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zeldapsychology
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10 Oct 2009, 1:49 pm

ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo wrote:
ChangelingGirl wrote:
I recognize many, but most of these look like typical AS traits not just for females. I don't see why they have to ben in a female AS symptom list. Why not just list the traits that are different from males or that make it hard to get diagnosed? Some others were just plain not applicable to me and I have no clue what they have to do with AS, eg. the women's love of animals (don't dislike them, but I am not especially fond of animals). Then again I see it mentioned here quite often.

I've thought of this, too. Could there be guys who have AS but are difficult to diagnose? These could also be their traits.
These traits are not common in women, from what I've seen. The women I have known all want to be out of the house doing stuff, not at home. They finish their degrees in a timely manner, then go on to find employment. They do not fixate on one or two things at the expense of everything else. They do not want to live alone or be celibate, either. Women do not want to do "girly" things with other women? It seems like most of them do, and they are shallow about looks. I haven't seen many who have meltdowns in public. If they see someone having a meltdown, they will cooly insist the person having it must be unstable. These traits are definitely not typical.




Sorry to offend but for me IMO the list fit me perfectly it's sad you view people having meltdowns in public as unstable (I guess I'm unstable) :-( I myself find it to be an interesting list that describes me very well. :-)



ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo
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10 Oct 2009, 2:13 pm

Huh? That's not me saying it, it's neurotypical women I have known in the past. I was usually the recepient of their insults. I don't view people having meltdowns in public as being unstable but I have been called unstable by just about every woman I have known. My point is, those traits are not typical for the gender (those without AS), another poster thought they were.



bhetti
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10 Oct 2009, 2:37 pm

AmberEyes wrote:
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Can be very passionate about a course of study or job, and then change direction or go completely cold on it quick as lightning


Usually because there's a very good reason for her having to stop,
i.e. overemphasis on the social aspects at the expense of individual study and discovery in some courses.

Or it's for reasons of self preservation.

Also being bullied/hassled/excluded by other people or having to deal with overly crowded situations, when she never wanted to stop.
yes, I can see that. it didn't immediately hit me when I read the list, but I think because females are trained to be passive they end up being more sensitive to discouragement about their special interests.

I passionately wanted to be a veterinarian. my mother actively discouraged me to the point I gave up out of self-doubt because my mother repeatedly insisted my talents lay elsewhere.



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10 Oct 2009, 4:10 pm

All in bold:

* Eccentric personality
* Often musical, artistic
* May have been diagnosed as autistic or Asperger's when young, or may have been thought of as gifted, shy, sensitive, etc.. May also have had obvious or severe learning deficits
* May have a savant skill or strong talent(s)
* May have a strong interest in computers, games, graphic design, inventing, things of a technological and visual nature
* Most of the time, she will be a self-taught reader, been hyperlexic as a child, and will possess other self-taught skills as well. Many of those skills will be traditionally thought of as male
* Emotionally immature and very sensitive
* Is often misunderstood and thought to be cold-natured and self-centered; unfriendly
* Anxiety and fear are prevalent emotions
* Strong sensory issues--sounds, smells, etc and is prone to overload.
* Sometimes has meltdowns in public, sometimes over seemingly small things (sensory issues usually)
* Is very outspoken at times, mute at others. May get very fired up when talking about passions/obsessive interests
* More open to talking about feelings and emotional issues than males with AS
* Like her male counterpart, will shut down in social situations once overloaded, but is generally better at socializing in small doses. May even give the appearance of skilled, but it is a 'performance'
* Doesn't go out much. (Will prefer to go out with partner only or children if she has them)
* Will not have many girlfriends and will not do 'girly' things like shopping with them or having get-togethers to watch chick-flicks
* Will have a close friend or friends in school, but not once adulthood is reached
* May or may not want to have a relationship. If she is in a relationship, she probably takes it very seriously but she may choose to remain celibate or alone
* If she likes a male, she can be extremely, noticeably awkward in her attempts to let him know, e.g. she may call him repeatedly. This is because she fixates and doesn't understand societal gender roles. This will change with maturity
* Usually loves animals but not always due to sensory issues
* Dresses comfortably due to sensory issues and practicality
* Will NOT spend much time on grooming and hair. Hairstyles usually have to be 'wash and wear'. Can be quite happy not grooming at all for extended periods of time.
* Is youthful for her age, in looks, dress, behavior and tastes.
* May have many androgynous traits despite an outwardly feminine appearance
* May not have a strong sense of self, and can be very chameleon-like, especially until older (forties, fifties) or until diagnosed
* Moody and prone to bouts of depression. May have been diagnosed as bi-polar or manic depressive (common comorbids of autism/AS) while the AS diagnosis was missed. (Often doctors are dismissive of her protests when she takes issue with these diagnoses)
* Probably given several different prescriptions to treat symptoms. Will be very sensitive to medications and anything else she puts in her body so may have had adverse reactions. (**Temple Grandin recommends smaller doses of meds and supplements for autistics--I concur.)
* 9 out of 10 have noticeable Gastro-intestinal difficulties--e.g. ulcers, acid reflux, IBS, etc.
* May be highly educated but will have had to struggle with social aspects of college. May have one or many partial degrees
* Can be very passionate about a course of study or job, and then change direction or go completely cold on it very quickly
* Will often have trouble holding onto a job and may find employment daunting (see my book "working with AS" or "Asperger's on the Job")
* Usually smart as a whip, yet sometimes can be slow to comprehend. Again, due to sensory and cognitive processing issues
* She may like rules, discipline, regulation, despite unconventionality. May seem old-fashioned in some ways--very Jane Austen or Emily Bronte in thinking and manners, which will seem contradictory to her progressive nature
* Very rigid in certain habits, again which will contradict her seeming spontaneity
* Needs control over her world; hence, usually happiest at home or in other controlled environment
* Will usually be very proud and protective of the gifts that autism has bestowed, but would like to be more at ease in the world and suffer less.


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zeldapsychology
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10 Oct 2009, 4:26 pm

I misinterpreted your post LOL! Sorry! :-)



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10 Oct 2009, 4:49 pm

This list... this list could have saved me years in getting a diagnosis.

Quote:
Like her male counterpart, will shut down in social situations once overloaded, but is generally better at socializing in small doses. May even give the appearance of skilled, but it is a 'performance'

I got into so many fights over this when trying to get diagnosed. I kept getting told "but you can! but you can!" and I kept saying "But I'm an actress!"


Quote:
Will not have many girlfriends and will not do 'girly' things like shopping with them or having get-togethers to watch chick-flicks

All of my friends are guys or butch lesbians.

Quote:
Most of the time, she will be a self-taught reader, been hyperlexic as a child, and will possess other self-taught skills as well. Many of those skills will be traditionally thought of as male

I taught myself to read before I was two and how to code in BASIC when I was 9 and I never liked fiction. I wasn't a tomboy but I've never been into girly things.

Quote:
Is youthful for her age, in looks, dress, behavior and tastes.

This isn't true. I don't know why it's not true, but it isn't. People usually think I'm 30-35. I don't even get carded at the liquor store.

Quote:
May be highly educated but will have had to struggle with social aspects of college. May have one or many partial degrees

I dropped out of college because of the groupwork. I'm ready to quit my job because of the "water cooler" aspect of it.



biostructure
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10 Oct 2009, 4:52 pm

If she likes a male, she can be extremely, noticeably awkward in her attempts to let him know, e.g. she may call him repeatedly. This is because she fixates and doesn't understand societal gender roles.

Or maybe, she sees how stupid those gender roles are in not allowing her to be the one to pursue guys, and just ignores them.



ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo
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10 Oct 2009, 4:56 pm

zeldapsychology wrote:
I misinterpreted your post LOL! Sorry! :-)

That's alright. I thought it was a good list too and thought it sounded like the story of my life, more or less.



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10 Oct 2009, 4:58 pm

biostructure wrote:
If she likes a male, she can be extremely, noticeably awkward in her attempts to let him know, e.g. she may call him repeatedly. This is because she fixates and doesn't understand societal gender roles.

Or maybe, she sees how stupid those gender roles are in not allowing her to be the one to pursue guys, and just ignores them.

That's pretty much how I go by it.



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10 Oct 2009, 5:04 pm

Oh, and yes, very few of those things were gender-specific, and EVERY ONE of them is true of at least one male I've met on here.



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10 Oct 2009, 5:07 pm

I'v highlighted the ones that fit me (bits I've added are in etalics or however you spell it):

Eccentric personality (used to, now I'm a bit boring)
Often musical, artistic
May have been diagnosed as autistic or Asperger's when young, or may have been thought of as gifted, shy, sensitive, etc.. May also have had obvious or severe learning deficits
May have a savant skill or strong talent(s)
May have a strong interest in computers, games, graphic design, inventing, things of a technological and visual nature does the internet count?
Most of the time, she will be a self-taught reader, been hyperlexic as a child, and will possess other self-taught skills as well. Many of those skills will be traditionally thought of as male
Emotionally immature and very sensitive very much so
Is often misunderstood and thought to be cold-natured and self-centered; unfriendly
Anxiety and fear are prevalent emotions
Strong sensory issues--sounds, smells, etc and is prone to overload.
Sometimes has meltdowns in public, sometimes over seemingly small things (sensory issues usually), only at home, not for sensory reasons
Is very outspoken at times, mute at others. May get very fired up when talking about passions/obsessive interests ...to the extremes
More open to talking about feelings and emotional issues than males with AS
Like her male counterpart, will shut down in social situations once overloaded, but is generally better at socializing in small doses. May even give the appearance of skilled, but it is a 'performance'
Doesn't go out much. (Will prefer to go out with partner only or children if she has them) I'm a classic basement-dweller :lol:
Will not have many girlfriends and will not do 'girly' things like shopping with them or having get-togethers to watch chick-flicks boys make better friends
Will have a close friend or friends in school, but not once adulthood is reached making friends is betting harder as I grow up
May or may not want to have a relationship. If she is in a relationship, she probably takes it very seriously but she may choose to remain celibate or alone
If she likes a male, she can be extremely, noticeably awkward in her attempts to let him know, e.g. she may call him repeatedly. This is because she fixates and doesn't understand societal gender roles. This will change with maturityI used to be notorous for scaring countless boys off as a kid
Usually loves animals but not always due to sensory issues
Dresses comfortably due to sensory issues and practicality jeans and jumpers all the way!
Will NOT spend much time on grooming and hair. Hairstyles usually have to be 'wash and wear'. Can be quite happy not grooming at all for extended periods of time. except for the hair bit, I've got through many style phases. but havent worn makeup since july and i dont care
Is youthful for her age, in looks, dress, behavior and tastes.
May have many androgynous traits despite an outwardly feminine appearance I'm always one of the lads
May not have a strong sense of self, and can be very chameleon-like, especially until older (forties, fifties) or until diagnosed
Moody and prone to bouts of depression. May have been diagnosed as bi-polar or manic depressive (common comorbids of autism/AS) while the AS diagnosis was missed. (Often doctors are dismissive of her protests when she takes issue with these diagnoses) not the bipoler bit though
Probably given several different prescriptions to treat symptoms. Will be very sensitive to medications and anything else she puts in her body so may have had adverse reactions. (**Temple Grandin recommends smaller doses of meds and supplements for autistics--I concur.)
9 out of 10 have noticeable Gastro-intestinal difficulties--e.g. ulcers, acid reflux, IBS, etc.
May be highly educated but will have had to struggle with social aspects of college. May have one or many partial degrees
Can be very passionate about a course of study or job, and then change direction or go completely cold on it very quickly
Will often have trouble holding onto a job and may find employment daunting (see my book "working with AS" or "Asperger's on the Job")
Usually smart as a whip, yet sometimes can be slow to comprehend. Again, due to sensory and cognitive processing issues
She may like rules, discipline, regulation, despite unconventionality. May seem old-fashioned in some ways--very Jane Austen or Emily Bronte in thinking and manners, which will seem contradictory to her progressive nature
Very rigid in certain habits, again which will contradict her seeming spontaneity
Needs control over her world; hence, usually happiest at home or in other controlled environment well I don't need need it but I definitly prefer it
Will usually be very proud and protective of the gifts that autism has bestowed, but would like to be more at ease in the world and suffer less I do talk about autism sometimes and maybe have a laugh and joke about it, but I do get very envious of the NTs


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10 Oct 2009, 5:17 pm

AsperFem List topic

Every one. ASProud! :D

Thank you so much for that link!


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10 Oct 2009, 5:59 pm

I fit almost every one of these, or have done at one point in my life (my personality has varied slightly at different phases of my life). After the initial discovery a couple of years ago that I might be AS, I started to severely doubt it because I didn't fit quite a lot of the criteria (mainly male criteria) and was scoring in the 'grey zone' on Aspie tests (i.e. not neurotypical but not Aspie enough either). I have met quite a few (all male) Aspies recently and I am nothing like them - I am quite aware of other people's feelings and reactions (although not sure if I was when a child) and would never bore people by going on about a subject. Most traits were suppressed by being so quiet and shy as a child. The one about periods of mutism interspersed with periods of talking a lot describes me really well. Now I've stopped caring what people think of me (to a certain extent), a lot of eccentricities are coming out that I never really realised I had.



subliculous
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10 Oct 2009, 6:35 pm

just about every one of these, except for the medical/psych/meds situations because i've never had them. doctors still seem noticeably dismissive of me, on the rare occasion i see one (so i don't.).

also cannot relate to the "doesn't care about grooming" one. as male-brained as i feel, i love makeup and being clean, showering, bathing, cutting. styling, general effing with hair. this stems from being called "scum", "ugly", among other epithets throughout childhood and adolescence.



Adjusted_Aspie_Vee
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10 Oct 2009, 7:29 pm

am i posting this right?



Seanmw
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10 Oct 2009, 11:38 pm

hmm, i'm not a female, but that's interesting regardless simply because they are so hard to identify if they don't tell you themselves lol.


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