The "A" word

Autism is a provocative word. Its stories move us. Its controversies anger, frustrate, and confuse us. Its capacity to change our lives frightens us. And all the while, its mysteries intrigue us.

Asperger's Syndrome (AS) also tends to provoke different reactions, but, being one of autism's milder manifestations, the reactions tend to be less charged. Most people probably just get an image in their head of a computer nerd with bad manners and marginal hygeine who can give a detailed account of every single episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and speak fluent Klingon but who is clueless when it comes to romance (which, come to think of it, could make for a potentially funny rom-com in the right hands), or a ten-year-old kid with glasses and a briefcase reciting memorized train schedules, or Stephen Harper.

To those of us who have AS though, it incites everything from pride to agony. Controversies abound in the AS community over whether or not to pursue a cure and how much we should adapt to fit in. Since aspies have a way of being quite blunt, discussions can be very heated. Angry essays are constructed, complete with citations for an extra strong defense. Obscure and/or archaic insults are hurled at it like so many projectiles at a trebuchet demonstration at the Renaissance Faire.

I've decided to talk about my own experiences with AS from time to time on this blog, especially the sometimes challenging and often unexpectedly rewarding experience of being an aspie Christian. And, occasionally, I'll jump into the fray and discuss some of the wider issues surrounding AS and autism. It often generates a lot of heat, but hey, that's what the blogosphere is for. Though perhaps the readership of this humble blog will never extend beyond the occasional visitor who does what I do when I'm bored at work 2 a.m and clicks "next blog" for an hour. In any event, it should be fun.