The Dino-Aspie Ex-Café (for Those 40+... or feeling creaky)

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And put the information to practical use as well, for example for pain control (it's still an experimental procedure, as far as I know).

Well, ...I'm one of you!

Sort of. Not a purebred - more of a mutt. I'm an Asperger/ ADD mix, with some sort of central auditory processing disorder thrown in. And a dash of eidetic memory.

Dr. Elliott Ward, MD interviewed me and gave me a series of tests. (He was a nice guy. We laughed through most of the interview). I told him that I knew that I had empathy, and on the "empathy exam" I scored normal. Afterward, he said that most Asperger patients test normal on the empathy test - and they are finding that Aspies not having empathy is probably a wrong criteria. Thought that was interesting.

I scored normal on coordination, which was the only thing out of whack diagnosis-wise for Aspergers. Apparently, most Asperger patients are uncoordinated. But I have lifted weights for 38 years, and have practiced martial arts for 32 years, which probably accounts for my improved coordination. (Still, I wreck every time I ride a bicycle. ). He was interested in my military background, saying most Aspies can't march well. I always bounced too much while marching in bootcamp, but lots of extra individual drilling on account of it corrected that problem. [probably not too many Aspies can be made to march, eh? ] And I can't type to save my life after years of practice.

He had to help me with one set of test questions. For example, one question said: "Do you feel stressed and disorganized during emergency situations?" I explained that whenever I had to rig live explosives I was never stressed at all. Disarming boobytrapped mines never bothered me either. Working in the emergency room never bothered me. Pulling a lady out of a flipped-over car did not bother me. Performing CPR on a baby that wasn't breathing didn't bother me. But at the pharmacy, when I'm surrounded by 5 people who think they all have an emergency and start talking to me all at the same time I get stressed and disorganized. Dr. Ward said, "Well, just try to answer the best that you can." I figured, "no" to real emergencies, and "yes" to imagined ones, and so answered "no". I also realized I need to quit stressing at the pharmacy.

I showed him my artwork, including the paintings I did when I was 5 years old. He said that I showed clear signs of autism in that respect. I showed him some of my recent silver drawings. We talked about my other perseverations. He asked about my "marriage". I had him laughing so hard about that he had to take a "pee" break. He said he could see why I haven't dated in the 18 years since my separation. (I didn't tell him half of what I told you guys).

He gave me a series of timed: puzzle tests, 3-D constructions, drawing according to directions, etc. Those were all fun. Scored 100% correct, but don't know how well my times tested (he will mail my results in about 2 weeks).

A separate test had:
green
red
black
red...

four columns on a page, 120 color words of different colors.
I had to first read the words on the page column to column top to bottom left to right as fast as I could, then go back and say the colors of the words in the same direction as fast as I could. I scored 100% accuracy on that test. Not sure what it had to do with Asperger's, but it was fun. Took me 64 seconds to read the words, and 52 seconds to read the colors. Not sure if that is good or not.

I did lousy on an aural "numbers/letters" sequencing exam. We quit that one almost immediately, as I scored zero% correct.
The same type of test given visually I scored 100%.

I told him that I had just memorized a neuroanatomy book. He quizzed me on neuroanatomy a bit, then told me I didn't have to take the IQ test.

As I was leaving, the receptionist asked which pharmacy I worked at. Dr. Ward said that I was an artist pretending to be a pharmacist. I would say that that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Except that all of you have always been very nice to me as well. I'm glad we are kinfolk, and I'm proud to claim you as such!

....Oh! ...er ...and Robyn - you wuz right!

Musta dood it! Thanks Lauri!

Happy pending Birthday Lemon!! !

I like your test Zanne! Wish I could take the fMRI, with a neurologist, and see if I could explain what I think I am seeing and whether or not I am correct! That would be a fun game.

Yay!! I'll bet that's a huge relief. And I'm very happy you found your answers!

(Robyn, I guess I'm next, aren't I?)

How would you explain the fact that half of your brain is in a whacky Canadian's head?

Yea Chuck!

Your turm, Blessedmom

And now you can see it with an EEG!! !! !

Look what Gromit turned me on to! EEG evidence for mirror neuron dysfunction in autism See, if they hadn't drugged me with 100 mg of Valium and made me lie perfectly still as they left the room, they would have seen something on my EEG. If only my GP had known. He was on the right track though. Pretty amazing given his background.

This is a cool article about how NTs use mirror neurons for emotions, figuring out intent in others and having empathy. Cells that read minds

See! Pretty soon they'll be able to look at my brain and say THIS is what is going on with you. Then I'll go see a Neurologist. I want to see my EEG and my fMRI.

Lemon thanks for the funny vid and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! !! !! !! !! !!1

Yes, Lauri. Yes you are.

Lolcat of the day:

Oh, I so need those cats at my house!! !!

nice of you, but it is a little early (it's on monday, but cool that you reminded me, cause i had completely forgotten)

As you say, I was faster on the second reading, telling him what color the words were. Yep. Bee-zar. Thanks for telling me, and the link - I'll look this test up. (Here's another anomaly of my brain - smart yet stupid. Know a lot, but only about very little. Alas, I'm afraid there is no cure for my stupidity, and I cannot read fast enough to keep up with all of the information "out there", so I always appreciate info from those who do know things and share them with me. )
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Separately: as a kid I was extremely clumsy. My mom enrolled me in gymnastics classes at an early age to try to develop my coordination. I used to fall down for no reason at all - just standing I would fall over. I'd be walking along and suddenly trip over nothing. "Grace" has never been my middle name. "Stop walking like a duck! You're walking like a duck again!! ! Stop walking like a duck!! !"

It's complex, but involves smoke and mirror neurons. Even harder to explain is the fact that the half of my brain that you don't have is missing - I have misplaced it somewhere. And yet another half has been outside knocking on the door for the past hour. And another half is downstairs trying on shoes. And another half is sitting here spitting bits of cereal at me. Apparently I am functioning on my hindbrain, or a lone neuron. It says its name is Andy.

I think we're all "sort of", Chuck.
Feel better now that it's "official"?

You need cats? What color? What address?