honest question

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how do you guys know you have aspergers and not just social awkwardness? i'm asking because i've wondered if i have it myself. is it just the sensory issues or what?

not trying to be a dick, just curious.

Well, there are criteria that need to be met. I don't know if I'm allowed to post URLs yet...but here's one, so I hope it shows up... http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-aspergers.html ETA: Or...Gillberg...slight differences but sometimes they're significant depending upon the person: http://www.bbbautism.com/asp_gillberg.htm

Some people here obviously aren't officially DXd yet (I'm not) and may never be (we may never seek the DX) but the criteria exist if you want to look them over and if you want to know what a Pdoc would look for in making this DX.

There are a lot of other things that can cause social issues, like social anxiety...just a ton of things.

Last edited by NowhereWoman on 03 Jul 2009, 1:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

i've seen that before, and i feel like everything in the first tier could be caused by social anxiety/low self-esteem as well

do all those dx'd here meet the criteria in the second tier? (preoccupation with objects, etc.) if none of those symptoms are present, is it safe to say you're not on the spectrum?

Yes, you must meet enough from each tier. And I don't think Asperger's can be described as mere social awkwardness, more along the lines of lack of understanding. There is also a lot of things that aren't included in the diagnostic criteria that most people with AS experience that make them autistic.

Yes, but that's the point I'm making... Currently at least (diagnostics change a lot in the psych world), you can't JUST meet the top "tier" criteria and be diagnosed with AS. You do in fact need to meet the criteria in each category as stated (i.e. "At least one from the following...").

So, yes, a different circumstance than AS could match part of the AS criteria but you must meet them all in order to have AS.

Yes, a person technically must meet one of the stipulations in II as well, in order to be DXd AS. All the criteria must be met. Otherwise, you may have something that overlaps AS "symptoms" (hate to call it that!) in some way but isn't AS. Just as you might have pain if you have appendicitis, and pain in the same area if you have an ulcer, and pain in the same area if you have a tumor, BUT that doesn't mean all these issues are interchangeable; it just means that one or a few symptoms overlap.

Hope that all made sense.

I was DXed when I was 11. I'll just take their word for it. I don't really care what it's called.

Edit: To answer this question.

If it's looked at as a spectrum that might be a bit of a leap. Any sort of overlap may put you somewhere on the spectrum, although maybe not sufficiently to be diagnosed. If it's looked at as something less broad than a spectrum then yes.

I fit all four of those in the 2nd tier.

Last edited by GoatOnFire on 03 Jul 2009, 1:46 am, edited 2 times in total.

Symptoms of AS absolutely can't all be blamed on social awkwardness. That's just absurd. The only reason you *need* to get a diagnosis of AS is if you need one. I had to be diagnosed again recently because I have sensory issues and I can't take tests in a room with a bunch of people, the wrong kind of lighting, a stranger, distracting noise ect ect and I needed accommodations. All things that can't be explained by social awkwardness.

i guess i can't understand how these differ.



that's what i'm curious about. care to elaborate?



yeah, that's what i'm saying.

So anyway, why do you ask? Are you seeking a diagnosis?

If not and you're just curious where you stand (or where someone you know stands)...well, honestly, the labels shift and overlap. Having a "label" can help you get the help you need...if you need it. (Say that five times fast! ) And sometimes it can provide relief..."So I'm NOT crazy!"

But apart from that, as an adult, anyway (naturally, for a child, the parents would want to seek the correct school placement, therapies, etc.), the technicalities might not make much difference in practical, day-to-day life. If you know you have social issues, you can work on them if you want to whether you're AS or not; you can accept yourself as you are whether you're AS or not...If you have anxiety or depression, you can see a Pdoc for talk therapy and/or meds whether you're AS or not. (Since having AS doesn't preclude depression or anxiety; you can have either or both of these along with AS...or neither along with AS...)

BUT if you're actively seeking a DX to see if you'll qualify for Disability, etc. (I never have so am not sure how this works and whether AS would qualify or just ASD...or what), yes, there are firm criteria to be met and that's that...again, the criteria may change over time, already have in fact, but if that's what you're asking, well, that's what it is. ALL the criteria.

Good luck and I hope you find what you're looking for!

AS/Autism affects the entire way someone thinks and processes information. Social awkwardness is just the most obvious symptom from an outsider's perspective. It's also the symptom that makes adapting in society most challenging for us.

I would google "aspie quiz" to get some idea of the variety of symptoms. The test results shouldn't be taken as a real diagnosis but they might give you a better understanding of what all the symptoms are.

Last edited by marshall on 03 Jul 2009, 2:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

i appreciate the thoughts. i'm mainly looking for the closest semblance to an accurate self dx as i can get. not so much for the label; as far as i understand, which may not be much, the difference in brain functioning between NT and AS is pretty clear cut, and i'd like to know where i stand. i don't think i have any sensory issues, and i'm not clear on what the non-DSM symptoms are.

For me, it was reading personal accounts of people with AS and recognizing a lot of the same thought processes they described when dealing with social situations that made me really look into the possibility I might have AS. I've always known I was different, just didn't really know how. I decided to pursue a diagnosis to get an objective, professional opinion and hopefully find ways to deal with some of the social issues I've had.

I wrote a detailed post describing the differences in how I experience social anxiety and the social impairments of AS: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp2183467.html&highlight=#2183467.

The AQ can provide a good indication of the amount of autistic traits present: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aqtest.html
Those with just social anxiety or OCD score a bit higher than the general population overall, but less than those with ASC overall. It's been found that only a few with these conditions alone (SAD or OCD) reach the higher scores.




Yes (to the former) if we have an AS or autism diagnosis. However, it is possible to be diagnosed with something like PDD-NOS if they are not met.

No doubt about it. I have much more traits than social awkwardness. Significant traits.

Do people with social awkwardness get diagnosed too? If that's the case, it's quite bad. AS or other disorders should only be diagnosed in case many traits are evidently en significantly present in someone.

A proper diagnose takes more than just one trait, like sensory issues or social problems. People have them, but it doesn't mean they're autistic.

Hmm, i can't speak for everyone. But living life in a series of routines, and being unable and unwilling to deal with change makes me belief i don't "just" have social awkwardness issues.

You are not being a jerk for asking the question; it is in fact fundamental and I, too, am curious about the relationship between social anxiety and autism. In fact, since coming here, the number of posts discussing social anxiety has surprised me.

DSM IV makes no mention of anxiety in its criteria, but then it makes no mention of sensory issues either, so go figure.

I suspect that (almost?) all with AS have special interests, and (almost?) all have stimmed or do stim. For instance, I was a champion flapper until about the age of 10, and gained notoriety for this even in the adjacent middle and high schools. Although not part of DSM IV, I think that a large majority of us also have sensory issues, particularly with regard to sound. If a couple of the above are not applicable, your social awkwardness might have a different root cause.