Only meet 1 of 3 criteria for aspergers. Atypical aspergers?

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hey_there
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24 Aug 2012, 2:55 am

Sorry that this post is so long, but it's everything you guys need to know haha :tongue:

Ok so, I have ADHD symptoms (very few) but none of the hyperactivity symptoms of ADHD. I also noticed that I do have quite a few aspergers traits. At first I thought they were part of the ADHD, but then I found out online that people with Aspergers tend to have these traits. :o

Traits (I don't know if these are all) that I know I have are: (a few of these may overlap with ADHD)

* I have little motivation for personal hygiene. Most people feel they NEED to shower at least once everyday, but if you ask me about this I will say I "don't have time for that". So I only wash myself when I feel like it.

* Sometimes I may unconventional ways of solving problems, or a unique idea to solve a problem.

* I tend to notice details and small sounds most of the time, while other people may not

* I lack empathy

* I don't really feel strong emotion in some situations. For example if a loved one dies everyone in my family would cry and feel deeply saddened. I would feel some sadness too but I would not cry very much or be overwhelmed by strong emotion.

* Most times I'll have an urge to correct people with accurate facts, numbers, spelling, grammar etc., when they get something wrong

* I used to get distracted easily in school, according to my teachers at school.

* If I'm doing an activity that really enjoy I'll get so absorbed in it and lose sight of other things around me.

* I found it difficult to take notes in school because of being unable to pick out only the most important details from the text; I had a very hard time to distinguish between which facts are important and which aren't. And I couldn't write the information in short statements and abbreviations instead of writing things word for word, because for me was difficult to remember what they meant later on when I went over it.

* This may not be a symptom, but I feel like I prefer to be around seniors or young children rather than teens my age.

* At times I'll say something that is inappropriate but I think is ok. [This is different from ADHD because someone with ADHD is aware that it is inappropriate but say it because they are unable to think before they speak (impulsive), but someone with aspergers isn't even aware and don't understand that what they are saying is inappropriate. (like me)]

* I don't often make eye contact when I speak to people, but I try. Sometimes it looks like I'm looking them up and down because my eyes just wander instead of staying focused on their eyes

* I am severely shy and my parents are the only people who I can engage in a full conversation with. i could never be the one to initiate a conversation and I don't do smalltalk at all.

* I have an odd sense of humor

* I sometimes daydream.

* It's very difficult for me to "read between the lines" and I take sarcasm literally. And I am usually not able to detect the very small change in someone's voice that indicates sarcasm.

* I don't know if this is a trait, but I curse A LOT, especially when I'm mad or irritated. I have very poor anger management skills.

* It's hard for me to connect with someone emotionally and feel what they feel.

Some traits that I do NOT have are:

* I do not have any issues with coordination/clumsiness at all and I don't have any sensory issues at all. (like feeling irritated by tags in clothes or being sensitive to bright light, and all the other stuff)

EDIT: In addition to all the traits that I do have, I meet ONLY the criteria for the social skills impairment but NOT the repetitive behavior/restricted interests and overactive sensory issues. Would this mean I have atypical aspergers or just PDD-NOS?



Last edited by hey_there on 26 Aug 2012, 4:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

CrystalStars
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24 Aug 2012, 3:50 am

The majority of what you've stated fits in somewhere along the spectrum.


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outofplace
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24 Aug 2012, 4:38 am

It sounds like AS to me (but I'm a pizza delivery guy, not a developmental psychologist). Also, I think that sensory issues are not required for diagnosis under the current criteria (DSM IV), but will be required under the DSM V revisions due to come out next spring.


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24 Aug 2012, 7:50 am

The cursing is not a spectrum trait, many people do this both on and off the spectrum. It's just a bad habit that some people have.

The rest of the stuff you described having sounds like you are on the spectrum.

Some of us don't have motor skills problems, so that is not an issue, but the lack of sensory problems might be. However, you do have an abundance of other spectrum traits, so you may just be slightly atypical in this, and are probably on the spectrum. It is not necessary to have every trait known to occur in an illness or disorder in order to have that illness or disorder.

Also, some of the traits you list are not social related, so it does indicate an Autistic/Asperger's spectrum disorder rather than a social problem disorder.