The Asperger’s Academy

Since the beginning of time, us humans have been evolving to the point that we’re all not the same as one another, where several of us are born with “Disabilities” to the point where we’re not all raised the same, some of us act different, look  & even talk different, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that there's anything wrong with us. For a long time, people have used the term “Autistic” as a synonym of a disease or scourge when, in reality, it's nowhere near it. There are many stereotypes out there about autism, most of them are wrong, I’m going to try to explain to you what autism, and especially Asperger’s syndrome, really is - For I, “Ethan Stranger”, am a guy who has struggled with Asperger’s and what people think about it throughout my entire life.

I’m going to address this using my own life experience. When 1st learning that you suffer Asperger’s, you probably think that you are a “Full-on autistic child”, however you feel the same like everybody else, but secretly you feel different (on the inside) from the other kids, as you see your differences and imperfections as weaknesses (instead of actual real strengths), you slowly tend to struggle with some of them, specifically social skills, where often you can go on & on about something & or your bubbly attitude makes others feel uncomfortable & want to slowly walk away from you. Another common sign that you have Asperger’s is picking up social cues, for not everybody with Asperger’s is good at picking these up, for example, I remember a time in which I didn’t follow or remember many social cues, causing others to eventually leave me alone. You try to make up for this through your intelligence, passion and other strengths, but sometimes you’ll feel like the world is against you and that everyone is turning their backs on you - remember, this is not necessarily true, most likely, you’re surrounded by people who love and care about you, just that you’re not able to see it at the time.

Many of you might be thinking, “But Ethan Stranger, there must be a CURE out there!”. Hold your horses, remember, autism, Asperger's syndrome, they’re not diseases, so there can’t actually be a cure out there. We’re just people that sometimes interact differently and maybe even act funny (according to others), because of this, we might need some help along the way! There are many ways of doing this, but the best way to help those with Asperger’s (or any other difficulties) is by simply talking about your situation with people that you trust: family, friends, teachers, and professionals can be a great help! 

I’ve learned, over many moons, that it's important to learn from our mistakes in order to take control over our lives. All of your frustration, anger, and sadness can be, if used in a positive way, very useful in improving ourselves and keep growing, always moving forwards. I did find a lot of help in getting pointers from people (ie: a therapist, friend, etc.) who’s dealt with these sorts of difficulties millions of times (over & over again), plus (if you're lucky) the therapist that you’re seeing can also become your “Special Friend”, for he or she understands your pain & can guide you through it, for only you need to over conquer your fears & frustrations of having Asperger’s.

You can tell, from the title of this post, that I’m a big fan of comics, I also love movies and series. One of the things that have been going through my head, of late, is: How awesome would it be if people with different abilities could have a place to belong, like the ones we can find in “Marvel’s X-Men”, for (in the Comics) they can always count on the X-Mansion. However, after giving it much thought, our friends and family are kind of our own “X-Mansion”, don't be afraid to ask for help if you feel that you need it. 

I hope that in the future, “Neurotypical people'' have a better understanding of how to treat people with Asperger’s. We want to be a part of our worldwide community, we want to be productive and we want to share all of our passions with the world.  Plus I hope to see more of “Autism-related Cartoon Characters” so that we can form a larger sense of belonging in our community.

A perfect example is “Princess Entrapta (From Netflix’s She-Ra)”, to learn more about her Autism Story, read here: https://www.cbr.com/she-ra-entrapta-autistic-representation-matters/

I’d do anything to date someone like Entrapta in Real-life (or somebody a fan of this character)! For she may struggle with Autism as many of us do, but she’s portrayed in a smart, funny, and unique way. Plus her hair’s Purple (for I like purple, a LOT). 

 This is Ethan Stranger! Signing off.