Diagnosed Autistic recently but there are some questions

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BearsandtheBees
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21 Dec 2020, 11:24 am

So I was recently diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder (and ADHD), but there are some things about me that don't necessarily line up with ASD. Obviously, I have enough Autistic traits and symptoms for me to receive a diagnosis, and I was rocking and shaking my hands all over the place with anxiety during the evaluation. This probably played a part in my diagnosis. The doctor at the end commented that "I was very high functioning." Not sure what that meant.
I understand that no one can give real official medical advice on this, and I understand that if Autism was observed in a clinical setting then it probably is there. I'm simply not sure about certain things I do because they don't line up with a lot of the Autistic community's experiences, and also I don't have some hallmark Autistic symptoms that are reported frequently. I am not including other symptoms that are clearly outside of the Autism umbrella and may suggest another disorder, just some parts of my personality that I don't know if they can exist with Autism. Of course, If i have something else symptoms may overlap as well. It really all depends. I hope that maybe I could get some informal advice on this, or thoughts.
On the Aspie Quiz (RDOS) I got a 162/200 for neurodivergence.
- I often have inflection and expression in my voice (and face) even when I don't think I'm "masking".
- I don't have facial blindness, at least not to a significant extent. I scored well on a remembering faces test I did online.
- I believe that I have okay to good cognitive empathy, unless I'm confusing that with sympathy. I think if I do, it depends on the situation. Sometimes I really can't see people's sides, however, as if there is a mental block. I also got a 21/80 on Baron Cohen's EQ. So, all of this is very contradicting and confusing.
- I have a vivid imagination, and as a child I was very artistic. People often described me as "creative."
- On Baron Cohen's systemizing quiz, I got a low score. However, I do love collecting and organizing information and figuring things out, like cultures, languages, and sciences. Not machines or math, though.
- A lot of my special interests line up with a fascination or care for people and social things. Such as cultures and various fictional movies and tv shows. I also genuinely want close relationships with people but I can't necessarily have them (for various reasons).
- I've noticed that I'm okay to good at reading faces and body languages, I tested this by taking a couple of tests on those subjects by Simon Baron Cohen and others. One test I took said I was "better than the general population" at reading faces.
- I seem to have more purely emotional meltdowns than sensory ones, but then again I have trouble determining my exact emotions sometimes.
- I don't really have a strict routine, I like things a certain way but I'm not always adhering to a list everyday, and I also have extreme trouble doing anything sometimes (I'm assuming this is executive function issues).
- Sometimes I talk way too much about my feelings/emotions.
- And I can understand metaphor and allegories at times, often in a literary or movie lens.
- I have a lot more short lived, intense obsessions than "special interests."

So, I understand that many disorders can seem like Autism and vice versa, and that comorbidities can happen and make it hard to see "where one begins and where the other ends". What do you think about this? Do you experience any of these? Do you still believe I could fit the autistic label in your opinion ( I know I still have autistic traits definitely, based on my life, and probably still autism, but I wanted to know your opinion just reading it). Any advice as well?

Thank you all.



Udinaas
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21 Dec 2020, 12:29 pm

No one has every symptom. There are too many and some can contradict each other (ex. strict schedules vs. executive dysfunction). You're very unlikely to be neurotypical if you scored as high as 162/200.

I relate to some of this.
-I don't have faceblindness (but I'd probably score lower than average and it's not the main way I recognize people).
-I'm interested in both the humanities and science and my biggest interest is philosophy, which is in the middle.
-I have a vivid imagination.
-I only have meltdowns when there is an emotional component.
-I have a loose routine.
-I like fiction and I'm good at recognizing metaphors and allegories about philosophy and politics but not about individual relationships or psychologies.



BearsandtheBees
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21 Dec 2020, 2:03 pm

Udinaas wrote:
No one has every symptom. There are too many and some can contradict each other (ex. strict schedules vs. executive dysfunction). You're very unlikely to be neurotypical if you scored as high as 162/200.

I relate to some of this.
-I don't have faceblindness (but I'd probably score lower than average and it's not the main way I recognize people).
-I'm interested in both the humanities and science and my biggest interest is philosophy, which is in the middle.
-I have a vivid imagination.
-I only have meltdowns when there is an emotional component.
-I have a loose routine.
-I like fiction and I'm good at recognizing metaphors and allegories about philosophy and politics but not about individual relationships or psychologies.


Okay, I see that people can have Autism and it not fit the exact stereotypical mold, especially with what you said. I'm glad to meet someone else who has some similar traits and likes fiction. I definitely think I answered correctly on the Aspie Test from my perspective, but I might take it again at some point to check that I didn't miss anything (I didn't answer with the body language and faces questions because I'm unsure what to say about it, and because taking tests can be different from real life).



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21 Dec 2020, 6:41 pm

You may have atypical autism formally known PDD-NOS. About half of the people with it met the DSM-5 ASD criteria.

Some things you listed also described me.


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ASPartOfMe
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22 Dec 2020, 7:15 am

Welcome to wrong planet.

As mentioned most autistics do not have every trait. And traits are more pronounced in some autistic people than in others. That is why it is called the Autism Spectrum. For example, while you understand metaphors you might not understand them as well as most people.

I saw nothing in your description that would rule out Autism. In my amateur opinion, there were enough autistic traits there for me to think you received the correct diagnosis.

An autism diagnosis often takes time to process. It is part of who you are and often requires one to drop assumptions one has had about oneself. That is not easy, after all one of the traits of Autism is having a difficult time with change.


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kraftiekortie
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22 Dec 2020, 6:09 pm

I believe in the credo that "autism is not the essence of a person."

There is far more to an autistic person-----than their autism.



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23 Dec 2020, 3:58 am

I find that we have quite a few similarities in the traits you describe as “not fitting the stereotypical mold.”

-I am the exact opposite of Face-blind, in fact I’ve met very few people who are as good at remembering faces (and voices) as I am.

-My “routine” could be described as on the looser side (especially so since I got laid off in October), though there is still an overarching pattern to the way I go about my day.

-My interests also cross both the humanities and science, leaning in a social science direction, which is encompassed by my interest (and Bachelor’s Degree) in Geography.

-I too have a vivid imagination.

-I do, in fact, feel empathy, though mostly for Autistics and those with other forms of neurodiversity and disability. I have some difficulty empathizing with NTs.

-I almost never have meltdowns or shutdowns.

-I’m also good at understanding metaphors and allegories. Sarcasm is a bit more difficult, especially when the person giving the sarcasm isn’t using an obviously sarcastic tone.

And to echo League_Girl’s comment, my initial diagnosis as a young child was PDD-NOS. Nowadays that label, along with Asperger’s Syndrome, is no longer used, having been subsumed into the all-encompassing ASD.

This is all just to say that every Autistic person is a unique individual, and very few of us satisfy all of the stereotypical traits.


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