do I have Asperger's?

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I am 20 years old and believe I may have aspergers. I have the obsessions with different tv shows where it can last from a few months to a few years and I have no problem blabbering to everyone about these shows. I am into Forensic Science and find myself talking about it a lot. I was telling this girl I like all about it and showing her the classrooms and I am also into earthquake faults and have also told info about them. I am quite clumsy, always tripping or spilling things, I don't know social rules at all and feel awkward in groups.I am androgynous and labeled as gay occasionally even though I'm not. I hate when people walk behind me, it drives me crazy. I have horrible posture and people often comment on it. I have been told that when I was a little kid I hated trash trucks and vacuum cleaners. I'm not sure why but maybe the noises from them perhaps? There are certain foods I won't eat either. I hate mushrooms. Also, pickle skins are gross so I only eat the inside of the pickle. I used to be really creative too. I also never really cared for sex all through school and I still don't really care for it which is why I am a virgin.

I was bullied all throughout school and called names. I was the odd one out. There was a rumor going around about me being gay and back then I didn't know if I was but now that I am in college I don't think i am. anyway it bothered me because I was always just being myself yet was treated like crap by everyone. so finally, I came here to look for answers as to why I am so different and why I have been the target for numerous rumors. My little sister has mild autism, not sure what kind but I was wondering if that means I could have aspergers since it wasn't really known about when I was a little kid.

Thanks, by the way all the online tests I have taken say I could have it.

? please help

Warning: I didn't read your post.

That is because it won't change my answer.

You very well may, or you very well many not be on the spectrum. You might have Asperger's, your might have another ASD. You might have OCD, social anxiety, or depression and anxiety. The list goes on.

The point is that, online, no one can tell you. If you need services to function in life, go see a (qualified!) clinician about a diagnosis. If you do just fine but are quirky, then it's up to you if you want to spend the time and money it will take to be diagnosed.

Good luck.

Go to an office and get a diagnosis. Once (or if) you find out, come back.

It seems like people are pretty nice on here whether you have it or not. I hope you can find a sense of community or something that you need. Just weird or aspergers makes it tough to fit in. At 20 it can only get better. I say stay away from organized education and find your own path, but really, what the hell do I know? Good luck to you!

autism spectrum disorders do run in families. it sounds like you do have asperger's, but i'm not a doc any more, so can't make an official diagnosis.

webMD and AARP have some lists that might be helpful. reading these lists after my nephew was diagnosed is what made me suspect i might have asperger's. i'm 55. i was a weird kid, but no one was around to put a name to it then. just as well, because no one told me i couldn't do what i wanted to do with my life.

there is a test based on the same factors psychiatrists use at iautistic.com/test_AS.php . it takes about 5 minutes. you base your answers on when you were a kid, because as we grow up, some of us learn to compensate (i have pretty much). you don't need to enter your email or anything. it's anonymous.

unless you think you want to get on disability, i don't see any necessity of getting an official diagnosis. i haven't. i don't tell anyone outside of family that i have asperger's. there's prejudice against asperger's, which i don't need. they certainly don't know it where i work, unless they've figured it out on their own. some there have noticed the way i unconsciously wiggle my fingers. they know i'm quiet and have to work to make small talk. they know i'm over-honest. if i need some kind of explanation for something, i say i have a social skills learning disability. that makes things clear without so much stigma.

by the way, i'm married to a great guy who happens to behave neurotypically. most of my handful of friends behave neurotypically. i was in love with a guy who had asperger's when i was in school, but he didn't know how to be "there for me" when i had a crisis, so i let the relationship go.

it's probably a good thing because we were likely to have an autistic child, which would have meant one of us giving up our career, not to mention the suffering of the child.

bradleyyo


I'm in the same situation as you. I've been on this site for just a week. You need to think about the things which make you think you have it and do some research. The more you read and the more questions you ask the clearer it will become. I think now that I probably have it but I want to make sure before I make an appointment with a psychologist to get a diagnosis.

The signs I've found so far are:

Grandmother was highly intelligent and a total recluse. Lived most of her adult life in a completely bare house and alienated everybody so much that when she got cancer no doctor in the entire city would treat her. She was socially inept beyond belief.

Building up "autistic" worlds using various stims (such as running water)

Very strong obsessive special interest (Can read about 25 languages at a pinch)

No girlfriend until I was 33 despite being physically normal to look at (ie of average appearance) and high IQ (about 130 I think)

Tendency to social isolation. Deliberately avoiding social interaction for long/short periods of time, then not being able to break out of the aloneness.

Always having to imitate other people's normalness.

Unable to deal with group situation at all, even if I can deal with the individuals making up the group on their own.

Being totally worn out by people, needing to create plenty of space if I'm to deal with life.

Sensitivity to noise.

+ The check list on another autism web site on how help your autism spectrum family member deal with family gatherings without too much suffering is the same as the check list I have with my partner.

The list could go on. I'm trying to eliminate other things it could be and when I'm more or less certain (I think at the moment that I will be) I'll go for a diagnosis.


At the moment I'm looking at a lot of YouTube videos by Asperger's people and they seem a lot like me.

I hope this helps.

Well Im sure its worth looking into especially since your sister has mild autism. Did no doctor ever think of potentially evaluating you? I would if your sisters autistic and your very socially awkward yourself, psychs would have thought of evaluating you? Autism commonly runs in the family. But yes, go see a psych, autism specialist for a diagnosis.

makayla is 15 years old. take her advice for what it's worth.

as to the advice to quit school, graduate school was the best time of my life. everyone there had the same interest as me. instant friends, just about. if you look at the profiles here, most don't list an occupation. that doesn't have to be you. i work and love working. since my job is pretty intense with social contact, i do it part time. i'm looking for a quieter full-time job, so i'm going back to school at 55. schooling opens a lot of doors. sounds like you may be enjoying what you're learning. if so, don't let anyone talk you out of it.

You might. Much of what you describe is consistent with AS but not conclusive. If you have friends/family that are "normal" you can ask for honest perspectives on your behaviour, ask them. Do research and/or consult a professional.

Your post lacks unnecessary detail and is far too straight to the point for you to have an autism spectrum disorder.

Just kidding.

It does sound like you have some traits. Do some more research, hang around here more and go to a GP and ask for a referral to someone who can diagnose you.

It's not a very good idea to go to a doctor to get diagnosed, because it will go in your medical records and when applying for a job, your boss will know that you have Asperger Syndrome and have that in mind. However, I can't think of an alternate solution. It'd be best if you have a friend with advanced knowledge about this, he might be able to help you.

It is not that you can't get diagnosed on the internet. The information you provide on the internet is more than sufficient for diagnosis of many disorders. I've diagnosed many people I know - without them knowing I did. My predictions worked mostly great. And this is not just confirmation bias, I'm aware of bias and I put my hypotheses under strong criticism.

This. Except that I am no longer in the same situation as you. I was a while back though, as most of us were, so we know what you're going through as far as being unsure. It was the reading and research I did on my own that convinced me, not anyone's opinions on any forums.

Halli's answer here is practically identical to every answer I've ever given to this question from people who are unsure if they have AS.

There has only been one exception recently here on WP, and that was an exception because the person that posted had obviously already done a lot of reading and research and was able to qualify and quantify a number of symptoms that fit. in that case I along with several others here, agreed that the poster most probably did have AS, as long as everything he said was really true.

In your case, there's not enough info to go on, even for a doctor. Research and read. After about six months of intensive looking into it, along with some validation of how you understand it on forums like this, if you feel strongly you have it, you probably do, but only a proper evaluation can tell you for certain.

I laughed at the first sentence. I have actually had this thought when people have asked if they have AS. When the asking post is like the one described, I immediately think that the person does have AS.