Do I have Aspergers syndrome?

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I wouldn't trust those tests. I am an aspie medically diagnosed at age 12, and I have taken several of those tests, some which said I was and some said I wasn't. Most of the stuff in those tests I found was only really relevant to children, not aspie adults - thus the non-diagnosis. I do think (from what I can tell) the wikipedia article is a pretty good coverage of the non-age specific asperger symptoms (I just read it today, in fact).

I find that there are several fairly universal quite tell tale signs (according to my own experiences and everything I've read):

* The twitching/stimming/jerky body movements. Like finger twitching (me), rocking, arm/head jerking, etc.

* Sensitivity to weird things like particular fabrics (for me, touching velvet can make me extremely nauseous, and the feeling of pulling on too tight socks (or even watching other people do it) makes me want to throw up) or lights or sounds.

*Not getting sarcasm/other peoples jokes, taking things literally, talking on and on without listening to what other people have to say.

* The intense focus on details.

* Difficulty understanding stuff "below the surface" (linked to reading body language) which causes what they call 'lack of empathy, (in my case a good example is thinking someone likes you when they actually hate you and the fact that they hate you is obvious to everyone except you).

* lack of eye contact when speaking. (for example, you're talking and talking, completely caught up in what you're saying, and you finally turn around and realize the person you were talking to is gone).

I hope this helps.

Hello there,

I don't really want to sounds harsh, but for me there are quite few things you've missed when writing this post.
First and foremost: I also declared I can not trust such tests to the letter. There are always some issues regarding such tests so having some distance to it is obligatory.
Secondly: you are quite a lucky guy to have it diagnosed when you were 12 - good for you. But please mind the fact (that was mentioned in this thread 3 times at least) that in Poland there's practically no support for Aspies nor even for people with Authism. I guess most "specialists" would be surprised that there's such a disorder like Asperger. So I couldn't even try, being 12, guess what was happening to me, nor ask anyone in Poland if he could tell me something more regarding my "originality".
Now I'm 22, and still, all I can do is to take some tests and read few articles. As for tests - I hope you understand why it is some factor for me. And as for articles... <sigh>, I don't want to be harsh again, but what you've written, in my eyes, is inaccurate. You see, the way I understand it (and I read quite a lot about Asperger), there's only one core "feature": lack of empathy. As for the rest: it may or may not occur. What determines if you're an aspie or not is whether you have quite many of the "issues" that are connected with Asperger. So in this scope your list should be enormously extended. Asplanet user has already posted link to quite large list of such issues and I think anyone looking for the answer should rather refer to that list.

Plus, being confident you have the disorder is certainly quite helpful. But for people who are unsure (like I was) there are many things that seem to be quite problematic to understand. Like: do I have empathy? Or did I learn to observe people and find out what they are feeling? What does it mean people think different than I do? Do people really like/dislike me even thou I'm quite certain about the opposite? And more importantly: isn't it that most people are confused about someone liking/disliking them?

(You might dislike me for what I say, but hey... can't be really that bad because of few words, can it?)
You got everything served on the "silver plate": you know what are the differences, you know that some of your problems were caused by it. Again: good for you, I'm glad you've got it easy way. But when folks like me are pushed into all those social situations and we are expected to behave - well it ain't that bad. However, knowing back then what was the cause and have listed all our "issues" would be a great help.

Well, kinda make me lost in thoughts for a bit. Hope you don't really mind my babbling.

Regards,
Ethnar

PS. What I wrote about what makes an aspie or not - it's my understanding of all the readings I've been through. If it's inaccurate, please point out what was incorrect.

(I'm a girl btw) Yeah, you're right, it can't really be defined by a set of characteristics. I just listed the ones that I've noticed most repeated in my research. And in all honestly, I'd be a hypocrite for disliking someone for voicing their opinion.
I'm not sure about lack of empathy being the central characteristic of aspergers, I don't think that as of yet they've found the core of it, rather it appears to be a set of traits. You might as well say that intense focus on a single issue is the central characteristic of aspergers.

Hey there again.

Thanks for taking my words in a calm manner, I think I should apologize to you. Should've drop on my tone a little bit. Funny thing that you didn't include "intense focus on a single issue" on your first list.
Care to share with us(me) what can you tell about how your life was different since you were diagnosed aspie? I'm still wondering myself how much would it change in my life...

Kind regards,
Ethnar

Hey Ethnar,

lol yes you're right, I just realized that. No need to apologize - I probably came on a bit strongly, I do that sometimes. Hmm.. well not super different except we had a name for it. Most of the time we didn't really talk about it, I think my parents liked to pretend I was normal. Um probably one of the biggest things my parents did was to try and "fix" me (especially for someone as practical and focussed and, well I guess as strongly 'NT' as my mum). But they'd started doing that before they had a name to put to what was wrong with me. They used to train me to look people in the eye, to always greet people back if they greeted me, to always ask how other peoples holidays went.

When I was in Primary school mum tried to teach me how to make friends, and would tell me off if I said I'd spent all lunch and recess alone reading in the library (as I preferred that to human company, and I was just bullied constantly anyway). I was always completely honest so I wouldn't lie and say i had talked to people if i hadn't, have never been capable of lying as i tend to see these things as black and white. "Making friends" was always like a chore my parents set me.

Mum (who is a pro manipulator type of person and good at getting her own way, has a lot of front i guess you could say) never understood why i couldn't tell a "white lie". She'd get really angry at me when she'd told me (in year 4, before i was officially diagnosed) to tell the kids at school that i was going to see the doctor if they asked why i was leaving in the middle of the day (when i was really going to see another psychologist) but i couldn't do it, i couldn't lie to them. Most of my life when mum's asked me to lie about something (eg. for stuff like getting refunds for clothes she brought and forget to return) it's been a torment to me.

Umm.. I've always been so intensely focussed in my own world and on my own thoughts that i would forget basic stuff like remembering to close the windows and front door when we left the house. To try and cure me of that, my parents made me go from the gate to our front door, open the front door, close the front door, then walk back to the gate again. I had to do it 50 times, and it took a couple of hours (we had a lot of steps up to our house). I also had a mirror put in front of me when i was eating dinner so i could see my bad manners (when i thought my own thoughts, i often forgot to close my mouth when chewing).

Stuff like that... A lot of it (especially how to communicate properly with other people and make friends) did help though.

Wow... Well, I feel like saying that... well, it's nice that your parents were trying to care about those problems, but... uhm.. I can't really say I envy you. Sounds like you had some quite tough moments with your parents because of this - especially the fact that your parents were pushing you to have some contact with other people.

After all it all seems that our "surroundings" and our parents make the biggest impact. Well, if you'd care to know how my parents were reacting to the fact I had some social problems - it seemed like I'm the only kid in about 5 miles that had any signs of intelligence (I was living in really small town). They were in fact glad I'm not really enjoying company of those.. ekhem... morons from my first school.

Thanks for your story Sun,
Such things are widen my perspective
Ethnar

lol yeah that sucks. I don't like talking to unintelligent people either really. I think reading books is a far better alternative. But yeah, nowadays I have quite a few friends and I do really enjoy communicating - I think I learnt to appreciate the world outside my books eventually.

Hi there. I'm new here and I was looking through the forums to find a place for me to start and I guess this is it. For the last 5 years I've been working with autistic and Asperger's people and I have come to realise that I have a great deal in common with the Asperger's folks. So I started doing some research and discovered that I must be a high functioning aspie. I'm 49 and a little shocked.

My life has been filled with oddness and now I think I know why.

I have had many, many obsessions in the quest for knowledge.
Always liked to be alone.
Never quite "got" the people around me and HATE, HATE,HATE being in social situations as I feel totally lost.
Always had this voluntary tick in my legs that used to be really noticeable but is now very discreet.
Still can't maintain relationships with people.
My emotions don't seem to work right, like those around me.
My hand writing has always been terrible, and writing in block capitals is just as bad, due to a very slight tremor in my hands.
I studied music at university, hoping to be a pianist, but due to the faulty fine motor control had to change my goals.

With all this being said, am I in the right place?

I'm one who has never had a real diagnosis, but for what it's worth was suggested as a possibility by a psych I went to when I was a kid.

To be honest, I don't know whether or not I "really" do have it, and in my honest opinion like much psych stuff, it's poorly defined. Two people can both be said to have it when they don't share any particularly rare symptoms? Something as broad as self-perceived social difficulty isn't that uncommon a problem, really... For me, I think probably 75% of the symptoms listed on Wiki fit, but of course that's going to depend on interpretation of qualitative and subjective terms.

And... I don't care all that much. If I get diagnosed officially, what then? I'm still the same person with the same problems that I have to deal with one way or another. I know that I don't *need* protection under any disability law. Self-pity aside there's a lot of people out there worse off than me who are making it just fine. This is personal opinion, but a diagnosis wouldn't change my self-identity or anything--I'm still me whatever label might fit or not.

What I do know is that reading and occasionally posting here does help me, because there's a lot of people here with the same problems I have, and that helps.

Don't worry about the label, you're you and a diagnosis either way won't change that. If these forums help you, let well enough alone and accept it. That's my meager advice.

Hello Owen,

I believe I can understand your situation. From what you said - it seems to me that it's pretty likely you're an Aspie. However, you may also want to think about two things, you haven't listed, that Aspies have in common (I'm not a doctor - I might be mistaken, please correct me if you know better):
1) Lack of empathy - be careful here, it's not that hard to learn people common reactions and associate it with emotions.
2) Narrow scope of interest - at any given point there's just a handful of things that find your interest (and you'd be usually passionate about them), when all other topics are boring and uninteresting to you. Might be something new eventually finds your interest, but then again - you'll be all nuts on this topic.

When thinking about it, it's usually best to bring childhood memories, as you could have probably read in my other posts.

As in regard to Kelain post: This label I find pretty useful and calming. It let's me accept the difference between me an normal people easier. Up until I read about Asperger, I had been really concerned with the fact I'm a weirdo, I was trying to pursue goals normal people do (parties, meeting new people) and it was pain to me. Now I can myself to be who I am, and I'm glad with that. This label actually helped with that.

- do you 'experience' feelings that you could call 'emotions'.
- not really trusting yourself: is that because things don't 'click' emotionally
(they may not feel 'wrong' - but they also never feel 'wright')
- are you unsure of wether or not you are 'manipulating'

it's all the same underling thing: you do not trust your emotions.

please remain true / stay loyal / to your emotional scepsis!

check out the concept of alexithymia

Hi there Ethnar,

Thanks for your reply,

As a youngster I did lack empathy and over the years I have learned to show the right responses at the right time ( mostly )

As for the narrow scope of interest, "OMG!". Once I got it in my head to pursue a subject I gave it %110 of my attention, wich really bothered my parents a lot! I have learned to tone down obsessions to mere passions and have made some of them into very useful "past times" ( to the casual observer ). I have also learned to listen to other people rather than go on and on about the things that interest me. People even think I'm a GREAT listener.

When I studied the list of possible symptoms of Asperger's I was REALLY surprised to find that two of my major problems were listed, those being severe depression and a chronic sleep disorder.

When I said I was shocked it was because in my nearly 50 years of life NONE of my various doctors ever made the connection between my neurological problems and Asperger's.

I'm not interested in being formaly diagnosed as I've learned how to live with it. I have a job that I'm very good at. I pay my bills. I enjoy life in my own way and I'm no longer bothered if people think I'm weird.

In fact I'm a little relived that I understand what's going on.

The first test of a pathic Asperger's Syndrome (that is, your strugglin with it) is determining whether or not you only able to imitate social actions/cues. That's the first thing a psychiatrist looks for.

Often times a diagnosis is not worth it and just best to read the advice here and then apply to see if it actually does fit.

Haha.... tell me about it.
But I do actually listen to them and focus the best I can on what they're saying, turns out pretty well. Especially compared to how I see others listening to people...

Thing is, if you're two years old or so, with a supportive family and culture, there may be things we can do to offer you a more normal life.

If you're older, but still in school, and you have a supportive family and culture, there may be things we can do to limit the damage.

Past that, you're on your own. If you survive the next twenty years, then perhaps there's some research you can contribute to...

If you're in court on something dramatic, there's a chance that an Asperger's diagnosis can win you enough sympathy to keep you out of jail - depends on the offense and the culture that's arraigning you. Short of that, though, the choice is between ignoring the diagnostic suggestion and passing for normal as best you can, or choosing the outcast path. Many of us are on the outcast path without ever having perceived the choice, and stay on it in the hope that things will get better. Unless you're very lucky, they don't.

No, its my experience they throw you in jail if they think something is wrong with you and they dont let you out until it can be proven you are mentally stable.