Anything that will educate others about this is something I can lend my support to thanks for posting this, since I have AS I think I can answer these questions.

 

1. I have been singled out and made fun of many times over the years and have learned a long time ago that I am a lot happier if I don't care what others think about me. As long as I can do what I want and need to do in life than what others think of me dosen't even matter. Haters are going to hate, all I can do is keep on going and do what I can to educate others.

 

2. I was diagnosed with low functioning Autism at age 2 after losing what little language I had (I regained it at 5) and had some very severe sensory issues and behavioral problems so it was very very obvious that I was different.

 

3. See above

 

4. Aspergers is a form of Autism which is a spectrum disorder which affects social skills, interpretation of social cues and processing of sensory information. This spectrum ranges from mild to severe with Aspergers being on the higher end of the spectrum. Aspergers and Autism as a whole are very very complicated with even individuals on similar ends of the spectrum often having differents strengths and challenges but there is some commonality as well.

 

5. That is such a complicated topic that I could write a whole book about it so all I am going to say on this is that we are just like anyone else except our brains are wired very very differently than most other peoples.

 

6. Everyone is a bit different but generally the best treatments are early intervention, a system of gradual mainstreaming into society and intensive therapies. Because our brains work different we need to be trained in order to do certain functions which come much more easily to most people like socializing and interpreting social cues and norms and dealing with sensory issues,

 

7. The treatments I got are the reason why I am able to type this now and have made it as far as I am now, granted some things that work for me might not work for others and some things that didn't work for me might work better for others but all I can do is simply say what worked for me and hopefully lead some people in the right direction.

 

8. Medication cannot cure Autism or anything for that matter but can help keep people going through depression or anxiety issues keep it together enough to get the help they need but as someone who has taken meds before I can say that they should be an absolute last resort and can have some very dangerous side effects.

 

9. It was my parents who first accepted me and it is those values that they passed onto me, so I accepted myself from a very young age.

 

10. I don't see myself as "normal" not because I have Autism but because when you look at it objectively there really is no such thing as normal. Everyone is different and we all have our own unique strengths, weaknesses and kinks. Granted some people have a few more kinks than others but that is what makes the world go round, why do you think so many bronies love Derpy?

 

11. I have had and still have some challenges but I have come way to far to let anything get in my way, I went from a kid who couldn't talk and threw temper tantrums every day at the slightest provocation to a successful adult. It was a tough journey, but it is far from over.

 

12. With the same respect as any other person and with only as much assistance as we require.

 

13. No, not at all there is a lot of pressure to conform in those kind of environments and anyone who is seen as "different" is often singled out. College is a lot easier for many aspies because there is more freedom to choose own path and although there are still some jackasses there are thankfully not as many.

 

14. Most people can't tell I have Autism so I am for the most part treated like anyone else, when I tell people about it a lot of them are surprised.

 

15. Yes, that dosen't mean I will get along with everyone on the spectrum but it does mean that they will understand my challenges more than most people and might relate to what I am going through.

 

16. Yes absolutely there are so many misconceptions about Aspergers and the Autism spectrum as a whole and I am trying my best to do my part to dispell a lot of those misconception and get the truth out there through this book I am writing and through my youtube videos which can be seen here.

 

17. I have already talked about what I can do but even something as simple as just talking to people even if only one person can make a difference.

 

18. People on the Autism spectrum can be intensely focused on particular topics leading them to become very knowledgeable about those topics and could lead to lucrative hubbies and potential careers.

 

19. Difficulties interpreting social cues and norms, numerous sensory issues that can often cause someone to be "overloaded" and occasionally even have melt downs.

 

20. I think most of us can if we are willing to do what we need to do to make it happen and have the right supports.

 

21. Yes, I bite my nails and have a few OCD like tendencies which include most notably an obsession with timing, routines and schedules. I am kind of like Twilight in that regard except not nearly as bad although I used to be even worse than her with that.

 

22. Yes, ponies is an obvious one but I also like cartoons in general especially a lot of the old classics. I like the read, watch things like the Discovery Channel the History Channel (at least back when they remembered they are supposed to be the history channel) and video games to name a few things.

 

23. With training and therapies most people on the Autism spectrum can become successful adults but there will always be some challenges we will have to face due to the way our brains are wired.

Source: Aspergers article