A Different Type of Autism? Help!

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you will be put under autism spectrum disorder instead of Asperger´s. I assume anyone with an AS dx will be able to fit under the new category, just under a diff severity level.

I think i have a good sense of humor. I admit i do sometimes have some issues with recognizing humor in a lot of real-life situations just because i don't know how i'm supposed to take a lot of things people say. Around people i'm familiar with i'm better at that, though. If it's obvious that something is meant as a joke because other people are laughing or whatever, then i usually get it and will laugh. And i love to joke around. People don't always get my jokes, but sometimes people think i'm funny. It's easier to understand humor on tv, though. I LOVE watching comedy central, and any kind of comedy really. I love to laugh and i like to hear other people laugh.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone with helpful information!

From what little research I've done on OCD and tourette's here of some of my concerns.

1.) From what it sounds like isn't OCD related towards anxieties? I know a person who has OCD and they say it kills them. Things like stepping on floor tiles, counting odd numbers, washing hands, are all things that have to be done otherwise it really makes her uncomfortable or even panicky. I've never been able to relate to this. Whenever I would hit the ground with sticks, swing from branches, bang my head, etc. it wasn't out of fear or anxiety. Doing these things simply put me in a state that I was more comfortable then. Now with that being said, if I missed a day without hitting the ground or whatever then I would get a little anxious but I would describe it less as a feeling of freight or anxiety and more of a feeling that it was just time to let my energy out.

2.) From what I've read of tourrette's it just sounds like ticks, (either major or minor.) Ticks to me just sound like something a person has to do when they feel and impulse and they have to meet with that impulse or they get uncomfortable/stressed. Although the things I did were because of a "feeling" or "need to" I don't understand then why I always did it because it gave me a creative outlet.

For example. This was/is a pretty common situation. I would just get done watching a war movie. In war movies there is so much action, dieing, death, people, things going on that it would just blow my mind. I would get all this energy filled up inside me that I just had to let out. My parents rarely stopped me or even knew that I was doing this. I would then walk into the backyard and begin hitting the ground, pacing back and forth, and as my mom recalls, "talking to myself." I might do this for up to 2 hours and no less then a good 20 minutes. I would only stop usually when I got fatigued. (which was really the point because I only did this when I was full of energy.)

Another example is this. I might be playing a video game and when something interesting happens like killing a person, beating a level, etc. I would automatically with much joy, hit my thigh as hard as I could, hit my head on the ground, run around the room, talk with a strange tone. I would describe this as a "minor" example.

Even on the days where I played no games or watched no movies I knew it was just time. I had been at school all day, allowing myself to build up energy. When I got home, it was time to go in the back and do the strange things I did. I can recall that throughout my life I've narrated hundreds of stories in my head, thought of how different buildings should be constructed, considered the practicality of me getting a ferret, thought of the possibility of alternative universes, ruling the world, etc. And so while I would think of these things I was almost not aware of the fact that I was hitting the ground with sticks, or swinging aggressively from a branch, clapping my hands, slapping the ground, etc.

Another example is this. I can promise you that at about 3 different times, (all within the same half-hour), after reading some of the posts on my forum I had to get out of my chair, walk around the room, jump up/down, hit the ground, laugh a little to myself and then sit back down. Only when it is done do I usually realize what just happened.

So I really have no idea still what I may have but I would like to get to the bottom of it. I've always been pretty good about making sure I'm in private before I do strange things but occasionally my family or even friends will walk in on me when I'm doing something crazy.

Examples :

1. When I was a child I really didn't think what I was doing was weird. The neighbor kids I suppose watched me hit the ground, make strange faces, and so they would do it as well. I remember one of the other kid's parents telling me, "What are you doing?" and told her own son to stop that. I guess my parents didn't make a huge effort to tell me to stop. They say today that they didn't want to put me on medicine when the teachers said, "He definitely has ADHD."

2. One time the neighbor kid walked behind the shed where he caught me hitting the ground with sticks. He laughed at me and would always antagonize me about it. It must have been strange to him, seeing me walk back and forth, all the grass it dead from the excessive torment, broken sticks everywhere. Yea, I must have broken over 10,000 sticks in my life.

3. Only 6 months ago my mom walked down stairs. It was pitch black so I didn't see her. For about 10 minutes she claims to have watched me. At this point in my life I had developed a new technique. I would hold a table while listening to music and basically bob up and down really hard. This is not the usual listener just getting into the music. I was able to sort out my problems, reflect on the day and the encounters, etc. while doing this.

These are just a few of the examples of why this has bothered me.

We aren't professionals, so we really can't diagnose you. but to be honest it sounds like you are desperate to get the autism diagnosis when in all honesty, i don't think you are.

sorry.

Sounds more like Sensory Processing Disorder or something similar. Nothing in your posts says "autism" though, especially since you say your social skills are decent. Social anxiety is something separate, and does not mean that you have poor social skills.
To answer the questions you seem to be asking:

1) Does your behavior sound "normal" or "typical?"= no

2) Does it sound like autism?= no

What it sounds like is that you are using sensory input to "calm" your nervous system, and that this allows you to be more creative, think more deeply about things, etc. This would point to a difficulty with sensory integration. Problems with sensory integration can stand on their own (Sensory Processing Disorder), or be part of some other disorder, such as ADHD, autism, Tourette's, OCD, learning disabilities, etc. In fact, sensory processing problems are also very common in the gifted population as well. Additionally, you can also have problems with sensory integration that are not significant enough to warrant diagnosis. It is only a disorder if it significantly interferes with functioning at home, at work, school, etc.

To sum up:

You can have sensory processing disorder without autism, you can have disorders like ADHD without autism, you can have a quirky neurology and unusual behavior without autism. That doesn't mean that whatever you have doesn't cause you distress, however. If you are interested in diagnosis, I would suggest either talking to a developmental neurologist, or an occupational therapist. They might be able to provide you with more direction, even if they don't have a diagnosis for you.

Thanks LosInSpace for your insight!

One question though...in your opinion to what extent does it have to interfere with one's life to be diagnosis worthy? I might say that on one hand whatever I have isn't causing me extreme stress, problems, etc....yet, getting a diagnosis may help in minor ways. (having a better understanding of myself, possibility of medication if need be in the future, etc.)


Two people may have the same disorder but because they live very different lives one may be significantly more effected by it then the other. Does this mean that only one should get the diagnosis?

I am going to post this link just for the hell of it: http://www.sensory-processing-disorder. ... klist.html
EDIT: Here is the adult one: http://www.sensory-processing-disorder. ... klist.html

I think that is up to your doctor(s) and yourself. If you think it would benefit you bring it up to a doctor.

I agree with a lot of the people going on about stereoypic movement disorder--

http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disor ... reodis.htm

But... here's the important thing, and probably the reason you didn't get a diagnosis. Look at criterion B. If it's not causing injuries severe enough to require medical treatment, or interfering with your daily life--that is, taking up time you need/want to be using some other way--then there's no point in labeling it with a diagnosis.

If, on the other hand, this repetitive movement is causing trouble for you, then you should get a second opinion.

Incidentally--yes, stereotypic movement disorder is related to the autism spectrum, if not quite on it.

Stereotypic movement disorder sounds about rite on the money.

A few things stood out to me in the description.

"consist of intense patterns of movement for longer runs than tics."

My experiences could last hours.

"Children with Stereotypic movement disorder do not always report being bothered by the movements as a child with tics might"

I also was never bothered. The only thing that ever bothered me were the side-effects. Neglect from my parents, teachers, friends, etc.

Considering how much time and energy I've put into these episodes I would say it is a problem. As of now my main thing is rocking hard in a chair which would normally appear more normal and I've always been able to to this every day in privacy. If I ever have to live in a place though where I share a room or something and I have no privacy I may either A.) bottle up my energy and get anxious, or B.) embarrass myself

I'm 17 and I've never let up on the need to release my energy on a daily basis. I don't think it's going to stop any time soon.

"Repetitive movements" is definitely one of the autism spectrum diagnostic criteria, and since you are not sure about meeting any other criteria, I think you should see someone who is familiar with autism so that you get a correct diagnosis.

Well said. I would definitely agree.

For example, I *know* I have Chronic Motor Tic disorder. I have had multiple motor tics since at least my teenage years (when I became aware of them). They never go away, but they only really cause me a lot of upset when they get worse during periods of increased stress. The rest of the time, they are merely annoying. Although I have no doubt that I would be diagnosed with this if I were to bring it up to a doctor (tic disorders are more straightforward to diagnose than SPD or autism and there is no "needs to cause significant impairment" clause in diagnosis), I have no intention of going on medication unless the tics get very bad, and so I don't see myself ever bringing it up to a doctor.

And then on the other hand, I actually *did* go get diagnosed with Nonverbal Learning Disorder, because that actually does cause significant problems every single day of my life.

So it's really up to you whether to seek a diagnosis, and up to your doctor (with your input) whether your symptoms are significant enough for diagnosis.

What others said. He sounds more ADHD or Stereotypic Movement Disorder than AS.

Now if he had described having to learn social skills artificially, having to have things painstakingly explained to him where others learned them unconsciously, but eventually got good at them, I would have said mild AS, but he doesn't describe having social issues at all, so if I had to guess I'd say ADHD or SMD.

Last edited by mechanicalgirl39 on 18 Jan 2010, 4:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Well....have things explained to me? I'll throw more on the pile then.....

Teachers said I could never focus in class.

I had a speaking problem and had to go to special classes for speech. I also had to go to a special reading class.

I was finally able to memorize my address at 16
Takes me weeks to remember phone-numbers
I can't drive in cities....scared to death of it.
People often have to explain things slowly to me or I don't get it, (I've gotten better though with practice.)

Sometimes I have a hard time looking people in the eyes, other times I can't take my eyes off of theirs. With some people I get nervous around...with others I can't shut up.

I don't feel like anything is clear-cut. Seems I have some symptoms but never enough to make it overly clear. *sigh*

I'm starting to think I should pull out some old home videos since I know I've been taped running around doing weird stuff.

I believe mechanicalgirl meant having social skills explained to you. For instance, if someone had to explain to you how to recognize sarcasm, or explicitly taught you how to carry on a two-way conversation rather than monologuing all the time about your special interest, and how to recognize signs of boredom/disinterest in others, etc. Some people are self-taught, but the learning is always explicit and effortful, rather than implicit and natural as for NTs, and it is delayed. And in general, quite imperfect.

Whatever else you have, if you don't have significantly impaired social skills (as distinct from social anxiety), then you cannot have autism. It's like two of the three diagnostic criteria or something like that. It is definitely *not* optional.

I think you should google "autism diagnostic criteria" or "Asperger syndrome diagnostic criteria", because I'm not sure that you have a good understanding of what autism is.

Regarding your most recent post, those things could be associated with ADHD or a learning disability, but again, they are not red flags for autism in the absence of impaired social skills.
What was the speaking problem by the way? Was it related to a delay in speech (for instance mispronouncing words), or language (small vocabulary, delayed grammatical development, etc.)? How old were you?

It would be around kinder-garden.

It may have been both. I'm pretty sure it was more about pronunciation then vocabulary or grammar. My mom said I didn't talk clearly.

This is SPOOKY similar to myself when I was your age. My activities involved rythmic rolling on my bed while listening to music, and having imaginary adventures in my head. This is stimming, and so is your activity.

The idea that to have Asperger's Syndrome you have to have "social problems" is a stereotype. AS directly causes sensory, motor, and thinking issues that mean our socialisation is more challenging or needs more effort, but not always impossible. It's easy to feel inadequate or that it's too hard. That's when the "social problems" side sets in.

If social problems was a requirement, I shouldn't be able to say "hi" to my neighbour, or the checkout operator when I buy groceries. I can, and I do have AS. Besides, I know a teenager who is more AS than me and she has friends and can socially interact. You can't measure AS by social difficulties.

You definately have a Social Anxiety Disorder. How do you feel about people, especially strangers and adults, knowing or finding out about your stim? Do you get anxious if you can't stim when you want to?