aspergers vs classic autism

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I hear you on trouble getting thoughts out properly. I didn't really speak until my mid teens but I was capable of it. I wasn't interested in making friends and my self help skills were really delayed. But back when I was a kid I was labelled with being dumb and lazy. I even heard my own mother say that when I was a teenager. Well I'm smarter than her now and more organised.

The thing about me that really strikes me as more autistic is I didn't have any curiosity about people or the world around me. It was just me and my narrow interests. I didn't even think about my schoolwork and that one day what I learnt would help me get a job. And I only realised that very recently.
I wouldn't rule out mental retardation with me. I may not have been severely ret*d but I think I was between MR and average intelligence.

The type of support I'm on now is more catered toward AS. They're basically telling me to go out now and socialise and get a job to become more independent, but they do not see that my issues are greater than that. They probably just see AS stereotypes and think I can actually become that way. I actually don't know. They haven't told me what I should do in much detail, just to go out there and do it.

Wow Pensieve we do have some similarities. I need it broken down a lot of the time, do a then b then c. If I have to wing it major stress and anxiety. I too am being told to just get over it, they say youll grow out of the shyness, well im not just shy and they dont seem to get it. This is where the diagnosis would help I think. Im a big dreamer, I did watch others but I had to relate in some way through my own experience, Im very honest i think that is one of my gifts in this whole mess, but I could just sit and stare out the window for hours and the thing that gets me is that no one seemed to think that was unusual or they just didn't do anything about it. I totally freeze and my mind will blank on me when confronted with certain situations, and that will be it, the other person realizes how weird it was and that's pretty much the end of the relationship/friendship. I think a person can only go through that so many times before they realize that they are just allowing them to be beat up over and over with rejection and failure, Im very happy and content on my own, but I do want and would love friends.....its a double edge sword, damned if I do and if I don't. Thank you.

All of these overlaps is why I am beginning to understand the new umbrella disorder of ASD. I was officially diagnosed in my semi-evaluation with Aspergers. I am going for a full evaluation somewhere else next month (since the other place won't give me a report) and they might just as easily label me with classic autism. I actually fit the diagnostic criteria of both (classic autism has a delay in EITHER language or two other things that I can't quite recall at the top of my head. I did have a delay in one of those other things which I should be able to recall but can't. Also, I didn't speak until after I was two and a half--apparently I spoke perfectly kind of right out of the blue, and then I lost some language and started stuttering constantly until sent to speech therapy).

I think it is strange that the docs didn't want to give you a label. Perhaps it is because you possibly didn't quite reach the diagnostic criteria but had a few traits that could be autistic-like. Or perhaps you are not having problems functioning in everyday life (which is one of the diagnostic criteria). If both of those suggestions are not true to you, then it is really odd....

True littlelily, I could just have some tendancies but not quit reach the criteria, but I also havn't gone to a neuropsychologist. Mild in any case...But the social componet and sensory things are a big issue. Mabe I've learned how to adjust wich psychologically I don't think has done me any good either. Thank you for your help.

In your opinion would an autistic person, when creating music, be more likely to create music with a repeating theme, never quite the same, that could go on forever.

I played the piano by sheet music; and could never create music but always wanted to. As I traveled down a two year road to burnout, I suddenly gained the ability to create and it became an attempt at a release for an inner frustration that I could not understand.

My music was created with no intended emotion, but for description, it was an attempt to escape repetition with variations of the same theme over and over; never quite the same and never significantly different, if that makes any sense.

As I look back, perhaps a reflection of slipping deeper into alexithymia and trying to escape it.

I never looked specifically for a neuropsychologist. Maybe the one I am seeing is one, but I don't think she specifically goes by that. I don't think it is necessary, but I could be wrong. It is just possible that the psychologist you saw did not have the qualifications to diagnose. My psych from school is amazing, and I love going to see her. She is a great psych, and the very first one EVER to mention AS to me. But she could only mention it, not diagnose it.

Maybe you do have it if you are having social/sensory issues. Just out of curiousity, have you taken the AQ test?

I was diagnosed with Aspergers, but later PDD NOS, when I told the Psychiatrist I had a delay in speaking until age four. I had problems speaking most of my life, that were less apparent as I got older, I finally got comfortable with my speech in my forties, but had a decline in my late forties.

Getting music lessons at age 12, seemed to help my verbal abilities and emotional expression. As I started losing my verbal abilities in my late forties, I found them to be improved the next day after playing the piano.

Recently I read some research that relates to my experience with verbal ability and music. I think along with this comes a better ability to socialize.

For anyone with children on the spectrum I highly recommend music lessons if a child is interested. I'm not sure how far in life I would have gone without it.

that might help if i could bear to look at it.

This topic interests me because while I'm diagnosed Asperger's there are many who know me who may say I am more classical for a variety of reasons, speech, unawareness, clumsiness, spatial problems etc and I see from meeting other Aspies in the groups I belong how many are very articulate and highbrow.

Back in school I was not diagnosed as autistic and that is probably correct given the later diagnosis although I know that I saw many different specialists as a child so, who knows, any diagnosis is a subjective opinion from an individual or perhaps several individuals. There can be mis-diagnosis I would imagine, in any given field.

And while I can read and write music, this repetitive theme is exactly what I find attractive and how I perform it.

https://www.readability.com/learn-more

Turns a web page into a more readable format. Has saved me from many headaches.

Little Lily, what is the AQ test and where can I find it, thanks.

agree, was your speech delayed? if so then classic autism would be more apt, and if you manage it quite well then "high funtioning autism", cause i think the difference between high funtioning autism and aspergers is speech delay, if you're an aspie and you had a speech delay then you actually have high funtioning classic autism.

Hmmm I've been told that I was a babbler, that I baby talked until 2 then had trouble with sentences, but by the time I was in school and communicative, I was able to do ok juyst not a child of many words.. I have much trouble putting feelings into word, emotions especially, then putting my thoughts abstract thoughts, into words. Yet I love words, quotes, sayings. Will repeat them over and over. This is where the social awkardness comes into play, being able to recall is difficult for me too. I will freeze. I will freeze and not know what to do when people try to reach towards me compassionately or emotionally. I read somewhere that an autistic child might drag parents to something they want rather then tell them what they want that was me as a child. I would have much rather stare out the window and watch everything go by then try to start a conversation. Even if asked specific questions often answers were a few simple words. Its all very confusing to me, I get stuck in what am I supposed to say, who am I supposed to act, what are they looking for. I have had years to try to fit in and years of faking it so to speak so I have learned to deal with it, but it is still uncomfortable and stress producing form me and I feel it's more than just plain shyness. Thank you everyone.

I took he pdd test and got a 66 and took the aq test and got a 33. So symptoms are on the mild or high funtioning side.

Asperger's rules out speech delays (but some people with speech delays get diagnosed with AS anyway). Autism does not require speech delays, so you can still speak on time or even early and be diagnosed with autism or PDD-NOS instead of AS.