I'm sure if i have Aspergers
Hello everybody. Before I start this thread I'd like to apologize if I sound ignorant, or I offend someone who is 100% sure they have Aspergers. And also i'm a 14-year-old female.
I think I might have autism. I'm not sure, at all, put in the past two months i've been reading a lot about Autism, tourettes, ADHD, and similar stuff. I just found them interesting, but one day i started reading about Aspergers. It was scary, because I related to some of the things the writers were writing about. First off, i am very sensitive to touching certain textures. I don't and can't use 50% of the stuff in my closet, because i feel uncomfortable touching it for so long. When i was smaller i refused to wear jeans, and for 3 years I only wore a special kind of leggings, and rubber boots, because i couldn't stand anything else. Today i have found other kinds of pants and shoes that i like, but it's still a big problem. I can't wear sweaters, i can't wear socks where the sewing is too tight or misplaced, i can't wear jeans. The absolute worst thing to touch is styrofoam. I cringe just by thinking about it. Socially, people tell me that i'm rude. Two of my friends came up with a freaking rant against me, and they told me that i don't look at them when i'm talking to them, that i look away when they look at me (I didn't know that i was doing any of this lol), that i ignore them when they wave or smile at me from far away, and that i don't let them talk when we're talking about them. Also, one girl was crying and she refused to tell me what was wrong, she told me it was because that i didn't have any feelings other than anger and neutral ?? I took a bunch of tests online and they all say that i'm very likely to be neurodiverse. I asked my parents about it and they instantly told me that i was self-diagnosing and i don't have it.
Should i continue to research, and eventually convince my parents to take me to someone who can diagnose me, or should i forget about it? Sorry if you find this ridiculous or stupid
I don't find it ridiculous or stupid at all. I can actually relate. I basically stumbled across an article about Asperger's, and was shocked. It sounded like me. I found articles that sounded like the story of my life, all of the painful parts of it. Turns out I have Asperger's.
My moods also range from negative to neutral, basically.
As far as what to do about it, I really can't say. That is between you and your parents, really. If you really struggle with things because of it, you should try to get help, I think. If it's minimal in the way it seems to affect you, maybe you can deal with it on your own.
When I was young I really needed help, but I couldn't get it because nobody knew what the problem was.
The advantage you have is that you can start to learn to deal with it while you're young.
Maybe someone more wise than I will chime in.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 35,648
Location: Long Island, New York
Welcome to Wrong Planet
You are self diagnosing but that is not neccessarly a bad thing. Many self diagnose before they they get proffessionally diagnose, while some just stay self diagnosed.
I recommomend looking at videos on youtube by The AnMish a young Danish women on the Autism Spectrum. Just Google “TheAnMish” Aspergers. She covers many topics. She has videos about her school experiences. The one below is about 8th through 10th grade.
_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
ScarletIbis
Velociraptor
Joined: 10 Aug 2017
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Posts: 457
Location: Between Two Speakers
ASPartOfMe’s views are very valid. Self diagnosing is helpful and is how many people eventually reach a professional diagnosis. However, your parents are correct, you can not have Asperger’s. Because... it no longer exists! All Autism type disorders have been ‘umbrellad’ (made up word) into one Autism Spectrum. Based on what you describing, it is very likely that you have an Autism Spectrum Disorder, it is up to a professional to tell you where you are or if you have it. Also, self diagnosing does not automatically mean that you don’t have it (by your parents reasoning). Self diagnosing is useful, anything from strep throat to cancer. It allows you to go to your doctor and voice your concerns, not “doc, I’ve got arthritis, give me a steroid”, but “I’ve been researching and I suspect that I may have this”. Going in to a psychiatrist and telling them you suspect autism leads them to know which direction to go in searching.
Btw, Masakados is right, teenagers are pretty rare here.
_________________
Diagnosed: High Functioning ASD 2013
Misdiagnosed (extremely likely): Bipolar II 2012
Feel free to message me if you want
Please understand that everything I write should be read with a grain of salt because I frequently adjust my views based on new information (just read a description of INTP that should explain better than I)
From what you describe, it seems plausible.
If your parents aren't willing to discuss it with you, can I suggest you might try a School Councillor? That is, assuming you have them in Denmark - I'm not exactly familiar with the school system there!
Assuming they exist, School Councillors have probably dealt with similar cases in the past and would probably have some good advice; they might even be able to help you to better discuss it with your parents without just being told "No way!".
_________________
Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder / Asperger's Syndrome.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 35,648
Location: Long Island, New York
“ Aspergers Disorder” diagnosis has been subsumed into the “Autism Spectrum Disorder” is the DSM 5 manual. In the ICD-10 manual which I believe is used in Denmark “Aspergers Syndrome” diagnosis exists.
_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
ScarletIbis
Velociraptor
Joined: 10 Aug 2017
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Posts: 457
Location: Between Two Speakers
Oh, I did not know that. Nice to know that not all countries just got lazy and decided to make 3+ diagnoses into 1 on a spectrum.
Please don’t take anything I say as my absolute opinion, I constantly develop my views and opinions with a steady stream of absorbing new information. In simpler terms, I second guess myself a lot.
_________________
Diagnosed: High Functioning ASD 2013
Misdiagnosed (extremely likely): Bipolar II 2012
Feel free to message me if you want
Please understand that everything I write should be read with a grain of salt because I frequently adjust my views based on new information (just read a description of INTP that should explain better than I)
I'm a 39 yr old female and I got diagnosed literally yesterday. I cant help thinking how different my life would have been if I had been diagnosed when I was young. If you feel you meet a lot of the traits (remember that girls present slightly differently from boys) try to convince your parents to take you to GP and get the ball rolling.
This is a great list to help you articulate/relate your symptoms....
http://help4aspergers.com/female-as-traits/
Your texture sensitivity is textbook stuff as is the lack of eye contact, emotions ranging from neutral to angry and the ability to infuriate people close to you without knowing how. We can seem amazingly disrespectful (the NT's are big on 'respect'). Parents often don't want to face the diagnosis, because (a) they often blame themselves for not noticing earlier or, (b) they know exactly where you inherited it from, i.e., them. My own mother had a similar reaction, for reason (b).
Good evening and welcome to Wrongplanet.net
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with the forum. You have put things very well and I can't see anyone feeling offended in any way by what you wrote.
You are not alone. I am one of those people who started finding too many points of recognition on finding out about the Autism spectrum, especially from accounts given by autistic people themselves.
I recognise the caution in your parents' words. It is not unkown for people to find information about some condition, perhaps online, and then to start noticing spurious connections in their own makeup and deciding that they had this condition. However, in the area of people having suspicions that they may be on the autism spectrum, there is now research showing that in many cases those suspicions turned out to be well founded when the people concerned sought assessment or diagnosis. The cautions from parents may be best used as a reminder to be methodical in any research you do, quick to gather information and slow to jump to conclusions.
Your post describes a sensory profile which is quite different from the population as a whole. Many people on the spectrum report similar sorts of sensitivities in the area of touch, resulting in choosing comfortable clothes as a tedious and vexed process. Finally, one of the two diagnostic reference documents (DSM5) includes sensory sensitivities in the criteria.
You have also shared some stories which suggests you have a communication style and way of showing emotion which again does not match the majority of the population. Again, this is useful information as another feature of the spectrum is known to be difficulties in the social area, for example social communication, social "reciprocity". This is also useful information because it has been fed back to you by other people rather than just your own looking inwards.
A caution over self diagnosis is that it can be very dependent on the view from within oneself, whereas an assessment or diagnosis has both the accounts you give of the view within and the accounts of other people who have known you for a significant period of time and the observations the person assessing you is able to make on your communication style, the way you tackle questions around social stuff, working out what other people might be thinking, whether your focus is on Details or on the Wider picture. I tended not to say "Self diagnosed" for that reason and used a form of words such as "I have a (strong) suspicion I might be on the spectrum""There are things I observe in me which seem consistent with being on the spectrum in some way"
Now no one on a forum such as this can give you a decision whether you are or aren't on the spectrum. That needs to be done by someone who is competant to assess, and would do so using some recognised assessment method. Whether to seek an assessment is also a judgement call, and sometimes it is a fine balance either way. Sometimes one's own suspicions may be all that is needed to gain the self knowledge with which one can work out some strategies to deal with the areas where having an Autistic profile can cause some difficulties. On the other hand, where those traits start to cause serious difficulties an assessment and diagnosis can bring some benefits by making one entitled to accommodations and reasonable adjustments in school, college or the workplace. In some countries Autism is a characteristic which is "Protected" under the law, for example "The Equality Act" and "The Disability Discrimination Act" un UK law.
The Autistic spectrum is a wide one in current understanding, and its presentation can vary from appearing a bit "Quirky" to ones which causes significant difficulty and a person needing a significant amount of support. It is understood to be a lifelong condition. Its features appear to be coded in the way the persons brain is interconnected. The way it appears can appear to change through a lifetime as someone works out ways to compensate, sometimes at the price of spending a lot more energy on day to day stuff than the general population. This is why a person doing an assessment needs input from someone who has known the person for a long time, parents and siblings can give very useful information in this respect. There is also a qualifier, which Tony Attwood cites in a number of talks or interviews which can be found on YouTube, which is while the traits are lifelong and there from the start they may only become apparent when the social demands placed on a person exceed that person's intuitive abilities to deal with them. He makes an observation that the severer forms of the spectrum (Classic Autism was the term in use when he wrote his "Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome) can generally be seen by age 3. in boys, Aspergers syndrome generally becomes apparent in primary school, in girls it is secondary school when Aspergers syndrome becomes apparent.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 35,648
Location: Long Island, New York
This is a great list to help you articulate/relate your symptoms....
http://help4aspergers.com/female-as-traits/
I hope your life from now on will be different for the better due to your diagnoses.
_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman