Where does introversion end and Asperger's begin?

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danielnlmorris
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31 Jul 2015, 3:57 pm

I recently played To The Moon and I was fascinated by one of the main characters who had Asperger's. I went online and did some research about it and felt like some of the symptoms perfectly described me but I wasn't convinced so I took the AQ test, AspieQuiz, RAADS-R and any other tests I could find. Each one said I very likely have Asperger's or some form of autism.
All my life I've felt different to other people my age, like everyone else knew how to act and talk to each other but I had to struggle to work it all out. I'm 17 now and recently I've felt almost like a normal person. I would be considered popular in school and I get invited to parties, I know how to talk to people and make them laugh, I have no trouble interacting with people in small groups for a short period of time but that's the problem. Socializing drains me so much that I can only do it for 20 minutes, maybe 30 minutes and then I'm spent. I feel exhausted, like I can't communicate with other people, like the mask I wear of jokes and ways of speaking that I learned from other people just falls away and the true me is left bare. I feel like I have to get away before I expose how incapable of forming relationships I am even further.
I want to get tested so I can explain to my friends and family that when I stay in my room studying or reading a book that it's not because I don't want to see them or that I don't care about them but because I just need time to myself to recharge my social batteries. I feel like if I were to get diagnosed that I might hide it too well and they wouldn't recognise it. Also, I don't feel like I don't understand other people the way many Aspies do. For example, in 'Look Me In The Eye' by John Elder Robison he seemed unable to understand what people meant from what they said sometimes, other people's emotions, their facial expressions and he seemed to react inappropriately to some of his emotions. I'm perfectly fine emotionally (as far as I can tell), hell I cried last week at the end of 'Inside Out' but when I'm with other people I never show my emotions so people think I'm cold and uncaring. Deep inside though I feel just as much as any other person, I just don't show it outwardly. How emotional and caring I really am makes me think I might not have Asperger's.
This is the only thing that makes me think I might not have it, I have nearly all of the other typical symptoms. I never make eye contact, I have no close friends, I would be considered gifted, I'm obsessed with maths, I can focus completely on anything I'm interested in, I get very anxious at social occasions, I get very anxious when I go somewhere new, I get very anxious when something in my routine changes, I always live by some routine and plan everything I do beforehand, I stim, I've been made fun of for how I walk, I have a very monotonous voice and my speech gets very jerky when I'm anxious, I get very anxious around figures of authority, I feel like I have to drill the common sense things, like chatting, that everyone else knows instinctively into my head, the list goes on. To sum up, I'm convinced I have Asperger's, but I'm not. Help?
Sorry for the wall of text but I figured if there's anyone who would know what I'm going through and be able to help, it would be you guys. I'm just not sure if I'm really introverted and weird but basically neurotypical, or I have Asperger's. Thanks



kraftiekortie
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31 Jul 2015, 4:05 pm

If you're in the US, it's a moot point, since there is no "Asperger's" anymore within the DSM-V.

But Asperger's is still officially real in the ICD--and is still quite alive in spirit, despite its "official" status.

You seem to have Aspergian traits. How much do they impair you in life? Does it prevent you from staying in jobs? Are you hypersensitive to noise? Do you find that you think overly literally--like: would literally believe that "you can never hurt a fly" because the fly is too fast?

The only person who can make a determination as to whether or not you have Asperger's is a psychologist or psychiatrist--especially one who is knowledgeable about autism spectrum disorders. If you don't feel you could afford to get an official diagnosis, continue to read the accounts of Aspergians here (whether "self-assessed" or officially diagnosed). Read up on the latest research.

Yep...it is a fine line, indeed, between mere neurotypical introversion and Asperger's/autism.



gamerdad
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31 Jul 2015, 4:15 pm

Technically, the hurdle for a clinical ASD diagnosis is that you must require some sort of support, generally either with interpersonal interactions or dealing with sensory issues. If you show the traits, but they don't actually impair you in any way, you're not really considered diagnosable, at a clinical level.

There's sort of a gray area between your stereotypically introverted personalities and ASD known as the Broad Autism Phenotype, where people display autistic traits but not a a clinical level. Autistic traits tend to cover a wider range of things than just introversion/extroversion though, such as sensory issues and cognitive differences.

It's also worth noting that it's not just a linear scale from introverted to autistic. There are actually quite a few extroverted people on the spectrum, which causes a whole other host of issues for them.

To sum up, it's all just really complicated. Nobody has all the traits, and we all exhibit them in very different ways. I would recommend not getting too hung up on whether you are or aren't on the spectrum. That often leads to dissatisfying answers, especially for those who fall into the gray area between clearly autistic and clearly neurotypical. Instead, just focus on what you can relate to within these communities and how that helps you.



cathylynn
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31 Jul 2015, 4:18 pm

i'm both introverted and have AS. they are really quite different. introversion simply means you get your energy from being alone, while extroverts are energized in groups. there are extroverted aspies.



kraftiekortie
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31 Jul 2015, 4:21 pm

Both posts make sense.

Concentrate on being a successful human being.

The most successful people on the Spectrum, and those who are in the "gray area," in my opinion, don't get hung up on being on/not on the Spectrum. They just live their lives like humans, regardless of their diagnostic status.



danielnlmorris
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31 Jul 2015, 4:23 pm

I live in Ireland and I believe you can still be diagnosed with Asperger's in Ireland but it can be expensive and time consuming and I don't want to worry my parents if I don't really have it. I get that introversion and Asperger's are completely different things and that they're not on the same spectrum but I just can't tell which I have, sorry about the title, I'm pretty nervous. I never really post anything online.

It's never really impacted me that much. I have been bullied over some of my more Aspergian traits but I never really cared what they said about me and once I got over it, other people seemed to too. I do find it very difficult to work in groups and ask anything of other people though.

The main reason why I'd like an official diagnosis is so that people would better understand my cold demeanour and maybe be more understanding of my dislike of social situations. Whenever I'm with someone and they bring me over to chat with a group of our friends they don't understand how incredibly uncomfortable it makes me and I'm hoping a diagnosis would help with that. Thanks to my social issues I don't feel like I could explain it to them otherwise.

From all the other posts I've read here I really do feel like I have Asperger's but I don't know if I want to bring it up with my parents as I'm not really comfortable talking about myself with anyone, even them, and I wouldn't know how to bring it up.



gamerdad
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31 Jul 2015, 4:25 pm

cathylynn wrote:
i'm both introverted and have AS. they are really quite different. introversion simply means you get your energy from being alone, while extroverts are energized in groups. there are extroverted aspies.

While this is true, I think a lot of HF/BAP type people on the spectrum are misidentified as introverts. Being in groups exhaust them because they're struggling with autistic traits, like trying to process too much social information or non-verbal communication. But they don't have a lot of other serious or visible traits, so they, and those around them, assume they're just introverted.



cathylynn
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31 Jul 2015, 5:06 pm

danielnlmorris wrote:
I live in Ireland and I believe you can still be diagnosed with Asperger's in Ireland but it can be expensive and time consuming and I don't want to worry my parents if I don't really have it. I get that introversion and Asperger's are completely different things and that they're not on the same spectrum but I just can't tell which I have, sorry about the title, I'm pretty nervous. I never really post anything online.

It's never really impacted me that much. I have been bullied over some of my more Aspergian traits but I never really cared what they said about me and once I got over it, other people seemed to too. I do find it very difficult to work in groups and ask anything of other people though.

The main reason why I'd like an official diagnosis is so that people would better understand my cold demeanour and maybe be more understanding of my dislike of social situations. Whenever I'm with someone and they bring me over to chat with a group of our friends they don't understand how incredibly uncomfortable it makes me and I'm hoping a diagnosis would help with that. Thanks to my social issues I don't feel like I could explain it to them otherwise.

From all the other posts I've read here I really do feel like I have Asperger's but I don't know if I want to bring it up with my parents as I'm not really comfortable talking about myself with anyone, even them, and I wouldn't know how to bring it up.

just due to all your high scores on the quizzes, seeking a diagnosis seems reasonable.