From today's Tallahassee Democrat

Post Reply New Topic

From today's Tallahassee Democrat
Annie's Mailbox

Dear Annie: My husband, who is almost 60, has been diagnosed with
Asperger's Syndrome. He says it's all poppycock. He doesn't believe in
psychologists or psychiatrists. The psychologist who made the diagnosis
said it could be treated with behavioral changes. My husband refuses to
"change." He says he's fine the way he is and if others don't like it,
it's their problem. Annie, it's been my problem for 37 years. I just
didn't have a name for it.

My husband won't go to a therapist, and I'm already seeing one. Is there
an Asperger's support organization? It's usually diagnosed in childhood,
but there have to be adults out there who are coping with it. I need help.
I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and simple daily activities are difficult
for me. Dealing with someone who won't do anything about an illness takes
what little energy I have. If there are any organizations that could offer
some support, I'd appreciate knowing how to contact them. -- Running on
Empty in Vermont

Dear Vermont: Asperger's is one of the pervasive developmental disorders
and generally manifests itself through impaired communication and social
skills. There are organizations that can help you, even if your husband
refuses to modify his behavior. Try Families of Adults Affected by
Asperger's Syndrome (www.faaas.org) , P.O. Box 514, Centerville, MA 02632
and the Autism Society of America (www.autism- society.org) at
1-800-3-AUTISM (1-800-328-8476) .

I can understand the guy's viewpoint.

I'm 45, was never diagnosed, and although I scored pretty high on some of the informal tests, I don't really care to jump through the hoops to get a formal diagnosis. At this point in my life, I don't think it would change anything. I know I don't want a job in sales or public speaking. I know I need to make lists or things simply won't get done. I know I need to try to balance my life and not get sucked entirely into one thing.

I'm set in my ways and I made it this far. If this diagnosis was available when I was a teenager, that would have been good. But as an adult, I don't see much value in a piece of paper from the doctor saying I have AS or NLD. But I think I just might learn a few things about coping from reading the posts on this forum.

Ditto, except issues with communication at work have made my employment situation tenuous, so I have gone and gotten diagnosed with AS along with ADHD and Social Anxiety, and maybe more to come. Yay! Anyway, I do not expect to change because of this, but felt it was necessary to protect my family should my communication issues cause any more "misunderstandings" at work.