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Got space for another "am I on the spectrum?" post?

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NoNormie
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11 Sep 2017, 7:31 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
In your country, then, you have to be proficient in maths to graduate secondary school?

It seems like you've been able to obtain some sort of decent qualification. I sense that many people in European countries go for something like "secretarial" or something like "x-ray technician"--both of which are quite honorable professions that don't require a university education.

That really sucks, in my opinion.

Frankly, very few people, unless in the sciences or something like architecture, use math of algebra and higher in their daily lives. After basic algebra, mathematics becomes more theoretical--with the exception of something like accountancy or statistics. Even with accountancy and statistics, there's a strong arithmetic/practical element to it.


No formal qualifications of any kind here. I did an apprenticeship, which also did not result in any formal qualifications but taught me the skills I needed. Without a secondary school diploma, next to no further formal education paths are open.

I never got to algebra (though I have certainly had it shoved in front of me). When I took remedial maths classes, I was pulled out of classes that did interest me (languages) rather than the regular maths class that I did not understand, so I "saw" plenty of maths but without having the vaguest understanding of what they were all about. I occasionally encounter numbers in my language-based work, but in that case, when needed, I simply ask someone on the internet or a colleague to help out (do it for me) — problem solved.



kraftiekortie
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11 Sep 2017, 7:33 pm

You must be really good at what you do.

I'm actually curious as to what you actually do.

If you don't feel like answering, I would understand.



NoNormie
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11 Sep 2017, 7:42 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
My feeling is:

If a formal diagnosis doesn't serve any purpose, why spend the money?

There are many "self-diagnosed" people here. Join the club LOL

I happened to have been diagnosed at a very young age--and I feel somewhat fortunate for that.


I really need to go to bed now. It is very late here, but I keep on wanting to reply. I would not consider formal diagnosis at this point.

Do you happen to know when Asperger's (assuming this is your diagnosis) became an official diagnostic category in your country? If the picture in the avatar is you, I am assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that it was unusual to be diagnosed early in your generation?

Whatever is different about me (and yes, that sounds cumbersome and it would be nice to have a word for that, hence this topic), I feel I am quite lucky to have had the opportunity to develop myself within my also weird (and generally very "do it yourself" without outside help) family without too much outside interference. When I read about some of the "treatment" possibilities out there, I think the speech therapy and the maths "help" were detrimental enough in themselves.



kraftiekortie
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11 Sep 2017, 7:47 pm

The avatar is me in 2009, at age 48. I went on a cruise once, and they took this great picture of me. Most pictures of me suck.

I'm not diagnosed with Asperger's---never was. I was diagnosed with "infantile autism" when I was 3 years old, around 1964. I was autistic in the "classic," Kannerian sense (look up Leo Kanner). I couldn't speak until I was 5 1/2 years old.

Asperger's became an official diagnosis in 1994, when the DSM-IV came out. It also became "official" in Europe soon after, under the ICD (7 or 8?) Hans Asperger's work itself didn't become well-known until the 1980s.



AspieUtah
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11 Sep 2017, 8:39 pm

NoNormie wrote:
AspieUtah wrote:
NoNormie wrote:
...What say you?

In my opinion, you hit many of the marks for an autism diagnosis (social deficits, communication deficits and repetitive/routine obsessive compulsions, along with some characteristic comorbids). You might want to include some details and examples in your description of those marks.

Have you also completed the University of Cambridge Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) self-reported screening test ( https://www.wired.com/2001/12/aqtest/ )? You might find it interesting, and some of its questions are included in the tests you have completed.

Of course, if pursuing a diagnosis is unaffordable, completing your screening tests gives you the ability to tell people that you have "been screened with autism (or Autism Spectrum Disorder, your choice)." Most people wouldn't understand the difference between screening and diagnosing and, therefore, wouldn't challenge your description.

I am a big supporter of those who are self-identified with autism. Affordability is just one of several reasons too many people don't have a diagnosis (even though many of them would otherwise be able to pursue a diagnosis). So ... embrace the next best thing. Be the best self-identified autist that you can be. :D

My wish to understand "why I am this way" is completely personal and because whatever it is, I see the same traits in my children, particularly one (as do other people, who comment), rather than to gain an ability to tell other people anything, other than talking about it here perhaps. I did take the AQ and that also indicated being on the spectrum. Though I find the questions asked on these tests confusing sometimes. (Not the AQ, which was straightforward, but the RDOS test had some questions I found difficult to answer.)

It can be a very interesting journey with many options. I am glad you plan to stick around a while.


_________________
Diagnosed in 2015 with ASD Level 1 by the University of Utah Health Care Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic using the ADOS-2 Module 4 assessment instrument [11/30] -- Screened in 2014 with ASD by using the University of Cambridge Autism Research Centre AQ (Adult) [43/50]; EQ-60 for adults [11/80]; FQ [43/135]; SQ (Adult) [130/150] self-reported screening inventories -- Assessed since 1978 with an estimated IQ [≈145] by several clinicians -- Contact on WrongPlanet.net by private message (PM)