Personal Narrative: Asperger Syndrome
With heavily lidded eyes, I pushed the start button on the coffee maker. Glancing at the digital clock on the oven 4:03 A.M. flashed at me in green LED letters. Closing at work seemed to take exceptionally long the night before, probably due to the upcoming holiday season. At least reorganizing the shelves was therapeutic to my detail-oriented nature. With a sigh, I began to make space to do homework on the cluttered kitchen table. Sluggishly pulling out my calculus book from my bag, I paused for a moment. When was the last time we had a family dinner together? When I was twelve? Fourteen, maybe? As the warm aroma of coffee filled the small kitchen, I shook my head and stood up to make my daily cup of Joe.
“Have you ever hear of Asperger Syndrome?”, my doctor directed the question at my father who nodded in confirmation as if he expected that question. My heart dropped. Syndrome? I had a disability? No, there is no way. The kids at school already saw me as a social pariah due to my exceptional math skills and weird accent I had due to not correctly pronounce r’s. The last thing I needed was another thing to alienate myself from my peers, therefore I made a pact with my sixth-grade self to never let anyone find out. …show more content…
Sitting in a hospital room at 2:27 A.M.
was not how I imagined having a life changing revelation. It was sophomore year and my mother was lying in a hospital bed after suffering from a stroke. Her doctor explained to us how her mental battle with bipolar worsening could have been one of several causes of having a stroke this early in her life, and after she recovers her mental state will only decline. I drowned out the discussion of my father and doctor on possible treatment paths as I slipped into my mind. Not once has my family discussed my mother’s disability openly, nonetheless mine. It seemed to be the Helms family way of thinking when it came to dealing with anything, whether it’s monetary or health issues. And maybe that was our
problem.
Several effects followed that night. My mother eventually could no longer work a regular job because her battle with mental illness became her full-time job. Money was tight before, thus to make ends meet, I had to pick up extra shifts at work to help my family. My family responsibilities increased tenfold. My siblings depended heavily on me for things from taking them to school to making them dinner.
One positive emerged from the situation: my acceptance of having Asperger's. The relief I felt to find that there were people like me was astounding. Being an"Aspie" did not mean I was incapable to function in everyday life, I simply had issues in social interactions. However, my unique brains structure is like a super power. The way I think lets me see things differently than other people can. Or I may not see what other people see, but I often pick up on things they miss.
Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all the others”. After embracing being an "Aspie", I felt a confidence in myself I did not have before. I always felt I was destined for great things, but it was not until I saw how capable I was that I was able to amaze myself. Once I was able to find the courage in myself to accept and understand my disability, I was able to be successful.
“Have you ever hear of Asperger Syndrome?”, my doctor directed the question at my father who nodded in confirmation as if he expected that question. My heart dropped. Syndrome? I had a disability? No, there is no way. The kids at school already saw me as a social pariah due to my exceptional math skills and weird accent I had due to not correctly pronounce r’s. The last thing I needed was another thing to alienate myself from my peers, therefore I made a pact with my sixth-grade self to never let anyone find out. …show more content…
Sitting in a hospital room at 2:27 A.M.
was not how I imagined having a life changing revelation. It was sophomore year and my mother was lying in a hospital bed after suffering from a stroke. Her doctor explained to us how her mental battle with bipolar worsening could have been one of several causes of having a stroke this early in her life, and after she recovers her mental state will only decline. I drowned out the discussion of my father and doctor on possible treatment paths as I slipped into my mind. Not once has my family discussed my mother’s disability openly, nonetheless mine. It seemed to be the Helms family way of thinking when it came to dealing with anything, whether it’s monetary or health issues. And maybe that was our
problem.
Several effects followed that night. My mother eventually could no longer work a regular job because her battle with mental illness became her full-time job. Money was tight before, thus to make ends meet, I had to pick up extra shifts at work to help my family. My family responsibilities increased tenfold. My siblings depended heavily on me for things from taking them to school to making them dinner.
One positive emerged from the situation: my acceptance of having Asperger's. The relief I felt to find that there were people like me was astounding. Being an"Aspie" did not mean I was incapable to function in everyday life, I simply had issues in social interactions. However, my unique brains structure is like a super power. The way I think lets me see things differently than other people can. Or I may not see what other people see, but I often pick up on things they miss.
Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all the others”. After embracing being an "Aspie", I felt a confidence in myself I did not have before. I always felt I was destined for great things, but it was not until I saw how capable I was that I was able to amaze myself. Once I was able to find the courage in myself to accept and understand my disability, I was able to be successful.