Asperger's: My Life as an Earthbound Alien (CNN article)

Summary:
“Asperger’s: My Life as an Earthbound Alien” is an anonymously written article by a CNN manager. Recently, she learned—at the age of 48—that she has Asperger’s Syndrome. Though she was unaware of the disorder most of her life, she always knew she wasn’t quite like everyone else. In fact, she spent years searching for answers, but her efforts proved fruitless. It wasn’t until she was received an assignment to research autism that she finally uncovered the truth. Like many Aspergians, she has an extensive vocabulary and an uninflected way of speaking. On account of her disorder, her senses are intensified, especially in regards to lights, noises, textures, and smells; she is so sensitive to touch that a tickle brings her pain. Also due to her Asperger’s, she is frequently accused of lacking a sense of humor. This is a misconception, for most Aspergians tend to take things very literally and overlook the subtle humor present in everyday conversations. Though her Asperger’s—at times—proves to be problematic, she has been blessed with an understanding best friend and a patient, loving husband, which is all she really needs.

Response:
“Asperger’s: My life as an Earthbound alien” is a fantastic and informative article. I am amazed by how I have been able to find such a variety of great sources. When I first started this project, I assumed that most of my sources would be repetitive, but so far, I have been proved wrong. This article presented me with new bits of information that none of my others sources even mentioned, and if the information was mentioned, the other sources did not go into as much detail as this one did. For example, the narrator of this article explains the extent of her sensitivity to touch. She explains, “I am so sensitive to touch that a tickle hurts me” (“Aspergers: My Life”). I was surprised when I read that, for it is hard to comprehend how a tickle can hurt you. Another thing that she went into detail on was her approach towards small talk; on account of her Asperger’s, she doesn’t quite understand the concept of it. For example, she explains, “At meetings, I launch into business without the social acknowledgments” (“Asperger’s: My Life”). Because of this, she sometimes comes off as rude. Not only do I like how detailed she was in explaining her symptoms, but I also like how her Asperger’s is apparent in her writing. For example, she explains—due to her Asperger’s—she has an extensive vocabulary, and it is definitely obvious in her writing. She used words such as “soliloquize” and “solecisms” (“Asperger’s: My Life”). Because of this, I had to rely on my abilities with context clues to get me through the article. All in all, I thought this was a very interesting and informative article.

“Asperger’s: My Life as an Earthbound Alien.” CNN. 3 March 2008. 2 April 2009.