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Well, no argument there, grand mal epilepsy is certainly one of the more unpleasant things one can have as well.

The severity of Asperger's can of course vary quite a bit (as with just about any malady). Few people seem to understand it all that well and I don't anything can genuinely understand it who hasn't dealt with it.

My circumstances are somewhat on the more severe end of the Asperger's spectrum; I have always been extremely oblivious to social cues. For lengthy stretches, I've been quite reclusive since it seems as if I screw up with even the most casual social interactions (say something dumb; make a dumb gesture; etc).

Anyhow, here are a few examples of how dense I can be:

I was quite stunned when it dawned on me at about age 14 that people actually believed in religion. Prior to that, I thought it was some kind of curious charade that people went through the motions. Like some kind of game.

I was 17 when I figured out what racism was, and what the word ni**er meant. In fact, that was when I really figured out what race was period. I realized by example that a boy I'd been best friends with in 1st grade was black; and why people had an issue with that (I grew up in the South). Before that, I'd just thought skin color varied randomly - like they were really tan or whatever.

I was in college when I figured out what fa**ot meant and what homophobia was, which was also rather perplexing to me (then again, homosexuality was also rather perplexing to me at that time). I've still to this day never quite figured out what the big deal is (on any of these three things, from an emotional, non-intellectual standpoint).

But again, there's a lot of variation in severity and some people will of course abuse the 'label' like happens with ADD and whatever (to make excuses for other things). It's not a pleasant thing to have. I didn't figure out what the problem was until well into adulthood. A lot of it was masked because of my relatively high intelligence; schooling was effortless for me, so no one had any reason to get concerned even if I was totally walled off socially in my own little mental world until I was 18/19..

I think it's terrific that you now have a diagnosis and are aware enough to work on it.

Not to riff on me too long, but for many years I denied that I had epilepsy. I took meds off and on for years figuring that I was "fine" and it was too much stress or not enough sleep that caused the seizures. I finally, at 44 realized that I am NOT fine and I had better take my phenobarbital every day or I could kill myself in the car or my children or someone else who was innocently going about thier business when I seized and crashed into them. Thank God, I have always either been at home or at work and not driving when I have had the seizures.

My middle son has some of the symptoms you mention. He is socially oblivious and says whatever pops into his mind, many times very hurtful or insensative to the listener. For instance, I had colored my hair and he told me it looked "hideous." He also feels his food all the time, even though he is now 14. Is exquisitley sensative to smells and tastes and noise. What other 14 year old listens to TV with the sound practically turned off? He is a brilliant A student and very intolerant of the lesser intellect of his classmates, yet he won't push himself for fear of failing at the task he has set.

He doesn't just want to be a doctor/lawyer/Indian Chief, he wants to be the Surgeon General, Supreme Court Justice, Cochise. We are trying to get him to lower his sights and set realistic goals since he gives up when he makes a blunder, no matter how small.