Hi! New here...

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Hello, everybody.

I'm here to get more information, I suppose. I'm suspicious that I might have Asperger's. Until recently, although I recognized some traits that made me think it was possible, there were some things that made me think, "no way."
For one thing, I've never thought of myself as obsessing about anything. That's my brother (who is definitely neurotypical). He goes through fazes... for a while it was trains, then outer space, then chickens, then prairie dogs, then cars.... compared to him, I never focused so single-mindedly on anything. On the other hand, my elementary school teachers used me as a resource for information on animals (especially the obscure ones that nobody else had ever heard of). I've got my obsession (I'm now 24 and working on grad school in biology). It's just broader than my brother's, and I was never as vocal about it unless asked (try talking over my Brotherling when he was little. It was like holding a conversation with a jet engine. Fortunately he improved with age).

Thanks,
Emily

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome to WrongPlanet, mimstrel!

Hope you enjoy your stay here

Hi. Welcome to WrongPlanet.

Thanks!

A little more about myself and why I think I might belong here...

I'm very visually/spatially oriented. If I can picture/visualize a concept, problem, or pattern, I can solve the problem, create the item, or replicate the pattern.
When I was little, I had a two hour tolerance for other people. I'm better now, though I suspect it's not so much my tolerance has gotten higher as the amount of time I need to re-set so I don't have a complete meltdown has shortened from several hours to just a few minutes.
I have an easy time making friends. Not so easy keeping them. They tell me I act like I think I'm better than them, that I'm too loud, I ramble, I go too far, I'm rude... I try not to be, but I haven't made much progress. My family says the same things, but unfortunately for them, they're stuck with me.
I have a hard time making eye contact, and I find conversing with more than one person to be stressful because quite often I'm not sure who I should be directing my attention towards.
Phone conversations. Hate them. I have a hard time paying attention because there's nothing visual going on. I do better with my close friends and family, but I'd rather walk or drive twenty minutes to ask a question in person rather than call you.
My friends in high school loved going to dances and hanging out right in front of the speakers. I would go with them, because that made them happy and I will do ANYTHING to keep them happy (happy friends don't abandon people)... and then between the loud music and all the people and being bumped and jostled and my friends insisting that I actually dance... I'm pretty sure the girls spent more time chasing me down and talking me back out on the floor than actually enjoying the dance.
I'm territorial, by which I mean that I like to know what is Mine and what is Not Mine, and if something that is Mine disappears unexpectedly or if something that is Not Mine shows up in a pile of what is Mine unexpectedly, it's alarming to say the least. Not that I'm not willing to share. I just want to know what is being borrowed and when. Apparently this falls under the category of "Things That Are Not Normal About Emily," because my brother started a major fight when I returned a pair of wool socks that weren't mine. And Mom told him to shut up and put the socks in his drawer, he knew that was just how I am. (My own wool socks, by the way, are still missing. I had four pairs, two heavy tan itchy pairs and two mid-weight forest green merino-blend pairs and all I have left is one lonely itchy tan sock.)
My mom tells me that "piles on the floor" is not a legitimate organizational scheme. Fortunately she currently lives three hours away and always calls before she leaves home to come visit, so I have time to throw everything in the closet and vacuum. Similar issues arise about my clothing (as long as it doesn't have holes in it and is comfortable, it's wearable.) and hair (No, I do NOT want to spend time each morning curling my hair! Ponytails for the win!)
I'm weird about touch. I like being hugged... heck, I even like kissing. But I don't like having people in my personal space, a combination which can produce results that others find disconcerting. Like freezing, hitting, or running away.

Welcome! I'm new here too, and pretty much in the same boat. Congratulations on working towards your master's in biology! That's fantastic.

I don't like phone conversations, either. Unless it's with a very good friend and we already have established interests that we both like discussing, I'm at a loss and I can't wait to get off the phone. I like having the person in front of me over relying on just their voice to carry me through the conversation. I also completely relate to having a hard time conversing with multiple people. The conversations get jumbled and then I can't follow any one person, and then it's all kinds of awkward and uncomfortable.

And for the record, I think piles on the floor are an absolutely legitimate way of organizing. *We* know where everything is, even if our parents find it horrifying

Welcome to WP!

Hi and Welcome to WP. I totally feel you on the territorial issues cause I was the exact same way with my jackets! It's nice to know I'm not the only one out there with those feelings

Glad to know I'm not the only one, either! I don't know why it's so hard for people to comprehend. It's very simple. There is Mine, there is Not Mine, and if anything from one category is to be used by the person with possession of the other, permission must first be granted. It goes both ways. Why does this make me strange? Wasn't this a rule we got taught in preschool? When was it reversed? Was there a memo I didn't get that said my family was exempt from that?

Welkome to WrongPlanet.

The WP Kink

To WrongPlanet!! !