Identified with a version of ASD common to women

Post Reply New Topic

Just wanted to share, that I got my diagnosis. I went to the Redpath Centre for Social Development in Toronto for a pre-assessment interview. This is a 1.5 hour interview that indicates whether or not enough Asperger's traits are present to warrant a positive diagnosis. It showed that I have a classic Asperger's found in women. I have been referred for a formal diagnostic assessment at Redpath, which will take place in late October.

While I already knew this, I am still processing the knowledge. This answers so many questions, but gives me so many more. I always knew I wasn't "normal" and had thoughts and emotions different from others but I am still feeling a bit "lost", as if I don't entirely know myself (the non-AS self) anymore. At the same time I am thrilled to know that there are others who have faced similar challenges and I look forward to getting to know you all better in the AS community.

It would give me comfort to hear any other stories that you would like to share about when you realized you had AS or were diagnosed with AS.

I would be interested to hear about the diagnosis of women specifically. Did they use the chart that has been posted here before or is there more information available?

What did they call it? Asperger's is just Asperger's.

From what I can tell NLVD is much like how AS presents in many women but there are still women who fit classic AS criteria. It seems like special interests are generally what seperates Aspies from the NVLD crowd. Do you have them?

I personally don't know what to call myself anymore b/c I was diagnosed so young on the spectrum they don't even give my label anymore from what I'm aware of .

To clarify, I have been diagnosed with Asperger's but I don't have the details yet. The diagnostic assessment at Redpath Centre will provide me with one of those sheets I will post more details on the paper when I get it.

They called it Asperger's. The doctor (Dr. Kevin Stoddart) said it was a "mild form of Asperger's, typical in women". He then went on to clarify, that that meant "mild" means in comparison to how severely men experience it on average. From that, I extrapolate that I am averagely affected for a female.

For me, the major traits that indicated Asperger's were:
-obsessions with the following, from childhood to adulthood: medical terminology (particularly around sexual health and gender issues), Volkswagen cars, Cyndi Lauper, Star Wars, Bjork, feminist politics
-advanced vocabulary for age from the time speaking started
-excellent academic record throughout elementary, high school, university and graduate school
-mental health problems such as depression, OCD, nail biting, cutting and self-mutilation, and generalized anxiety disorder
-physical health problems such as severe acid reflux, recurrent yeast infections and urinary tract infections, frequent random vomiting (in fact, I was mysteriously sick the day of my interview and had to excuse myself from Dr. Stoddart TWICE to go the washroom to puke )
-problems with social interactions: accused of being "bossy" as a child, considered a "nerd", insisted on always dressing like favourite music star of the moment, can be very intimate and social one-on-one but dislikes loud parties and crowds; prone to stating exactly what I thought and having it interpreted as rude/aggressive
-stims: rocking back and forth, trichtillomania, counting rhythms of thoughts or songs in my head by flicking my fingers (in a "typing" motion - hard to explain)
-extreme sensitivity to foods: I only eat a narrow range mostly consisting of specific junk and snack foods; and the smell of some foods (broccoli, egg salad, olives) literally make me gag, because they smell like to me like poo or puke
-have always walked on my tiptoes, because I don't like the arches of my feet to touch the ground

I will post more details about the official diagnosis when I get it

...