Don't know if I have Aspergers - Need support

Post Reply New Topic

Hello,

This is my first post on wrong planet and I need help in seeing if I have Aspergers. I know I should see a professional but unfortunately I can't afford that at the present. I'll try to keep this short. I've always felt different in that I've only had one friend my whole life and we had a falling out in college. I am considered smart, graduated from a top 10 engineering school in nation but can't even get any interviews. I got a job through connections from my uncle. It was a six month consulting gig that could have been extended but was not. I think it was not extended because people thought I was weird. It even got to the point that the manager asked if I had a problem. I have a vocal tic that is like a grunt and I'm wondering if this a stim or if it is Tourette's. I think I have flat affect as my face doesn't make facial expressions that often. I have trouble initiating and maintaining conversation as well as making friends. If anyone has gone through something similar I would love to hear from you as my therapist and parents don't believe me and think I have social anxiety, but I think it is something more. I just need someone to relate to or who has gone through something similar to respond. I would greatly appreciate any advice you guys can offer.

Welcome,

Your experiences are certainly common amongst those of us diagnosed a little later in life - though one does have to be careful, as any or all of the traits of autism can be seen in people with other conditions.

My first advice would be to make yourself at home here on forums - people without a diagnosis are equally welcome. Keeping an open mind, explore the forum, and the range of experiences that people on the spectrum have written about - if you are on the spectrum, you will find yourself having many "Eureka" moments as you read! And don't forget the sub-forums for other conditions besides autism. It is fairly common for autistic people to have more than one diagnosis, so the conditions you mentioned are not mutually exclusive.

It's possible you have Asperger's.

I understand it's expensive and/or time consuming to get assessed.

My advice is for you to read the threads, respond to some of them, and read the responses.

I think you'll find many kindred spirits here.

Thanks for the replies. I was wondering if there was any other way to better distinguish between illnesses. Is there any information that I could give you guys to help in seeing if I have ASD or Aspergers?

You should give more information be because whether you are autistic or not people might have developed coping techniques for your issues. While we can't definitively say you are autistic, there are knowlegble people here that can say something like you have a lot of autistic traits, or your traits seem to point to something else.

Ok here is some more information about me. I still live with my parents even though I am 24. I often have problems with time perception. Don't know if that makes sense but time seems to go by faster than I expect, especially when I am doing something that I am interested in. I heard that this is a problem with executive functioning but I'm not sure. I was wondering if anyone else had this problem. In addition, I frequently am quiet and can't think of things to say which makes people uncomfortable. This is due to the fact that it takes effort for me to speak and think of things to say and afterwards it leaves me drained and quiet for some time. For example, in my previous position I was often asked to engage in small talk but I only gave one or two word answers because I could not think of things to say other than that. I find that most of what I say revolves around events in the news and such rather than how I am feeling.

Welcome to WP

First I'd like to ask a little more about your symptoms. Do you have obsessive interests which take up all or most of your time, and which you study or talk about incessantly? Do you have any sensory problems like sensitivity to noise, light, touch, etc.? For instance, do you cover your ears at sounds that don't seem to bother others, or get headaches when exposed to fluorescent lights? Do clothing textures bother you, or do you like a lot of movement like rocking, swnging, bouncing, running into things, etc.? Do you have routines, or a set way by which things must be done, which you get upset or anxious about if they change suddenly or unexpectedly? Do you understand non-literal language like humour, sarcasm, figures of speech, etc., and can you read faces and body language effectively?

Also, as far as diagnosis is concerned, do you still have, or could you get access to, the psychological resources offered by your school? My school's psych office, run by grad students under supervision, was able to diagnose me for $500, which is, on average, a quarter of the cost you'll find if you go to a "professional" clinic. Am I correct in guessing that you live in the U.S?

I do have interests that shift over time. When I was young it was cars. Knowing everything about them including make, year, and model. It then moved to geography, then to basketball and now to soccer. I do play video games a lot but only because I'm currently unemployed and have nothing else to do besides applying for jobs. I am a little sensitive to sound and can hear stuff many pepople can't hear. I don't have a problem with the other senses. I do have a routine but sometimes get distracted because I zone out. I read that this is due to executive dysfunction. I understand figures of speech as well as facial expressions and body language. I don't have access to my university resources unfortunately as I'm more than a year out.

Welcome to Wrong Planet. I too am in the same boat as you. I am currently undergoing diagnosis. It is expensive and it is time consuming. But I am looking for the answer, not a specific diagnosis.

I think it's Asperger's because it fits just too damned much in my entire life. It doesn't rule out co-morbidities and it doesn't rule out a different diagnosis either. But, I have to find out.

And, I hope you get your answers too. Hang around here. You will find out much information. Information that can illuminate and/or expand your horizons. I've been able to ask things here I could nowhere else. And, NOBODY has given me grief over any questions I have.

They are very, very helpful here.

Good luck.

Thanks you too! Anyone else have any experience? Bumping the thread....