Aspergers maybe?

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I feel different to others and i came across AS in the news and am worried I may have it. People always say I'm weird, or different, or 'a psycho'. I can be hyper, but I'm quite attentive (at least, i do well at school) so I think ADHD's out. I feel like i fulfill all of the criteria except eye contact (this has only been mentioned to me by others a couple of times), stimming (I'm just not sure to what degree you have to do it to be beyond NT) and I'm not sure about the sensory stuff. I'm a picky eater and complain about temperatures, textures, lights and sounds sometimes, and they can give me a headache (going shopping always gives me a headache) but I'm not sure whether it is to an extreme extent. The most 'aspie' example i can think of is last Christmas when I got some bed leggings i really liked, but when I tried them on the tag was so itchy it hurt and it tried to rip it out with my hans whilst still wearing the leggings but accidentally ripped them. Also, I'm not sure about special interests - I do have intense, strange interests sometimes, but I can have more than one at once occasionally and they change often. I am currently obsessed with Disney's Frozen (have been for nearly a year) but during that time I have other short-lived interests like my Italian postcard collection, or BBCs Sherlock. Sometimes I come back to these interests after a few moths as well. But anyway, I feel like I fulfil the criteria because I don't think I understand people - at least, people say i don't. Also people often find me rude - and I'm like 'OK, I admit I now realise that telling you your top is ugly was a mistake, but if that is wrong, why is it OK to insult me?'. I don't think I'm weird, but other people seem to think i am. I have some friends, but we aren't close and they have been known to do things without me. I mean, they do things by themselves, and only get invited if everyone is doing something together, rather than in smaller groups, and sometimes not then. On the other hand, I'm definitely an extrovert - a long as I am interested in what's going on, I'm happy to talk. I generally prefer to debate about serious things, or things in which I am interested, but otherwise I just think its boring. I'm not sure if I have meltdowns. Once recently I got told I had missed a spanish test whilst I was off school and couldn't do it (event though I'd spent ages revising) and cried all afternoon. This sort of thing happens regularly -and often has a catalyst (something goes wrong) but it is often something very minor, it's just like on that day i have a short fuse. Sorry for rambling, I just don't know what to do.

Hi,

have you done an online Asperger quiz yet? Of course those are not as good as an official diagnosis, but they helped me a lot when I was still confused and showed me that, indeed, my chances of being autistic were very high. I like this one a lot http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php because it includes all important parts. It's a bit long but worth it. Maybe that will make you more certain whether or not you have it.

Are you worried about the possibility? You shouldn't be.

You are what you are and no medical label will change that.

Since you are already exploring this, it's likely that you won't be able to stop until you have some sense of having answered the question. That can really only be done with a professional diagnosis, but you may find that it's enough for you to know that you have many of the symptoms and to have thought about what they are and how they impact your life.

Best wishes as you continue your journey of self-discovery.

It takes a registered mental health professional to diagnose an ASD. There are few such people if any on this forum. An in-person evaluation is the only way to diagnose an ASD and this is an internet site. Online quizes are seldom very accurate either.

Sorry to be blunt, but the facts are the facts.

I would first do an online screening. These are by no means a final diagnosis method - But they are valuable as an entry level screening technique. Here is one developed by some of the world's leading experts on Autism/Asperger's at Cambridge University Autism Research Centre in England:

http://aq.server8.org/

You may want to examine the official criteria established by the American Psychiatric Association which you can find here:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=271017

If you can find a psychologist or psychiatrist who knows something about autism/Asperger's - they are the one's who can make an official diagnoses. Most unfortunately especially when it comes to autism/Asperger's many - perhaps most therapist, psychologist and psychiatrist are complete and utter quacks who don't know ANYTHING. But if you can find one who does - that can be beneficial.