New, British, looking for advice?

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Hi everyone,

My partner and I have just realised that he may have Asperger's - I started researching after we got into a Relationship Conversation and ran up against the way his emotions are a complete black box to him, yet once more. It gives us a lot of stress, and it's not like anything I've ever encountered before - it's not that he doesn't have emotions or even that he doesn't know he has them, it's like he just doesn't have any way of understanding what they are, where they come from or how they work. When I first met him, I could ask him "Are you angry with me?", and he'd have to stop and think about it before he could answer; and the answer I'd get would be in two parts, firstly about whether he was angry at all, and then about whether it was with me or something else. He's always hated having too many people around, but he also has a lot of quirky symptoms like sensitivity to light and sound that I hadn't realised can be Aspie traits, and his father has them too; the more I read the more plausible it looked. And then I found the AQ test on the Wired website, unscientific as it is, and we both took it; I scored 11, and he got 30. And now I'm really starting to think this might be something we should look into.

So what I'd like to ask is can anyone give us any hints on where we should go from here? Will our GP (we're in the UK) be able to help us find out for certain if he has it? And are there such things out there as ways for someone like him to get a handle on his inner life and learn about what the heck is going on in there?

Many thanks,
lapis

Welcome and good luck getting answers^^

To WrongPlanet!! !

Hi and welcome!

I'm in the UK, but I found my way here because my son is waiting to be assessed. As far as I know, the process for adults to be assessed begins with going to your GP and asking for a referral. Not sure who it is you ask to be referred to, and that might vary from area to area.

Best of luck!

"Hello," lapis, and welcome aboard Wrong Planet. All the WP best to you and your partner.

Hi - I'm Dave ... and I was diagnosed earlier this month at Sheffield Asperger Syndrome Service. (I live in Stockport).

The AQ test is based on a test devised by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen at Cambridge.

Goto this website: http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/default.asp
... and download the AAA test + AQ and EQ components - that might help.

Also visit www.nas.org.uk ... check out their books+leaflets etc. - they have a number of cheap leaflets available to buy online ... http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=435 ... and give lots of advice online - they also have a help-line telephone number you can ring for advice.

Try the more indepth tests, think about problems you think you might be having because of the Aspergers, get some leaflets etc., and take it all to your GP - arrange an appointment specifically for that purpose. Show the GP the leaflets and the AAA results + AQ test and EQ test. Explain that you think you should be referred.

Your GP should refer you to a local psychiatrist/psychologist who has at least some Asperger Syndrome (AS) experience. Your GP might be able to directly refer you to someone who is able to make a diagnosis, or, to a "middleman". If that psychiatrist ("middleman") thinks there's a possibility that you're on the right track, then he/she will make a referral to a tertiary service. The service in Sheffield is one of the main services - together with one in Cambridge. Depending on where you live, you might get to see someone else who is qualified to make the diagnosis.

Hope that helps.

I'm away from home at the moment ... but will be back after 4th January. Until then, access to the internet is a little haphazzard. I'm happy to try answering any further questions you might have, however. I don't mind being emailed either.

Nice to meet you, lapis.