Steve – Interview 37
Steve and his son have been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Steve is studying for a degree in autism using distance learning and has heightened sensory sensitivities and some OCD traits.
Steven is married and has one son, aged 9. Both Steven and his son were diagnosed with Asperger syndrome three years ago; and Steven was relieved to understand why he feels and behaves the way he does. He and his son have similar behaviours, like prowling up and down a lot, always knowing that they are right, being literal, heightened hearing and smell and some OCD traits. For example, for Steven, the number seven is yellow, the letter A is red and M is a mucky green colour which smells of petrol.
Steven has always tried to fit in, which is hard work. It is tiring trying to understand people. He finds that neurotypical people are not ordered and he thrives on order. For Steven, every day is like the experiencing a job interview fifty times over and while he might get used to a situation, it doesn’t mean that he likes it.
Steven likes having Asperger syndrome and thinks people with AS have contributed a lot to society. He feels that people with ASD’s can learn from neurotypical people and vice versa but barriers need to be removed to enable this.
Steven has various special interests (which his partner calls obsessions) and he spends a lot of time on these. He is studying for a degree in autism by distance learning and likes interacting on electronic forums. Because computers are predictable he is very comfortable usingthem, rather than physically interacting with people.
He is concerned that his son is not fully supported at school because teachers generally are not given appropriate training to enable this. He says couldn’t do anything without his partner and values all she does for him and their son.