Not sure if I am on the spectrum or not

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Hi, I am new to wrongplanet as I have recently begun to wonder if I am "on the spectrum". As a kid, I showed some limited signs which consisted of inattention and sometimes blurting things out which had no logical place in the social environment. Although I never seemed all that different from other kids and in most cases probably blended in for the most part, my mother wondered if I could have a low degree of Asperger Syndrome. My Mom majored in psychology but never really practiced and knows little of what AS would look like in relation to a neurotypical person. As a kid, I made friends and socialized fairly well. I was homeschooled but was fairly active socially and hung out with different kids in the community. People often commented that I was very outgoing. However, in my young adult years things have changed. My functioning has declined, my organization is very poor, I have difficulty functioning, and a friend of mine who supposedly has autism said she noticed that I had a lot of "sensory signs" of it. She didn't mention unusual or inappropriate behaviors in any way, just sensory signs whatever that means. I have never melted down or had a full fledged shutdown that I am aware of. However, I do have a tendency, especially recently to yell and get very frustrated at times over relatively minor things. I sometimes appear slightly disengaged in conversations and will sometimes barge into situations very boldly and not always size up situations. I do, however, still have an active social life and friends. Due to my recent functioning issues, I am starting to wonder if all this does actually sound like AS

For me AS associates primarily with so called "theory of mind". I don't know much about autism, but i think about it in terms of ones relation to other people. Do you feel like you understand people? Can you relate to them? Do you have meaningful connections with others? Do you participate in the social "give-and-take"? Have you considered ADHD?

Hi Steve, Welcome to Wrongplanet.

We are not qualified here to assess you properly but if you feel like these symptoms are affecting your life, if you are able to get a doctor's opinion I highly recommend it. It is also possible to have traits of Autism rather than full blown Autism. Some people can have some traits but not all of them. There are also other conditions that can have very similar traits and symptoms as well.

When people talk about sensory issues usually they mean that they are very sensitive to sensory stimuli. Like me, for instance, I am sensitive to sounds and often to lights to the point where I cannot tolerate them and I have to get away. I am also sensitive to touch. If I touch something and my skin does not like how it feels my fingertips or feet will burn. Sometimes if I touch something with a part of my body that is not fingers or feet, I feel like I have creepy crawlies under my skin. Also the sensations often loop. For instance if my husband scratches me, he scratches me in a very affectionate way, I don't like the sensation and even after he stops, even if he only scratched me for two seconds, I will continue to feel the sensation for a long time afterwards. I am also sensitive to the textures of certain foods.

So these are a couple of examples of sensory issues. I can become overwhelmed quickly by lots of noise or even sometimes by unfamiliar movements. Like for instance we love to camp and we have a favorite campsite at our local campground. One time we had friends camping with us. They had the site next to us but they spent a lot of time on our site with us. This was overwhelming to me because I am used to our site having only me and my husband so with another couple their movements, walking around, chopping wood, their chairs and stuff on my table etc, in my familiar space was too much for me to handle.

I hope this helps. But I encourage you to seek a professional opinion if you can afford it.

Here is the link to the page of the DSM5 that one of our members posted on an earlier thread. This page is what the criteria is to having Autism in the US. The DSM stands for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders and 5 means 5th edition which is the most recent edition. In the United States this is what they use as the criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt235436.html

An Autism Diagnoses is odd, sometimes People have all the Traits but still doesnt fit the diagnoses.

its confusing, but take a look at the Criteria, take some Online tests to give yourself a better Idea.

if you still dont feel the criteria Fits here are some other things that can Mimic ASD

BorderLine Personality Disorder
Nonverbal Learning Disability
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Schizoid personality disorder
Auditory Processing disorder
Schizophrenia
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Depression
Social Phobia
Tourettes Syndrome
Sensory Processing Disorder

and many more, bare in mind some of these are Rare and unlikely, but keep your Options open, also, some of these can exists, for Example, OCD alone may not resemble Autism but OCD and ADHD together can, but if you want to get into that, you NEED to speak to a specialist.

Not all doctors will agree with your symptoms, people here can tell you the hell they have been through just to receive a diagnoses because doctors are getting more and more reluctant to diagnose people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

good luck and welcome to WP