I am new here

Post Reply New Topic

Thank you so much! and thank you for the link. I went through the test and tried to just go by first thought. it said:
Your score was 38 out of a possible 50.
Scores in the 33-50 range indicate significant Autistic traits (Autism)

not sure what to make of "significant", what would you say this means?

Welcome to the Spectrum!

AQ's findings are not an official diagnosis but, since AQ's highest score is 50, I interpret your 38 plus AQ's qualification of:

"Scores in the 33-50 range indicate significant Autistic traits (Autism)"
To mean the AQ test thinks you are on the Autism Spectrum.

I think that, effectively and if you agree, you now have an unofficial Autism diagnosis.

When I scored 40 on AQ it came with the same text about "significant Autistic traits". That reinforced my suspicions enough that I did not think it was all in my imagination. My next step was to get a formal Adult Autism Assessment...but I was a comfortably retired 64 year old guy in the U.S. A formal diagnosis for me would just explain why my life had been the way it had been but it would not have negative repercussions.

Where you go with it is up to you. At 37 I have to wonder...would there be any career repercussions if you got a formal diagnosis?

Welcome to wrong planet. TwoPoints.....hope you find lots of informative forums here ..

It occurs to me you are right, and that the app could help me on my job immensely. I should have been using it all this year @&#^$%!&

However, better late than never. I will start using it tomorrow. Thanks

Thank you so much! I'm honored, and have a sense of belonging for the first time.

I do agree, and happy with the unofficial diagnosis.

I've never considered that I might be autistic until about three years ago. I was working on an oil rig in the desert, living in a camp, and seeing the same people every day, people who were fairly educated, mostly engineers. One night sitting on the steps in front of our caravan (container room) I was chatting with someone I'd gotten close to about my deteriorating psychological health in that environment (enclosed camp in the desert surrounded by people all the time). he asked me if I had a mental condition, and I said no, he then said I think you're autistic, my response was "No, I don't think so", he said endearingly "I'm pretty sure you are!". That was the first time I started to think about it.

the second time it was brought to my attention by my aunt (a well-educated dentist who got her degree in Romania and lives in London) a little less than two years ago when I was unemployed. she's my closest aunt. we were chatting and she seemed to be trying to understand why someone who seemed like he should be doing well ... simply wasn't. She was aware of my past, of me dropping out of high school, getting fired from multiple jobs, and having a turbulent relationship with my father (her brother). She also took a similar approach to the fellow in the desert by probing to see if I was aware of the possibility of being autistic, this time I said yes, and told her that someone had pointed it out before.

she didn't suggest a diagnosis. perhaps she just wanted me to be aware of it, hoping I would make better and more informed life choices.

would I pursue a formal diagnosis? I don't see how it would benefit me beyond (as it has benefitted you) understanding the root cause of past and present struggles. and frankly one doesn't need the diagnosis itself, but rather the level of certainty that comes with the formal diagnosis. for me, my own observation of my feelings and behaviors relative to autistic symptoms, the suspicion of others to the degree that compelled them to express it to me, and this informal diagnosis is more than enough for that level of certainty.

so no, I won't pursue a formal diagnosis, at least not while I am in a GCC country as I currently am. it seems like the perception of autism here Is still focused on children, specifically low-functioning autism (I could be wrong, but I couldn't be bothered to find out). and my work is so demanding that there is no room for special treatment in any way. I have to suck it up and find ways to cope.

If I move to the West, which is something I am thinking about and will probably attempt at some point, then I might pursue a formal diagnosis, simply because I believe the awareness and infrastructure allow for more benefits that would facilitate being a more productive member of society.

this turned into a whole article! I hope it's relevant enough!

Thank you so much Jakki! in a forum dedicated to the most colorful minds, I'm sure I will

Not late at all, the Android app was released in July 2023, I only started using it a few months ago. but I don't think I've gone a single day without using it. and it keeps getting better at a staggering rate since many companies are allocating much of their resources to developing AI, as AI is clearly the most significant technology now.

Oh, one other benefit I got from a formal assessment...whether it applies to you is your choice.

Without a formal diagnosis I would always have had enough doubt that I couldn't just say "I'm Autistic". I would've forever felt it necessary to qualify it that it was my opinion which was supported by online quizzes. But then, my spot on the Autism Spectrum is Asperger's Syndrome which wasn't added to the DSM until 1994, the year I turned 40, so I had a lot of time to work on coping and masking before there was a possible diagnosis to cope with and mask.

I see your point and agree with you. which is why I say "I'm probably Autistic" to be accurate. I'll refer to myself as autistic "in this forum" because more likely than not, I am. it's like Darwinian evolution, we act as though it is true because more likely than not, it is.

I just sent the National Autism Center a message on WhatsApp saying "Hi", I'll inquire and see how feasible obtaining the diagnosis is.

In my personal life, I only mentioned it once to my mother and sister, my mother entertained the idea a little bit saying "Go get a diagnosis", then paused for a moment and said "No, there's nothing wrong with you", and my sister didn't show much interest and was looking at her phone most of the time. which was the first and last time I mentioned it to my family. people want us to be normal because acknowledging our abnormality means they need to make an effort to accommodate us. and people value their energy and don't want to spend any extra energy just for our sake.

Even if I get a diagnosis before moving to the West, I think I'll keep it to myself in my personal life. and only share it online (here mainly). people in my personal life already perceive me as strange, and I've gotten good (not perfect by any means) at pretending to be normal. I don't want to rock the boat, I'm trying to blend in as much as possible.

If "the West" means the U.S., then don't get your hopes up.

It sounds like you are doing reasonably well in getting through life. In which case I would not get your hopes up too high for the benefits of a formal diagnosis here. They'd possibly look at your past and think accommodations are not needed.

I was comfortably retired for eight years before I learned I was Autistic. In general, I don't need accommodations or assistance due to my Autism. The one thing I did, however, was bring this to the attention of my primary care provider, along with the sites where it is from. So far, it has been useless. They are not giving me adequate time to listen, understand, and ask questions. (One assumption: I am assuming Allistics are handled the same way as me and it is working better with them.)

The benefits of a formal diagnosis for me, so far, have been:
- A better understanding of myself and my life ← This made the formal diagnosis worth it for me
- Wrong Planet
- And, whenever she bumps up against one of my Autism traits I get to tell my bride:

I have a doctor's note for that!

And, I defer to folk who got earlier diagnoses than I did, but I suspect being open about a formal diagnosis would be an impediment in finding employment here.

The idea of having an excuse for unintentionally offending people is very appealing. I'm quiet most of the time, especially around family. It hurts to think back to the times I said something with the intention of either being informative and honest or funny and ending up hurting someone, only to realize later.

Understanding oneself and life is huge, but I feel like a formal diagnosis is not necessary for that. and the lack of significant benefits (as you've conveyed) is why I am not eager to get a diagnosis. especially if it's going to cost me a lot. Another reason as you've pointed out is that I've gotten by fairly ok (survived would be more apt) and developed a plethora of coping mechanisms to where a large chunk of the problem that is the disorder has been treated. one of the coping strategies is simply to self-isolate and avoid human beings altogether, which many think is unhealthy, but I've gotten used to it and it works for me ... however, I've just joined a forum, so I'm starting to wonder, how well is it working really!?

I think in most cases the pursuit of a formal diagnosis is driven by the need for validation, to stop wondering if it's really what is and has been the reason for all the disfunction, or if it's all in one's head and they just need to work as hard as everyone else or something. I feel it as well, but it doesn't bother me too much.

by the West I mean Germany, Netherlands, and Canada because I have relatives there. but eventually, I would like to come to the United States because it's an interesting place, it feels chaotic and orderly simultaneously. where much innovation and advancement take place and also has a lot of influence worldwide.

I think a formal diagnosis might not always be for validation.

I'd gone far enough and done well enough that without a formal diagnosis I would've always wondered whether or not I was really on the Autism Spectrum. I thought I finally understood what had been shaping my life but I wasn't sure. It was the lack of certainty that lead me to want a formal diagnosis.

Seems like that ChatGPT knows what its doing. Welcome and Hello. You did great with your intro

I understand, and I share the sentiment. I will pursue a formal diagnosis at some point in the hopefully not-so-distant future. I just don't think I have the luxury of doing so right now. due to limited resources (time, energy, and possibly money), I am putting off most of what I want (especially what is costly) in favor of what I need.

Hello, Thank you so much for the Welcome and the kind words!

Hi TwoPoints, Welcome to Wrong Planet.

I began reading through part of your introduction. You wrote, "I've never considered that I might be autistic until about three years ago. I was working on an oil rig in the desert, living in a camp, and seeing the same people every day, people who were fairly educated, mostly engineers. One night sitting on the steps in front of our caravan (container room) I was chatting with someone I'd gotten close to about my deteriorating psychological health in that environment (enclosed camp in the desert surrounded by people all the time). he asked me if I had a mental condition, and I said no, he then said I think you're autistic, my response was "No, I don't think so", he said endearingly "I'm pretty sure you are!". That was the first time I started to think about it.

the second time it was brought to my attention by my aunt (a well-educated dentist who got her degree in Romania and lives in London) a little less than two years ago when I was unemployed. she's my closest aunt. we were chatting and she seemed to be trying to understand why someone who seemed like he should be doing well ... simply wasn't. She was aware of my past, of me dropping out of high school, getting fired from multiple jobs, and having a turbulent relationship with my father (her brother). She also took a similar approach to the fellow in the desert by probing to see if I was aware of the possibility of being autistic, this time I said yes, and told her that someone had pointed it out before."

There is a condition called high functioning autism. These are people with very high I.Q.s. I have a condition known as Asperger's Syndrome. Many times we find our own way in life. This condition will sometimes run in family members. There is a personality test that can determine how your personality fits into the 16 different categories defined by Myers-Briggs. I am an INTJ short for Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Judging. This is a rare category. It does explain a lot about me. And this analysis may help you understand yourself. I believe it is available on-line and is free.

Then you wrote, "I won't pursue a formal diagnosis, at least not while I am in a GCC country as I currently am."
What is GCC? I looked it up. According to the internet GCC stands for Gulf Cooperation Council which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

You then wrote "I have to suck it up and find ways to cope."
If you have a personality like mine, the way I recharge my batteries is to find a place I can be alone and recharge my internal batteries. There are two key ingredients needed to delete stress. These are exercise (at least one hour of strenuous exercise each day) and sleep (at least 2 hours combined REM and deep NREM sleep per night. This is the deepest part of the sleep cycle.)

But there is another form of INTJs. They think in pictures rather then words. They are extremely fast thinkers. They need very, very little sleep. Both forms have very high I.Q.s.