Not sure if I have Aspergers. Would it help to know?

Post Reply New Topic

It's true what ASPartofme said.

Kids who had trouble speaking or "listening" often were referred for hearing tests.

Have you ever read about the Broad Autism Phenotype?

Welcome, Fruitloop.

My advice to you would be to carry on doing the above for the time being. Although I do now have a formal diagnosis, which has sometimes been useful for practical reasons, when it comes to understanding myself and getting some perspective on my traits and behaviours, there's nothing better than communicating with other folk who are on the autistic spectrum.

When I first showed up for my assessment, one of the things that the psychologist made clear at the start was that she was qualified to tell me if I fitted the diagnostic criteria, but that her ability to offer any great insights into the workings of my mind would be extremely limited - simply because she was not autistic herself (sadly, I fear that few of the 'white coats' out there are quite so humble!)

I think that the way you broke down the issues that concern you in your original post show that, like a lot of us who are diagnosed relatively late in life, you have a pretty clear and detailed view of your own traits, and where exactly they cause friction with the world around you. I have no complaints whatsoever about the result of my assessment or the way it was conducted, but I still came away kind of thinking; "so all I get is this 'certificate' then?". There was a sense of relief at having a definitive answer, for sure, but there were no major 'aha' moments that changed anything about how I view myself or how I view the world and the people around me.

Whether you are on the autistic spectrum or not, the actual traits you describe are all things which at least some of us here have in common with you. If the subjects here seem familiar, and talking with folks who understand and can maybe offer some advice helps you, then it just does, whatever your 'condition' (if any), and regardless of whether you have an official diagnosis. I've also found that taking it 'trait-by-trait' makes it much easier to stay focused on the day to day issues that I'm trying to deal with, rather than getting lost trying to unravel every last little detail of what being autistic all means.

Once you've joined in with the sharing of experiences and advice for a little while, you most likely will know whether or not you identify as autistic with much more confidence, and can then decide if a more formal diagnosis would benefit you at all, either for practical reasons or just for your own peace of mind.

Welcome frootloop42!

So, are you here to discuss the answer to life, the universe, and everything?

When I first read about a woman with Asperger's syndrome, I thought that could never be me, because when she got home from work, she crawled into a large cardboard box to decompress. Okay, I've always been eccentric, but not that extreme ...

During middle age I discovered I was an Aspie. It wasn't so much me diagnosing myself or getting a doctor's diagnosis ... it was people at work taking me into a room, going down a whole list of traits I had that other people didn't like (including being as smart as Einstein). I Googled these traits and Bingo ... a whole bunch of autism websites came up. It was at once shocking and comforting. Definitely explained a ton about my life.

I had always wondered why I was so different. (Think Sheldon, Spock, Q from Star Trek.)

As for "would it help to know?"

I'm glad I didn't know when I was a child.
I'm glad I know now.
I've learned to mostly keep the information to myself ...
most people respond negatively if you tell them,
and I sure wouldn't want to lose a job over it.

Hi The_phoenix, thank you. I do love Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy .

That's an interesting route to discovering the root of your traits. I started looking up various traits when I decided to do something about my hair picking obsession. And it has been interesting, I have had some ah-ha moments.

It's sad that people have to keep the information to themselves, although I can see why that would be the case. Hopefully awareness in general will grow. I did watch a TED talk by Temple Grandin about autism and how the world needs all kinds of minds. It would be nice if this could become embraced more widely.

Sorry if this was really "I"-centric, the only way I really know how to communicate is to relate stories about myself that may apply to the situation, it's my way of relating, not trying to make it about me.

It was important to me after five years of research and wondering. I was diagnosed two months ago at age 40, I'm still getting used to it. The one big thing that has helped me a ton is that I now know why I peel my fingers, play with my hair (it's the softness), weep uncontrollably for a bit when overwhelmed, etc. All of the many, many things I was really tough on myself about for years; I now know that those things are just a part of me. I am starting to manage things now instead of making things worse by berating myself for being weak, or stupid, or crazy.

Another person connected to my friend was also just diagnosed (male, thirties), apparently he told my friend the same thing that I told her, that being diagnosed forces you to rethink everything in your life up until now and start being nicer to yourself.

This article from Scientific American was helpful for me. I hope it is helpful for you.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... -in-girls/

Sorry if this was really "I"-centric, the only way I really know how to communicate is to relate stories about myself that may apply to the situation, it's my way of relating, not trying to make it about me.

It was important to me after five years of research and wondering. I was diagnosed two months ago at age 40, I'm still getting used to it. The one big thing that has helped me a ton is that I now know why I peel my fingers, play with my hair (it's the softness), weep uncontrollably for a bit when overwhelmed, etc. All of the many, many things I was really tough on myself about for years; I now know that those things are just a part of me. I am starting to manage things now instead of making things worse by berating myself for being weak, or stupid, or crazy.

Another person connected to my friend was also just diagnosed (male, thirties), apparently he told my friend the same thing that I told her, that being diagnosed forces you to rethink everything in your life up until now and start being nicer to yourself.

This article from Scientific American was helpful for me. I hope it is helpful for you.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... -in-girls/