Chris Packham's witness statement, Part 4: I either love or hate something - it is either right or wrong

                                          

Chris Packham - Asperger's has its positives as well as its negatives (photo: BBC)

In the witness statement presented during his ongoing defamation case at the High Court in London, refers to his behavioural disorder, Asperger's syndrome, which he is mostly able to mask. He also makes the point that people with such conditions can become  "incredibly creative, inventive and influential". See also previous blogs.

I raise my Asperger’s syndrome as it is an important feature of my life.

It is also one that has been repeatedly picked upon by the Defendants in their publications.

Although the term 'Asperger’s' is no longer used in Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis, I, like many others, choose to retain it as it helps to categorise my ‘type’ of autism. 

Although I had been aware  (through discussions with healthcare professionals) since the early 'nineties of the possibility that I was autistic), I was only diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in my forties. 

I disguised the fact for a long time - I even managed to hide it from my partner, Charlotte, for five years. 

I did this because, by then, I had learned how to ‘survive’ in a social sense - I had personal management plans in place which worked, most of the time effectively. 

In the autistic community this behaviour is now commonly known as ‘masking’. 

There is no typical autistic person but, for me, the condition manifested itself from a very early age with my 'obsession' with nature.

People with Asperger’s Syndrome often display a very narrow focus on a particular field of interest to an extent that is highly detail-oriented, highly intensive and all-encompassing). 

Another trait is there is no grey - only black or white. 

I either love or hate something - it is either right or wrong. There is no ambiguity. 

I deal in facts, not opinions, nor emotions nor hypothetical notions.

 I decided to open up about my condition in a BBC documentary,  Asperger’s And Me, screened in 2017, to show people that being on the autistic spectrum is not always negative.

While some with the condition describe it as a ‘superpower’, I say: "It is a gift only, when you open it, and you don’t always get what you want". 

I particularly wanted to show young autistic people, who can become inordinately depressed and suicidal, that they can be incredibly creative, inventive and influential, with enormously interesting mindsets.

In fact, there are things I like about being autistic!

* To be continued