greetings

Post Reply New Topic

I am new here and just found this place. I am over 50, and have recently come to realize all of my "strange" behaviors and issues over the years fits into the aspie identification. I have taken a few online tests and they all indicate I am probably an aspie.

I have many issues that were loosely identified as OCD, but did not really fit. My compulsions are more sensory oriented and are not really compulsions or phobias. For example I do not touch a common clothe fastener that is round because it causes me severe disgust and anxiety. I am not afraid of them just utterly repelled. I also have learned to mask my sensory imbalances with discreet blowing. If I am anxious this is more pronounced. If I accidentally brush my arm against a table for example, I discreetly blow on the other arm to balance it out.

I am terrible at social situations but do have friends, been married many years have children and a grandchild. I can speak to large groups of people, and do this by visualizing the group as one person or an amorphous whole. I am a college professor, and do pretty good teaching a subject I know or learn much about it, but cant engage in conversation of a social nature. Students respect my knowledge but think I am aloof, although with a strange sense of humor that is dry and deadpan. I have learned over the years to mask behaviors that I learned growing up are considered strange. A lot of times I find myself reacting to situations by script, so to speak. I have learned not to ask certain kinds of questions and not to relate certain kinds of information. I still don't understand the rules but know to get along to fake it.

People think I am lazy but the reality is that I prepare obsessively before executing a physical task, and can write a major research paper like a thesis in a month of actual writing, because I have written it in my head. Leading up to that month were many months of what others believed to be procrastinating. I also have a tendency to go on and on, as in this post.

In any event, I am hoping to read other thoughts on being an aspie and look for tips in coping and relating better to my children, wife and few close friends, and of course my colleagues at work as my future there requires me to make them understand why I am not social. In any event, take care.

Welcome to Wrong Planet!! !

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Hey aspierabbit44 welcome.

I totally understand misdiagnoses. I will also tend to go on and on, overprepare for things, etc. I did have OCD as a child, but I do not show any symptoms anymore, despite the suggestion of ignorant people. When I was little one of my friends told the rest of us that we could eat clovers and we all did and they were good. Later on, he said I should try to elephant ears, which are poisonous. Long story short I ended up getting poisoned. I do not know if it was all the adults yelling at me or the poisoning, but I was constantly obsessed about being poisoned and would compulsively wash my hands and even then I would not even eat with my hands. For some reason I thought I had to run the silverware under hot water for it to be clean. I was seriously underweight so I was sent to a psychiatrist, diagnosed with OCD, and put on prozac at 8 years old. I was over my OCD by about 10, and could even eat stuff off the floor, as per the 5-second rule.

Some people say I still show signs of OCD because I like to follow certain rules, but this is more of an autism thing I think. I do like to follow a set schedule and some of my rules may seem odd at first, but I will happily explain them and back them with logic. I do not totally freak out if my schedule or rules are not followed, but I will let the person know that it bothers me and try to handle the situation like the adult I am. Unfortunately, there are a lot of adult children out there. I am not referring to an "adult child" in the sense of an individual's age or mental capacity; I have known adults of all ages throwing temper tantrums, just like on the other side of the coin I have known many responsible teenagers. I was never "officially" diagnosed with autism because I did not try to get mental help again until I was 26. They diagnosed me with anxiety and depression. I was watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles one day and mentioned to the therapist that I may have Aspergers. I am trying to find a clip of the show, but it was S02E6 "The Tower is Tall but the Fall is Short". In the episode the terminator robot "girl" talks to a therapist and the therapist tells the terminators "mom" that the robot may have Aspergers. The therapist, of course, does not know that the terminator is a machine. It is a really good show, but I keep getting off track. Anyway, I told my therapist that I may have Aspergers and they sent me to get tested at the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities. The results of test were that I do show signs of autism, but I was denied help from the office because I did not have documentation that the symptoms showed up before 22, which I could not convince them of. I have since had more testing including a neurological test, and lots of psychological evaluations, which all point to me being on the autism spectrum.