Recently diagnosed and with a lot of questions

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So, first of all, thanks for reading this. I've been recently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and I'm still kinda doubtful about this. Although it might explain some large part of my life, there are some aspects that I don't relate to autism at all. I would like to know if others experience these same things and what further reading I can do to keep researching about the topic.

First of all, I think I must clarify that I'm a female. As far as I know, female aspies differ from male aspies. How true is this?

These are the characteristics that I seem to fit in:
- High sensibility: Most cases refer to an auditionary sensibility but I think I'm actually more of a visual person. I'm also quite the kinestesic girl.
- Imagination: My world keeps growing with every little detail I can imagine of. Some people tell me that I should study arts, but the thing is that my world is well organized and a world of it's own. I can't create anything per request or randomly. In my world, everyone posseses a code. That way, I can encrypt my writings about it and organize it better.
- Specific interests as a child: My world is full of talking animals and plants. I liked to play on this big yard in my school all by myself and I could relate to trees. I also was always interested in how nature worked and read many encyclopedias. Until now, I'm the first most reliable resource for anything nature related in my social circles.
- Specific interests now: Although I still love nature things, I have differed my interests greatly. I kind of aspire to be a polymath and I can see that I have a certain specialization for each period of my life. For example, now I'm obsessed with coding.
- Random conducts as a child: This is something I don't usually talk about. As a child I used to talk to myself while walking in circles. The first time I recieved a MP3, I started to download my favorite videogames music and I had a special spot in school where I could jump and run in circles all by myself. I was happy. I also used to jump when I had contact with water, because I was euforic.
- Random conducts now: I walk in circles a lot and, at nights I enjoy hitting my head against my pillow while listening to background music. I'm also happy during this moments and it kind of stimulates my imagination.
- Likes being alone:I enjoy being alone a lot, because I can think and read all what I want.
- Feeling tired after a social gathering: I can handle one or two persons, but more than that... it gets harder for me to keep it up.
- Rarely looks in the eye: I actually developed a technique: I prefer to watch other people's lips rather than their eyes.
- Gastro-intestinal problems: I'm not sure about this but I'll add it anyways. So, I've read that is common for some aspergers to have gastro-intestinal problems. I'm one of those.

These are the things why I'm doubtful about all of this:
- Good at public speech: I actually enjoy doing some public speech. I like to tell my ideas and share my knowledge. But I find kind of frustrating when people try to correct me in the middle of my speech. I really get moody after that. All in all, people have told me that they can understand my ideas and how I organized them.
- Kinda energetic: When I'm in big groups, I like to do some fun stuff. It might look like a clown behaviour. I tend to speak loud in this moments. Then again, it only lasts for some hours. When I return at home, I just keep doing my stuff in my room.
- Likes to talk:Every opportunity I have to share my knowledge, I take it. I like to discuss things that interest me. But I noticed that I tend to lower my voice and start doing random stuff when someone asks about myself as a person. Also, I'm frequently bored with other people's topics.
- Sarcasm: I'm a pessimist and somewhat sarcastic individual. Then again, it came to my realization that I learned sarcasm rather slowly. I can perform some sarcastic jokes with people around me, but I can't get sarcasm from other individual. I just don't see the funny part or the sarcasm at all. And, if the person is new to me, I just take seriously whatever he or she tells me. That's the reason why I pass as an innocent person.
- Emotions: Although I don't recognize them well, I still get really mad at some things. Really really mad. Also, sadness is other emotion I can recognize too.
- Laughs: I laugh, and my laugh is a very loud one. But I can't smile, just laugh. In a way, it's good for me, it seems.

After too much talking, the psychologist I'm talking to told me that I'm a rather special individual because I could overcome some issues about this and it seems that I'm a normal individual. But I'm still rather doubtful. So I'm searching for other opinion.

I'm asking here because I would like to know the experiences of other individuals. Hopefully, I can discover the puzzle that I am. Now I'm going through a rather hard phase of my life, so I would be grateful with every piece of information I can obtain.

Thanks.

Did the psychologist have you take any tests for the evaluation or just do an interview?

I would probably not trust a diagnosis based upon an interview alone, especially without a parent interview or questionnaire.

I was diagnosed this week and, although still waiting for a written raport, they mentioned something about that I scored quite high.
I am quite an obsessive person, very intelligent and good with maths but also quite artistic. I love speaking in front of people but then I try to get out of the situation as soon as someone starts replying; for example I can start talking about something funny that happened to me and as people commenting on that I would say smiling: oh, it's so great to laugh with you guys but I need to go to the toilet, sorry!

I have quite a few oversensitivities. I connect with guys quite easily and remember when I was younger I had quite a few of them interested in me, sometimes 2 or 3 at the same time but I never really liked anyone and always had an impression that they only like the person who I present to be, not the real me. Till I finally fell for someone so much that I didn't even care he wasn't interested and stayed in this stage for almost 2 years. Well, he was interested at first but then I think I shouted at him a few times or something.

Also in my 20's I was quite a sociable person, and I liked parting, but everyone is more sociable when they are this age, so who knows, it may apply to autistic people as well.

I can blend in very easily into a group where you have a mix of both males and females of different ages and if I don't get to see them very often. But when I'm with females my age, the wheels come off very quickly.

My assesment wasn't just talking, actually they didn't really ask that many questions to be honest. I went there with my 'autism case' prepared in advance and a statement from my only female friend, and they didn't pay any attention to it at all. But they put me through the range of tests that were kind of blended into a conversation and that I didn't understand the meaning of at the time. Now I know it was to check how I relate to people. I think I failed most of them. That's why I know if they based the diagnosis on that and not on what I was thinking about myself, it must be right.

Introversion or bieng reluctent to talk are not autistic traits. Talking about our interests even to the point of unknowingly boring others is an autistic trait. Speaking is a script, something that can be learned. It is not having to make a quick decision about what to say which is more problematic. Speaking in an atypical tone is an autistic trait. Trouble understanding our emotions is common on the spectrum.

While I or anybody are not qualified to make a diagnosis based on one post, my opinion is that the your behavoirs that is making you have doubts about your diagnosis actually is evidence you were diagnosed correctly.

Yes. And she has also interviewed my parents. Now, I don't know what kind of tests are necessary for this diagnosis. If I remember correcty, there were two tests about social interaction and personality

She told me she also reviewed my history. But she also told me that my diagnosis was difficult. I don't know if this is true or not.

"Difficulty" in an autism diagnosis could mean simply that a characteristic like anxiety might exist because of the autism, or stand on its own as a co-morbid. The diagnostician might need to learn more about how the anxiety manifests. At least, that was the case with my diagnosis.

I am awaiting my final diagnosis. At the last eval meeting I asked what they were leaning towards. They said they were leaning towards Asperger's but much of my testing was also to rule in or out comorbidities. There is a lot at work so, I would think that you should have a lot of questions.

I know I do. All I can tell you is that I feel relief that I finally found something that fits my life. It explains so, so much.

I wish you luck. There seem to be a lot of diagnoses lately. I feel like I'm in a graduating class or something.

First of all,thanks for the answers.

I'm sure right now I'm full of stereotypes and true facts mixed in my mind. I can relate to the endlessly talking about things that interest me, but I must say that, through time, I've developed some empathy. At least to a point that I can somewhat talk with other person about her feelings (with a reluctant face). But if the quantity of persons is bigger than one person, then I just space out.

Thanks for the answer.



That's interesting. I first started the psychological therapy because of anxiety. In fact, this whole asperger diagnosis thing is one of the many possibilities we're searching for the source of my anxiety. If anything is 100% true is that I'm having a difficult time handling my anxiety.



Thanks for the good wishes. I wish you luck too!

That's the case for me too. I want to finally have some answers about me and how I can get better bu having this as a base. I'm having somewhat of a difficult time now, so every little piece of information is useful for me.

I think this is my driving force too. Without a proper base to work from, you run the risk of just 'band-aiding' the situation. If you do not approach it at the true source of things, it never solves anything.

I know that's what I'm facing.

And, knowing that there is a real reason I've never fit in, makes me feel better. Sorta like knowing I can never win a foot race is ok. Not knowing and to just keep running the same race, over and over and over and never gaining anywhere is very self defeating and leads to a lot of negative feedback loops.

I had the ADOS done. It's considered to be the "gold standard" in diagnosing autism spectrum disorders. And then I was given psychological tests for various things, tests for attention, a test where it was seen if I could understand idioms (I can) and I was observed by the psychologist as well.

And that was in addition to the interviews. I would feel uneasy myself if I was told that I was difficult to diagnose. That does not mean that your diagnosis is wrong, however.

My psychologist did not seem to have doubts regarding my diagnosis and did not mention that I was difficult to diagnose.

If it would put your mind at ease, you could seek a second opinion. But diagnosing autism is not an exact science, so there is no way of knowing if any diagnosis is truly accurate without more scientific methods, such as brain scans, etc.

Some of the things that you mentioned did seem like symptoms of autism, so if you are perhaps only borderline autistic, does it matter at the moment? You can get help for your autistic symptoms with a diagnosis, if that's what you want. If you'd prefer to get reevaluated in the future, then you could possibly have the diagnosis removed, especially if you are only borderline.

Multitasking is an issue for many on the spectrum. When you have a conversation with one person you have listen, decide when and how to respond, decide when to look at them and make eye contact. Conversing with multiple people involves lot of quick decisions you have to make at once.

Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 10 Mar 2016, 7:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It sounds as if you have it. The things you listed that make you doubtful about your diagnosis, actually don't go against ASD at all. And everyone is going to have some traits that don't fit the diagnosis perfectly.

Quite true from what I have read on the topic.


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I am a diagnosed aspie and I can relate to everything on your list of things that make you doubtful. You could easily get my talking for hours about anything I am interested in and I have no probelem with public speaking. I am also quite energetic, which is no supprise because having an eccentric personlity is a common trait of aspies. My family is a really sarcastic bunch so it didn't take me long to figure out how that all works. Based on what you have said, I have almost no doubt that your diagnosis is correct.

Thanks to everyone who replied to this post. I'm feeling more confident about this. I've been reading more on the topic too. I'll continue doing my little research, but I'm feeling much better about this.

Well, as I said before, the main reason I searched for professional help was a problem with anxiety. If the diagnosis is ok (and every day I start to feel more confident about the diganosis, I've been reading more) then I would finally have an answer and a plan to start handling my anxiety. That's my main problem now.

Thanks for the answer. I was thinking into getting a second opinion too. There's an autism research center in my city, so I'll probably search for another opinion there.