Hey, I am a 17 year old from New Zealand. My mother and I have been reading through the symptoms for Aspergers and it sounds rather familiar. Although I don't remember some things ,my Mum does. I developed speech normaly and had/have a very good vocab. although I often don't use it. When I was young I refused to make eye contact, associate with my pairs and smile, I used to throw tantrums, occasionally rock and "watch movies in my head" All my teachers thought I was stupid (although my mum new better), I used to be terrified of going into shops and making phone calls. I was clumsy and unco-ordinated and was never good as sports. Now the most obvious symptoms have dissapeared thanks to my mothers persistance (and my misery, but it was worth it in the end) I learnt to make eye contact and how to smile. Now I am a normal (enough) teenager, who others see as merely clumsy and eccentric and a "Geek". The only problems i have now are that I sometimes don't know what facial expressions to use and when, I can't control the sound of my voice sometimes it's quiet and high sometimes low and croaky, I don't use gestures and don't know what to do with my arms when walking or sitting. I don't feel emotions often and have trouble relating to other people and sometimes hurt their feelings because I lack enthusiasm. Some people see me as rather cold and aloof (I think) I sometimes feel as if I am distant from the world. and I always feel like just an observer, like an alien studying humans.

does this sound like familiar?

-- Rachel (elfie@imladris.net), April 03, 2001