Not meeting the criteria...

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i know that i would not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of autism but i'm fairly certain that i'm on the spectrum. I was officially diagnosed with ADHD years ago and all the tests calculated to a 99.9+ percentile. i've never fit into any group that i have been around.

i'm a 69 year old heterosexual, monogamous male but have a decidedly feminine aesthetic/sensibility i hide for the most part. i love being a dude but i also love being an atypical dude. all the typical dude stuff is lost on me. i maintain a certain persona for the benefit of those i love. left to myself i'd be a dude in a dress regularly.

i've taken a few online autism questionnaires and most showed that i would likely be on the spectrum but i've also looked at the criteria for an official diagnosis and i don't "qualify". just one more group that i don't fully fit into. that's written mostly in jest as i'm more comfortable on the fringe than i'd be in middle of the crowd.

Not sure if any of that makes sense to anyone.

It makes sense to me.

Welcome to Wrong Planet! Whether you are diagnosed as being on the Spectrum, or not, it sounds like you belong here.

If the online questionnaires, such as AQ, say you are likely Autistic then I suspect you likely are. However, a couple of things we should remember:
1. You can have Autistic traits without being on the Spectrum. With some Autism traits, but not enough to qualify for a diagnosis of "Autistic", some folk would be considered Broad Autism Phenotype (loosely speaking, almost on the Spectrum).
2. Alternatively, it is worth remembering that many of the traits of Autism are not unique to Autism. My bride, for instance, observed that she has many traits of Autism but she is not Autistic. She is ADHD and high level ADHD shares many traits with mild Autism.

But, be that as it may, ADHD alone would qualify you as Neurodiverse (ND). Wrong Planet targets the Neurodiverse and also those interested in Neurodiversity.

So, welcome to WP! I hope you like it here.

Double Retired
thank you for the welcome. I had taken the test in your link before but took it again just now. I scored a 31 which suggested "Scores in the 26-32 range indicate some Autistic traits (Asperger's Syndrome)".

after the last three years in therapy i've come to understand just how my ADHD has impacted my life but I'm thinking it's comorbid with some strong autistic traits, mostly in verbal communications. i am most definitely neurodivergent.

thanks again,
rat_

I was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disoder NOS for having Asperger traits, which is in the DSM 4 used by psychologists. PDD -NOS is not in the DSM 5 but was included under ASD instead. I hope that information is helpful to you on your journey.

That makes sense to me. Autism is like skin color, you can have any tint of it.

rat_ Welcome to Wrong Planet.

69 years old, gee you are almost as old as me.

That brings to mind getting a haircut. Every few weeks I go to the hairdressers and have my hair cut. One of the hair-cutters is a male who wears a dress to work. It may seem a bit strange but he fits in. He was from Scotland. And he comes to work wearing his kilt.

rat_, Yeah, your AQ score is kind of vague...sort of like "maybe". But you should definitely fit in here.

yeah, that was my take. i would not be diagnosed autistic because i do not meet certain criteria. my sense that i have a few autistic traits is from the fact that i've felt disconnected from others my whole life, even people i really like and get along with. i can't remember ever having a truly close friend, only a few that i hung out with on occasion. i feel like i'm on my own wavelength.

Hey there!

Finally, I've done this AQ test, everyone is talking about, and got my hard-earned 28 points. So, also in the grey area, as usual. Also, I've learned two things about this particular test:
- It's influenced a bit by a "typical male" presentation of autism, e.g. one's interests should concern numbers or dates. If your autism is less typically male, you might get less points
- It's based on the idea that autistic traits are seen to some extent in most people - hence the autism quotient (AQ) is like intelligence quotient (IQ) - everyone is somewhere on the spectrum. Official criteria will always be subjective to some extent, especially for people "in the middle".

Anyway, it's interesting how the views on the matter change and how we'll see it in the next 50 years.

rat_, Would a BAP self-diagnosis be appropriate?

Personally, however, I think the self-diagnosis would be: self-diagnosed BAP.

There are others on WP who know a lot more about this than I do. Maybe one of them will wander by and impart some wisdom.


P. Zombie, Would a "Ditto" work for you?

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

had not heard of BAP before and will research it. thanks

i did take a quick look at the article linked and i actually think that i'm farther up the scale than the bap would cover. as i'm doing research, i'm finding various experiences that i'd ruled out to be more indicative of an actual diagnosis. i'm still fairly new to this, and i'm trying to avoid bias in my self-evaluation.

thank you

I would consult a specialist, not online tests. Legit psychological testing has to be interpreted by a specialist as well, as the results don't mean anything on their own. Self-diagnosis is also a way to go about it - tests are just numbers of boxes ticked in a very specific set designed in a certain way

If you're interested, I've found this talk very interesting. It covers the basics of how the concept of autism changed over years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnU01HBN6zg
But yeah, for an official diagnosis a professional would be better. The question is, do you want or need it.


Didn't know the term, so I checked on the Internet. I'm not sure what you meant, but I guess it's about this pokemon

Ditto is a unique Pokémon because of the ability to breed with any Pokémon except for another Ditto. Hmmm...

"The question is, do you want or need it."

The "or" is important. You do not need to both want it and need it. Either is sufficient reason to get an official diagnosis.

If you need a diagnosis then you need a diagnosis. For instance, you might need an official diagnosis to get treatment or financial assistance.

However, if you don't need a diagnosis but want it anyways then you need to consider whether a diagnosis might interfere with your life.

An official diagnosis might disqualify you from some future opportunities. You might have trouble joining the military and getting the advantage of the benefits of being in the military. Some employers might limit your choices. And, in your social life, some people would not look past the label to see the real you.

Personally, I did not need the diagnosis but I did want it. I was 64 when I learned I might be Autistic. I had already been in the military when I was younger. I was comfortably retired, financially secure, and did not need treatment or financial assistance. I wanted the diagnosis solely to satisfy my personal curiosity. I wanted to know why my life had been the way it had been. I got the diagnosis because I wanted it and could afford it and there was no disadvantage to getting it (other than the cost...which I could easily afford).

And, even though I did not need a formal diagnosis, I am very glad I got it.

It might've been nice to have gotten my diagnosis a decade or so sooner. But not much earlier than that.


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If you bring a Pokémon in the you have to feed it!

I am using the word "ditto" in the sense of saying the previous statement applies again.

There are almost understandable explanations of the term in Wikipedia and in the dictionary.

I thought my response to rat_ could also be a suitable response to you, but I was too lazy to type it again.