The truth is I have never been properly assessed, but if I were to have been properly assessed and a percentage added as part of that assessment, I would estimate that I am 70% mentally and 30% physically disabled.
Autism and Asperger's
Although I have never highlighted or thought about autism and Asperger's as part of my disability I deal with both. I make what I deal with look easy, the key difference being I have learned to adapt and conceal some of my symptoms, including my inability to feel, which comes from my brain damage with the cerebral cortex, where both my emotions and my learning ability are impaired.
Seeing my 'mental' struggles
When I look back, putting everything into place, it is easy to see my mental struggles. It’s irritating, because I can equate all my struggles, and nothing was done about it and still I continued to struggle.
Failing to learn even the basics
My mental disability comes from my inability to grasp even the basics of learning. The way I am able to write, makes my disability look easy, but in real life, it's not easy. It would take me until my mid 30’s to understand, or know how to bring in my intuition and use my gut instinct. Those now help with my understanding and my learning.
I try to focus on the detail
When it comes to conversations, I focus on getting the facts right, literal and noticing and recalling details of who said what and when, the details tend to have to be exact. It’s not something I see in myself but recalled through others. My past memories on conversations are exceptional and recalled as they happened.
Anxiety and Autism
Anxiety is common with people with autism and I have been dealing with anxiety since I was a small child. I still struggle with anxiety today, made easier through my blog. Through work on myself I find it easier to deal with anxiety.
My Black and White thinking
I have also learned what I need to prioritise, what I need to talk about and what I can let go of. Everything is black and white. Something either makes sense and it works, or it doesn’t work and I let go. The grey area is my lack of being able to understand, and it's that which causes anxiety.
The 30% belongs to my physical disability and includes balance, movement, co-ordination, muscle tone and leg length. Now when you add everything up, it sums me up in its entirety.
Being able to ascribe a % to your emotional and your physical disabilities is helpful, as it will settle in your mind the various symptoms you exhibit and helpful to others to understand how you present.
It's not always easy to understand where there is a main diagnosis and other co-existing conditions which may not readily be obvious.
I am pleased that you are able to blog about this and for people to more fully understand you, rather than judge you.
Thanks. I am better for knowing. Yes, for others to understand and not judge would be good! I've only ever known judgment but it's usually done in a lack of tolerance and patient way on how I present.
But it's important others understand what we deal with no matter the disability. I believe this is one of the reasons why there are still stigmas around disability.
Sometimes we're not always treat nicely, truth be told.