I Have Asperger's

I've heard a lot of people say "You don't seem like you have Aspergers."  (To which I have finally just started to reply "What is Aspergers supposed to look like?"  either that or, if I'm feeling lazy, I say "I know".)  When I tell people the things that bother me, like certain sounds (lawn mowers and chain saws or weed-whackers) people say "lot's of people don't like those sounds".  As if they are trying to say that I'm so called "normal" and that many people feel the same way I do about things.  But they don't understand. 

When I say that the sound of a weed-whacker bothers me, I don't mean that it's just something that annoys me, like many people feel.  What I mean is that if I don't close the windows, turn on my sound soother, listen to music, or somehow get AWAY from that noise, my stress level will go through the roof and I will 10x more likely to have a meltdown.  I have yet to see someone who doesn't have Aspergers shut the window on a beautiful day JUST because of the sound of a weed-whacker down the street, let alone have a meltdown if they DON'T shut the window.

So yes, in some ways, I am like other people.  In fact, in many ways, OTHER PEOPLE are LIKE ME!  However, it's the idea of how severely the situations effect me that differs from how they effect many neuro-typical people.