The following is an article which was recently posted in the Banbury Cake, a British newspaper. I'm sure it was the personal side of this story which really appealed to me. Seeing how Sarah's difficulties followed her into adulthood, and how she's coped, has given me a better idea of what types of challenges might lie ahead for Jordan. My thanks to Emily Allen for allowing me to share this story with you.
Asperger’s diagnosis helped things ‘make sense’
10:58am Thursday 9th September 2010
By Emily Allen
SARAH Hewitt always felt like an outsider at school.
She was disruptive, found it difficult to make friendships, and for years she wondered why she did not fit in.To escape the confusion and angst which beset her days at Bloxham School, she would immerse herself in music, and excelled at the clarinet and saxophone.
It was not until she was 26 that doctors diagnosed her with Asperger Syndrome (AS), after her mother Sue suspected her daughter’s social difficulties were not normal.
Mrs Hewitt, who is married to 45-year-old property developer Chris Liversedge, said the diagnosis changed her life, and helped save her relationship.
Asperger Syndrome is a form of autism, a life-long and incurable disability which affects how a person makes sense of the world, processes information and relates to other people.
Mrs Hewitt, who now lives in Stanton Harcourt, said: “Some things had been going wrong for years, and my mum said she thought I had a chemical inbalance.
“I had difficulties in social situations and managing relationships.
“When you get older, children are expected to become more responsible and learn how to interact with other people and how to empathise, but I did not.”
Around 588,000 people in the UK are thought to suffer from some type of autism including Asperger’s, but only one in five are female. Diagnosis so late in life is also rare, with many youngsters showing signs from the age of two-years-old.
Mrs Hewitt added: “I would get left behind in conversations and I could not master the skill of making people feel good about themselves or comfortable with me in their company.
“I was too honest about things, I did not learn to ‘white lie’. I was very blunt with people and didn’t realise what I was saying would cause offence.
“My sister and her friends in Stratford always spoke of someone called ‘Orange John’. I really offended him when I met him, as I said: ‘You must be Orange John’ and I did not understand that was not what everyone really called him.”
The 33-year-old dropped out of Goldsmith’s University after a term, and began a cycle of different jobs, all of which she said ended after relations with her colleagues deteriorated.
She has maintained her current role as a senior technical consultant for BT thanks to the support of the company and the National Autistic Society employment arm Prospects.
She said: “When I was diagnosed, it really helped, things made sense. It really helped my relationship with my parents and sister, they realised I wasn’t a nutcase, but that my brain was wired differently.
“I do not know if my relationship with Chris would have lasted had I not been diagnosed. He understands it now and my differences. He knows if I am behaving strangely I am not doing it intentionally. He is a very patient man.”
She admits although she has become more aware of herself, she still struggles with ‘meaningless small talk’ and is dogged by obsessive behaviour – both typical characteristics if people with AS.
She added: “The difficulty is, it is so invisible, AS does not affect intelligence or the way you look.
“It can be very difficult because people expect you to be the same as them and operate in the same manner, but there are subtle differences which can surprise people.”
For help and advice on dealing with autism or Asperger’s call the National Autistic Society call 0845 070 4004.
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
Posted with permission from Emily Allen.
