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My diagnostic, also yes, I did write 90% of it.

A Self-Diagnostic of Asperger's Syndrome.
By Jake W. Pierce.

Defining Autism: Autism is considered a disorder with a neurological basis meaning a pathological condition relating to the brain and/or nervous system. Often beginning in early childhood found usually at the age of three years old a person may experience sensitivity to a number of different sensual stimuli, including lights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, etc. This hypersensitivity may manifest itself in extreme avoidance of certain environmental aspects or stubborn clothing and food preferences. People with autism may also engage in self-stimulatory behavior by repetitively touching certain things, listening to specific sounds, and engaging in self-harm, among many behaviors. If over stimulated, the person may become extremely agitated or angry for no reason that is discernible to others, or people that are not autistic. Other specifically neurological signs include difficulty with fine and/or gross motor control meaning clumsiness, prosopagnosia (or "face blindness") lack of emotion expression, difficulty understanding verbal instructions or speech (e.g. Central Auditory Processing Disorder), and extreme visual or auditory skill or memory (a "photographic" or "tape recorder" memory).

Defining Asperger's Syndrome: Some professionals equate AS with high-functioning autism while others see it as a separate disorder. In any case, can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild too severe. OASIS decribes AS ("Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. By definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all), exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. While language development seems, on the surface, normal, individuals with AS often have deficits in pragmatics and prosody. Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound like "little professors." However, persons with AS can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context.")

List of simpler characteristics shown in AS.

Note: No one person with Aspergers Syndrome has all these characteristics. Characteristics that I express are marked with a "*". Also notes are put after the characteristic explain what that characteristic I display would be.

1. Cognitive Learning
A. Excellent rote memory in certain areas.* (I show a great memory for little things and even memories of my past such as encounters with people and feelings that I experienced that other normally wouldn't remember.)
B. Unregulated fears; difficulty judging situations that create fear - may be overly fearful in safe situations, yet fearless in dangerous situations
C. Very detail-oriented* (Often with my art or when I work hard on any kind of project I will place within very small details or I will even see details that people would not.)
1. Difficulty seeing overall picture or situation
2. Applies same level of detail to every situation whether appropriate or not
D. May have exceptionally high skills in some areas, but very low skills in others, i.e., splinter skills, savant skills, or special talents* (I have very high skills in creativity a composition but very low physical skill, to name a few.)
E. Prefers concrete, rather than abstract, concepts

2. Language
A. Pronoun reversal
B. Excellent vocabulary; may sound like “The Little Professor”* (I have told by many people that I am very articulate, often far beyond my age level.)
C. Conversational language may appear stilted
D. Speaks with stock phrases or phrases borrowed from other situations or people* (I have a Huge habit of using things I hear from other people or quoting certain sayings.)
E. Makes honest, but often-inappropriate observations* (I am very blunt which is often considered rude to people and I know when I am being rude or not, only sometimes I do not.)
F. Has difficulties adjusting volume and speed in speech* (I am often told to speak up by my parents or lower my voice in class.)
G. Problems with prosody; irregular accenting and inflection used in conversation
H. Literal language: difficulty understanding figures of speech, similes, parodies, allegories, etc.
I. Speech may have started very early in development or may have started then stopped for a period of time
J. Repeats last word or phrases several times (echolalia)
K. Difficulty understanding some language, i.e., directional terms easily confused

3. Emotions
A. Rage/anger/hurt may all be expressed in unexpected ways
B. Perfectionism*
C. Easily overstimulated by sound, crowds, lights, smells* (I am affected by the senses around me very much and I become very happy or even agitated with them.)
D. Inside feeling not matching outside behavior* (I am often acting happy when I am not or at times people ask me what I am sad about and I find that I am not sad.)

4. Motor Skills
A. Difficulty with some skills requiring motor skill development
1. Gross motor skills - riding bike, swimming, crawling
2. Fine motor skills - handwriting, tying shoes
B. May have some advanced, age-appropriate skills while other age-appropriate skills are delayed, i.e., tying shoes before climbing stairs
C. Unusual walking gait or clumsiness* ( This only counts if picking up my feet does. I am often told to pick up my feet and not make so much noise.)
D. Difficulty with motor skills that require visual perception accuracy, i.e., walking through a parking lot, revolving door or turnstiles, participating in sports, guiding a shopping cart.* (Though not often for other things I do have a problem often in sports such as judging the distance from a basket in basketball.)

5. Perseveration
A. Obsession - the fact or state of being obsessed with an idea, desire, emotion, etc* (I often become obsessed with new certain ideas and in fact, I became obsessed with Aspergers Syndrome for awhile. That’s what led to me thinking I have it.)
B. Compulsions - an irresistible, repeated, irrational impulse to perform some act* (I will tap my pencil as a stimulation in class or even I chew on my sleeves when I can. I also have a urge to touch things continuously. )
C. Fascination with rotation* (I love to spin quarters and such when I am alone.)
D. Many and varied collections
E. Redirection very difficult (changing focus or thinking from one activity or idea to another)* ( Once set on a idea I am very absorbed in it and have difficulty moving on, even if I have to.)
F. One emotional incident can determine the mood for the rest of the day; can’t let emotions pass quickly* (I might listen to music on the way to school that causes me to be sad or happy and I would often stay that way for the rest of the day. That seems to not happen with other people. )

6. Social Cues
A. Difficulty reading facial expression and emotion in another person
B. Difficulty understanding body language
C. Difficulty understanding the rules of conversation
D. Difficulty understanding group interactions* (Its more that I simply don’t do very well with group interactions. I am often very uncomfortable around others, its more than just being shy which I am not)
E. Too much or too little eye contact
F. Difficulty understanding others’ humor
G. Problems recognizing faces out of the usual setting or known context (face-blindness or prosopagnosia)* (I often occasionally miss people, and who they are even if I have seen them a hundred times.)
H. Stand-offish or overly friendly* (I am very stand-offish when around others I don’t know well.)
I. May adopt others’ behaviors, speech or dress habits to aid in more fluid communication and social adaptation* (At school there is the use of common slang, although I don’t normally use slang I use it to fit in better.)

7. Senses
A. Very sensitive or undersensitive to light, pain, taste, touch, sound, smell
1. May have injuries of which they are not aware* (I occasionally do this when my nose is bleeding.)
2. May experience physical pain from oversensitivity to light, sound, touch
3. Very picky eater, both in selections of foods and in the way they are presented on the plate* (Though not as much as I would have used to, I am still a picky eater.)
4. May crave specific touch, taste, smell, sight, sound, lights* (I have urges to experience these things. Such as stroking a person shoulder.)
B. Over-sensitive to change in surroundings, people, places* (I become agitated when there are people around me I am not on specific terms with but also become nervous when I am alone in certain places. I feel I had done something wrong.)
C. Over stimulation may result from too many verbal directions or instructions

8. Comfort Skills
A. Desires comfort items to produce calming effect - blankets, stuffed animals
B. May need external (outside) stimulation for calming - brushing, soothing sound, rotating object* ( This is mentioned before)
C. Comforted by minor motor stimulations - rocking, humming, tapping fingers, toes, sucking, rubbing fingertips in circles or on seams of clothing* (This is mentioned before.)
D. May need separate space or area to decompress* (I must often go away by myself to think and not be angry.)
E. Unusual attachment to object
F. Self-stimulation i.e., rocking, tapping, humming, etc.,to increase concentration and attention or to calm down and relax* (This is mentioned before)

9. Neurological Function
A. Erratic neurological function
1. Attention difficulties
2. Irregular sleep patterns* (I can sleep often sometimes and never others.)
B. Understanding and working with time concepts difficult
C. Sensory processing disorders (how the brain processes information it receives from the sensory organs) * (I might have this I might not. If so it would mostly be with hearing.)
1. Visual processing disorders
2. Auditory processing disorders
3. Sensory integration disorders

10. New Situations, Patterns, People
A. Rule-oriented
B. Prefers known patterns with little unexpected surprises* (I like routines and set them up often)
C. Prefers familiar places, clothing, people* (I become agitated around certain things I don’t know well.)
D. Difficulty with transitions when changing activities
E. Difficulty making and maintaining friendships (especially peer friendships); more successful with adults than other children or young people* (I am often more successful with those younger or older than my own age, with making friends.)

Question and Answer. Possible arguments to diagnostic.
(This has been edited to a shorter version.)

Q: If Asperger's Syndrome is a life long process and people with it have always had it why haven't you been noticed before and been diagnosed?

A: I believe this has to do with psychology. It is true that a person is born with it and is often diagnosed at a earlier age but the diagnostic usually comes from the fact that the child seems different than others and doesn’t "fit in". My belief is that I was raised in an environment or had experienced the right kind of people that I was unconsciously taught to fit in better therefore the AS that I had was wasn’t as severe in terms of how it affected me. Its is told that people with AS have much harder time learning than others in terms of body language or how people talk. I do not know if I had this problem because I did not remember much at that age. It important to that many people who have it diagnosed when they are adults an only 30-50 percent of the people have it are diagnosed.

Q: Why do you think you have Asperger's Syndrome of this now?

A: I believe it has manifested its self more now than it had because the experiences I had that kept the signs as being as noticeable are no longer affecting me. Though I am not sure that it has been noticeable to the most people around me, or even at all, yet I think that I notice it in myself. The signs are mostly developing habits.

Q: Have taken anyone up on you thought about having AS?

A: Indeed, as of 5/3/07 I have told my parents and many others it may concern. Of significance I have told the special ED person of University Academy and she considered it begin a possibility but in the end believed that I did not have it. I however still have the belief that I have it and wish to take a test for diagnostic from another professional.
Q: If Autism is rated in levels such a "mild" what would you level yourself? It doesn’t seem to affect others around you and there is no real evidence other than what you yourself say, so would that be mean you have a lower level?

A: Yes, I would have a more mild rating of Autism.

_________________

Yes, I am 14.

Obviously this is an issue for you, and you have a fair number of Aspie traits. It's worth pursuing; I don't know how much this professional has seen of you, but I'd recommend you think about whether she's worth speaking to about it again (is she potentially open-minded enough, not time-stressed enough, caring enough, to listen to you & get you assessed?)? If she isn't, then you'll want to look for an outside expert. At your age, this could be important, if in no other way than in your ability to understand yourself and how this affects you. You could understand it anyway, but, for some of us, there's a certain reassurance in having a diagnosis, that we're not just deluding ourselves somehow. I was raised to not trust my own perceptions, so to me a diagnosis is a pretty important thing & that's why I'm pursuing it. I can completely understand those who are happy with their own self-assessment, though.