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Well, I guess I could start by saying that I have read hundreds of descriptions of Asperger's Syndrome, read hundreds of forum posts and related articles and have also read The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood and am now convinced that I have Asperger's. Nothing has ever come so close to describing and explaining my life. Tony Attwoods book was the final decision for me. I checked his book out from the library because my 3.5yrs daughter is "suspect" for some manner of PDD (probably AS or PDD-NOS). I read the entire 347 pages (sans the glossary and index) in less than 48 hours. I couldn't put the book down. After reading the book, I decided to purchase a copy. I sat down with a highlighter and proceeded to highlight all of the passages that had particular meaning for me and then revisited each passage in the context of the DSM-IV criteria. I immediately realized that I not only met, but exceeded the criteria for the syndrome. That would make me a self diagnosed individual. Realizing that I am not actually qualified to diagnose myself, I took the book to my therapist and began to explain to her that I think I have Asperger's and that I need help to determine if my symptoms are causing a "qualitative impairment" and are "clinically significant". These are obviously highly subjective terms and require clairification. Clearly, I feel that I meet these criteria, but diagnosis is ultimately dependent upon the perception of the clinician. This is what I know thus far...

I am a stay-at-home-mom to a 3.5yrs old little girl. I also have a 16yrs old daughter. My 16yrs old daughter has ADD and I suspect also has issues with sensory integration/perception. My toddler toe walks, has severe sleep issues, shows signs of AD/HD, talks non-stop and has clear issues with routines/rituals, aggression, empathy and conversational "give and take". Her father also shares characteristics of AS.

I met my husband online. Our "letters" to each other read like resumes. He is an engineer and I am a scienctist. We don't have 5 friends between us and both choose to stay home and research our interests and engage in our hobbies. He makes beer, tinkers with computers (Linux), follows politics and keeps up to date on new technologies and engineering. I sew, quilt, garden and read non-fiction "text" about my favorite topics (UFO's, aliens, bigfoot, ghosts, pagan religions and science). Both of us are accuesed of having one track minds and being antisocial (yet friendly). Our teenager seems more average while our toddler seems more like us. Our toddler retreats to her room and her immagination. She is interested in keys/locks, putting babies and animals "to bed" and building bridges and gates. She also "scripts" everything and would make an excellent director for a movie or a play. You do not play with our toddler, you take detailed instruction from her and then act out your role in her drama. I was exactly like her when I was little. I never really played with other children because they were to difficult to deal with. Most other children didn't understand or appreciate my vision of how the "scenario" should play out. I spent most of my outdoors time in the summer pretending to be a hunter/gatherer and often built shelters and made clothing from brown paper bags (carefully softened by hand and sewn with yarn). I also would spend a good deal of time pretending to be Chinese, Japanes and Indian (from India). I insisted on dressing in the style of each culture and eating the foods associated with that culture. This is how I became interested in religions (specifically pagan religion). I could go on, but I should stop as to not lose reader interest.

Sound familiar to anyone or am I just over reacting?

Welcome aboard Wrong Planet, fellow-traveler whipstitches.

I would like you for a neighbor and to become friend number 6 with you.

welcome to WP. i hope you find identification and connection.

Welcome to WP. Good luck.

Hi whipstitches - welcome to WP!

I suggest you get a referral for a psychologist who specializes in autistic spectrum disorders - they are probably best suited to advise you.

I don't think you are over-reacting at all. Best of luck in your search for the answers you need!

To WrongPlanet!! !
Your toddler sounds like a classic case of hyper-lexia....

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome to WP!

Thank you all for the welcome. I feel really weird here because I don't actually have a diagnosis or anything. I have just spent a lot of time searching for why I feel so different and I have never found an answer that fit so well.

I have told my therapist that I think that I may have Asperger's (or something similar) and she has not dissagreed with me. However, she cannot diagnose anything because she doesn't have the proper credentials to do so. She has, however, refered me back to the doctor for another evaluation. It will be interesting to see what happens.....

In the mean time, we are proceeding as if I do have Asperger's because regardless of a formal diagnosis, it is a good place to start. I have a lot of self-esteem issues that seem to be perfectly described by "the spectrum" of traits.

Thanks again for the welcome.

Hi Whipstitches,

I can relate to your need to find the reasoning for your differences. I have always been different and have always thought that life is harder for me than it is for others. My husband and I live a similar lifestyle to yours (only we do not have children). My husband works on, and plays with his trains while I read books. I don't have any friends other than my mom and sister. I spend all of my free time reading.
When I started researching Aspergers a few weeks ago I knew I had found who I am. I got diagnosed last week. I was scared that the psychologist would not see what I see and would not give me the diagnoses. I wanted to officially belong to the Aspergers community. I am very glad that the doctor agreed with me and my testing showed that I am definately an Aspie. It is good to know the truth.

Wow! You just went in and got a diagnosis? I have to wait several months just to see the doctor. I live in Canada, so there are wait lists for things. At any rate, I feel the same as you about "fearing" that they will not see the same things in me as I am seeing in myself so far as the diagnosis is concerned. I only have one shot! The therapist that I am seeing is helping me go through Tony Atwoods book The Complete Guide to Asperger's so that I can frame my case with respect to the DSM-IV criteria. Seems like a good idea, really. I feel that I meet or maybe even exceed the criteria in many respects.

If you don't mind.... what sort of tests did you take? I have filled out the AQ, EQ and FQ "surveys" by Baron-Cohen and Wheelwright. I came out right under the "curve" for the AS population in all of them. I don't know what the gold standard for testing is or anything like that. Ya know?