Questions from 20 year old self-diagnosed aspie

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Hi,

This is my first time posting here, and I have a few questions that I would like to ask you, that you may have insights into from your experiences.

Let me start out by saying I am a 20 year old self-diagnosed/suspected "Aspie". I have come to this conclusion after researching Asperger's (obsessively of course) for the last 2 months.

I have taken the AQ test (score of 37) and the Aspie Quiz (125 Aspie, 60 Neurotypical). I also relate to most, but not all, of the symptoms/traits that I have found. Especially those to do with eye contact and knowing how to act in social situations.

When I was younger (age 6 to age 13) I went to speech and language therapy. I also went to neurodevelopmental therapy for 6 years (being given an hour of "exercises" to do every night), which helped me with my balance, gait, and awareness of my body and surroundings, as well as helping me to know how to act in a more "socially normal" way.

My mother (who works with special needs children) has said that she thought that I was on the autism spectrum when I was younger, but didn't want me labelled so never brought me for an assessment. She thinks that I have mostly overcome it, because I am always trying to act "normal", but when I lapse in concentration or am tired, people will mention my weird behaviour/personality.

I am quite high functioning academically, and am in my third year in medical school (a 6 year undergrad course, with no entrance interviews). Would anybody be aware if an official diagnosis would impact upon my licence to practice for when I graduate?

Also would anyone be able to give me tip or anecdotes on how to approach my parents with the fact that I think I have a form of autism? And I'm also curious about the pros and cons of getting an official diagnosis?

Thanks in advance for any and all answers, and please just ask if you have any questions.

I suppose people seek official diagnoses for differing reasons. For me it wasn't to gain an economic advantage via federal aid programs. I did it because I saw the differences and oddities in me and wanted to know why. Out of all my siblings, why was I the only one who was depressed all the time, homeless and unable to make and maintain friends? I'm prone to saying the wrong things that could offend somebody, always on the outside looking in and the one who didn't get married and have no kids. I was the one with the quirks, the weird speech and the poor ability to relate to my peers. I'm so far from normal I may as well be from the moon.

Autism was my answer.

Sorry. I wouldn't know how you'd approach your parents with the news because I never had to face that decision.

I did work in the medical field, though. It was extremely difficult because the hectic nature of the job goes against the quiet, structured grain of autism.

ex-doc here. licensing not a problem in the states. where are you? practicing was very hard due to AS. tired all the time. eventually I failed at hospital politics and was booted from the field. wish I had gone into pathology or research instead of internal medicine.

Cathylynn thanks for replying, I'm in Ireland, hopefully that will be the case here too. I've considered dropping out many times before, when I get really tired and unmotivated, but I always convince myself that the prospect of a guaranteed job is worth it. If you were doing it again, would you steer clear of the medical field? Did your colleagues treat you differently because of your AS?

If you have finished with residency and you weren't kicked out for cause, have you considered small town private practice? Even if you haven't finished residency, some offices hire residents. I'm asking because my neighbor has a practice down here with residents who work for him. It's family practice and he has residents and also folks doing fellowships in rural health care. Some come and go with rotations, some stay for a years. Real small town, not a lot of work, very low cost of living, and academics go through University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. His wife is a friend of mine, and it's just a thought, but if you ever wanted to get back into the field, and can get back into it, this is an extremely slow paced place. Hit me up in PM if you want to.

colleagues were less likely to become my friends due to my lack of social skills. would have been true in any field.

I sometimes think I would have done well as an engineer. I love medicine, though, and keep up on advances. I help myself and my family. med school was also the best time of my life, most friends.

aspieMD is a med student at duke and moxadox is an ex-pediatrician. you might want to private message them.

O O M, I practiced for nine years. could get back in if I jumped through some hoops. not horribly excited about it right now. thanks for your concern.

Well, if you decide you want to give medicine another try and can get back into it, making a phone call to see if it's an option to practice down here couldn't hurt. You don't have to be overly friendly either. It's a very small town and we pretty much take everybody as they are and just accept them.

As for engineering, learn it for free right here from MIT. Of course you don't get the credit but it's a way to see if you like it and can do the work. All courses and materials are free. <Link - MIT Open Course>

You help people on WP, too. I think of you as WP's doc.

thanks. got to be careful of not practicing medicine without a license, though.

True, but your advice is solid.

Oh ok. I was just suggesting down here because it's so laid back and it's a very no pressure place to live and work. Folks are accepted at face value and all that, so I thought I'd suggest it.

tigger93, what if you undersell in how you disclose such as,

'Oh, I am an introvert. I definitely need my recharge time.'

This is for colleagues, and social interactions, and maybe the beginnings of friendship.

And yes, I would consider broaching the subject with your parents, but hesitate before getting an official diagnosis.

And some of it is going to be professional jealousy, for the things you're good at, you're likely to be very good at. And then, you're likely to have some patchy areas like all people, but especially those of us who are Spectrum or 'Spectrum-friendly,' and that makes you easy to attack, which is not so cool on the part of other people.

Okay, one thing, try not to boast about the areas you're good at. And when you're contributing, don't be diplomatic. And this one may be a little surprising, for some people can take an attempt to be diplomatic the wrong way. Instead just be brief and matter-of-fact, such has "Could it be _________? He does have ___________." And sometimes I think being relatively brief without overdoing it may be the most important thing of all.

And allow me to show off a little, for microbiology is an interest of mine. It's a warning sign if a child (or presumably an adult) seems to be recovering from the flu and then relapses with a high fever. This is from the New York Times citing Thomas Frieden (now head of CDC). Okay, so it's a middlebrow source, not the New England Journal of Medicine.

I'm very good at distilling down information and if I was a younger man becoming a doctor, I think I would tell every flu patient, "Now, listen, this is important. If you relapse with high fever . . " And try not to dilulte this with too much additional information. Like art, less is more. So, just merely average in initial patient interaction.

But I'd be quite willing, when necessary, to see the same patient a second or third follow-up. And I think that interchange between theory and practice is what would elevate my game.

Cathylynn, I understand that colleagues were less likely to be your friends, but did they treat you as if you were less fit/able to practice than them?

AGS Thanks for the advice with regards to my future work, I think that is how I'd be naturally anyway...giving the facts with little small talk or extra irrelevant information.

I'm curious as to whether or not you think a diagnosis would be of overall benefit to me? As far as I can see there are no real downsides to getting a diagnosis, as I dont actually have to tell anyone! But there are upsides, as it would confirm to me that there is a real reason I've felt different my whole life, and it would allow me special academic resources in school such as a note taker (i find it impossible to listen and write at the same time). Is there any obvious disadvantage I'm missing?