I'm so AS, I don't even appear to be AS?

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swbluto you're probably picking up on the way you sometimes seem at odds with people here? There IS the possibility you're more "Aspie" than the rest of the "Aspies" - tho as others have said and from what I've read, severity usually manifests into more classic Autistic traits.

To be honest and I'm not being mean here but genunely honest: my FEELING is that you may have very MILD AS underlying something else (or the something esle is all there is but it shares similar traits with AS) - which explains any feeling of recognition / identification with Aspies but also those behaviours that really seem at odds. Most of the time with you I get that same feeling of not understanding what's going on as I get with "normal people" and at other times you almost seem recognisable - but not quite.

At first I was outright convinced you were NT on a mission to stir the pot and hurt people you felt weren't capable of effectively fighting back - but quickly became not so sure. Now, what I've said above is the best I can do (confused).

^^THIS^^

Get professional help already. I am DX'd ASD by more than one professional and I cannot even remotely associate with you. Stop trying to compare yourself with a label and get the help you need to get a life.

I felt like this at times too. Then again I'm a girl who's half-asian and most NTs think some my symptoms are part of those asian stereotypes.

Stereotypical idiots. You'd think being 50% white and being born in the U.S. actually counts for something but even the so called nerds and geeks I hang out with get racist about this.

I wouldn't say that being more AS would make you seem less AS. Being "more" AS typically means that your symptoms are more severe, which is more noticeable, not less.

If you're stuck on the symptoms that don't seem to fit you or that you think manifest in ways that aren't noticeable to others, maybe this will help you: It's about having the symptoms or not having them, plain and simple. If something doesn't really apply to a person who has AS, it's probably not that they just don't have that symptom so much as it is they've adapted to that symptom. Of course, I'm speaking in general terms. Obviously AS is a spectrum disorder and obviously you know what I mean by that.

But to use a (intentionally offensive to the physically disabled) metaphor, it's like being physically disabled. Take your pick of which disability we're using here. Blind, missing a limb, paraplegic, deaf, etc. etc. It doesn't really matter. But the individual with this disability will have much more difficulty in childhood than they will in adulthood. A child with a disability may not have the requisite skills to dress themselves or drive (again, just pick a task fitting to the metaphorical disability) but an adult, someone who has had this same disability all their life, will be much more capable of daily tasks than they were as a child. Is it because their disability has lessened? No. It's because they've ADAPTED to their disability.

As adults who self-diagnose, we've got to understand how our adaptations hide our true deficits from others. We were clever or adaptive enough to hide our disability, and THIS is the reason we appear NT. It isn't about what we have or don't have, it's about our adaptations.

So here's what I'm getting at: If you appear NT, is it because you've adapted to your disability or because you simply don't have that disability? This is the question you've got to get to the root of. I read you talking somewhere about how you're good at understanding others personality or intentions or something? (To be frank, I'm not really sure exactly what you were trying to say you were good at, but it seemed to have something to do with understanding people.) What allows you to do this? Is it years of carefully studying people and learning their behaviors to make up for your natural difficulties in this area? Or is it that this is simply a talent you have without working to acquire it?

I don't mean to suggest I think you do/don't have AS. I mean, one symptom isn't even a deal-breaker. I know that, you know that. I just thought it might be a good, concrete example for you to consider to help you achieve a greater understanding of yourself.

And I also don't mean to suggest it's not confusing as hell. It's just that confusion should be coming from the right places, you know? Don't force a fit. It's like somebody said, it's not supposed to be about labels. It's supposed to be about answering your questions. So stop asking "Am I an Aspie?" and start asking "Is this a difficulty I face? What are my difficulties and how have I adapted to them? Are these positive adaptations? What are the areas I need to work on?" Those are the really significant questions. At least in my book.

Hmmmmmm, my suspicion of something along the schizo* spectrum and I was previously in the prodromal phase was spot on. So, you guys are probably right, I'm not autistic. I started hearing a dog bark in a way similar to this Pocohantas plush toy pug whose character name was piercey while in a hypnagogic state right after sort of waking up. I heard it twice.

I always thought if I suddenly recognized I was at the beginning of the descent into schizophrenia, I would immediately go to Europe early because the trip probably wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable if I were being constantly distracted by voices. I wonder if I should leave soon...

EDIT: http://freejinger.yuku.com/topic/7884/E ... zi?page=-1 . Dag nabbit, I'm not schizophrenic... I REALLY wanted to go to Europe, NAO. ^_^

So what is the deal with you and internet therapy anyway? Your every post is "am I this" label. (My hair is black, do I have AS? I got a joke today, am I NT? etc...) It is ridiculous.

Why are you not sitting with a professional who can actually help you rather than post these sorts of threads all over the WP board? They are so NOT helpful to your seeking. You need to get professional help.

Are you mad at me?

Perhaps this obsessiveness and being stuck on a single theme/topic is a symptom of autism. One more identified autistic trait, FTW!

It seems since you're not stuck on a single topic from thread to thread, I'm probably more autistic than you, in at least one way. And, obviously, you're jealous.

Nope, sorry, I'm not going to let you hog all the autistic traits to yourself.

Not mad, just wondering why you think this is productive or what your motive is for these multiple posts.


Answer the question please RE professional help.

I agree with this other than one specific point, though also professionally diagnosed, I do actually associate with the way swbluto views/solves problems. Sort of the aspect of trying to apply analytical, quantifiable methods to problems where they are not entirely appropriate.

The idea of trying to apply statistics and optimization techniques to social problems. Looking to understand people through testing and observation. Then falling into the trap of extrapolating too far based on technical assumptions and trying to draw unreasonable conclusions. Not just being an analytical mind, but trying to understand the people around you, and your interaction with them in those terms.

Although I am obviously no professional, and my opinion holds no real value. I do not know you, and I am weary about how serious you can be thread after thread. You seem to look for an equation which will classify yourself as AS or NT, but I just don't think that exists. I used an equation to try and show that AS was a serious possibility, but a professional could give you some actual answers

Back to the original question, I don't know. Sometimes I feel like a bad AS stereotype, I've had too many people bring up AS/autism with me out of the blue to consider it a coincidence, and there are lots of little reminders in the way people act toward me to demonstrate they don't consider me normal. Equally I know people who would swear day and night that I’m just a weird NT, just few if any people that would describe me as normal.

No one personally has brought up "AS/autism" with me, but there been lots of HUGE reminders in the way people act toward me to demonstrate they don't consider me normal. The way that I seem to easily repel half the class to the other side of the room to the fact that people give that rather obvious "Oh god, you're weird" body language (Such as being taken aback or shuddering or having a grossly contorted "weirded out" face followed by walking away or some such.) along with the people who explicitly state "You're weird!" followed by active avoidance suggests I'm nowhere near normal. But no-one has suggested autism, though many people have suggested schizophrenia, dementia and/or "drugs" at one point or another.

(Though, one person online who knows me a little better has suggested I take things soooo literally and that makes communication very difficult, thus explaining that person's reservation in "communicating fully", along with the observation my language tends to be formal and I tend to pedantically use language and I sometimes use rare words "as if they were "nothing" (Which is somewhat true, I suppose. I use the word "neighboring" in everyday language, but apparently that's rare?), and I tend to not be "creative enough"(?), along with the knowledge that I have fairly unusual facial expressions from real life comments as well as past comments about "There's something about you <why I wouldn't date you>" suggests something along the lines of autism.

I tried... BUT, I quickly found out my income isn't in the top 1% of the world.

And?? 99% of the world is not in the top 1%. What is your point? No services where you live? Most every else seems to be able to find services in their area despite being unemployed or under employed.

The point is that you keep bringing up all these threads that will not help you determine what your label is. If you are unwilling to find out how to get professional help then read the DSM and apply it to yourself. If it matches then roll with it. Most all the things you are talking about do not apply to the DSM criteria and we are on a spectrum. You and I are so completely different that you will likely find almost nothing in common. That doesn't mean you are NOT on the spectrum. It is a spectrum and your characteristics are what they are. If you want to call yourself Autistic because you think you are, go ahead.

Have you heard of 211?

http://www.211.org/

That can help you find services if you're in the US. If you're not in the US, you might have better access to health care than most Americans.

Constantly asking "Does this trait make me AS or NT" won't get you anywhere. You're taking isolated traits and trying to assign them strictly to one category or the other without taking things as a whole.

Try to find services in your area. If you have health care coverage, you might be able to get somewhere. Or look for therapy offered on a sliding scale. Or something. Otherwise you'll just keep flailing from one thing to the next, and never come to any resolution.

I went to my university's DDD office and asked them. They told me the cost would be $1000, which I did not have thus, no services. DO NOT ACCUSE ME of "not seeking it out".

Lol, it referred me to my university which already previously told me it would cost $1000, and there were no other options according to 211. GRREEAAAAATTTT...

Those most in need of help are least able to get it, apparently. Is capitalism somehow "anti-marxism"? (You know the "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" credo of marxism...)

Just curious, when you asked "What is your point?", was the point of "I can't afford it" not obvious? I'm curious if this 'missing the point' might be autistic in nature as my statement might have been NT in nature and, if so, then my statement might be, in fact, fairly NT adding one more piece of evidence to the NT case.