Overcoming Personal Challenge
Overcoming a Personal Challenge
When someone has a personal challenge, it makes it difficult at times to achieve success. It is not always easy for me to achieve success in life because I have a mild form of autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome affects many areas of my life. First, it affects my ability to learn, making success in school a struggle. Next, Asperger’s interferes with the ability to understand social situations, making success at work difficult. In addition, this disability affects the ability to communicate with others in personal relationships. I feel I have overcome many of the difficulties associated with my disability and have already achieved success in many areas of my life. One area that Asperger’s Syndrome affects for me is learning. Although I have a photographic memory and superb mathematical skills, abstract ideas are difficult for me. I taught myself to read at three years old, but I did not always understand what I was reading. Writing was difficult for two reasons. First, the physical act of writing was difficult due to fine motor skill deficits that made handwriting and printing hard. Using a keyboard eliminates this problem. Second, Asperger’s Syndrome affects expressive language, so expressing ideas has been a struggle. I read a story and understand the facts, but the “big idea” often eludes me. Despite these learning disabilities, I graduated in the top fifteen percent of my high school class, a member of the National Honor Society, and received the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship for Advanced and Proficient MCAS scores. In addition to learning, work is not always easy for me, and I have to try harder than most employees. I am a part-time cashier at Stop-and-Shop where I interact with customers and colleagues. Asperger’s’ affects the ability to understand social cues and acquire social skills such as being able to read body language, and start or maintain conversations. I may appear to
When someone has a personal challenge, it makes it difficult at times to achieve success. It is not always easy for me to achieve success in life because I have a mild form of autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome affects many areas of my life. First, it affects my ability to learn, making success in school a struggle. Next, Asperger’s interferes with the ability to understand social situations, making success at work difficult. In addition, this disability affects the ability to communicate with others in personal relationships. I feel I have overcome many of the difficulties associated with my disability and have already achieved success in many areas of my life. One area that Asperger’s Syndrome affects for me is learning. Although I have a photographic memory and superb mathematical skills, abstract ideas are difficult for me. I taught myself to read at three years old, but I did not always understand what I was reading. Writing was difficult for two reasons. First, the physical act of writing was difficult due to fine motor skill deficits that made handwriting and printing hard. Using a keyboard eliminates this problem. Second, Asperger’s Syndrome affects expressive language, so expressing ideas has been a struggle. I read a story and understand the facts, but the “big idea” often eludes me. Despite these learning disabilities, I graduated in the top fifteen percent of my high school class, a member of the National Honor Society, and received the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship for Advanced and Proficient MCAS scores. In addition to learning, work is not always easy for me, and I have to try harder than most employees. I am a part-time cashier at Stop-and-Shop where I interact with customers and colleagues. Asperger’s’ affects the ability to understand social cues and acquire social skills such as being able to read body language, and start or maintain conversations. I may appear to