Diagnosed Aspies: Did you have these traits?

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I wonder how much - if any - research has been done. I know Tony Attwood said that most people diagnosed with AS fit the criteria for autism, but I can't find the book to see if there's a citation for that.

I had no speech delay. I use words in unusual ways and repeat myself verbatim from day to day.
I had some problems buttoning buttons as a child, and tying shoelaces.

I have trouble sustaining meaningful communication. I also use language strangely at times. And I've been told I use "bottom- up thinking", too. Getting what I think put into words can be hard, too (although I do ok [mostly], here).

Is it strange that I fit the first 5 categories? Well maybe not so much the first one.


1. I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and I had/have a speech delay.

When I was little I was told a mumbled too much and spoke too softly. My teachers would actually get mad at me. When I was 7 my 2nd grade teacher kept me after class to give me "speech lessons" but never told anybody where I was and was subsequently fired. Then when I was 10 my 5th grade teacher yelled at me for speaking too softly. In home videos of me I can't understand what I was saying because most of the time I was not actually saying anything. People would ask me a question and I would respond like "nfjidnnciahsi fjdnnua skjuhsnjfija asokjfnf" and that is pretty much exactly how I sounded as well. No actual words. Or sometimes I would be like "sjdjkm humfjsyuef shggfenfkia yes kfhusmfnfhis ajejn dtehns" and only say one real word. This happened until I was a good 3 years old.

2. I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and I had/have problems with starting or keeping up a conversation.

I have been known to burst into tears if I have to talk to a stranger. Often if people talk to me I smile and laugh and say things like "yeah" and "uh-huh" without really paying attention to them at all. Especially if they say something like "crazy weather, huh?" Most of the time I stop paying attention because I have nothing to say. Or I may want to say something, but I can't make myself, so I just don't say anything.

3. I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and I use/used language in unusual ways (repetitive speech, echolalia, making up my own words, etc.)

I have echolalia. Often times when people ask me a question I will respond with a quote from something, without even thinking about it. When I was younger I memorized entire movies and could re-enact entire scenes, word-for-word. My family thought it was annoying, but I found great pleasure in re-enacting my favorite movies over and over and over again. Sometimes I just randomly quote things out of the blue. To this day I still find myself repeating things that I hear, especially if it's on television. Like if somebody on tv says something like "oh I love the color blue" I find myself saying "I love the color blue." I don't even have to think about it. I also sometimes copy their actions. For example, if somebody on tv smiles or waves I may smile or wave.

4. I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and I did not play "pretend games" as a child.

I honestly could not understand the purpose of "pretend games." I never made my Barbies or stuffed animals talk. I mean they are pieces of plastic and fabric for goodness sakes! Actually when I was about 5 years old I remember lying in bed and I couldn't sleep so I decided to play with my stuffed animals. I remembered seeing on tv how kids my age would play with their dolls and pretend they were alive, so I decided to try it. After about 2 minutes of trying to play school with a bunch of stuffed animals I realized that was silly. They weren't alive, they couldn't hear or see or learn so why even bother? I would have rather done a puzzle then played with dolls any day. I also never had an imaginary friend. I would, however, hold entire conversations with the spiders I kept in jars that were hidden in my room (my parents didn't like me bringing them inside). To this day I have an intense fascination with spiders.

5. I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and it took me longer to learn to take care of myself than most children take.

When I was younger I never cared for personal hygiene. I would wear the same clothes day after day and would only shower when absolutely necessary. To this day showering is more of a chore than a pleasure.

I played pretend games with other children but the other children had to do exactly as I said and the game had to be entirely made up by me and played by my rules. So I completely controlled the pretend games. I preferred to think of them as "plays" because each time we played the game, we had to start it from the beginning and play it in the exact same way, saying the same things until we got up to where we had the last time, then add new bits on like you would if you were making up a play.

I usually imitate another person's way of speaking, tone of voice etc, and on the internet I copy their use of smilies, xs etc. I sometimes stammer a little bit or descend into "umming and ahhing". I always have trouble thinking of words as well, you know when they're on the tip of your tounge and you have the definition but not the word?

I have lots of problems with starting or keeping up a conversation. I don't know how to keep conversations going as much if they're not centred around myself (I know that sounds bad) so I have to talk about one of my interests or something so that I can keep it going. If someone is talking for a long time I never know what to do so I just end up nodding and repeating "yeah". If I find something funny I repeat it lots of times, and it's the same with actions.

What does it mean when people say ''Aspie children take longer to learn how to care about themselves''? No children can care about themselves when they are small. Or does it mean this in a different way?


Anyway - the reason why I got diagnosed is because of my behaviour on my first day of school. I started school at 4 years old, which is very young to suddenly find a diagnosis, since I only had mild AS, (which nobody suspected yet), but my behaviour confused all the teachers and therapists with ADHD. This is because after being a typically developing toddler, (even interacted normal in preschool), my behaviour completely changed on my first day of school. I threw chairs, kicked other children, crawled underneath the table and wouldn't come out, and even attacked the teacher, and all of this is a little intense for a 4-year-old. Obviously a 4-year-old can't specifically tell you what's wrong, especially when they're frightened (but don't know what of), so I was taken to special therapists, and had to receive extra help in school. I did calm down after about a week, and a teacher's assistant observed the things I did very carefully. It seemed I was the best in the class at spelling, but I seemed the lowest in the class at reading. So the teachers then thought I had learning difficulties of some sort. I was OK at working in groups with other children, although a bit shy, but any child is entitled to be shy, so they didn't react on that too much. Then they found I was getting very paranoied all the time, a little too much for such a young child, and it was like I was taking in too much of the NT world. I got frightened at the fire bell, not because of the noise, but because I used to think there was a fire, and fires seemed to freak me out back then (they still do now). I still had tantrums at 6, and had to be calmed down (tantrums included screaming and panicking). I used to cry for my mum a lot, but that was quite normal in all young children, so they didn't class that as anything different. After 4 years of figuring out what may be wrong, I got my official diagnosis with Dyspraxia and AS at 8 years old.

So not quite sure how I got diagnosed with AS actually. I reckon it's mostly because of my high anxiety levels I had at such a young age. Can't quite remember how my social interaction was when I was little.

I thought that might be what you were doing. I picked other ASD, but as you probably know, I WAS misdiagnosed with Aspergers.

It's really too bad there isn't some easier way to diagnose people for as ASD because there are some misdiagnoses that do happen to occur. Some Aspies are actually disqualified from a true Aspergers diagnose and do qualify for another ASD (not necessarily classic autism though! Could be PDDNOS as well.) The same could be true the other way around (although that is probably far less common--I mean classic autism diagnosis when it should be Aspergers). And I also think that it is true that there are some who get an ASD diagnosis who actually don't even have one, but have some symptoms that might appear like one (not all diagnosticians go all the way back to babyhood for their info, and might misdiagnose someone who really has ADHD, schizotypal, or something else).

I ticked "more than one of the above".

I have a slight speech delay in conversation, and I also find it hard to initiate and carry on conversations, especially in crowded public places like pubs and supermarkets/malls.

I think they are referring to personal hygiene. I know when I was in 2nd grade all the NT kids knew better to have combed hair at school. Me on the other hand, always had messy/bed hair throughout grade school.

Self-help skills. Like bathing, brushing teeth, taking care of hair, other grooming, dressing themselves, tying shoes, etc.

I never actually quite got tying shoes down in a way that worked, and it took me until 18 before I got some of those other things to a workable point. This is actually supposed to rule out AS, but a lot of people diagnosed with AS had problems like this.

I have all but the speech delay. But I suppose that doesn't matter because I'm not officially diagnosed. I think the whole idea behind diagnosing someone as AS rather than classic autism is more or less because the stereotypes behind them. While, by the DSM-IV criteria they're basically the same, a lot of people seem to think that if someone can talk then they must be "high functioning," and thus have AS. I don't agree with it, but that's what most people think, according to my observations.

I have speech delay, in fact I have a general motor insufficiency which may or may not be related to AS. My spoken language is not very clear, I'm Australian but people tell me I sound like I'm from Liverpool or Ireland

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http://defeatingthedoginthedaytime.blogspot.com/

the trials and tribulations of a girl pretending to be normal

I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and I had/have a speech delay. - Yup.
I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and I had/have problems with starting or keeping up a conversation. - Even today!
I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and I use/used language in unusual ways (repetitive speech, echolalia, making up my own words, etc.) - Of course I didn't, don't be squiddly silly, you mardlepop.
I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and I did not play "pretend games" as a child. - I did play imaginary games but they were in my head 90% of the time and I refused to play them with other kids.
I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and it took me longer to learn to take care of myself than most children take. - Yup.

To be completely honest my aspergers effects me in different ways to other people. Even though I have social difficulties I am quite extroverted to people who I know well.

I have a lot of little cousins who don't take care of themselves and they're NTs. One of my cousins is 8, and he often goes out without brushing his hair (he's got quite thick hair). Nan calls him ''mop-head''. Also, apparently, he walked to school with his friends yesterday, and they all played in the river on the way, then all arrived at school with muddy trousers. The headteacher wasn't very happy about that, and had to tell their parents.

To me, all that sounds like typical schoolboys.

I could be wrong in Callista's intentions, but I think when people are talking about speech delay for autistic people, it is not so much a hesitation when you are answering questions or trying to have a conversation. I think it is more about being speech delayed as a toddler, not speaking at the age an average child learns how to speak.

My mom tells me that as a baby, I never crawled forward. She would have to pick me up and move me, as I'd back up into a corner. Strange thing, in HS, I'd walk backwards between classes, too. Seriously, there's eyes in the back of my head. Can't you see them?