Something that is not discussed very much with AS is that many people have slipped by in life without the diagnosis. For some it helps and for others it makes things no better for them so they feel. I have met many people that did not know that they have AS until they became an adult. For one this was due to the lack of education of AS in the medical feild and any where else really.

Many people that I meet that have AS tell me that they knew all their life they were just a bit different than others and they really didn't know why. They were somehoe always saying the wrong thing and being accused of being rude when they only believed themselves the be saying just as the rest of the world might say. When I was a child I remember a cousins girlfriend saying that she wanted to go on a diet the coming Monday and I simply said out loud that going on a diet is good and might be more healthy. I can't begin to tell you the trouble I was in and was forced to apologize for something I did not say as an insult. I do not use tact very often and need a reminder occassionally to stay within the confines. People with AS are said to lack the ability to make a joke or get a joke but this is not always the case as the greatest jokes I have heard come from others with AS. We have the abilty to make jokes and be funny and AS is not as rigid as one might think in the humor department. I might also add that we may see things different so we end up being able to have a good laugh.

If you were not diagnosed at an early age with autism or PDD that doesn't mean that you don't have it or AS. THe DSM definition is good but lacks the ability to say the qualities are more flexible. I have even heard of some people that didn't show sign of being different with AS until they were about 10 when other children were doing one thing and the person with AS wasn't at that level of maturity yet. I do hope other people post about AS because it's a lonely world many days without others to discuss things with. Not that I am lonely but would like to share.

Dee....

Thanks SO MUCH for sharing that. I can assure you that many have recently asked about this AS forum, so I am hopeful we will begin to see some more posts in here soon :)

Hugsss!

Something that is not discussed very much with AS is that many people have slipped by in life without the diagnosis. For some it helps and for others it makes things no better for them so they feel. I have met many people that did not know that they have AS until they became an adult. For one this was due to the lack of education of AS in the medical feild and any where else really.
Many people that I meet that have AS tell me that they knew all their life they were just a bit different than others and they really didn't know why. They were somehoe always saying the wrong thing and being accused of being rude when they only believed themselves the be saying just as the rest of the world might say. When I was a child I remember a cousins girlfriend saying that she wanted to go on a diet the coming Monday and I simply said out loud that going on a diet is good and might be more healthy. I can't begin to tell you the trouble I was in and was forced to apologize for something I did not say as an insult. I do not use tact very often and need a reminder occassionally to stay within the confines. People with AS are said to lack the ability to make a joke or get a joke but this is not always the case as the greatest jokes I have heard come from others with AS. We have the abilty to make jokes and be funny and AS is not as rigid as one might think in the humor department. I might also add that we may see things different so we end up being able to have a good laugh.
If you were not diagnosed at an early age with autism or PDD that doesn't mean that you don't have it or AS. THe DSM definition is good but lacks the ability to say the qualities are more flexible. I have even heard of some people that didn't show sign of being different with AS until they were about 10 when other children were doing one thing and the person with AS wasn't at that level of maturity yet. I do hope other people post about AS because it's a lonely world many days without others to discuss things with. Not that I am lonely but would like to share.well...
here i was thinking i "only" had "adhd and add with asperger syndrome traits", but yesterday my doctor (she's a *wonderful* psychiatrist!!!;-) told me that when we go back to see the autism specialist later this year, i'll probably be diagnosed with "adhd and add and asperger syndrome"...
:( :confused: :eek: :)
hopefully i'll have my final diagnosis before my 37th birthday (december)...

When I had my diagnostic appointment for ADD, the psychiatrist mentioned that I had "Aspergers traits". She didn't actually give me that diagnosis, but I was the stereotypical Aspie child. And you're right ... we are funny! :D

Something that is not discussed very much with AS is that many people have slipped by in life without the diagnosis. For some it helps and for others it makes things no better for them so they feel. I have met many people that did not know that they have AS until they became an adult. For one this was due to the lack of education of AS in the medical feild and any where else really.

Many people that I meet that have AS tell me that they knew all their life they were just a bit different than others and they really didn't know why. They were somehow always saying the wrong thing and being accused of being rude when they only believed themselves the be saying just as the rest of the world might say. I do not use tact very often and need a reminder occassionally to stay within the confines. People with AS are said to lack the ability to make a joke or get a joke but this is not always the case as the greatest jokes I have heard come from others with AS. We have the abilty to make jokes and be funny and AS is not as rigid as one might think in the humor department. I might also add that we may see things different so we end up being able to have a good laugh.

If you were not diagnosed at an early age with autism or PDD that doesn't mean that you don't have it or AS. THe DSM definition is good but lacks the ability to say the qualities are more flexible. I have even heard of some people that didn't show sign of being different with AS until they were about 10 when other children were doing one thing and the person with AS wasn't at that level of maturity yet.
yeah, i know *exactly* what you're talking about!!!
all my life i've felt "different", but it wasn't until about three years ago that anyone (doctors, psychologists and therapists) took my words serioulsy, and sent me for neuropsychiatric evaluation...
:( :mad:

Hello.
Just reading ur posts and u sound like nice people. <This is a social skill i learned recently

Im currently negotiating ambivilance about my personal identity as my partner works with autistic children and she has observed various autistic traits in me ranging from inept social skills, abnormal abilitiy to retain masses of knowledge, eccentricity and very clumsy the list goes on...
She has very good intuition and she strongly thinks i have asperger's syndrome. I'm really worried and a little scared as i have always know that i have been a little off key because i was nearly diagnosed as having scizophrenia many years ago. Help!
__________________

Nefertiti - do you have any problems coping with socialising, work etc. that you think may be connected to AS?

If not, do you worry that you WILL have problems with these things in future, for example because you feel you can't cope for much longer.

In both cases, an evaluation can tell you more about yourself, and if you do indeed have AS, then you can access services if they are available in your area, such as social training groups etc.

Or are you just generally preoccupied with who you are, and want to know what's different about you?

Even if you don't feel you are impaired by these problems, an evaluation by a competent professional who has experience with AS in adults not only gives you the answers you need (if it is not AS then they may nonetheless be able to point you in the right direction), but you may learn more about yourself and learn ways to deal with things better even in areas where you previously felt you had no problems.

Thanks for replying ScatterBrain.


My social interactions concern me on a constant basis. I tend to reherse things beforehand and imagine how i would like the social situation to pan out. It never goes the way in which i want it to though.

I also like to push the unwriten rules of society to one side and go beyond what the average person would do. I do this regularly and sometimes it involves actions of stupidity, although this is an outsiders discription. I like to listen to songs repeatedly over and over again and i'm a very critical thinker to the point of analysing something into oblivion. I like to spend time on my own frequently as i feel more comfortable with less people around me. Crowds are very adverse and seem to evoke anxiety.

Thank you again for your reply

It never goes the way in which i want it to though.
LOL now THAT certainly is something I am familiar with!

I have got a bit better about over-analysing and needing to pre-calculate everything in my late teens/early twenties, I guess it's a developmental thing. I've definitely let go of the trying to anticipate every single sentence, although I still do it, just not to such a degree that it gets distressing when something digresses from what I expect. (That of course only counts for conversations, I still struggle with routine being interrupted etc.)

If you are having problems then by all means try to get a diagnosis. There are many things that can help with those kinds of issues, including medication and therapy, and there may be other aspects of yourself that you find out about in the process.

Yes i do have problems.

I just thought that this is the way that everybody was, but apparently not!

I feel that i should seek a diagnosis as it may shed light on part or all of my identity. I'm a little lost at times. You mentioned therapy/medication, what type of therapy is available for Asperger's. My partner says that omega 3 and 6 oils help in terms of madication.

Thankyou so much for replying. It has helped a great deal...

nefertiti, i know exactly what you are saying..i have the same experiences and its frustrating for other people. Do you find you can write better than you can speak in real life? My words flow easily when i type, but when i speak its like a blockage, my words come out so clumsily. I had questions about who wrote an assignment once at uni, and this was before i was diagnosed so i found it all very hard to explain. It is nice to be diagnosed and at least have an answer to why we are 'different'. For so many years i lived with it and was quite confuzzled indeed. good luck with your life and may you have many adventures.

Symbol...

Wow... thats exactly true!

I have no qualifications but iv'e just obtained a counselling skills certificate. Whilst i was writing papers for this course my tutor praised my writing skills but told me that they were too academic and asked me to tone down the wording. I'm a very pedantic, precise and consise writer. I remember doing a basic English course last year and i corrected the tutor on a few occasions which didn't go down to well. I think she felt belittled. So yes, I can write much better than i can speak. And i have to sit with questions in order to let them sift through my cognition. On the spot remedies to questions are difficult for me too.

Its so nice to speak to like-minded people. Thank you!

Opps... I missed a comma out...

It's so nice to speak to like-minded people. Thank you!

Lol

my 15 year old son has recently been dx with having AS, among other things. I'm still trying to learn much about this.
When he was 6 he was quickly dx as having ADHD. They put him on methylphenidate (sp?) and it just made him a zombie, he refused to take them after 6 months stating that they made him feel funny and gave him headaches. I knew that there was something else going on.. i just couldnt find the resources! And from what I did have, I could only somewhat relate to.. the pieces were going into place but, it just wasn't happening
I was purely frustrated at the lack of help I was recieving, and the schools?? ..that was another trial, year after year after year... *sigh*
I had to deal with teachers complaining that "He just didn't listen" and a few other things I'm sure most of you have heard.
My Hubby and I had to step on a lot of toes to get the attention my son needed in regards to his health and education. It took a long time to finally get to this point, and let me tell ya it's a whole new ball game.. not that I regret it though! Better late than never!

Thank God I found a place with such a wealth of information... and a place where I can (hopefully) rant & rave.. because venting my frustration @ the hubby can only do so much, heh.

~I-Mom~

I would be one of the ones who managed to get through life without a diagnosis. As a child, my parents always thought something was "wrong" with me. I was a monster at times (most of the time, unfortunately), and I've always been terrible in social situations, causing me to be the outcast and the one everyone just loved to pick on.

Asperger's Syndrome did not enter the diagnostic books until 1994. This was AFTER the doctors told my parents that it was just the way I was always going to be and they have to get used it. (Therefore, we stopped going to see the doctors since they could never figure anything out and were no help whatsoever.) Yet, still I was always different. I know I was. To me, I seem normal. But when I look at everyone else (I am an observer through-and-through), I notice that the vast majority of people are different from me in many ways yet similar with one another. I've always been different in the way I talk, the way I act, my interests, etc. Yet, I never could figure out why.

A few months ago, I decided to find out for myself. I started reading up on autism, just to see what it truly was. I realized I probably could not have that since I did not have a speech delay. However, this led me to related disorder, which included Asperger's Sydrome/<b>High functioning</b> Autism. When I read about AS, it was like opening the biography of my life. It was me completely, and I have all of the diagnostic criteria. I showed this criteria to my mother and she said right away "yes, that definately sounds like you". I would like to get a professional diagnosis as well, but I think it is going to be hard. It doesn't matter. Either way, I know I have it. It is actually quite a relief. Now I know that I AM normal. I just happen to have Asperger's which makes me unique!

i've been reading a good bit about asperger's lately. i took two of the quizzes/questionairres ( http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php and http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aqtest.html )

Your score
NOW EARLIER
159 157

You are very likely an Aspie

Most Aspies that have answered have scored above 100 (mean 134 for men and 147 for women). Many people with ADD/ADHD also have scored high (mean 115), but not as high.


on the other test, i scored a 39.

anyhow i have no idea if i /need/ to see someone to ask about diagnosis or if i really even care to know.

my mom always said she tried to rock me/hold me as a child and i never would let her do it. actually i wouldn't let anyone do it really? i did like having my hair stroked, though.

i've also always kind of associated asperger's with being more on the mathematical scale of things. i'm not really a big math person, but i love languages and do well in them. to me that seems like something that would be on the opposite end of asperger's.

Interesting. I scored a 60 on the first test and a 32 on the other.

I don't think I'll worry about it though. One thing at a time.

165 Now.
180 Earlier.

Scored 35 on the other.:eek:

got 146 on the first test, 37 on the second one

Thank you for filling out this questionnaire.

Your Aspie score: 146
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 39
You are very likely an Aspie
from the first test

i've been reading over the asperger's symptoms and trying to figure out how to differentiate them from add symptoms. on the one hand, i know that i have some very typical add symptoms, such as losing everything that is not physically attached to me, and always forgetting deadlines and due dates, and being completely unable to organise anything.

on the other hand, i also have some traits that fall in under asperger's, such as the picky eating habits, which i've had since i was like 2, and the tendency towards being pedantic, which all my friends in high school would point out every day, and my tendency to lecture and sound like a professor, and my tendency to look into a subject and learn everything about it...see my posts on the actions of amphetamines on catecholamine reuptake in the presynaptic axons of basal ganglionic neurons as they affect postsynaptic neurons in the prefrontal cortex via the striatum. when i was diagnosed with add, i basically taught myself neurology and neuropharmacology so that i could better understand the disorder.

i've been reading over the asperger's symptoms and trying to figure out how to differentiate them from add symptoms.You might enjoy reading Catherine Johnson and John Ratey's book Shadow Syndromes. It discusses both ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome (Catherine Johnson's son has high functioning autism) -- the genetics, treatment, and the experience of it. I found it helpful in understanding both and how they're similar and how they differ.

Scattered