i stepped into this forum because for some strange reason, i'm attached to anyone who has asperger's syndrome or autistism spectrum disorders. i know no one with asperger's or autism. i was born almost totally deaf. i was raised in the hearing world, taught how to speak without being taught any sign language. i speak very well for a deaf person, and i can lip-read up to a point, depending on the individual speaker. it's funny when i read about autism and asperger's because it always makes me wonder about myself. of course, while growing up, i was aphasic in most of my dreams instead of being deaf. i know aphasia is not really a part of autism or asperger's. i've had depression that's treatment-resistant since i was 20 (i'm 35 now). the funniest thing was when i read into the experience of an autistic person's life, i totally identified with the person. it's rare for me to experience an overload (i've experienced this since i was 20). those overloads are usually sensory-related. it's strange to me. of course, i'm not trying to diagnose myself. anyway, docs gave me a very wide variety of misdiagnosis. so i just keep wondering, still. so, am i weird or just plain curious? a lot of people sure don't understand me. it's ironic.