Does it sound like I have AS? How do I get tested?

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Some info about me:

>> Male, mid twenties
>> Feel uncomfortable in social situations
>> Difficulty establishing and maintaining conversations
>> Consider myself socially inept
>> Teased through high school
>> Known to have weirded people out because of the way I am
>> Depressed, anxious
>> Very Few friends
>> Have never had a girlfriend
>> I live with my parents and don't see anything wrong with it
>> Above average intelligence but not a genius
>> Not overly articulate in speech. Marginally more articulate in writing
>> Slow reader
>> "Good" at math. (At least as far as non-graduate academic settings are concerned.)
>> I like puzzles
>> Difficulty concentrating when it comes to performing chores I don't want to perform
>> Difficulty learning new stuff I don't care about
>> Obsessive thoughts
>> Like to fiddle around with things (paper clips, etc)
>> Intense interest for things I care about, though often short-lived
>> Currently employed but had a hard time finding a job
>> Recently took Aspie-quiz at rdos.net and scored 126/200

I know that based on that info alone it sounds like I have AS. But how do I know for sure if I have AS?

I don't want my PCP to send me over to see some random mental health professional. Once they learn that I exhibit symptoms of depression, it's very likely, and I know this from experience, that they will send me on my way to gets meds and not let me say a word. The times I talked to psychiatrists and psychologists, I felt they did not give me a chance to delve into any of my problems or explain why I think there is a deeper problem that is causing my depression. It was very frustrating.

I would like to talk to a serious, respectful, open-minded mental health professional who can tell me, for sure, whether I have AS or not.

In case someone wants to help me find a professional who can either confirm or deny that I have AS, I live in ma. I'd also like to know if testing for AS is something that health insurance companies normally pay for. Thanks

were the traits noticed at a very young age? do have parents to ask this? other relatives? it's common for pyschs to require information from parents about this before they will make a diagnosis.

ASD is developmental and is there from birth,but traits might be spotted around toddler/infant age,with aspergers,it's usually more noticeable when the child starts/is at school because of the differences between the child and others.

AS is not a mental illness,and mental health pyschs are the worst type to go to for any sort of autism assessment,they are specialised in mental health only and are useless with ASD.

it needs to be an ASD specialist [pyschologist is the best as they are not able to relie on the medical model like pyschiatrists]
and one who works with adults if possible,partly because some aspergans have been used to being NT like so non adult trained pyschs might take that as meaning no AS.
they will still be able to help with depression as well if that is wanted.

If you don't get the diagnosis you want you might as well claim you do. Seems how this works.

Hello,

I am sorry for your suffering.

from your description, it is hard to tell what is going on.

it could be AS, or it could be depression/anxiety/OCD, or it could be a combination.

people are complicated and it is hard for me to evaluate over email.

my suggestion is: email Tony Attwood. I don't have his email but I have emailed him before - it comes up when you google his name.

ask him for suggestions on how to find a health professional who will listen. he is in Australia but has worked with people from many countries.

you could also copy and paste your post or ask him your questions in another format.

when I emailed him, he responded promptly. I believe I emailed him twice. my father has AS and I have symptoms of it, partly from my father and partly from a severe blow to the left side of my head, age 12, which caused similar symptoms.

technically, I do not have AS b/c I did not develop the severe difficulties until after I hit my head, there was nothing "odd" in my early years except for being shy, I had friends etc.

and then after I hit my head, I had other difficulties, with cognitive tasks and language that are a rule-out for AS.

but -

I have a great deal of difficulty with social skills and I have "perseveration" pursuing what NTs consider to be "odd" interests to a really "abnormal" degree - again, NT value judgements.

I have spent many many many many hours on my interests - innumerable hours over the years - which ironically concern helping people to better communicate! but, i have been a fanatic about it, never let myself rest at times, and learned the professional literature to a very unusual and "odd" degree - again, NT judgements.

and both these things, the perseveration and the social difficulties, have severely impaired my life.

I am an anthropologist studying the ways of normal people. I gave up I do not understand them.

about your obsessions, as you call them -

the danger with many professionals is that they cannot distinguish between perseveration and obsession.

if your obsessive thoughts make you anxious, such as "I'm afraid I left the door unlocked and I will be robbed and it's all my fault" - that is more like anxiety/OCD (if you do a ritual like checking the lock repeatedly)

however,

if your "obsessions" are a lifeboat you cling to in a tumultuous storm of the scary NT world - that is much more AS.

it is also possible to have both perseverations and obsessions.

the interests of AS, for me, I became on fire, I had to tell people about them, I had no idea how poorly I was communicating.

learning this stuff saved my sanity, I wanted to help other people too.

good luck to you.

it's hard being different.

one thing I forgot,

from your description, you sound like you could be gifted.

intense interests is often a sign of giftedness. what makes them different from "perseverations" is something I'm not clear on, but it's the degree and intensity to which they are pursued, I think.

also, whether they come across as "normal" or "odd" to NTs. this seems to be a critical factor in what they call it.

anyway, giftedness itself can cause trouble fitting in.

I am not saying you are not AS, but it sounds like there could be multiple things going on with you.

I certainly understand your hesitation about seeing just "anyone" having been through the therapeutic mill myself. NOW I have an excellent T but oh. my. God. was it a struggle to get there. and I was *determined* to get help.

some are very very good, some are mediocre, and some are horrid. the problem is the "bad" ones often lack insight into the fact that they cannot help you.

however the "good" ones are worth their weight in gold. but picking someone at random - you are right to be cautious and concerned, imo.

however there are good ones out there and I hope Dr. Attwood or someone else can steer you in the right direction.

take care.

silentstar, I find it interesting that you mention I could be gifted, especially considering that I have had same-age peers, high school teachers, college professors, family members and strangers imply or explicitly state that I am not a genius. "You are smart, but not a genius" is a line I've heard countless times. Even my parents have accused me of thinking that I am more intelligent than everyone, which I think is preposterous, as I am not the type of guy who goes around pointing out how stupid people are or showing off his own intelligence (what intelligence, anyway?). All I do is be quiet and display the social skills of an autistic child, and on the basis of that I get accused of thinking that I am more intelligent than everyone.

What happens is that my poor social skills are inconsistent with my level of intelligence, and that makes some people wonder whether I am some sort of stereotypical genius or just someone pretending to be a genius. I also suspect that my social skills, which are often confused for arrogance and cockiness, as well as my demeanor, have made some people think that I think I am a genius.

Since I am not gifted, the best way to explain my quirks, in my opinion, is that I suffer from a mild case of either HFA or AS.

You could very well be gifted without being a genius. According my IQ, I'm in the "highly gifted" range (above the 99.9th percentile), but I would never consider myself a genius. I consider geniuses to be people who are "exceptional," for instance child prodigies, or people who have made incredible discoveries or done other amazing things. I think the term "genius" is slung around far too loosely these days. Don't discount your possible giftedness because you don't feel like a genius.

No, but my parents insist that I have always been a difficult person, not in terms of behavior, as I've always been very well-behaved, but in terms of getting along with. I also remember that family members used to point out that I asked many questions, many of which they felt were unnecessary (dumb). I always felt uncomfortable in social situations and even more uncomfortable around attractive girls. I got away with being shy and socially inept while I was a minor, but once I became an adult my behavior started to make some people feel uncomfortable. I was never a popular child or anyone's best friend, but I did not become a loner until I was in high school. I attribute my loneliness and almost extreme change in personality type to cultural shock, as I moved to the US from a non-English speaking country at around that time and I felt uncomfortable speaking in English. Kids teased me because I could barely speak English. I reasoned that if I kept my mouth shut as much as possible at least they wouldn't make fun of me. Later that tactic backfired on me when I started to get teased for being quiet and a loner.



As far as I know, there were never any differences or deviations from the norm. I was a good student and I had friends. Although I should mention that back in elementary school some teachers pointed out that I was very rambunctious (like most elementary school boys). All my teachers, at least the ones I had in elementary school, seemed to like me.