Is anyone here with ADD Inattentive Type having some serious social issues? I'm completely unable to talk with people, get anxious and shy and I never know what to say. I've not been tested for, but considering these issues I'm starting to think it's not ADD but it could be Asperger's. It's hard to make out since a lot of people have suspected me to have ADHD while my brother thinks I have Asperger's (he's the only one that has ever met an Aspie and says he looked a lot like me).

And what should I do if I make an appointment? Tell the psychiatrist I suspect both? I'm affraid he wouldn't take me serious then since it's just ridiculous.

I am in a similar situation, I have been diagnosed with ADHD combined type. I do agree with the diagnosis but I also fit nearly all the symptoms of Aspergers as well. I am going to bring it up with my doctor soon but first I'm going to write down all of my reasons for suspecting Aspergers and I'm going to highlight things from old school reports as well.

Is anyone here with ADD Inattentive Type having some serious social issues? I'm completely unable to talk with people, get anxious and shy and I never know what to say. I've not been tested for, but considering these issues I'm starting to think it's not ADD but it could be Asperger's. It's hard to make out since a lot of people have suspected me to have ADHD while my brother thinks I have Asperger's (he's the only one that has ever met an Aspie and says he looked a lot like me).

And what should I do if I make an appointment? Tell the psychiatrist I suspect both? I'm affraid he wouldn't take me serious then since it's just ridiculous.

I do have issues, but not for the same reasons. My issue is that I get bored too easily. I never know what to say either, but that's because I tend to not be seriously engaged in what is going on in a conversation. There are exceptions to this, but for the most part, this is the rule, not the exception.

I have this problem and i hate it. I think I also might have aspergers because i used to not make any eye contact with people.

I do have issues, but not for the same reasons. My issue is that I get bored too easily. I never know what to say either, but that's because I tend to not be seriously engaged in what is going on in a conversation. There are exceptions to this, but for the most part, this is the rule, not the exception.
I dunno, maybe I have the same problem as you. I get bored really easily too. People can just go on and on about things I don't give a **** about. I tend to be more social when people are talking about something I really care about. I can't stand all this boring chitchat I constantly have to listen too.

Then again I'm unable to be social like everyone else, no matter the subject. I sound bored and passive and something's definately wrong with my vocabulary. A lot of times I don't know how to word a sentence so I use very simple words and talk like a 10-year old (I'm 19 btw). Also, whenever I tell a story I always reproduce it very poorly (something that happened to me or someone else, a joke, something I saw on television...).

I seem to have social problems with just females, for the very reason that me and females seem to having nothing in common. Then I get angry because they start telling me there personal problems, and inside my head I say "f*ck, I've just been friendzoned!" and then I know for a fact I'm never getting laid.

I also feel anxious in social situation, do not know what to say or what to act. I also suspect I have Asperger's Disorder. Yet, my doctor says I only have ADHD. But I am not convinced.

A lot of ADDers have problems with social interraction without having asperger's syndrome. I've noticed that I often get it wrong or just can't process what is going on fully because I'm overwhelmed, overstimulated, or overloaded, or over whatever. At other times I'm just too distracted to take it all in and I get social interraction totally wrong ... or I act impulsively and blunder badly. It happens to me constantly in one form or another. It's just part of having ADHD. The bugger is that you get no breaks on social interraction and it can feel like the whole world is kicking your butt, when all it means is that you got it wrong again.... The whole mess creates a lot of anxiety and can make one a bit cautious when it comes to social interraction. It's not fun.

If It's aspergers it is going to have an "in your face" quality that reminds you each and every time that you can't read people's faces correctly and that getting social context is a matter of guessing for you. Social interraction will sometimes be downright scarey.... a big unknown. You will know that you are different, there will be no doubt if it's aspergers. If this is you, maybe you need to talk to a doctor about it.


Maybe the difference is an order of magnitude.. either way it's not fun and I know exactly where you are coming from on this.

ME :D

Don't Asperger's have only 1 interest/obsession at a time? I've always had an obsession with just one or two things until 2 years ago (when I was 17), but that changed somehow and now I just want to do everything. I want to do a lot of sports, play the guitar and saxophone, read a lot of books, etc... I just can't get myself to do it though and I get stuck with videogames without really wanting too. One of the reasons is a lack of motivation. I don't have the mental strength to learn to do a sport or play an instrument. It's too much of a mental effort for me, while surfing the net and playing videogames doesn't require that. Another thing that keeps me from doing certain things is that I would have to join a group of strangers. I'm just too scared I'll fail again socially. If there's one thing I hate about being with people, it's being the outsider.

That and being able to understand (even feel) other people's emotions and sarcasm makes me doubt I have Asperger. And those are some of the main symptoms of the disorder. Since I just found out that a lot of symptoms of ADD and Asperger overlap eachother I'm pretty sure I have ADD. But you can always feel free to prove me wrong :)

Stabby,

I suggest telling the psychiatrist about the actual problems that are interfering with you leading a happy productive life. How to solve the problems is more important than the actual labels to you are trying to put on them. Besides that's part of his/her job to diagnose/label the problems.

Chances are that you don't have Asperger's syndrome, but social problems are an important issue for a lot of people with adhd, so it is a good idea to bring up the problems you are having with your doctor. As Tara said, it is the doctor's job to diagnose these things.



ME :D

People with ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome both tend to have social difficulties however while those with ADHD have difficulties mostly steming from not being able to focus on what is being said, impulsivly saying "wrong" things, and interrupting whereas those with Asperger's struggle more with being able to guess what a person might be feeling or thinking in a situation. For example if someone walks into a room talking in a loud voice with red cheeks someone with just ADHD will be able to recognize the person is angry whereas someone with Asperger's might not. Also because a person with AS struggles to place himself in another's state of mind he may also find it difficult to understand "abstract" concepts or things that aren't tangible like the concepts of meaning or freedom and may not understand idioms and metaphores.

So Socially a person with Asperger's may
~Not make eye contact (often because it feels intimidating or they don't get the same
abstract messages from contact)
~Misinterpret or fail interpret body language and gestures
~Not pick up on social cues and hints
~Not understand sayings, sarcasim, or jokes
~Not be able to understand what another may be feeling
~May not show empathy in the same ways as others
~May not be able to adapt conversations to fit another's level of knowledge

Whereas a person with ADHD may
~Interrupt
~Impulsivly say things (that's me :) )
~Daydream during conversation (That's also me)
~Jump from subject to subject (again that's me)
~Dominating the Conversation
~Miss details (like social hints)

@morethanadiagno: aren't you talking more about ADHD than ADD Inattentive? Looking at the symptoms of an ADD'er (quiet, shy and withdrawn) it doesn't seem like he would dominate a conversation and jump from subject to subject. Everything else is just like me though. I say a lot of stupid jokes when they pop in.

However I never understand when someone is trying to say something to me from a distant with gestures. But I'm probably not the only one, right?

Eeeek, sorry I was just saying ADHD...inattentive or hyperactive, some tend more towards those with hyperactive/combined type others more towards inattentive

See my edit of the previous post. I always seem to edit my posts several times :p

Same here lol both with editing or understanding what a person is trying to say from a distance...the best example i can think of Asperger Syndrome would be the movie 'Mozart and Whale' about a couple with the disorder...it's a little of an exaggeration but not too much. there's a trailier here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlOMimp9KDY
Some other characteristics people with AS tend to have include
~Needing to follow a set routine
~Having a facination with one subject almost to a point of obsession
~struggles with transitions
~Black and White morals and thinking (it is or it isn't there's no in between)
~VERY truthful
~Easily overwhalmed by loud noices and sensory information
~Difficulty holding a balenced conversation without either dominating or letting another dominate
~repetitive movements (example a friend mine with AS turns her hair around her finger over and over when she gets nervous)
~Awkward, bad at sports
~Struggles with imagination as kids (example another friend of mine who was diagnosed with AS when we got older would always sit out as my friends played house and other 'pretend' games as he was unable to see the point in the abstract game)
~A lot of people with AS also have very high intelligence
~Difficulty Multitasking
Does this sound like you?

~Needing to follow a set routine
I hate routine
~Having a facination with one subject almost to a point of obsession
I had this obsession with television and videogames until I was 17, after that I got interested in everything (books, videogames, movies, sports, playing the guitar and saxophone). I just can't get myself to start doing most of these because of the mental effort. This guy has it too and doesn't look like he has Asperger's. (http://addforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=508844&postcount=17)
Also, choosing which studies to follow in College was no easy task for me. Almost everything interested me, from biology and languages to medicschool and economics.
~struggles with transitions
I don't struggle but it's pretty hard
~Black and White morals and thinking (it is or it isn't there's no in between)
Could you give an example? I can't think of anything where this is the case.
~VERY truthful
Nope
~Easily overwhalmed by loud noices and sensory information
Should I be overwhelmed at a loud party standing right next to the boxes? Because I'm not. I have a really hard time understanding people with lots of noise in the background though (is this ADD or Asperger's?)
Need an example of sensory information though.
~Difficulty holding a balenced conversation without either dominating or letting another dominate
Not really. Most of the time I don't know what to say so I let the other dominate. In that case I feel really bad for not being able to add a lot to the conversation. The few times I do know what to say I always try to dominate the conversation,lol.
~repetitive movements (example a friend mine with AS turns her hair around her finger over and over when she gets nervous)
Each time I'm in front of class doing a speech I make the same short movement with my hand over and over again. It's a pretty normal gesture but the only one I make and I keep repeating it over and over.
~Awkward, bad at sports
The only times I did sports was at school. There was a lot of variety so I didn't get a lot of experience with each sport. I suck at soccer, pingpong and volleybal the most. Basketball average. Great at somersaults. My balance on one leg is good too (without having to hold the other). I did some skateboarding last week for the first time in my life and I could do a reasonable Ollie after about an hour.
~Struggles with imagination as kids (example another friend of mine who was diagnosed with AS when we got older would always sit out as my friends played house and other 'pretend' games as he was unable to see the point in the abstract game)
I honestly can't remember. People are saying I was too serious as a child though.
~A lot of people with AS also have very high intelligence
Not me, lol
~Difficulty Multitasking
Can't think of any situation where I had to do more than one thing at a time :s
Can't some of these symptoms be explained by AD(H)D also? I have some memories of my childhood that make me think I might have Asperger's though:

- When I was 10 we had to paint a picture on these plastic plates and the best ones would be put up in the hallway. I saw someone draw the symbol of peace so I came up with the idea to use the Nazi symbol. I didn't see anything wrong with it and was surprised mine wasn't put up. Maybe it's not that abnormal for this age and has to do with education. It's strange that my teacher never mentioned anything about this disturbing artwork of mine, nor did she talk with my parents about it. Similar things don't happen anymore though, now I fully realise when something is wrong to do or say.

- We had to share a bus with a class of another school when I was about 7 or 8. Our class was dropped off at school first. I was sitting at the window with a child from the other school next to me. I refused to ask him to let me through because he should have known himself. Eventually I didn't get out and the bus drove on. Things like this often happened in conversations. I assume that someone knows something because to me it seems pretty easy to figure out. Is that a sign of ADHD or Asperger's?

- In my first year of high school when someone or a group of people said hi to me from a distant I didn't know I had to wave back or say hi too. Might be due to the lack of social contact that I hadn't learned some social norms. Or should I have known this without being taught? I don't have any issues with social norms anymore though. I should note that before high school no one was actually bothered by me not being familiar with a few social norms. No one had actually taught them to me, not even my parents.

Yeah, I know I should be telling all this to a psychiatrist, but I'd already like to know whether these are signs of Asperger's or ADHD.

A description of Aspergers syndrome is at this link:

http://addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219

In additon to the symptoms in that link people with Aspergers have normal or above IQ and normal development of speech and language.

Me :D

I have aspergers syndrome, so please feel free to PM me if you want to ask me any questions.

Fraser :)

There really isn't any trait that is perculiar to Asperger's or ADHD rather than a core difficulty. Many signs of Asperger's also are signs of ADHD & vice versa however when the trouble in primarly social awareness & ability to place one's self in anothers state of mind the difficulty is likely to be AS whereas if the trouble is primarily in attention, hyperactivity or impulstivity then it's more likely to be ADHD. So the diagnosis isn't really about whether or not a person has the characteristics more as what's causing them and whether or not the person is bothered.

What I mean by black and white moral thinking is seeing things as one way or another and not being able to adapt your perception to the situation. For example while I was volunteering at a camp for kids with neuropsychiatric disorders one of my campers would insist on using the showers without clothing in front of the other girls because she wasn't able to adjust her moral thinking 'when i take a shower i take off my clothing' to the situation-this is a bit of an extream example but there are many more common forms of this thinking for example a friend of mine with AS once turned to another friend of mine and said 'including to the....amedment of the constitution...i can tell you that you suck' expecting my other friend to just say 'ok' he couldn't see why that would offend my friend, and he didn't see how the situation made a difference, it was just a fact he wanted to say at that mment.

A lot of people with Asperger's are very honest because it is so hard for them to guess what a person may be thinking or feeling making it highly difficult to manipulate or lie. Also a lot of people form an obsession or intense interest with a particular subject, sometimes this causes the person to just talk on that subject. For example another friend of mine with Asperger's almost always talks about computer programming and pulls any conversation into computer programing.

Not everyone with Asperger's is sensitive to sensory information like bright lights, loud noices, or touch but some are. For example some people with AS are very bothered and overwhalmed by the feel of stubs on socks or the sound of a washingmachine for example. Not being able to understand people with a lot of noice can be ADHD, Asperger's or just a human trait. Alot of people struggle with this.

~Jen

i have adhd combined, but i don't have too much trouble socially...course, i'm an aries too, so that may have something to do with it :)

when i miss social cues and things, it's not because i just don't get it, it's because i'm not paying attention...all the 150 tv's in my head are blaring all their different stories, and hey! that girl is wearing glitter!, and oh...i'm sorry, what were you saying? and i miss alot of the subtlties that way. i also have a hard time with small talk, because it doesn't hold my attention. brain wanders off to check out what's going on over at the next table, and i'm at a loss at how to respond to "it's pretty cold out today, eh?"

i can catch myself...i understand why/when to open a door for someone, or when to apologize, or how comments/actions can offend. i may be a little late to the party, but i do get there eventually! :)

another thing i would consider is your upbringing. alot of kids, especially in the last 50 years or so, haven't been brought up with any/much moral guidance, or adequetly taught how to interact socially. that can vary of course, from pyschopathic to slightly socially awkward, but your environment, especially during developmental stages, can really affect how you relate to the world in general. some kids need more guidance than others as well. just like spelling...some kids are great at it, some need a little extra one on one time to grasp the intricacies.

i have adhd combined, but i don't have too much trouble socially...course, i'm an aries too, so that may have something to do with it :)
Uhm... I'm an aries too :p

I'm starting to suspect I might have both ADHD and Aspergers. I'm not gonna start thinking things though, just have to wait and see what the psychologist has to say.

Like what was posted before, ADHD and Asperger's overlap each other in many ways. People can also have a dual diagnosis for both, as well as other conditions.

I haven't been to a doctor yet, but I am pretty sure I at least have ADD (inattentive most likey) and possibly Asperger's. For me, it seems like I have sort of overcome or "masked" a lot of my Asperger traits I had when I was younger, but I still have them, nonetheless. Maybe you are very high functioning (borderline) and have some, but not all of the traits.

I've had some Asperger-like traits as a child, like I was obsessed with nature and I bought all these books about animals and space. I never got to the point of reading these a lot though (just flipping through the pages and read a couple sentences now and then). I once even wanted to learn a whole encyclopedia (an edition for children), but I gave up after 5 pages, it was just too tiring for me. Actually I wasted my whole youth watching television and playing videogames instead of actively pursuing my obsession. Could ADD explain that, with TV and games being a form of mental stimulation?

On the other hand things are much different now. There are many thing I want to do like reading, playing the guitar and saxophone, doing sports. I just haven't been able to do any of that because it requires a huge mental effort. That couldn't be Asperger's, right? Since there would only be 1 or 2 things that interest me then.

So glad I came back to the forum tonight just to browse.

I am ADD, predominately inattentive.

I just got back from my neighbors house...she had invited me and my daughter (10 y.o.) to a "pocketbook" party. I almost passed out when I walked in and saw about 30 women in her living room. I just hate socializing. I was okay for about 25 mins but then I wanted to bolt. I'm not sure what it is, the noise, the stimulation, the years of feeling socially awkward...I'm okay 1 on 1 but I am truly overwhelmed in most circumstances and I have also thought >> could I have Asperger's? but I really think it is an ADD thing...I get overstimulated and then I start to tune out and daydream and barely focus on the conversations at hand and then all is lost and on top of it...sometimes mid-waay into a conversation I think...geez, this is boring.

Ugh...anyhow, when I went to leave this "pocketbook" party the host said,"You sure you don't want to stay?" And my daughter replies,"you don't know my Mom...she is antisocial! She only has like 1 friend." Let the floor swallow me up and I don't lame my daughter for saying it because I know she wasn't trying to be mean. she just said the truth like a 10 yr old would. But how many people can understand that social uncomfortableness? sometimes i feel upset but i really do like being by myself...i need alot of downtime.

sorry...just needed to vent. :faint:

I have a problem where I get bored easily. And then there's times when I do want to talk to people, but I don't because I'm worried what they'll think of me because I don't communicate in a normal way, because I don't catch on to things as quickly as others do and also when I do carry on a conversation I only hear like the first couple of words and then tune out the rest. It sucks. I've gotten to the point where I don't care if I have friends or not because I'm so used to not having them. I do have a best friend that I went to high school with. She's the only closest and best friend I've ever had, but other than that all my life it was hard. I mean I had friends, but they never lasted. And the longest relationship with a male that I have had lasted 3 months and the sad part about it is that I'm a virgin. I'm like the only virgin still walking this earth at 23 yrs of age. I'm not ugly. I'm really pretty it's just my conversation sucks most of the time. Damn you ADD.:mad:




Is anyone here with ADD Inattentive Type having some serious social issues? I'm completely unable to talk with people, get anxious and shy and I never know what to say. I've not been tested for, but considering these issues I'm starting to think it's not ADD but it could be Asperger's. It's hard to make out since a lot of people have suspected me to have ADHD while my brother thinks I have Asperger's (he's the only one that has ever met an Aspie and says he looked a lot like me).

And what should I do if I make an appointment? Tell the psychiatrist I suspect both? I'm affraid he wouldn't take me serious then since it's just ridiculous.

I am totally the same way. I am really good with one on one but even if one extra person jumps in the picture I get really uncomfortable and nervous. I don't know why. It's so embarrassing. People get so uncomfortable around me because they know I'm uncomfortable.:confused:




So glad I came back to the forum tonight just to browse.

I am ADD, predominately inattentive.

I just got back from my neighbors house...she had invited me and my daughter (10 y.o.) to a "pocketbook" party. I almost passed out when I walked in and saw about 30 women in her living room. I just hate socializing. I was okay for about 25 mins but then I wanted to bolt. I'm not sure what it is, the noise, the stimulation, the years of feeling socially awkward...I'm okay 1 on 1 but I am truly overwhelmed in most circumstances and I have also thought >> could I have Asperger's? but I really think it is an ADD thing...I get overstimulated and then I start to tune out and daydream and barely focus on the conversations at hand and then all is lost and on top of it...sometimes mid-waay into a conversation I think...geez, this is boring.

Ugh...anyhow, when I went to leave this "pocketbook" party the host said,"You sure you don't want to stay?" And my daughter replies,"you don't know my Mom...she is antisocial! She only has like 1 friend." Let the floor swallow me up and I don't lame my daughter for saying it because I know she wasn't trying to be mean. she just said the truth like a 10 yr old would. But how many people can understand that social uncomfortableness? sometimes i feel upset but i really do like being by myself...i need alot of downtime.

sorry...just needed to vent. :faint:

@morethanadiagno: aren't you talking more about ADHD than ADD Inattentive? Looking at the symptoms of an ADD'er (quiet, shy and withdrawn) it doesn't seem like he would dominate a conversation and jump from subject to subject

Many sources of ADD information will have both inattentive symptoms and impulsive symptoms list together because a vast majority of the ADD population is combined - having symptoms of both.

i feel ya on this