Autism/Asperger's Survey

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What is your current age?
46-50

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
41-45

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
English---I enjoy writing
Art---Music, House Plans
Other---Roller Coasters

What is your special interest? (State)
Roller Coasters, House Plans, Music
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Have you had any difficulties learning?
No

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Did you have difficulty making friends?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
In school I had one best friend. I did not desire to hang around with others. To this day, I have few friends. I prefer it that way.
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Do you have any tics?
Yes---I stim (I assume you are meaning stimming here?)

What are these tics? (State)
My stims---finger flapping, lightly rubbing my face and scratching the itch off
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Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
I am married with two children, so I don't live my parents now. But they are quite understanding of my Asperger's since I was diagnosed as an adult.

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
Yes---when I was growing up (living at home), my parents bought me musical instruments. On vacations, Mom and Dad often planned our trips around amusement parks so I could ride roller coasters.

What is your current age?
21-25

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
21-25

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
Science (Geology, biology, ecology, sociology, ECT)
 
What is your special interest? (State)
Reptiles. Mainly snakes and lizards. My favorite snake is the Reticulated Python(Broghammerus/Python reticulatus) and my favorite lizard is the Argentine Black and White Tegu(Tupinambis merianae). I'm interested in their captive care as well as general information about them. I've been thinking about someday getting a degree in Zoology, because i like animals in general, but i would like to focus mostly on Herpetology(study of reptiles and amphibians).

Have you had any difficulties learning?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
I didn't. I have difficulties with organization, keeping up with what the teacher is saying, getting distracted, knowing what the teacher is expecting from me, etc. For most of elementary school it wasn't really an issue.. First of all, elementary was mostly about memorizing information and doing very clear-cut problems, and, secondly, in elementary school adults are always trying to help you out with everything. It made expectations clear, and it was a structured environment. It was obvious that i was smart, and i was in the gifted program. After elementary school, however, it all went downhill. In community college i still struggle with that stuff, but it depends on the class. I'm smart enough that i can usually still do okay in most classes, but it's not nearly as good as i'd do without the difficulties i have... I am able to learn the information, it's just the way the information is presented, me not being able to keep up because of distractions, and being confused by some schoolwork that are the issues. Nowadays at least i'm more aware of my issues and i'm more outgoing about speaking to people, so i can ask for clarification when i need it. That's helps some.

Did you have difficulty making friends?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
I didn't. I still have difficulty making and keeping friends. I have acquantainces and people i used to work with from when i worked at walmart, and people i know from having classes with them, but none of these people are people i do anything with outside of that context, but i have talked to them some. Right now there are three people i know outside of my family who i am sure would be considered friends, but they aren't normal friendships where we "hang out" regularly(they are the closest to that i have though).. I talked to them online sometimes though. One usually goes with me to reptile expos(twice a year). The other i meet up with sometimes(usually at subway) to do things like trade pokemon, and i've been to the shopping with him a few times(when we went over to jacksonville to the toys r us to get event pokemon). And the other had been a friend of my little sister's for a long time, and i know her because i would go along with my sister sometimes when they went shopping or did other things together. Since my sister has moved, i've still been invited to do things with her(once to watch movies, another time for a small party, and another to go to the movie theatre) The rest of the people i know i'm not sure if they would be considered friends, acquaintances, or just people i've talked to. I like being invited to do little social things with people sometimes, but it's a rare occurence for me.

Do you have any tics?
Yes

What are these tics? (State)
Mostly just this thing where i turn my head to the right. It's very likely that this started because of ADHD meds, because this didn't start until i went on them just a few years ago.

(If by "tics" you are actually talking about stimming, then that's a big YES. I rock back and forth, sway from side to side when standing, do various hand and finger motions, bounce my leg, bounce my foot, pace, and then various sensory things with whatever objects are in my environment. then i also do things that could be somewhat related, like picking at my skin)


Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
Yes

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
Yes

Thank you to everyone who has replied so far - your answers have been helpful, interesting and enlightening.

jmnixon95 - When I say "Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder" I mean have they supported your having Autism/Asperger's, AKA, have they tried to help you, have they understood the disorder?

astaut - I'm talking both tics and stims. I've always called them tics, as that's what my parents and family have always used. I didn't even know the term "stim" until I came here!

What is your current age?
16-20

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
16-20

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
Science (Geology, biology, ecology, sociology, ECT)
Art

 
What is your special interest? (State)
The Scottish rock band "travis" and political science____________________________________________________________________________

Have you had any difficulties learning?
No

Did you have difficulty making friends?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
I did not

Do you have any tics?
Yes
What are these tics? (State)
Rocking, leg vibration, patting back of head


Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
Yes

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
Yes

A fitting first post.

What is your current age?
16-20

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
16-20

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
Math
Science (Geology, biology, ecology, sociology, ECT)
 
What is your special interest? (State)
Astrophysics and psycology are the main ones that always comes back to me, but right now I love to just memorize and play with numbers

Have you had any difficulties learning?
Hyperlexia makes me horrible at spelling and building sentences.

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
reading dictonaries

Did you have difficulty making friends?
No

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)

Do you have any tics?
I do twitch in a sertain way about once a day, I think it can be called a tic

What are these tics? (State)
^ I shake my head in a dog like manner, I don't have any control over it.

Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
They understad its a natural difference, neithor of them have denied it or given me a hard time over traits after the official diagnosis.

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
Only when I keep them within the lines of whats socially acceptable,
then they've acted the way that parents are supposed to act.

What is your current age?
~21-25

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
~I haven’t been diagnosed, but I learned about it a few months ago

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
~Math, Science, Computers
 
What is your special interest? (State)
~I'm not sure I have an over-arching special interest, but I tend to get really, really addicted to video games

Have you had any difficulties learning?
~I tend to be a visual learner and don't learn as easily when subjects are presented verbally

How did you overcome these difficulties?
~I didn't. I failed out of college due to my poor note-taking and time-management skills

Did you have difficulty making friends?
~Yes, definitely.

How did you overcome these difficulties?
~These days, I tend to make friends online, thus removing most of the troublesome interactions

Do you have any tics?
~Yes

What are these tics?
~I pretty constantly fidget with my fingers, toes, feet, etc. I bite my lip and crack my knuckles constantly. When stressed, I tend to fidget more to the point of twitching.

Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
~No

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
~Yes, I was supposed to be a rich and successful "computer person" after college.

What is your current age?
26-30

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
Prefer not to say

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
Science (Plant Science, Botany, Genetics, Herpetology, Medical)
English (Writing)
Art (Painting, drawing, creating)
 
What is your special interest? (State)
Genetics and Plants are my intense interests, Salvador Dali and reptiles are my more recreational interests.

Have you had any difficulties learning?
Yes (Educationally no, Socially definitely yes)

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
Was raised to mind my manners which helped alot in interacting with others, its kind of a set protocol for "small talk", but its when those rote questions and answers have been given that my anxiety level rises and I start having issues. Also my mom pushing me to interact with others.

Did you have difficulty making friends?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
In some ways I never did, I'm overly trusting and have gotten burned many times, but I refuse to believe everyone is a bad person until proven otherwise. I tend to just be more cautious now, and don't put myself out there as much. Still have a very very hard time balancing more than 1-3 people in my close life.

Do you have any tics/stims?
Yes

What are these stims? (State)
Current problems include touching, picking at my ears which has caused some problems =(, I also bounce my foot constantly, used to crack my neck and knuckles more but now not as often. Biting my cheek, clenching my jaw as well, running over my special interests in my mind, gazing for long periods of time, and lets face it, smoking is definitely a stim for me, a comforting thing, and a means of getting alone time. I do all of the above when anxious, upset, deep in thought, or mainly outside of work to unwind and "be me". I also do some very mild rocking at home when no one is around.

Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
No

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
Yes

What is your current age?

26-30

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?

26-30 (verbally diagnosed - awaiting paperwork)

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?

Science (Geology, biology, ecology, sociology, ECT)
Art
Other
 
What is your special interest? (State)

Neuroscience, Aspergers and Learning difficulties, mechanics of the moving image, film history, creating art.
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Have you had any difficulties learning?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)

with a lot of hard work, there are some I still have not overcome
____________________________________________________________________________

Did you have difficulty making friends?
Yes


How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)

Mirroring people and using social networking sites
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Do you have any tics?

Tics - No, Stims - Yes

What are these Stims? (State)

Making repetitive clicks and whistles with my mouth, wringing my hands and rubbing my thumbs, rubbing my feet together, playing with my eyebrows, pacing backwards and forwards, repeating certain phrases at speed under my breath, bouncing my knee up and down.
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Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?

No
and
My parents are unsupportive and thus rarely in my life

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?

My parents are unsupportive and thus rarely in my life

What is your current age?
26-30


What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
26-30

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
Other
 
What is your special interest? (State)
Religion, ASDs, Culture, genealogy, I have quite a few.....

Have you had any difficulties learning?
No (but I guess that depends. I've also been good at school, but there are other things I have trouble learning like social skills)

Did you have difficulty making friends?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
I haven't

Do you have any tics?
Yes

What are these tics? (State)
Too many too list. I have some I don't even notice until I read about them. My main ones right now are toe crunching and something I do with my eyes.

Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
Yes

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
Yes (they support it, but are not interested in it)

Age: 21

Diagnosed: 12

Special Interests: none

Learning difficulties: none

Difficulty making friends: Hard to say. Always had friends, but most of them were made through my best friend.

Ticks: Not really, although people have commented that I do pace quite a lot.

Parents: Unsupportive, as a result they're no longer in my life.

What is your current age?
41-45

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
26-30


Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
Science (Geology, biology, ecology, sociology, ECT)
Music
 
What is your special interest? (State)
______________Neuroplasticity and Johnny Cash.______________________________________________________________

Have you had any difficulties learning?
No

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
____________________________________________________________________________

Did you have difficulty making friends?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
______I haven't.______________________________________________________________________

Do you have any tics?
Yes

What are these tics? (State)
___facial grimaces, foot/leg jerking_________________________________________________________________________

Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
No

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
No

What is your current age?
21-25

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
6-10

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
Other
 
What is your special interest? (State)
Certain people

Have you had any difficulties learning? Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
I haven't

Did you have difficulty making friends?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
Becoming more self-aware as I grew older, which is a big help

Do you have any tics?
No

What are these tics? (State)
(Does biting my nails count???)

Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
Yes

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
1 out of the Two

What is your current age?

26-30

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?

11-15

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
Science (Geology, biology, ecology, sociology, ECT)

 
What is your special interest? (State)

biological psychology and ASD's

Have you had any difficulties learning?

Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties?


I didn't I just work very hard and work around my issues. For example I have trouble "seeing the whole picture" and focus on details too much so I find it really hard to take notes............instead when studying for an exam I just read and re-read my chapters. I have a good rote memory so I actually do well this way (I memorize almost everything) even though this is a very inefficient way to study. I have co-morbid NVLD so I have a lot of issues related to spatial relations as well........which I have not overcome

Did you have difficulty making friends?

Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)

Social skills groups helped.......but I didn't make any friends until I was 16. Now I have one close friend.

Do you have any tics?

Yes

What are these tics? (State)

I stim but I don't have actual tics. I twirl a string with my fingers in front of my face...with my face scrunched up. I stopped this when I was 11 and then recently (last year) started again when I was very stressed out. I can't stop doing it now. I also talk to myself and hum.


Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?

Yes

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?

Yes
Somewhat......my mom does not like it when I get too obsessive and stops me from talking about it all the time but she isn't really mean about it or anything.

What is your current age?Prefer not to say
What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?41-45
Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?Other
What is your special interest? (State) wurlitzer theatrical organs, audio restoration, old cars, old music
Have you had any difficulties learning?Yes
How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)i have not overcome them.
Did you have difficulty making friends?Yes
How did you overcome these difficulties? (State) i did not overcome them.
Do you have any tics?Yes
What are these tics? (State)as i child i squeeked like a mouse, and made manual/oral flatulance noises, and compulsively cleared my throat [chronic catarrh]
Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?No
Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?No

What is your current age?
26-30

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
26-30

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
Computers
 
What is your special interest? (State)
Digital systems, logic

Have you had any difficulties learning?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
Retaking a math course at a lower level

Did you have difficulty making friends?
Yes

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
One does not easily overcome that

Do you have any tics?
Yes

What are these tics? (State)
Stimming, keeping the exact drum beat (including all percussion) of about 3000+ songs on a steering wheel, gearshift, etc.

Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
1 out of the Two

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
1 out of the Two

What is your current age?
1-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
51-55
56-60
60+
Prefer not to say

What age did you get diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism?
1-5
6-10
11-5
16-20
21-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
51-55
56-60
60+
Prefer not to say
I haven’t been diagnosed

Which of these areas does your special interest fall into?
Math
Science (Geology, biology, ecology, sociology, ECT)
English
Art
Computers
Other
Not sure
I don’t have a special interest
 
What is your special interest? (State)
My special interest above others is pharmacology and pharmaceutical chemistry. I am also highly interested in music (one main band, UVERworld) and computers!
____________________________________________________________________________

Have you had any difficulties learning?
Yes
No
Prefer not to say

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
To my knowledge there were no cognitive impairs. Though at times I have vast idiosyncratic speech.
____________________________________________________________________________

Did you have difficulty making friends?
Yes
No
Prefer not to say

How did you overcome these difficulties? (State)
I really don't. I avoid most friendships.
____________________________________________________________________________

Do you have any tics?
Yes
No

What are these tics? (State)
I do really have tics too much, but I do a lot of air guitar (a lot) and also somewhat of an action akin to head banging. Oh, I also have a tic with my toe, since it is double jointed or something, I can pop the joint back and forth. I am trying to stop it since now when moving my toe up and down I feel creaking.
____________________________________________________________________________

Have your parents ever been supportive of your disorder?
Yes
No
One out of the two,
my other parent isn't in my life

Have they ever supported/been interested in your special subject?
Yes
No
One out of the two
My parents aren't in my life