Aspergers traits

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I was told that I have AS traits when I was diagnosed with AS in a bad way.

I only have AS on communication. I have dyspraxia. I am fine in social interaction. People say that I see the world slighly different. I can concentrate continously.

I was diagnosed at the age of 25. Other people say I have very mild AS.

I am confused, do I have AS, because I do not have a defect on social interaction. As a child, I dif not have the opportunity to interact socially.

I have read a lot about the process of how things are diagnosed etc.

I was diagnosed 5 years ago, but I believe I sit right on the borderline, between having AS and having traits.

Although I am sure I could fork out more money and get re-diagnosed OCD and Social Anxiety or think that I'm socially awkward, it is just easier for me to use the AS label, for some government assistance, and also so I have some allowances within the welfare system. For example if they decided to put me back on unemployment benefit, they would let me look for jobs that are suitable, rather than ones completely unsuitable.

So now I just see myself as having traits, but I will still be using the label when I need to.

It's not really black and white at all, you have to work out which is the best label to use in different situations, and depending on your symptoms.

This is because there is no way to educate everyone about every disability, and individuals have different personalities and present differently.

So for yourself, you would tell some people you're Dyspraxic if you have to do something involving co-ordination, others you might tell them, I have AS traits, and say for government allowances you might put both. Other people you might not tell them anything, or you might say well I'm a bit of a geek or eccentric in a positive way.

The Autistic Spectrum is represented by the Pervasive Developmental Disorder section in the DSM. Some physicians diagnose a particular kind of dyspraxia that is on the Autistic Spectrum and is diagnosible as Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) in the DSM.

Motor Dyspraxia (sometimes known as clumsy child syndrome) occurs at a higher rate in people with Asperger Syndrome than it does in the general population, however so far as I know motor dyspraxia is not itself an Autistic Spectrum/DSM PDD diagnosis.

You could have AS traits as a result of the above. But does this mean you have Asperger, I don't know. But than again things are contradicting eachother. It's very confusing.

I was diagnosed with childhood clumsiness as a child. I was told that it would improve.

I had "weak friends" as a child. My parents both worked. I had a sister 6.5 years younger than me. I had no other relatives. I never invited friends to the house. Only one family socialised with the family. I had one friend outside school. I had up to 10 friends in school who were not "strong friends" so therefore the environment impacted on my AS. I improved at university. I would describe myself after university as almost recovered.

Your lack of social experience was probably interpreted as a social problem.
It might be a good idea to consider the possibility of AS, but also consider other possibilities. Don't rule anything out just because you don't want it.. just look at the facts, read everything you can, and see what makes sense.

Diagnosis based purely on symptoms isn't exactly the most accurate thing in the world. Doctors can certainly be wrong. Real accuracy comes from figuring out the why behind the what. Only you can really do that.

I was told that I was a clumsy boy which means dyspraxia. My mother said that I never heard of anyone stating that I have had problems interacting with people.

On the Autism test coefficient - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism_Spectrum_Quotient , I scoed 21 - 22 which means that full aspergers can be ruled out, because the score is less than 26.

I am a Mathematician and I can undertake computer programming. I am a Maths and Computer Science graduate. I think I very mild/borderline aspergers traits like some scientists.