Since the reception of my official diagnosis in 2014, I have heard many irrelevant comments about my Asperger’s syndrome, and autism in general. For example, a former social worker in Rimouski already told me that I should put more effort into integrating with my ‘neurotypical’ fellows, for I belong to only 1% of the population since my condition renders me ‘neuroatypical.’

 

‘Neuroatypical’ is a term which describes “[ways] of processing information … in a way that differs from the typical – sometimes called ‘neurotypical.’” (Sarah Hendricks, Chap. 1). Since, the prefix neuro means ‘brain’ and ‘typical’ implies normal, the term ‘neurotypical’ does not apply to any person whose brain is altered by a specific condition. Thus, people with autistic spectrum disorders, dyslexia and obsessive-compulsive disorders, for instance, all make up the category of people whose brains are said to be ‘neuroatypical.’ It has been estimated that 1 out of 68 children has one of the autistic spectrum disorders in the US, while this ratio is 1 out of 126 children in the province of Quebec (Québec Science 21), and this is why the social worker made such a comment, but her comment has infuriated me. Not only was it a social worker who asserted that, but these ratios also only apply to children. Many adults have autistic spectrum disorders (including Asperger’s syndrome), but they mostly remain silent about their condition. They may often fear to be victims of more bullying, as mentioned by Hazel Pottage, “I was bullied severely throughout my life in both junior school and senior school.” (Pottage, Chap. 3). I also experienced that treatment from my peers throughout my elementary school and high school years.

 

So, why would I be interested in incorporating into this neurotypical society? I still suffer from the psychological and physical violence of my early years. I do not know how to control my affection or to repair friendships successfully. There is also the phrase ‘for, I belong to only 1% of the population’ which annoys me enormously. Why should I be the only one making those efforts?

 

This social worker’s comment and other comments such as ‘vaccines may give autism’ or ‘we found a pill to cure autism’ only indicate to me that the neurotypical society is always trying to impose its culture on people with ASD – in my case, Asperger’s syndrome – as though Asperger’s were a dangerous disease; as though everyone had to think similarly. First, it is not a disease, it is a neurological condition, since it alters “three main developmental areas: … social skills … communication, and restricted behaviour.” (Rita Carter, 241). Asperger’s syndrome modifies the ways the brain of a person understands the world, and it cannot be cured, and must it be cured, anyway? I have started using this example to show the difference between a disease and my syndrome. If, for instance, a scientist created a special device to bring people back to life, he could then try it out on a person who died from cancer, and on a person with Asperger’s. After being brought back to life, the former would probably no longer have cancer, since cancer cannot survive without living cells. Once its host has died, the cancer also dies out, since it cannot infect living cells any longer. On the other hand, the person with Asperger’s syndrome would still have the condition, since AS touches the person’s neurones.

 

Personally, I cannot say that my condition is only a bad thing, though. Apart from my meltdowns and impairments with social skills, which can be problematic sometimes, I think my condition improves my memory skills, my focus, my analytical skills as well as my attention to details, as Tony Atwood points out, “The child’s [and adult’s] ‘encyclopaedic’ knowledge can become quite remarkable and he or she is … eager to read about [his or her field of interest].” He also adds that their attention span and their attention to details are quite impressive when Aspies are engaged in their special interests (180)[1]. I like thinking that Asperger’s could be of great help to society if the neurotypical society truly acknowledged it as a strength.

 

Moreover, I can create some funny moments. For example, I was with one of my friends, and we had just finished our supper. I excused myself to go to bathroom, and when I got up to go, my friend asked me to put the burning piece of wood he was holding in the bathroom. He brought it from Mexico, and when this wood burns, it creates a very nice scent. I said ok and threw it into the toilet, while my friend was doing something else. A bit later, he also went to bathroom, and asked me what I had done. I did not understand his question and just responded that I did what he had asked me to do; however, he actually wanted me to put it on the toilet. We laughed for at least 15 minutes. This is what happened. My friend and I speak French; it is our native language. In Quebecois French, he asked me this, “Dom, peux-tu mettre ce morceau de bois dans la toilette, s’il te plaît!” In Quebecois French, toilette can also be used to refer to a bathroom, and Antoine used the preposition dans, which created confusion. His sentence could then be translated as, “Dom, could you put this stick of wood into the toilet, please?” into English. In addition, I could not hear his sentence properly due to surrounding noise.

 

During our reciprocal laughter, I said to him that he just had to choose another preposition, and I would have understood better. Antoine laughed too much to be angry at my action and even acknowledged that my strategy also worked out! People with Asperger’s tend to make literal interpretation, and this anecdote is the best and funniest I can remember of my tendency to make literal interpretations! Other comments I often have to put up with are “You’re not a diagnosis, you’re a human being.”; “You’re just more than a person having AS”; “you should not associate yourself with your disease …” Here is how I interpret these sentences. In my opinion, these sentences only serve to oppress my way of thinking, so that I share the thoughts of those neurotypical people. Although they may not agree with my ways of thinking, I am glad that my neurotypical friends do not tell me such silly things.

 

As for me, the diagnosis is the paper on which the psychiatrist wrote that I had been living with AS for 27 years, and I acknowledge that; however, Asperger’s is a part of me. It is in my personality, and I do not say to vegetarian people that they should be meat-eaters because of our evolution as a specie, that their food choice is not a natural one for us, humans! I was diagnosed only in my early adulthood. In fact, I was diagnosed on May 1st 2014. I had been quite sick throughout my childhood (i.e. from my birth to the end of high school). I suffered from epilepsy and an allergy to lactose at birth; I had several otitis without mentioning AGAIN the several years of bullying, intimidation and psychological, physical and moral violence I had to go through at that time. Besides, the Quebec psychologist Isabelle Hénault already said that 70% of people with autistic spectrum disorders – autism and Asperger’s included – suffer from bullying at school due to their social, behavioural and emotional immaturity. (Québec Science, 31). I also met with several health specialists, including neurologists, audiologists, speech therapists, rhino laryngologists and two psychiatrists, prior to my diagnosis. Still, none of these claimed specialists had been able to diagnose me.

 

Surprisingly, it was an English teacher I had in CEGEP who first told me the likelihood of my having Asperger’s syndrome in 2012. I then started doing research on my own, quickly realising that she was right, and I eventually met with my third psychiatrist at the hospital of Rimouski after having experienced suicidal delusions. She believed in what my English teacher had previously said, and she and an intern diagnosed me on May 1st 2014. Being an Aspie is an identity I quickly embraced after my diagnosis, and I now describe myself as a fierce activist of the benefits of Asperger’s syndrome.

 

Next, what are ‘you’re just more than a person with AS’ and ‘you should not associate yourself with your disease’ supposed to mean?

 

First of all, I think I have clearly stated that Asperger’s is not a disease, but a neurological condition which changes the ways my brain interprets and understands our world. These ways are not negative; they are just different from the ‘typical.’ As far as I know, our brains are a very important part of ourselves, aren’t they? So, I cannot understand the antagonism about my associating myself with Asperger’s. Asperger’s people tend to be very honest, loyal, focused in their fields of interest, attentive to details, generous and perfectionist. Isabelle Hénault even adds, “People with Asperger’s have very great personalities. They are generous, without ‘filter’; they do not know how to lie. I admire these people, who have a resilience and a strength which inspire me.” (author’s translation, 33). So, once again, why should I not associate myself with that condition?

 

Finally, I could go on and on about that topic, and my syndrome is one of my interests, too. However, I can draw parallels between the unjustified comments I can hear about my syndrome and the notions we have studied in class about hegemony. This text you have just read, for instance, could be an example of cultural resistance.

 

 

 

[1] Both the quotation and the paraphrasing can be found on p. 180 of Tony Attwood’s book The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome.

 

 

 

Notes

 

1. ‘Aspie’ is a colloquial term to describe people with Asperger’s syndrome.

 

2. AS is a way to refer to Asperger’s syndrome to avoid being too redundant in the text.

 

3. ASD refers to the autistic spectrum disorders as written in the DSM 5, which is the 5th edition of the American Diagnostic and       Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 

 

4. The ‘author’s translation’ phrase means that the author of this text himself made the translation from French into English. The original version of that sentence is, “Les Aspergers ont de très belles personnalités. Ils sont généreux, sans filtre; ils ne savent pas mentir. Ce sont des gens que j’admire, qui ont une résilience et une force qui m’inspire.” (Québec Science, 31).

 

5. This text is in the MLA format.

 

6. When I met with this psychiatrist at Rimouski, I was with my mother. My mother told her about my childhood experiences.