I know my viewpoint is very controversial among many members of the Asperger's Community. The fact is, I got the diagnosis when I was thirteen. At the time, the "T" was the first person in the area to have read the recently translated papers about Asperger's. That's a tale for another day, but the point is, I've never put as much stock in the diagnosis as others have and I still don't.

I see a lot of people making statements like, "I can't control my Asperger's." Or, "Your Asperger's is making you do this."

But when you look at all of the "symptoms" of Asperger's what you have is basically a series of traits. Some of those traits are more prominent than others. And I respect everyone's viewpoint. If you feel that Asperger's is something you can't control, I don't discount your personal feelings about this.

However, I have trained myself to get certain aspects of my behavior under control because there were things I wanted in life and I knew I couldn't have them if I didn't learn to control those other things.

For those of you who do feel this is a "disability" it might help if you see it this way. A list of traits that when combined can be described by the term "Asperger's". That empowers you to see which of those traits you can take control of by yourself and which ones you may need outside help for.

This is not an easy way of thinking, because it puts responsibility in your lap. It forces you to take control of your own progress and development. But it has worked out for me in the long run and I hope it gives you something to think about.