Do you Recognize your Fellow Aspie?

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From what I've read, there is about 1.5% Aspies around the general population, so if you know 300 people, theoretically two of them should have Asperger's Syndrome. My problem is that I do not know 300 people well enough to make that judgement, and not even 150 to find just a single one. So when I think of classmates, colleagues and/or family I find many Aspie traits in them, but if it's enough traits for a diagnosis, would be hard to determine. A period of time I saw Aspies everywhere, but statistically that can't be right.

Yes. And I'm not subtle about asking them that

There's another on this commune. Probably AQ 50. Hate to say it but he's a world-class jerk.

Yes. Yes. Yes. My aspie-dar is uncannily good.

I've worked a fare bit with AS/SEN youth and children, so I've goten good at seeing it, and judging what behavior is and isn't related. I generally end up 'spotting' them subconsciously now, then having to think back conspicuously over everything I've seen them do/say to find what signs I saw in the first place. In the last pre-school I was in, I creeped people out (myself included) by recognizing an AS child in 2 seconds flat by the way they looked at me (later confirmed by the SEN-CO).

I can generally recognize survere dyslexia too, though not as accurately as AS. I have to make an effort if I'm identifying dyspraxia (probably 'cos I don't have it!).

I think there was an autistic person in my 5th grade class once, either that or he was downright socially inept. He was pretty violent sometimes, other times he was alright person though. Also there was a person at my primary school who always went to the library, he always talked about computers, etc. I remember him saying stuff like: "You can't use a computer without a USB nowadays", found that quite amusing actually. I reckon he had aspergers or just really liked computers.

No. Never met one.

Aspie
Aspergian

The amount of hate I have for those two words knows no...hate.

But yes, I can recognize the symptoms of an ASD in person.

I've met adults who I suspect have Aspergers, but none who have said they had it, so my suspicions have never been confirmed. But, I've spotted 3 children with Aspergers. I was pretty certain they had it before their parents told me. I never asked - I spoke about my daughter's assessment and they told me. I also spotted another child in the leisure centre, behaving just like my daughter. Then I overheard his Mum telling someone he was getting assessed (she sat right next to me, so I couldn't help but hear what she was saying). It sounded like he was at the same stage as my daughter in the process. Given that I've done this 4 times, in recent months, I think my Aspie-dar is in good working order.

It's interesting that since my son's diagnosis, how many people I know who seem to have 'trace elements'. Also, when I explain to people what it is, how some have said, Oh I think I may have it a little or I was a lot like that as a child....(admittedly, I know alot of people who are Engineers, Doctors, accountants and IT developers...)

Never heard of aspergers until late in life. Wasnt diagnosed until later still. So Ive only recently turned my aspie-dar on.

Two people I worked with were likely candidites. Ironically, one of the them was one of the most competent people in the job, and the other one of the least. Even before I was diagnosed myself I sensed that a young lady I worked with "mustve been an autistic child"- she was the competent one who became my supervisor and finnaly left the company for a competitor. The other was a gentlemen who had a high IQ but was obviously challenged mentally and social skills wise (he ended up getting fired). He had many of my own traits- only worse. So I suspected him. A superviser friend I was gossiping with confirmed that he was an aspie.

Have gone to the local metropolitan support group meetings for aspies and auties. So have been in a room full of fellow folks on the spectrum. Among the higher functioning ones its hard to say how many I would peg as being aspie if I had first meet them away from the group.

One good looking bright-but-clueless college guy I would definetly have pegged ( his aspie girlfriend even confided that 'he embarasses me sometimes").

Others maybe not.

At my first meeting I was surprised at how nervous and fidgetity some aspies are. One attractive young lady I spoke to would look down as we spoke and would tear long narrow strips of paper from her napkin as if she were making origami just to keep her hands busy. I dont idle at such a high rpm myself so I didnt expect to see that trait.

I strongly suspect a former colleague of having Asperger's, unfortunately I have not felt comfortably talking to her about it (I could not find a way to sensitively raise the matter).

There are other people that I would not be surprised if they were on the spectrum, but am not totally sure. They may show some traits, but not enough for to get a full diagnosis.

There are 3-4 people I know who I think are Aspies. One of them I think knows he is but isn't saying it, but we have silent communication about it at times. For example when we are at a restaurant both at the same time, not together, but both in there, if there is a loud voice or piercing laughter, we look at each in despair and stuff like that.
Then there are the other ones, but I don't think they know they are Aspies.

I diagnosed my friends daughter on asperger half a year before she got formal diagnose.
(I just said that she speaks similarly to me, behaves similarly, and is in specific way away from this world)

But usually I'm spending most of my time in my internal world, so I don't pay much attention to others

I think my son's friend has AS, but I do not feel comfortable asking his parents. I imagine they might be sitting there saying "I think my son's friend has AS, but I don't feel comfortable asking his mom!" LOL! I've actually seen numerous kids in schools who probably are and I get the picture that no one "knows." I feel sorry for these kids. Especially the ones who are nearing middle school. It must be very difficult to go through that time of life and not know why things are the way they are. And I can only imagine the inappropriate expectations that get placed on them.

I can spot people who have traits, but I don't know that I know how to tell if it is significant enough to qualify for a diagnosis. There are people in my family who I think may be, but maybe they are only shadows, IDK.

Sometimes.