How do I figure out if I have Aspergers or get a diagnosis?

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Wolfpup
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15 Apr 2007, 1:44 am

I'm not sure if this would be the right forum...but I'm new here so...

A year or two ago it was suggested to me that I might have Asperger’s Syndrome by someone who’s trained as a consoler-type person, and has a grandson with it. (He said he didn’t used to think that, but now that he knows more about me he’s thinking that’s what it is, and has asked if I want to get an official diagnosis, etc.)

Since then I've tried to find out more info about it, and it seems like a lot of what I've read fits me, and...well here's what I wrote in another forum when I asked this last year:

Quote:
I started out by taking those “Autism-Spectrum” tests you find around the internet. I have no idea if they really mean anything or not, but I always score around a 35 on them, and supposedly most people with AS score a 32 or higher. This site has two other tests besides that one you see everywhere:
http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/MaleFemale.asp
In the “Systemizing quotient” test I scored within normal range for a male, and in the “Empathy quotient test” I scored WAAAAAAY into the AS (or whatever) range.
I can remember having trouble knowing how to relate to kids even back when I was 2 or 3. I had friends in grade school, more or less, but I’ve never really had what I would consider a strong friendship since, because I honestly have no idea how to make friends.
I’ve never had any idea how to deal with small talk. I can talk about stuff I’m interested in (blather on about it forever :D ), and I can deal with work-related stuff where I know what I’m supposed to be doing, but it really freaks me out having to just make small talk. Like to this day (just turned 30), I can’t really deal with the whole “how are you” exchange. I guess it’s a meaningless thing where you’re supposed to go “fine, how are you” or whatever, but it still feels bizarre to me and I can’t really do it.
At work I guess people like me okay, but I think I come off weird because I basically don’t talk to people unless they say something first, and I’m not I guess I’d say “warm” with people unless I really know them. Like the few people who really know me know I have a sense of humor, etc., but most people don’t know that, and it feels like everything usually comes out wrong even when I do try to talk to people.
EDIT: (Also, I HATE largeish groups of people. I sort of "feel" all of them and can't take it, and can't take the smell, etc. sometimes either.)
Unfortunately because of all that I’m kind of lonely in my life. Probably 80% of the time I’m fine with that, but still…
Major (or major to me-actually pretty minor most of the time) changes freak me out-I get REALLY stressed out by changes at work, at home, etc. I like knowing exactly what’s going to happen in a situation ahead of time, and exactly what I’m supposed to be doing, or I get freaked out. I didn’t realize how I am with that until pretty recently, when I figured out I was completely panicking and sometimes getting angry when plans would change with a (well, sort of with a former significant other, that’s a whole other story…) I didn’t realize I was even reacting like that, and now can sometimes recognize it, and kind of get control of the panic I have.
When I was a teenager I was diagnosed as having obsessive compulsive disorder. I started doing OCD stuff maybe in 3rd grade, really I think as a response to stress. I’m not as bad as I used to be, and (I think) I hide it well, but still the more stressed out I am, the more OCD related stuff I feel like I have to do to feel comfortable. (I’m also a bit obsessed with stuff being clean-I swear that waterless hand sanitizer stuff is sold mostly to OCD people :D ). I’ve read some places that AS stuff can be misdiagnosed as OCD in some people (and reading some symptoms of OCD, some of them do look similar to AS). (Since then writing this I’ve also learned apparently it’s the same gene that may be different in people with both AS and OCD…)
I should say too that I’m pretty far above average intelligence (most people who know me think that, and I was high on IQ tests they gave me growing up, had high SAT/ACT scores, etc), but haven’t been able to finish college, mostly because of my “weird stuff” (and inability to get through speech classes). I got pretty good grades through school, but HATED homework, avoided doing as much as possible, etc., mostly just reasoning my way through stuff. (And yet at the same time I’m also kind of a perfectionist)
I’ve always had a REAAAAALLY hard time remembering little things I’m supposed to remember-back in fourth grade a teacher always called me “the absent minded professor” (which I was kind of hurt by, but anyway…). And to this day I HAVE to write stuff down in order to remember odds and ends that I’m supposed to remember to do. I’ve used a Palm for years to that end (so that all I have to remember is to check it)-and now I use both it and programs on my computer at work to pop up reminders for tasks that have to get done at a certain time-I get easily absorbed in one thing, and totally forget little things I’m supposed to do.
At the same time, I’m really good at remembering other types of things I’m interested in. Computer related stuff, etc., I could give you a rundown on the differences between the major generations of x86 processor families off the top of my head for example.
It sounds like some people with AS have trouble falling asleep because they basically can’t stop thinking-and I’ve always been like that. I used to have to get myself over tired or I couldn’t fall asleep at all. Still kind of bad with this, as my brain basically won’t shut off at night.
(I’ve also always been EXTREMELY sensitive to any kind of injustice against people or groups of people-which from one thing I read actually sounds like it could be a symptom of something, weirdly enough, never thought that…)
I’ve read too about the eye contact thing. I have to kind of try to fake looking normal to people-ie try to make enough eye contact, but not seem like I’m staring. It’s very unnatural to me, and I have to actively think about it when I’m at work so that I (hopefully) come off as normal, like while talking I’m having to actively calculate whether it seems like I’ve looked at them enough, etc. Depending on…not my mood exactly, but sometimes it just feels like too much effort to interact with people.
(And yet despite that I did really well on that “eye” test on that page I linked to earlier.
Basically…there’s SOMETHING different about me, and always has been, and I’d like to find out what. That way I can potentially get it treated, or at least understand what I’m dealing with, work my way around it better.
I’m confused, because a lot of adults with AS on here list all kinds of symptoms that sound familiar to me, and yet in other ways it sounds like maybe AS is more serious or different than what I have, or something (and I’m not sure if the official diagnostic criteria for AS fit at all or not). I don’t know, but I’d really appreciate any feedback anyone has!
Andrew



Wolfpup
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15 Apr 2007, 2:04 am

And for an actual (boring) introduction...

I'm Andrew, I live in central Illinois. Love video/computer games and a number of TV shows (especially Heroes and Lost right now. On the internet I spend an stupid amount of time answering people's computer problems over on Dell's forums (they ought to start paying the few of us dumb enough to do that for FUN :D ) Generally like "hard" science fiction type books (ie Asimov, Greg Bear, that sort of thing). LOVED Buffy and Rosewell.

Not much else to interesting to say. Relationship-wise for the moment at least I'm actually not too sad about being single. I dated a bit last year for the first time in a LONG time, but she wasn't right for me (but that wasn't a disaster either, so that's good). I was engaged years ago (long story)...and we were young, combined with me not talking like I should have...oh well. I'm not dead yet so there's still time to find someone :D



Wolfpup
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15 Apr 2007, 2:20 am

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I just finished reading "The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships". I could identify with quite a lot of stuff in that, and thought it was pretty interesting. (It's by Temple Grandin and Sean...something.)



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15 Apr 2007, 2:44 am

Welcome to WP :)



DingoDv
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15 Apr 2007, 4:17 am

Welcome - I really enjoyed reading the post



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15 Apr 2007, 4:39 am

Welcome Wolfpup,

There is something to that AS stuff.