Living for Today

Although I am a spiritual person, I have always liked John Lenon's song Imagine and it's lyrics about "living for today" Some people spend their whole lives saying that things will be better tomorrow, next year, even in the afterlife, but do nothing to make today better. I am not saying that one can solve all the world's problems right now, I am saying that someone can make small immediate differences in their own corner of the universe to make their life happier and less stressful.

Individuals with Asperger syndrome and other disabilities face additional frustrations and challenges when compared to the majority of society. In this post, I am going to focus on how they can make their day to day life easier and how others can be of help to them achieving this.

For Individuals with AS:
1) Try to establish some sort of routine in this often unpredictable world.
2) Have a quiet place, out of the way, where you can go to think or calm down.
3) You don't have to have a busy social life, but make sure you have people you can confide in.
4) Pick career and education options that suit your personality.
5) Don't waste your free time worrying. Make sure you are doing something you enjoy during it, whatever that may be.
6) Conform to society's norms on things that aren't overly important to you. It will result in less ostracism. Save non-conformity for things that really matter to you.
7) Don't set a timetable for your life (e.g. I must graduate in the same year as all my classmates). Take all the time you need.
8) Don't exhaust yourself or set expectations you can't meet to "pass for normal" or "make up for your disability."
9) Focus on your abilities rather than your disabilities.


For individuals who know those with AS:
1) Be friendly with those with AS. Say hello, and take the time to listen to them. You don't have to be their best friend or counsellor though.
2) Be tolerant when individuals with AS make a social faux pas. Don't always assume it's intentional. Let them know discreetly what they did wrong.
3) Let the individual with AS do things differently (e.g. style of clothing) if it is not harming others in any way.
4) Make the individuals with AS aware of their strengths whenever possible.

The Song of September

In a few hours, I will be heading to the first day of my fifth year of university. It has taken me longer to do my degree because I have done a bit of switching around to find the right path to my dream of research in educational psychology. My dream has remained the same, but my direction to get there has changed. Also, the last two years, I have had to reduce my course load due to the onset of anxiety.

However, I continue to love university, especially psychology. My favourite courses I ever took were research methods in psychology, and human neuropsychology.

Throughout my university career, I have attended two institutions: Grant MacEwan, and University of Alberta. Both are excellent in their own way, but Grant MacEwan works better for me due to its small class sizes, less crowded buildings, and more individualized instruction.

I want to thank all the professors and other staff who have encouraged me, let me know when I said or did something socially inappropriate without hurting my dignity, went out of their way to make sure I received my needed accommodations, and fostered my love of learning.

Although there will be bumps along the way, I am looking forward to a happy and successful school year.