I was diagnosed autistic at the age of four... though my father didn't tell me until last year. My son has asperger's syndrome. I'm still considered by my psychiatrist to be on the autistic spectrum, although I'm so verbal that she says it's hard to spot. I do get completely obsessed and can talk on endlessly about my special interests. Sometimes it's like I'm sitting next to myself, and this person is just spewing out facts and figures (usually linguistics, or religion, history or literature) and I just can't stop. It even embarasses me, and I still go on and on. Doesn't happen online so much because I can edit myself... still I completely sympathise with my son's social problems because I can remember so clearly what that felt like. I hope he doesn't inherit the rest of my problems.