Sure-fire way of knowing you have Asperger's?

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Snapdragonclover
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22 Nov 2009, 2:35 pm

Hello, hello, as you can see, I'm quite new here. Very new.
I'm probably aware that most you here are not doctors (or something of that matter.), but is there a way you can guarantee that you have Asperger's? I have been pondering if I have this for quite a while now...but not really sure if I have it.

This is what makes me think I have Asperger's:

I can never maintain eye contact for more than a second. Never.
I'd rather fling myself down a flight of stairs than asking someone for something.
Building on top of that, I would make my friends ask someone.
I feel like I stand out more than I do.
I'm really Obsessive Compulsive.
Irony and puns confuse me, like, I can't tell if something is irony or a pun.
My temperament is INFP.
I have a hard time talking to people, even on the internet.
Currently obsessed with Japanese Mythology and mythical creatures.
I zone out a lot more than I should, even during a conversation.
When I like a song, I play it repetitively.
I have a hard time talking to people I don't know.
I have one of those "days" when I barely utter a word to anyone.
Easily distracted.
Typos bother me.

Eugh, so many things. So, I would ask my doctor about this, but I'm too shy to ask. :oops: And if I ask my parents about this, it'll most likely lead to long discussions and denial. Maybe.

So..any suggestions.?



Tim_Tex
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22 Nov 2009, 3:17 pm

Welcome to WP!


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Snapdragonclover
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22 Nov 2009, 3:22 pm

Thanks~



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22 Nov 2009, 3:35 pm

Hello Snapdragonclover, and welcome to WrongPlanet!

Only a psychiatrists or a specialised psychologist could say whether you have Asperger's or not.
But this online test can give you an indication. If you score 32-50 you might have it:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aqtest.html

Good luck!


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Willard
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22 Nov 2009, 3:41 pm

Snapdragonclover wrote:
Hello, hello, as you can see, I'm quite new here. Very new.
I'm probably aware that most you here are not doctors (or something of that matter.), but is there a way you can guarantee that you have Asperger's? I have been pondering if I have this for quite a while now...but not really sure if I have it.

This is what makes me think I have Asperger's:

I can never maintain eye contact for more than a second. Never.
I'd rather fling myself down a flight of stairs than asking someone for something.
Building on top of that, I would make my friends ask someone.
I feel like I stand out more than I do.
I'm really Obsessive Compulsive.
Irony and puns confuse me, like, I can't tell if something is irony or a pun.
My temperament is INFP.
I have a hard time talking to people, even on the internet.
Currently obsessed with Japanese Mythology and mythical creatures.
I zone out a lot more than I should, even during a conversation.
When I like a song, I play it repetitively.
I have a hard time talking to people I don't know.
I have one of those "days" when I barely utter a word to anyone.
Easily distracted.
Typos bother me.

Eugh, so many things. So, I would ask my doctor about this, but I'm too shy to ask. :oops: And if I ask my parents about this, it'll most likely lead to long discussions and denial. Maybe.

So..any suggestions.?



Hi and welcome!

I can't guess whether your parents would be open to the suggestion or not, but they might. They've had plenty of years to observe your demeanor on a day-to-day basis, it might make perfect sense to them.

Barring that, I'd suggest asking a school counselor if they could help you get an assessment by a licensed psychologist, so you can get access to behavioral therapies to improve your social skills (that last part is mostly BS, but it will give a counselor a valid reason for helping you out). :wink: Actually, that would also probably help get your folks to take the notion more seriously.

Hope that helps.



LostAlien
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22 Nov 2009, 3:41 pm

Hi, welcome.

About having AS, there are online tests if you feel too shy for an official diagnosis at the moment. I don't know the ones that are the most reliable though (other people will need to give you this information), I had an official diagnosis and I don't know much about the online tests except for knowing that they exist.

You could print out your results from this to talk to your parents about having AS, it may make things easier.



FallingStar
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22 Nov 2009, 4:07 pm

Welcome ^_^

As a matter of fact, I currently find myself in a very similar position. I have my own reasons to believe that I may have AS, but I am too embarassed to talk to my parents about it. To answer your question, I do not think there is a 100%, surefire way of guaranteeing that someone is affected by AS. However, I have a few words of advice, which I hope are helpful to you in some way.

First, do more research if you still don't know much about AS. Perhaps it would be helpful to browse the discussion boards of Wrong Planet so that you can get a personal idea of what people with AS, commonly called "Aspies", have to say about their lives. I think that is way more practical than simply reading list after list of symptoms on various websites. After all, not everyone is a "textbook case", and you'll find that everyone with AS is different.

Along the lines of what I just said, don't think you need to have every singly symptom to have AS. Also, similar symptoms can manifest in different ways for different people.

As for dealing with your parents, perhaps it would help to plan out a script for yourself in your head before you talk to them. Figure out exactly what you want to say and repeat it in your head several times to prepare for the talk. Also, whenever I need to talk to my parents about something that makes me uncomfortable, I force myself into it by starting with something like, "there's something important I want to talk to you about." That way, I can't back out. If you feel more comfortable around one parent than the other, try to get that parent alone and talk to him/her first. Then the two of you could figure out together what to say to the rest of the family. Your parents love you and care about you, and they would want to know if you think there's something going on.

I once read somewhere that "if you think you have Asperger's, you probably do." What does your instinct say? When you read about AS, did a lot of mysterious or confusing incidents in your life suddenly make sense?

Wow, I wrote all that and somehow I still feel like I've said nothing useful. Well, I hope I helped a little. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck on your journey of self-discovery.



Snapdragonclover
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22 Nov 2009, 4:24 pm

FallingStar wrote:
Welcome ^_^

As a matter of fact, I currently find myself in a very similar position. I have my own reasons to believe that I may have AS, but I am too embarassed to talk to my parents about it. To answer your question, I do not think there is a 100%, surefire way of guaranteeing that someone is affected by AS. However, I have a few words of advice, which I hope are helpful to you in some way.

First, do more research if you still don't know much about AS. Perhaps it would be helpful to browse the discussion boards of Wrong Planet so that you can get a personal idea of what people with AS, commonly called "Aspies", have to say about their lives. I think that is way more practical than simply reading list after list of symptoms on various websites. After all, not everyone is a "textbook case", and you'll find that everyone with AS is different.

Along the lines of what I just said, don't think you need to have every singly symptom to have AS. Also, similar symptoms can manifest in different ways for different people.

As for dealing with your parents, perhaps it would help to plan out a script for yourself in your head before you talk to them. Figure out exactly what you want to say and repeat it in your head several times to prepare for the talk. Also, whenever I need to talk to my parents about something that makes me uncomfortable, I force myself into it by starting with something like, "there's something important I want to talk to you about." That way, I can't back out. If you feel more comfortable around one parent than the other, try to get that parent alone and talk to him/her first. Then the two of you could figure out together what to say to the rest of the family. Your parents love you and care about you, and they would want to know if you think there's something going on.

I once read somewhere that "if you think you have Asperger's, you probably do." What does your instinct say? When you read about AS, did a lot of mysterious or confusing incidents in your life suddenly make sense?

Wow, I wrote all that and somehow I still feel like I've said nothing useful. Well, I hope I helped a little. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck on your journey of self-discovery.



Actually, that is very helpful, it makes me feel so much better. ^_^



MrWalrus
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22 Nov 2009, 5:57 pm

Snapdragonclover wrote:
Hello, hello, as you can see, I'm quite new here. Very new.
I'm probably aware that most you here are not doctors (or something of that matter.), but is there a way you can guarantee that you have Asperger's? I have been pondering if I have this for quite a while now...but not really sure if I have it.

This is what makes me think I have Asperger's:

I can never maintain eye contact for more than a second. Never.
I'd rather fling myself down a flight of stairs than asking someone for something.
Building on top of that, I would make my friends ask someone.
I feel like I stand out more than I do.
I'm really Obsessive Compulsive.
Irony and puns confuse me, like, I can't tell if something is irony or a pun.
My temperament is INFP.
I have a hard time talking to people, even on the internet.
Currently obsessed with Japanese Mythology and mythical creatures.
I zone out a lot more than I should, even during a conversation.
When I like a song, I play it repetitively.
I have a hard time talking to people I don't know.
I have one of those "days" when I barely utter a word to anyone.
Easily distracted.
Typos bother me.

Eugh, so many things. So, I would ask my doctor about this, but I'm too shy to ask. :oops: And if I ask my parents about this, it'll most likely lead to long discussions and denial. Maybe.

So..any suggestions.?


i'm 99.9% certain you do! i was the same when i was your age ('when i was your age'- i sound like an old fart! i'm 20 but in my head i'm still 17!)



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23 Nov 2009, 11:12 am

Hi Snapdragonclover, Welcome to Wrongplanet :D


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23 Nov 2009, 11:22 am

“Hello,” Snapdragonclover, and welcome to the Wrong Planet community.


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viking9
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23 Nov 2009, 2:54 pm

Hi, unfortunately, the first step towards official diagnosis of Aspergers or other Autistic Spectrum Disorders is to see your GP, I know this as I was recently diagosed with High Functioning Autism, which is very similar, just differs around language development.

Is it worth it :?:

I would have to say yes, i'm actually calmer & happier with myself since diagnosis, take the test linked above but also wired9,but wired9 only shows aspie results out of 50 but is quick and easy which was the 1st thing i did.
I will caution you if you do go for official diagnosis, one of your parents will need to answer some questions and be with you on assessment day so I wish you luck in sorting that out!


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23 Nov 2009, 4:48 pm

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pelochas
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26 Nov 2009, 3:43 pm

[b]YEAH MAN I'M NEW TO WP AS WELL. EVERYTHiNG YOU JUST LiSTED iS EXACTLY WHAT I REALiZED I HAD AFTER HiGH SCHOOL. i'M 20 NOW AND I HAD PLENTY OF FRiENDS iN HiGH SCHOOL BUT I NEVER REALLY FELT IN PLACE. I MANAGED TO KEEP SOME FRIENDS BUT I FEEL OUT OF PLACE.i HAVE A REAL HARD TiME TiME KEEPiNG A CONVERSATION GOING. ALMOST LiKE EVERYONE CREATES A CONNECTION THAT I FAIL TO MAKE AT MOST SOCIAL GATHERINGS. IF WHAT YOU DESCRIBED IS ASPERGER'S THEN I DEFiNiTELY HAVE IT TOO.



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26 Nov 2009, 7:12 pm

Snapdragonclover wrote:
This is what makes me think I have Asperger's:

I can never maintain eye contact for more than a second. Never.
I'd rather fling myself down a flight of stairs than asking someone for something.
Building on top of that, I would make my friends ask someone.
I feel like I stand out more than I do.
I'm really Obsessive Compulsive.
Irony and puns confuse me, like, I can't tell if something is irony or a pun.
My temperament is INFP.
I have a hard time talking to people, even on the internet.
Currently obsessed with Japanese Mythology and mythical creatures.
I zone out a lot more than I should, even during a conversation.
When I like a song, I play it repetitively.
I have a hard time talking to people I don't know.
I have one of those "days" when I barely utter a word to anyone.
Easily distracted.
Typos bother me.


Same with me as well (but I can hold eye contact for two to three seconds at longest). I've been diagnosed at age six, however, when my "symptoms" were a little more than "mild". But, really, having Aspergers is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, be pround!

Do you mind weird but not really personal questions? Ok, when you think, can you actually feel your brain pulsating a little?



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27 Nov 2009, 5:14 am

The brain sensation is part of my synesthesia, you don't have actual touch sensors in there, but you can get illusionary sensations of touch and such.


I think the main issue with self diagnosis is the people who think it means a free pass to blame poor social skills on, or to claim you're a genius as if it is automatic, or all Aspies are superEinstein's or something.

Would I say I'm a genius? No, I excel at a couple particular things, but there are others where I am so far behind I think a 10 year old does better at them.


I think I'm an Aspie because I exhibit traits, and I actually understand the experiences shared by diagnosed Aspies on here. When I showed my loved ones the diagnosis criteria, they all went "oh! that explains you!"

Tell your parents, show them the criteria, the next best thing to a clinical diagnosis is that of those who have known you all your life, and the shared experiences with fellow Aspies.