It’s been a while since I wrote about Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome…and I have been reminded quite powerfully in the last 24 hours that, yes indeed, I am still an Aspie.
First came the sugar crash yesterday afternoon. I ate two cookies plus trail mix with M&Ms. Yuck! By dinner time, I was dragging my sorry tail into the apartment without a clue as to what to cook for dinner. Hubby saw that overwhelmed and deflated look and jumped in to rescue me. He can make some seriously good tuna mac ‘n cheese. Then I spaced out in front of the computer, to escape from what I know is Executive Command Dysfunction.
Every so often, maybe twice a month, I get this overwhelmed-ness with even basic tasks. If I am tired or sugar-whacked, this exacerbates the underlying issue of my Autism. Most people operate with a running hierarchy of to-do lists in their minds, or on a palm pilot or 3×5 card. I, and many folks with ASD, have a different operating system to handle daily tasks, or seemingly very little system at all.
When I walk through my apartment door, like last night, I immediately see all the things I need to do…but I cannot see where to begin. All the tasks hit me at once as intensely and immediately important. For instance, the disorderly bookshelf is as blaring, let’s say, as the cat barf ten paces ahead on the carpet. Of course, I have enough functioning to take care of the yack first, but the books are still right there almost screaming at me to straighten them out. And then the kitchen table wasn’t wiped in the morning…and the dishes were not washed…and the cat water/food/box needs freshening…and the half dozen unfinished sewing and knitting projects…and the 8 books I am reading….
THEY ALL NEED DONE, NOW!
You would want to hide behind a computer monitor, too.
Since my diagnosis last summer, I have made some baby steps (Bob, I love it!) in recognizing when and how these types of shut downs happen. I can cogitate on the problem…but have not made many strides (as in the article) on how to corral the haywire Executive Command.
Got some suggestions? Questions?
