count. I'm a rampant bibliophile. 3nodding
Favorite author(s): Some of my favorites are Terry Pratchett, Mercedes Lackey, Eoin Colfer, James Herriot, Douglas Adams, Brian Kilcommons, Stanley Coren, Lewis Carroll, Diana Wynne Jones, JKR, and good ol' Jack London.

Name (or anything to call yous besides your Gaia nickname): Retasha or Thorn
Age: 21
Birthday: Jan. 24
Sex/Gender: Female
Pets you own: 27 cats, 8 dogs, 1 wolf mix, 1 rabbit, 2 raccoons

Where did you learn about Asperger's from?: I first learned about autism while reading a magazine article about it, and started to have suspicions when I matched many of the symptoms. After researching it, I found out about Asperger's Syndrome.
How long have you suspected having it?: Since I was seventeen, though I suspected something was different about me since I was little.
Why do you suspect you have it?: It describes my entire life, and why I can't understand other people's emotions, or experience the same emotions.
Have others noticed any signs?: After I showed my mom the info I found, she was like, 'oh my god, they're describing you!' Other people have noticed my differences, too. I was teased alot in school because I couldn't understand why people were doing what they did, friendship-wise and such.
A lot of people with Asperger's ("Aspies") have a particular thing, or a few particular things, that they are fascinated by. If you have a particular fascination, (or have particular fascinations) what is it (or what are they)?: I'm fascinated by small shiny things, and can spend hours every day sorting through rocks. I collect things endlessly, beads, buttons, broken jewelry, rocks, metal wire... I'm also obssesive-compulsive about washing my hands.

Favorite actor(s) (you may mention both males and females): None.
Favorite movie(s): None.
Favorite musical(s)/play(s): None.
Favorite musician(s) and/or musical group(s): Breaking Benjamin, Trapt, Shinedown
Favorite anime/manga: Full Metal Alchemist / Battle Angel Alita
Favorite anime/manga character(s): Edward / Alita
Favorite color(s): Gray, Brown, Green
Favorite food(s): Grilled cheese sandwhiches, cranberry sauce
Favorite kind of cookies: None.
Favorite quote(s): "Here I sit, mad as a hatter, with nothing to do but get madder and madder, lest I regain enough of my sanity to return to the world that drove me mad." -I don't remember where I read that.
Favorite animal(s): Fox, Crow
Favorite book(s): Take a Thief, Rusulka, The Thief, The Farseer Trilogy
Favorite author(s): Mercedes Lackey, Robin Hobb