Hi there...

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Well, after a few years of occasionally browsing the forums, I finally decided to sign up and start posting. So... hi there.

I'm an 18-year-old guy, currently studying software engineering at a university in Melbourne, Australia. Computers are my main interest, but I'm into music as well.

As for my diagnosis ... well, it's complicated. I'm not exactly sure about the reliability of my diagnosis. AFAIK I've been diagnosed as having a quite mild form of AS. This happened at around about the age of three. I vaguely remember going to see some specialist guys at a very young age, but I can't recall what happened there. From what I've been able to gather, they diagnosed me as having a mild form of AS, but then nothing seemed to be done about it. My parents mentioned nothing of it. I got put through the public school system like any other kid... though I never really seemed to fit in, I was always a bit "different". I didn't get into much trouble, people pretty much left me alone because of how "smart" I was. (the school noticed I was reading at a much higher level than my peers, and that I was great with maths, so at the end of the first grade they pushed me straight into grade 3). In secondary school I began to become a bit more comfortable with making friends, and I started to become established as a respected guy among my peers. However, I still didn't quite fit in, and it was something i couldn't quite put my finger on.

About four years ago, I was at the doctor's. I can't quite remember what I was there for, but it's irrelevant. Anyway, the doctor had left the room, so I was sitting in there by myself. I glanced over at the doctor's computer, and noticed that in my"medical history" it had a list of familiar issues I've had (eg. open heart surgery at an early age...), but noticed that Aspergers Syndrome was in the list. I thought that was a bit odd, cause I had no idea what it was. On the way home from the doctors I asked my mother, and she mentioned briefly that it was just a condition which meant I had trouble interacting with people socially. This aroused my curiosity enough to go and Google it later. I did, and it was quite a revelation. Reading the first paragraph of the Wikipedia article, something inside my mind clicked. The description of AS nearly exactly fitted me, to a point where it was quite scary. I could identify with nearly all of the common characteristics, even things which I hadn't thought about before. From then I suddenly became conscious of how bad I really was at social interaction, especially things like light conversation. For the month that followed I was quite depressed about it. It eventually passed, but even today I'm still actively conscious about my lack of being able to interact socially on the same level as other people, and I still feel quite "different" among others.

Over the past few years I've somewhat regressed into an introverted, overly shy character. After further research, i'm nearly wondering if I've instead got some kind of AvPD, or whether over the past few years it has somehow morphed into a potent mix of both. AvPD seems to describe me quite well too. I'm quite a tense guy now, and have a tendency to overanalyse social situations. This, in addition to my complete failure at making conversation, has led me to having only a few close friends. It's not actually all that bad, I'm a bit lonely from time to time but I'm quite happy for most of the time doing my own thing. Of course there are some parts of my life where this is a problem, for instance, I appear to be the only introverted guy at the student residences where I live (everyone else is out getting drunk nearly every night, I just don't see how that is all that fun), and I've found it nearly impossible to talk to girls, but i'm slowly making my way through life regardless...

Anyway, if you've made it this far, thanks for reading

You're welcome.

Welcome greetings, fellow-traveler Imhotep. Your intro made for good reading. I like the way you discovered, or should I say rediscovered, your Asperger's diagnosis. Take great care of yourself now, all the WP best to you in your studies at Melbourne, and keep those posts coming.

das Techno Viking welcomes you into his kingdom

I know how I felt when I first found out I had Asperger's. It was like a light came on in the dark place that was me. It just clicked. I finally felt like I wasn't alone anymore when I found WP and read what everyone else was going through.

Welcome.

Hello.

Well done. You have a brilliant eye for detail. Should come in useful .

This is just a general questions, not directed at you specifically Imhotep but:

What the heck's going on?
Why all the secrets?
Why do our parents have to hide stuff like that from us?
Are people so ashamed of letting others know if they have AS?
Or did they consider it irrelevant if it's not causing any trouble?

Count yourself very lucky that you didn't have the rebellious streak I had. That got me into a load of trouble when I was young plus aide plus systematic bullying . You are incredibly fortunate. [Very, sorry please don't take offense I'm venting right now].

I'm sorry, but my parents tried to protect me from my dx too. The professionals honestly thought that I was "broken" at the time and tried to force me to act "normal". Why can't people just tell it like it is? Because no-one wants to talk about it, I have no idea who I am any more. Best of luck with your research into AS, I'm trying to discover who I am too.

I can't stand people drinking either, particularly when they were repeatedly sick repeatedly in front of my dorm room door in the early hours of the morning. One of the reasons why I decided to cut short my studies due to the incessant binge drinking of others and the hyper-social environment. I couldn't concentrate and found the environment "toxic" and very unfriendly. I hope for your sake, things are much better where you are. Things have been pretty rubbish for me unfortunately.

All the best with your studies.
Don't let other people's prejudices get you down.

Whats up!!

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome to WP!