Does this sound like high functioning aspergers?

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Ryginar
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30 May 2012, 3:25 pm

Somebody was arguing with me, and saying that I'll never succeed, and that I'll need a social worker to cater to me like a leech every hour of everyday xD I know this isn't true, but it did raise some questions...

Now, I have good social skills; I understand social context, I make coherent eye contact, I recognize facial expressions, and I understand how my tone of voice is -- in fact, I'm very aware of it. Also, when I'm with my friends, I turn into an extremely social person, along with family members. I just have trouble socializing with women when they're really in my face, and I can't stand when everyone's looking at me at once. xD As for maintaining a day to day life, I know how and where to get employed, I understand how wages are distributed, I can do dishes, mow lawns, clean rooms, scrub counters, walk dogs, babysit, and everything else a responsible person does. I'm very parental to my little brother, so if he's upset over something, or if he's having trouble at school, I always sit him down and have talks with him to ease his mind. As for hygiene and appearances, I know how to shave properly, to steam clothes, along with washing and drying them, I always wash my hands whenever I'm done using the restroom, and I'm always sure to wipe -- although that information isn't necessary, it's good to further emphasize my point, y'know? =P

Anyways, since you know all of these things, can you say for certain that it's high functioning? Because I've already gotten the diagnosis, and I just want to be sure. When I was 6, actually.


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Ryginar
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30 May 2012, 3:30 pm

Also, I never have sensory overload, but touching cloth makes me want to kick a newborn. Down a well. Filled with sharks.


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Nascaireacht
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30 May 2012, 3:35 pm

Why did that person say you'd never succeed? What aspect of your behaviour do they think is problematical?



pokerface
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30 May 2012, 3:42 pm

Aspergers is a form of high functioning autism in itself which means that high functioning aspergers doesn't really exist.

I think that you are trying to describe high functioning autism.



littlelily613
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30 May 2012, 6:01 pm

It sounds more like anxiety to me than an ASD. Besides a childhood diagnosis, do you have actual ASD characteristics? If you did not have a diagnosis, by the description you gave (which obviously isn't enough to say either way...only a professional can do that), I personally wouldn't guess autism as an issue.


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Ryginar
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30 May 2012, 7:23 pm

Surprisingly, I've been given the diagnosis more than once. I still remember the fact that I exhibited a bunch of the symptoms, such as hand flapping, arranging toys in lines, and I had speech development problems until I was 12. but thanks for the input ^^


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Callista
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30 May 2012, 7:30 pm

It's totally possible to have mild social symptoms, and significant cognitive/sensory symptoms. If your major issue is with your sensory system, with speech, with atypical learning patterns--but not with socializing--then you can still be diagnosed autistic. Usually, the diagnosis in that case is either classic autism (if the speech issues are significant and social issues are present, even if not strong) or PDD-NOS (if there are only mild speech traits and mostly repetitive/stereotyped behavior and sensory issues).

You could be on the spectrum, and be diagnosable. You could be one of the people who used to be diagnosable, and now is not, because you're no longer disabled. You could be somewhere in the gray fuzzy area in the middle.

That said, you seem to have good self-care skills and reasonable ability to communicate. Those things are most of what it takes to be independent. Whoever said you would need full-time care probably had no idea what they were talking about. If most of your other skills are at the level you describe, or even if they aren't and you can use the skills you have to make up for them, you'll probably be completely independent as an adult. For autistics whose autism is defined mostly by sensory and cognitive traits, autism becomes a lot like a learning disability (has, in fact, been called "non-verbal learning disability").


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pokerface
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30 May 2012, 7:36 pm

Callista wrote:
It's totally possible to have mild social symptoms, and significant cognitive/sensory symptoms. If your major issue is with your sensory system, with speech, with atypical learning patterns--but not with socializing--then you can still be diagnosed autistic. Usually, the diagnosis in that case is either classic autism (if the speech issues are significant and social issues are present, even if not strong) or PDD-NOS (if there are only mild speech traits and mostly repetitive/stereotyped behavior and sensory issues).

You could be on the spectrum, and be diagnosable. You could be one of the people who used to be diagnosable, and now is not, because you're no longer disabled. You could be somewhere in the gray fuzzy area in the middle.

That said, you seem to have good self-care skills and reasonable ability to communicate. Those things are most of what it takes to be independent. Whoever said you would need full-time care probably had no idea what they were talking about. If most of your other skills are at the level you describe, or even if they aren't and you can use the skills you have to make up for them, you'll probably be completely independent as an adult. For autistics whose autism is defined mostly by sensory and cognitive traits, autism becomes a lot like a learning disability (has, in fact, been called "non-verbal learning disability").



Why do I find the term"on the spectrum" so annoying?
Does anyone else have a problem with that?



Callista
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30 May 2012, 7:48 pm

I wasn't meaning to be annoying to anybody--I use "on the spectrum" when I want to say "some kind of autism, but I can't be specific". Is there a reason why you find it annoying? Too vague, or something else?


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AlexLloyd
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30 May 2012, 8:44 pm

May I be the first to point out that it doesn't really matter. Stop trying to find your label, and just be the person you were born as. I'm wondering how finding out will satisfy you. I share a lot of the things you mentioned in common. The fact is though, I'm socially crippled. Everyone here is. No matter how hard we try to fit it, our instincts will always oppose. When I look at my life compared to my friends, I realize how different I am. First off, I only have like 4 friends. But their social interactions are more involved, and more conversation based. Sometimes I wish I was better at expressing my self. I'm sure everyone else here does. But we all know that'll never happen.



Callista
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30 May 2012, 10:08 pm

"Socially crippled" I may be, but I have a satisfying life and I wouldn't trade it. I don't think fitting in is all it's cracked up to be; and anyway, it's not what I'm made for. I prefer not to start from the assumption that typical must be superior... because, well, it's not. I don't think the quality of a person's life has anything to do with the level of his skills.


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