Am I an aspie

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My brother is convinced that I am an aspie. The first time I read about it I thought it might apply to me. When I suggested it to my shrink he laughed as he thought that the idea was rediculous. Recently I suggested the idea to my new primary doctor who said "You seem to funtional." However he was more openminded than the shrink. I am convinced that the majority of people have a different cognitive style than I do, but that does not make me an aspie necessarily. I recently joined this forum and from reading posts I do not feel that I have much in common with those who post. I do not know what to think. What type of doctor should I go to for a diagnosis? I am not even convinced that AS exists.

Last edited by unemployedwithphd on 13 Nov 2013, 5:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

It exists.

Some places don't use the name, but it exists

Has anyone here ever asked an NT if they knew what Asperger Syndrome was? The couple of times I've asked I've received: "Problems making friends" or "Has trouble reading others expressions" etc., etc., etc.

But the most telling question might rather be: ""Do you know what it feels like to be a child growing up with AS?" This will not be answered the same by aspies and NTs.

The difference in personal experience while growing up can usually answer the question you ask, so why not tell us what it was like for you when you were growing up? Unless it's too painful for you now, in which case I apologize for "pushing."

denny

More functional than Albert Einstein, HP Lovecraft, Dan Ackroyd or Daryl Hannah?

It's sad how many professionals in the Health Care field are so uninformed they think High Functioning Autism means Rainman.

Look up lists of the famous and highly educated who have been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and take that to your shrink and your doctor.



Uhm, excuse me, but that's a little insulting to those of us who know for a fact that it exists because we live with it every day of our lives. I was 45 before I knew my handicaps had a name, but make no mistake - I KNEW I had handicaps. I was just always told they were all my fault.

For instance, I was 'functional' enough to maintain a 30 year career, but not functional enough to keep the same job for more than 18 months without getting fired.

My first question would be why specifically your brother thinks you have AS. What personal traits/characteristics/behaviors have led him to that conclusion, and do you see the same things in yourself that he does? You also might want to consider taking the 50-question AQ (Autism-Spectrum Quotient) test online. It is not a diagnostic test; that is, a high score doesn't necessarily mean you have AS, but a sufficiently low score would mean there is a good chance that you don't, so that might be a good place to start.

We are not professionals so therefore we cannot say if you're an aspie or not. If you're that concerned, make an appointment with a psychologist as they can evaluate you for AS and other related disorders.

I took a 150 question and receive 120 AS and 90 NT. It said I was both NT and AS more or less.

The shrink who laughed had earlier diagnosed me as OCD and AHDD. As a kid I took dexadrine for hyperactivity. I first read about AS 2 years ago. I don't remember all the details of why I felt it applied to me but in general I felt it described someone socially awkward and intelectual ("nerd"). I am 50 years. Sometimes it seems to me that the modern generation wants to give everyone a diagnosis instead of acepting that there are different personality traits and that everyone has his strengths and weaknesses. After watching Michael Jackson in "This is It" I noticed for the first time that Jackson and the people he worked with had a different style of cognition than me and that the majority of the people I have known seem to be more like Jackson than me. Jackson told the musicians the emotions he wanted them to express rather than a logical rundown of pitch, volume and vibrato like I would have. I do not seem to have many of the sensory issues described here. I am below average in recognizing faces but not to a rediculous level. I have to go now. I will continue later.

AS seems to be broad and shallow as far as defined. That is there is much variation within the group and the average AS is not tremendously different from the average NT. Perhaps there is more variation within the group than between the averages of each group.

I am furious because I read 10 minutes ago that the FBI was supposed to administer a poligraph exam. It seems like an internal contradiction if the executive branch uses them but not the judicial branch. I want desparately for an official in the US government to explain this to me right this minute because if I wait to investigate I will probably forget about it. Part of me says "let it go and focus on your own life" another part says it is my duty as a citizen to investigate while even another part of me says that if do not investigate this I might end up in jail someday by either an incorrect poligraph test or if the 5th amendment is repealed and my refusal to take one is offered as evidence to the jury that I am guilty.

Would an NT react this ways? Does this sound like the reaction of an AS?

Oh, that old chestnut: "Asperger Syndrome is just a social construct," (AKA "Nerd Disease").

Well, no it isn't.

Asperger Syndrome/HFA has been thoroughly investigated by neurologists and found to be typified by 'abnormal' (compared to NT) functioning in the following areas:

http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/wp ... -logo3.jpg

(Warning: HUGE jpeg, may download slowly)

To the extent that AS/HFA are characterised by a certain neuroarchitecture, they are physical differences from NT (just invisible ones) and to the extent that those physical differences inevitably affect functioning and behaviour (to a greater or lesser degree in each individual) they are recognised and classified as disabilities.

Though it is entirely possible that you do have Asperger's, it may be useful to consider the possibility of intellectual giftedness being the cause of you and your brother's concerns (of course, it is possible that you are both an Aspie and intellectually gifted, though there has been instance where the latter is mistaken for the former). This chart may be useful in distinguishing the two: http://mcgt.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/%CB%86x-Giftedness-Asp.Dis_.Checklist.pdf.

In any instance, best of luck to you in your future endeavors.

It is easy to become confused in the current mix of different and opposed opinions about aspergers.

This site is BS free and de-dramatizing:
http://psychcentral.com/lib/debunking-6 ... 8957?all=1

While I agree that Aspergers is real I also agree with the general sentiment of the quote. In the wake of Columbine, Sandy Hook, 9/11 people who are" different" are less accepted and more feared especially if they are different socially or personality wise irregardless of the cause. Back when I was a young adult the person hiring you generally did not care so much if they liked you just if you could do the job. It was expected if one was hiring an accountant or computer programer that candidate would be a little "odd". Schools had smaller classes and it was understood by good teachers that different children had different learning styles. Now you have 15 personalty tests and HR departments looking for specific thing. After all we can't hire that quiet loner lest he or she shoots up our office and OMG not be a team player. I was with a bunch of teachers a couple weekends ago and they where discussing work related material, what is going on in their various schools. I noted that there seemed to be no individuality any more. The group broke out in laughter. It is all about Common Core standards, teaching to the test and group learning. It was not a panacea back then. I hated school when I was going through it. And the move to kill bullying is a very good thing. But I feel very fortunate I was schooled then and not now.

The site only says whar Asperger's isn't but it doesn't say what Asperger's is. I have discovered recently that I have a different style of cognition than most that goes beyond intellectual giftedness which I think would be using the same style as everyone else just faster or more efficient. But if A is not equal to C and B is not equal to C either that does not mean that A is equal to B. I would like a nice introductory level reference on just what Asperger's is.

Tony Attwood's books are a good place to start . . .

. . .BTW, it is actually spelled ASPERGER, and, not Asperger . . .

Best of luck on your path . . .

Last edited by delaSHANE on 13 Nov 2013, 4:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Do you know this?
http://www.wikihow.com/Know-if-You-Have ... s-Syndrome

This one has to be copypasted to the search field in order to work.