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Musical_Lottie
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22 Dec 2005, 2:14 pm

OK, I know if I want a proper diagnosis I should consult a professional, but I thought asking here would be a good start. I would just like some thoughts as to whether people think I may have AS, or anything else, or whether I'm just NT displaying a few traits. Any comments will be appreciated.

OK, well I stim a lot. I get told off for bouncing around, rocking and dancing on the spot (amongst many other things) and most of my stims annoy other people. Woops. I have APD which I gather seems to be common. I've realised that I don't like eye contact; however I don't have a huge aversion to it, I just prefer not to look people in the eye.
I am blunt, although I realise half the time that if I say something it won't be well recieved. But when I don't realise, I can be quite unkind without meaning to be, then when I try to make it better I just dig myself into a chasm.
I don't have an enourmous problem with figuartive speech, but I tend to take things at face value, and more often than not I take them literally. I always put down not recognising sarcasm due to there being a specific tone of voice that I never picked up on, but now I'm thinking that maybe that wasn't it.
I'm not wonderful at social interaction, but I'm not spectacularly abysmal. I'm quite good when it comes to people with whom i click, or with whom I am well acquainted, but I'm hopeless in large social situations where I have to mix with strangers.
I never know how I'm feeling - it takes me forever to figure out what emotions I'm experiencing, by which time I've moved on, so I never catch up.
I also don't know what makes people react as they do to things. I just don't understand them - I don't understand myself.
I can be quite obsessive about things - I won't extensively research things because I prefer to work things out for myself, or to happen upon random facts. I'm also obsessive about things I do, eg I have to do many things in threes and / or sixes.
Change doesn't cause chaos within me, but I much prefer to avoid it where possible.
I just thought of something but have forgotten it ... - oh yeah! I use stock phrases (which in itself is a stock phrase from the Aspie Quiz!) and am often accused of stealing people's ideas ... :oops:
I tend to have echolalia to an extent. It's not chronic, but fairly frequent.
I have chromaesthesia
I thought of something else ... lost it. Darn. Thought of something else though - my spatial and time awareness are rubbish. Really, really poor.
I'm not of highly above average intelligence, but (without sounding egotistical) I have above average intelligence.
I notice things in my peripheral vision, it seems more than others do.
I like noticing patterns / reflections etc in things around me - I'll point out really insignificant things when I notice them.
However, I'm good at empathising once I know exactly how somebody is feeling, although it helps if I've been through something similar before.
I'm not starkly logical - I'm often an idealist and romantic as opposed to a realist.
I will listen to a certain piece of music over again until I 'know' it as well as I possibly can.
I am very easily distractable, unless I'm interested in what I'm doing - I gather I have hyperfocus in such instances.

I swear there's a million other things I've forgotten - I may as well mention that my memory is terrible. Whether that's relevant or not I don't know.
oh yeah - I'm not generally clumsy, but when I am, I'm really clumsy. I also have rubbish hand-eye co-ordination.

As I said, any comments would be apprecitaed. Thank you :)


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Sean
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22 Dec 2005, 2:20 pm

You sound AS and possibly ADD to me.



neongrl
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22 Dec 2005, 2:48 pm

I could have written most of that myself, it sounds so much like me. I'm not professionally dx'd, just self-dx'd AS, ADHD, OCD. So yeah, you sound like an aspie to me.



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22 Dec 2005, 3:27 pm

The description doesn't look anything like ADD to me,the APD (if it's an official Dx) explains a lot-echolalia,being literal,memory difficulties etc are part of APD,but ASD can crossover with APD,this is why it is important to speak to a specialist as they are trained in distinguishing one thing from another.


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22 Dec 2005, 6:02 pm

You sound like me. Except my social activity has declined steadily as time passed. I don't really look for any outside of work and a occasional visited with a freind or 2. I was much more social in my younger years.

Dx's ADD and self Dx'd AS.
Actually, I was Dx'd ret*d at the 1st place my mother took me for testing when I was a kid.
She knew that wasn't the case though.
I wonder what the results would have been if AS had been more known about in 1983?



Musical_Lottie
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23 Dec 2005, 8:25 am

Thanks for the replies so far :D I knew I’d forgotten a million things, so here are some that I remembered last night. At one point I made a huge long list of possible traits I display, but of course I’ve lost that. So anyway …

I’m fairly ambidextrous, whether that’s relevant or not. However certain things I will noly ever do with my left hand, others only with my right. I’m fully capable of doing most things with both hands, but certain things I just won’t do with one hand.
I’m obsessed with knowing in which lessons my friends are in relation to myself – I don’t know the order of any timetables, but I know who’s where when I have which lessons. I’ve been called a stalker numerous times for it - oh yeah! I also know which peripatetic teachers are in school when, and roughly what times etc.
I’m also good at memorising phone numbers and e-mail addresses. I used to be good at car registration plates too, but I don’t take much notice of them any more.
I love making lists – yay for lists!
I tend to be happier with others who are older or younger than myself, rather than with people my own age.
I have very sensitive skin – I have only found about 6 scarves in my life that don’t itch! But lots of things itch me – there are numerous items of clothing lying around unworn because they itch too much.
There are certain textures that I abhor – I posted my share on the Sensory Integration Nightmare thread.
I tend to be very unaware of unspoken expectations of me. I’ve just about learned to offer people a drink when they visit, but it’s not natural to me.
It dawned on me why I prefer to be in school than at home – there’s more structure at school. Hence I dislike the school hols because my day is no longer structured.
I have to sit in the same seat; stand the same side of people etc. Otherwise it annoys me, and in turn I annoy other people by asking to swap seats / swap sides etc.
Don’t know if this is relevant at all, but my balance is rather poor.
I tend to jumble the word order of sentences; I also swap letters within words, and I swap numbers etc. e.g. 1978 becomes 1798 etc. It’s worse when handwriting or writing from dictation, although it’s quite bad anyway.
I trip over words when I speak – as with the previous sentence that may be totally irrelevant; I don’t know.
I’m a stickler for grammar and punctuation!
I also love trying to work out how things work – yayfulness!
Oh yes. I unwittingly take jokes far too far, and only realise when someone tells me. I also don’t tend to understand the sort of jokes that are question and answer – I suppose that ties in with taking things literally.
I have to say that I’m not too bad with physical contact – I suppose the criteria for whether I’m comfortable with physical contact with people are the same for whether or not I’m comfortable being around people. C’est a dire if I click with a person, or am well-acquainted anyway, then I’m comfortable with them. In fact with those with whom I am comfortable I am very tactile – at times too much so … oops! :oops: I don’t recognise when I’ve pushed too far and am invading people’s privacy either, which can often spell trouble when coupled with being so tactile!

I said I’d forgotten a million things, and I’m sure there are more that I’ve still forgotten. Half may well not be relevant but I thought I’d mention them anyway. Thank you again for all your comments so far :)


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gentle_wind
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24 Dec 2005, 2:47 pm

hi, i am very much in the same position as you, trying to work out if i have AS, i was previously told i was likely to have ADHD but my mum wouldn't let me have the diagnosis, but now I'm an adult i am struggling with some aspects of life and found out about AS last year. i have now been referred by my GP to a AS specialist doctor, not a doctor with AS, you know what I mean. I think a diagnosis is a good idea, do you or anyone else agree?



Musical_Lottie
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24 Dec 2005, 5:22 pm

A diagnosis, if correct, can be extrememly helpful. When I was diagnosed with OAD (APD) it explained a lot, and helped in that I got to do listening exams with headphones instead of in echoey classrooms. So I think diagnoses can be extremely helpful - but only if correct. As for AS, if I were to be diagnosed then it would explain a lot of things for me, and would help me understand why I am the way I am - similarly any other diagnosis would help. If it's not AS then I'd liek to nkow; if it is AS then I'd like to know. Whatever it is, I'd like to know! And if it's nothing; just me being me, then I'd like to know simply so I can stop trying to find an explanation - does that make sense?


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25 Dec 2005, 12:56 am

I'm so used to thinking calling APD as CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder). But until I realized that, I totally thought you'd been diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder, lol. 8O 8O 8O Though that's AsPD,but that was the only thing I could think of...


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Musical_Lottie
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25 Dec 2005, 2:28 pm

LOL! :mrgreen:


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