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Hi, my husband, brother in-law and ex brother in-law believe I have Asperger's syndrome. I'm not one hundred percent sure due to several conflicts. Perhaps a few who know they have it can help me discern about this. Please do not tell me to go to a psychologist; I made the mistake of saying I thought I had it within earshot of a former boss and don't want to imagine what would happen if I were to actually have to put that down on records.
First, to give some background. I cannot remember a time where I could even look my reflection in the eye. I preferred reading to playing during recess as a kid, and was reading Moby Dick by age ten; it drove me nuts that I had to get an actual copy from the library because my parents thought I was too young to be reading it. To this day, I have to have someone squeeze my hand tightly or hold me nearly constantly in order to deal with large crowds.
I could not and cannot sit still. I always have to move in order to focus. Because of this, at eight years old I was diagnosed with a mild, unnecessary to medicate case of ADD; I was still put on homeopathic meds, though. By fifteen, it was thought I had Generalized Anxiety Disorder in tandem with Depression, and was put on several medications that made me very sick. When I went to see a therapist, she noticed my nervous twitch and commented on the possibility of Tourette's syndrome.
I have some mild mechanical aptitude, and come from a family where it is not uncommon to be born with the ability to hear what is wrong with a car by listening to the engine and to have issues in social situations. There is also a very limited number of comedians and comedy programs my relatives can enjoy without jokes flying over heads.
I am told I am very smart, but do not believe it. I grew up teased by teachers and students alike; the reasons for the teachers, I'm not so sure why, but as for the students, I kind of understand. My parents gave me a very hard time for not dressing like a typical girl and keeping up with the fashion trends. They also teased and continue to tease about my speech and syntax errors.
I have worked in retail, and struggled with it. My only saving grace was that I talk a lot when I'm nervous, so people tipped me very well. I notice that people would try to get in my face to get me to look at them, and would often take what I said completely the wrong way, even if it sounded okay to me. I also lack the filter that tells me I shouldn't say something. I also cannot understand sarcasm or insult comedy and cannot understand inflection, the difference between plural and singular second person statements, and facial expression.
I have scored above a forty on a couple quizzes for Asperger's possibilities; the minimum for an Aspie was thirty-two.

On to my questions.
1. I just graduated from culinary school, and wanted to know if there were any Aspie cooks/chefs out there.
2. What are the odds of my being an Aspie?
3. Do my previous diagnoses match up with misdiagnoses of AS?

Last edited by Dione on 24 Jan 2011, 6:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I do not have answers for your questions, Dione, but I do welcome you to WP!

Welcome aboard greetings to the WP, Dione.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Hello. No answers, but welcome.

Thanks for all the welcomes. Usually, if I post on forums, I'm lucky to get a single response in a twelve hour period. It's nice to come across a truly friendly community.
I understand not having answers; it's hard to give a definitive answer to so complex a condition without knowing someone personally, but it was worth a shot. If I hadn't registered and asked questions, I would not have been able to sleep with all the "what ifs" going through my head. As it was it took nearly an hour to fall asleep.

Welcome to WP!

Add insomnia to your symptoms then, it's common for aspies. Can't shut the brain off.

I won't make a judgment, because I'm self-diagnosed myself and still learning, but I don't see anything to say no in what you said.

I didn't know insomnia was a symptom of AS. My parents just said it was from them rocking me to sleep until I was two. Glad to know that rocking your kid to sleep has no bearing on sleep issues in the future.

Welcome to the forums,Dione!

What you write sound quite familiar to me, but I have no official diagnosis either.
I have story of my own but as the therapy struggle ended at my 12th birthday I'm anxious to ask my parents about the diagnosis.

Getting an official diagnosis as an adult takes several months, at least here in Germany. Just seeing a psychologist is not enough in most cases.

I don't know either whether there are Aspergian chefs.
I use to think cooking is not an easy job for Aspergians since you have to be fast and have your eyes and ears everywhere.

Have a good time here!

Welcome to WP!

Welkome to WrongPlanet.

The WP Kink

It's good to know I'm not alone; sometimes it feels that way. Perhaps it is part of being young; I'm not sure.
As I said, I have no interest in getting an official diagnosis, as you have to post it on driver's license applications and auto insurance where I come from.
Cooking is not too bad; so long as you aren't distracted by feelings and do know what you are doing, you are okay. It's mostly about muscle memory and creativity, and not every kitchen is like Gordon Ramsay's where you have to be listening for the chef calling times and asking questions. The only time anyone asks you about times is when they notice you are taking a long time to do something simple, like taking forty minutes to make a basic sauce, or if you appear swamped and haven't asked for help.

Another question: are there others like me who can knit? I know a close friend of mine who is a diagnosed aspie can crochet, but hasn't tried her hand at knitting.

Welcome to Wrong Planet.