I dont classify as an "aspie" anymore

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I have taken some tests recently and my score has improved. I have worked on my social skills quite a bit. And I no longer classify as someone with asperger's. Has anybody else have this happen? So, I guess that means I'm "normal"? I don't know. I don't care for labels but I was surprised when I learned that I don't classify as one anymore.

Congratulations! This means that your behavior can be indistinguishable from the behavior of "Neurotypicals" to a mental-health professional you can pass as one of "them".

This also means that you can compete on equal footing with those same neurotypicals, but with the experiences you've gained from the perspective of an Aspie ... experiences that they can't even begin to comprehend from your perspective. Sort of like being able to pass as a native in a foreign land, but with all the experiences and knowledge of an ambassador from your own.

This may also give hope to Aspies who believe that they are in hopeless situations - for some, things can get better.

Again, congratulations!

Which tests? Where did you find them?

I've felt the way you feel right now. I didn't feel like I was exhausting myself either. What you should know is that the severity and visibility of Asperger's can fluctuate. It can change the way it presents itself at different moments in your life. It's a developmental disorder. It's not always slower development it can be an abnormal development pattern.

My self-awareness didn't develop until late elementary school and I did all sorts of stupid things that made myself visible. At the end of elementary school and into highschool my development went from being very slow to a much more rapid pace. I accelerated. I was still behind but I understood things that I didn't understand before much more easily. I had theory of mind.

If you feel like you're functioning better than before, just wait until a stressful event in your life happens. Then you will realize you still have Asperger's and you always did it was just under control.

For me and probably for you, Asperger's isn't like a broken leg. It's more like a cold. When my immune system is strong (i.e. I'm not in distress and I'm emotionally healthy) my Asperger's has fewer symptoms and almost no symptoms. It's under control. I might have 1 or 2 symptoms but at the time I would probably be categorized as a BAP rather than an Aspie if I didn't already have a diagnosis. Then when my emotional/mental health starts to suffer or I am overwhelmed by some crisis in my life my immune system weakens. The cold gains strength. My Autistic symptoms become more intense and numerous. I start to make mistakes all over. My coordination is off. I'm clumsy but unlike my child self I still have self awareness so I'm aware of my mistakes it's just I'm out of rythm. I'm shaken by the strain I'm in and it's like playing DDR and missing all the steps. You see that you're missing the steps but you don't have the rhythim and you know how bad you're doing but you can't do an better.

That's where I am right now. My mental health is suffering so my immune system is weakened and my Autism that was unnoticable for maybe a year and a half is now very noticable. When my immune system was up it didn't take effort to socialize. I wasn't straining myself to keep up and I felt like I could do it forever but my Autism was still there beneath the surface and now it's back.


You didn't state your date of birth. I'm guessing you are relatively young? If you haven't had your Autism come flooding back yet it can. It can suddenly start causing troubles again after a period of invisibility.

I'm afraid we can't just let you leave like that, Jessicella. It isn't that simple.

One of us... one of us...

Hello Jessicella. I used to be only painfully "Aspie" in my childhood, but then i forced myself to change. I did by myself, to myself, without help. I never trusted psychiatric or psychological paradigms. My aunt is a psychiatrist, but i hated it when she attempted to analyze me. Good thing she lived far away. Anyway, i became my own psychologist, analyzed myself. I hated being a recluse, anti-social, no friends, obsessive, etc, so i forced myself to do everything that was opposite to my original nature. I forced myself to leave my room, became a dictator to myself over several years, step by step, slow and agonizing.

What happened? I became outgoing, friendly and extroverted. I hungered for attention, liked to be on stage, be noticed and admired. I became loud, flamboyant, colorful and narcissistic. I met many interesting people, had many memorable adventures. It was great! BUT, i thought the old introverted me was wiped out forever, in fact it was not. I just created a second personality, a double me. Now i have swings between these two extremes. I am unable to keep all the interesting friends i met, because i notice their imperfections, irrationally hate them, and end up discarding them. I have very few friends, although i have met so many people.

So i am glad to have created a social extroverted me, and want to keep it, because can enjoy life in many ways. But i need to be more balanced and in control of these sudden swings, extreme highs & lows. That is what i am now trying to deal with now. Of course being more social, outgoing and social skills is always very good and helpful. But it does not necessarily mean the original you is wiped out forever. In my case it didn't happen, it was just covered up, and sometimes pops up again.

okay *shrug* i will disagree first i spose.

i have a friend you is albanian. english is his second language. i have to think that if he moved here during his language development, he would not continue to make language missteps to this day. he is a busy man, a successful man; i have to think that if he trained himself in the art of the english language day after day, eventually he would be indistinguishable in terms of his grammar usage. then he could get to work on his accent. i spose that would resolve as well. we are talking a lot of work here.

sometimes i think of this analogy of trying to fix a car while it is driving. so my question is, do you not live a very stressful life? what afforded you the opportunity to resolve these issues?

I didn't take any quantifiable tests to have a relative comparison, but guaranteed 100% ~5 months ago I was very very very obviously on the spectrum & now.. well, my symptoms/traits have lessened dramatically & chances are pretty good that if I took the same tests the op took that I'd have similar results of being able to pass for NT. So, people can change over time w/ experiences, treatments, practice/determination etc.