Nurtured into Asperger's

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So, I got a feedback session yesterday with my therapist about the tests that I've been taking for the last few months to diagnose if I have Asperger's or not. I learned two interesting things.

The first one is that A.S. is being removed from the DSM-V, specifically being merged into the autism spectrum. I'll post about this in the news section.

The second is that I don't have A.S.

The gist of what she said is that while I have symptoms as an adult, I never showed symptoms as a child.

So, I've tried looking it up, but I can't seem to find any instances of this happening with other people.

Is that true? When you look back, do you see a kid with Asperger’s?
Is she just saying that because you weren’t diagnosed as a child?
Does identifying with Asperger’s help you to make sense of the world?

I wouldn’t worry about a formal diagnosis if you’re borderline. It’s not
as if there’s any practical advantage, like special services or disability.
A self-diagnosis is good enough to hang around a place like this,
and your own opinion is the only one that matters.

I dont think its as clear cut as that.

basically most people are "on the spectrum" somewhere.

Many people dont show symptoms until teens to be honest.

Being a neurological condition, I think it would be unusual that traits wouldn't present themselves in childhood. I think it's more likely that they were there unrecognized, and/or the autistic person in question may not be cognizant of the amount and severity of traits in question.

I would point out that parents can sometimes be... selective... in their observations.

However, even if you don't have AS, that doesn't mean much. You are still you after all.
Worry about yourself, not the label.

^^^Exactly, sometimes "selective" to a fault especially when the issue appears to ring home........

Especially if they share symptoms? I would agree. OP, were you homeschooled by any chance?

Also, epitome, it's nice to see other central Texans on here.

Who is the therapist getting the information about you as a kid from? If it's only parents (or even one parent) they might not have gotten the truth for any of a number of reasons.

I.e.:

*they (parents) feel that if you are 'disordered' then they are failures as parents so they deny any evidence of abnormality

*they have ASD traits themselves and didn't perceive abnormal things as abnormal

*they rationalized away the oddities that they did see in you as a kid and your therapist wasn't good enough at interrogation to figure that out

Ask your therapist if she is aware of the AS subtypes, as these two subtypes could mean your childhood traits were missed (ref Lorna Wing):

Stilted
"Few, if any clues to the underlying subtle handicap upon first meeting. The features of AS are particularly frequent. Early histories vary. Normal range of ability with some peaks of performance. Polite and conventional. Manage well at work. Sometimes pompous and long-winded style of speech. Problems arise in family relationships, where spontaneity and empathy are required. Poor judgement as to the relative importance of different demands on their time. Characteristically pursue interests to the exclusion of everything and everyone else. May have temper tantrums or aggression if routine broken at home, but are polite at work. Diagnosis very often missed. Most attend mainstream schools. Independence achieved in most cases. This group shades into the eccentric end of normality."

Passive
"Often amiable, gentle, and easily led. Those passive rather than aloof from infancy may fit AS. More likely than the aloof to have had a mainstream education, and their psych skill profiles are less uneven. Social approaches passively accepted (little response or show of feelings). Characteristic autistic egocentricity less obvious in this group than in others. Activities are limited and repetitive, but less so than other autistics. Can react with unexpected anger or distress. Recognition of their autism depends more on observing the absence of the social and creative aspects of normal development than the presence of positive abnormalities. The general amenability is an advantage in work, and they are reliable, but sometimes their passivity and naivete can cause great problems. If undiagnosed, parents and teachers may be disappointed they cannot keep a job at the level predicted from their schoolwork."

Last edited by whirlingmind on 09 Feb 2013, 10:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

Wow. That was me. Both subtypes at different times in my life, and sometimes both together.
I speak standard English, but no one understands.
Sometimes I feel like I'm screaming, but no one can hear.

If no AS traits in childhood, then no AS.

This.

Look at Schizoid PD, as many of the symptoms are the same, other than a later onset (not childhood).

How does she know this? Based on your report? Does she not realize that it is possible that you are not a reliable historian?

My whole childhood is replete with symptoms of ADD and until my son was diagnosed with it, I adamantly denied it was possible. I once worked as a psychometrist and when I was getting trained on a computer-based test for ADHD, it kept saying that I had ADHD and I adamantly refuted it and said that I had no symptoms as a kid. The thing is...I grew up thinking "ADD" was the equivalent of male delinquency.

There is also the possibility that you are not aware that certain parts of your childhood were atypical.

Or, you don't have AS. I have met one person who said she had it but didn't have it. She built herself into it so that she didn't have to confront her underlying issues.

I think before you just take her word as gold you should be certain she is right.

Schizoid Personality Disorder is essentially adult-onset Asperger's but maybe not with the constricted interests and repetitive movements.

Yep, you got it! Nice to see another local to the area even though I'm a Maryland native