I've been intending to register here for a couple of days now but instead got very much distracted looking at maps. For two days. For no reason beyond finding studying them interesting. But, evidently, I'm here now, so hello!
I'm twenty years old and live in Scotland. I really don't know if I'm an aspie or not, though--I'm perfectly aware they're not indicative of anything (even less so because I constantly either wanted to rewrite the question to make my limited answering ability fit, or re-do the answer section so I could answer every question in great detail--'tis a problem I have with every such thing!), but I did the Aspie Quiz, the Autism Quotient test and the Empathy Quotient one (because I found it), and I think my scores might have been: 113 aspie, 84 NT; 32; 7.
Which doesn't say much about anything beyond 'I might be an aspie' and 'I'm not very good when it comes to empathy'. I've also definitely got social anxiety (and have had), which I honestly don't know if it's a result of possible (likely 'mild') AS, or whether it exists on its own. My psychologist also hasn't noticed that I'm particularly lacking in social skills--or at least she hasn't said much beyond saying that my body language was 'shutting people out' and that my eye contact was--surprising, as I still feel like I'm staring--"good". I do avoid some strange habits when with her, though, such as trying to sit sort-of-normally and avoid the habit of rubbing at my top lip a lot, and I am getting better at answering her 'how does that make you feel' type questions by trying very hard to just pick the first possibly-appropriate emotion that comes to mind and not sit there and decide the perfect one, and all the reasons why only to get frustrated when the aforementioned 'perfect' name for an emotion doesn't exist.
I could--and am having a very good attempt at it!--talk myself round in circles for hours on the whole 'am I or aren't I?' thing, so I'll just finish this bit with: I'm quite content just being me for now; I suppose I might be tempted to try and seek a diagnosis at a later date, though. Possibly.
Anyway, now to get back to telling you a bit about me...with the dreaded 'my interests' topic--I'm glad here I can get off with what I'm about to say! My current interest would be...I don't know; my--short--map obsession seems to have ended, and I haven't quite found a new one yet. Before the maps, I was into paper modelling, then before that it was writing--that's a common obsession that comes up; never long enough for me to finish writing anything, but I do enjoy the act of it. Oh, and my nickname thing is from a character in a story I had an idea for and only just started but didn't get very far with because I got distracted in researching Victorian London. Which was fun, but I'm looking forward to a return of my writing interest so I can do something with it; I've learned I can't write well at all if I'm not interested in it--it's the same with drawing: I'm not great at it at the best of times, but I'm much worse when my brain just...isn't connecting with it. I'm not good at maths--yes, I know, how shocking!--however, and I'm not wonderful with computery-things either.
I'm also supposed to be going on--going back to, technically, as I've dropped out twice now--to study English Literature at University in September, but I'm not sure why--I think it's because I did well in it at school when it was just a case of learning the teacher's notes...--I'm starting to think I'd be better in English Language, as I'm not entirely sure I can analyse texts all that well on my own. Nor am I sure I enjoy it all that much.
...I'm going on a bit now. I didn't intend to, but one just writes something which leads to something else and then something else and so on and so forth until one is at risk of giving one's entire life story--I'm not even sure I know what I'm talking about any more!
22 Mar 2009, 8:22 pm
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