Congratulations! It's Asperger Syndrome by Jen Birch Early on, Birch learned not to talk about her passions. Where other girls were interested in dolls or cooking or boys, Jennifer was interested in poultry. When her father died, Jennifer was 11 years old, with no one to talk to. She became very depressed and upset following the death of her father. She also believes that her father's death stunted her sexual growth. After she completed high school, Birch knew that she was not mature enough to go on to study at a university. Instead she took a job as a library assistant, working with books. Jen grew progressively more and more tired, and finally her mother took her to a doctor, where she was diagnosed with myxoedema. As the myxoedema was treated, Birch found that she was more able to join others' world, but was increasingly aware that she was still very different. This lead to much soul searching, and she decided, based on her discomfort with gender, that she was lesbian. This turned out not to be true. Through much soul searching, job changes, etcetera, Jennifer could not find the place where she fit in. While attending university in her 40s, Birch attended seminars which seemed interesting. One was about a developmental disorder called Asperger Syndrome. It described her perfectly! She obtained an official diagnosis and began volunteering at Autism NZ, which she continued doing until she got a job which took over her time. Getting a diagnosis explained a lot for Birch and she feels that getting a diagnosis opened new doors for her.
Happy reading.
