Though it can be inspirational to hear that a celebrity has Asperger’s, it tends to be more annoying than anything else. Especially in the cases where someone admits it and was diagnosed long ago, but hasn’t come out and said it until now.
There are a lot of breakthroughs being made in autism research, and psychologists are starting to understand it more and more. I feel it’s become “mainstream”, even. The diagnosis rate is going up, and people are either getting diagnosed as adults or coming out and saying they’ve had it all their lives.As inspirational as that can be, again, it is also annoying to me. It’s like saying that these famous people were afraid of what that fact would do to their image when they were becoming famous. Like having Asperger’s was a really bad thing. Now that being diagnosed with ASD is actually becoming “popular”, it’s no longer a bad thing. So they can come out and say it without fear of people treating them like a leper.
At least, that’s the impression I got. I never once was ashamed of my diagnosis, and never tried to hide it. Sure, I’m not famous, but if actually could sing or act, I’d say it from the start that I have ASD.
As soon as I was diagnosed, I told everyone, because it suddenly felt like there were explanations for my behavior. I wasn’t using it for popularity, nor was I afraid that it was “uncool” or “cool” to have it.
by Nikki J
Nikki is the creator of the webcomic “AuTalkz”. She has Asperger’s Syndrome and found relief from panic attacks by doodling. Nikki wanted to make a comic which went back to the “bare basics” of past comics: ones l like Calvin & Hobbes which could teach lessons and procure laughter without the use of bad language and-or graphic violence….she called this comic strip “AuTalkz“. “The idea was for the opinions and comedy to come from the viewpoint of someone with ASD. I decided to branch out and do something I’ve always wanted to do: Help people understand autism. My hope is that my comic can help promote understanding, particularly teachers who have students on the spectrum, parents who have children on the spectrum, and even kids and workers who have classmates and co-workers on the spectrum”. We would agree and are proud to feature Nikki and her fabulous work, AuTalkz, on aspergers101.com