How Did You Discover You Have Autism/Asperges?

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About 9 years ago I was randomly surfing the internet when I came across an article that talked about Aspergers Syndrome: prior to that I had never even heard that term. I could certainly relate although we all know the dangers of Dr. Google. I further researched it and found an article that talks about signs and symptoms. I was shocked! It was like reading my entire life story, right down to how I refused to eat foods that touched each other as a child. Nothing from that point as given me any indication that I am anything but a nearly "perfect" case. I have a formal evaluation coming up and I would probably tell the clinician she shouldn't have a license if she can't spot it.

The only question is how anyone could have possibly missed it. I might not be "severe" but I about as stereotypical, by the book as you can imagine. It certainly explains why I feel and act different but I am not disabled.

Ooh. Foods touching each other. If a food I didn't like touched food I liked, I would not eat it as a child, even though I was starving.
Also, Red and green... I don't like these touching each other. Never have. I can bend my own rules in this slightly due to "Exceptions". An example is on a model railway locomotive, I wasn't keen to paint a red bufferbeam on a green locomotive but the rear bufferbeam where the two colours touched are on seperately defined panels so I was ok with it. It is strange as all these years of doing this, where I didn't want red and green to touch in certain conditions (Like food, or if colouring or painting etc), I never knew it had anything to do with autism or did I realize it was anything to do with me mentally doing it (As in a mild but harmless mental condition).
Strangely, it is only certain shades of green and red (Around the area of the British racing green shades touching the postoffice red shades) which I didn't like to see touching.

I think this post sums up my ignorance and lack of self awareness.

Do you think your sensitivities to the emotional states of others led to your breakdown ( i.e working with other aspies )

I was "classic autistic" as a young toddler/preschooler, then became Aspergian later on in my childhood. There seem to be many cases of this occurring.

There is a biography of a classically autistic young child who became Aspergian later---known as "Elijah's Cup." It could be said that Temple Grandin is another such person.

I "discovered" Aspergers, in a gradual sense, around the late 80s/early 90s. I read articles about it----and about high-functioning autism. I had an epiphany when I read those articles---stating, in essence, that "that's me!"

I have very many Asperger's characteristics, though I would never have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome under the DSM-IV or ICD-10---because I had a major-league speech delay (didn't speak till age 5 1/2).

I read about Asperger syndrome for the first time in 1997. A lot of the features sounded like me, particularly the strong special interests and social awkwardness. I am not formally diagnosed, but some of the features of Asperger syndrome fit me.

I have also heard of others who looked after people on the spectrum who for a while didn't know and then were discovered to be on the spectrum too. One could be forgiven to assume it might be catching! Haha!

Here is one. My brothers wife is a beautiful Korean lady. Now where she works they regularly have Korean people come over. One person who has spent time here. I knew she was very different. She reminded me of me somehow. Very independently minded. Not part of a group. Does her own thing regardless of whatever group activity has been arranged, which sometimes gets her into trouble.
Now I recognised that if it was possible I was on the spectrum, she was. Juat like I feel my mum and grandmother (No longer living) could be... Ooh. And my aunty (Mums sister who had also passed away) was an ideal candidate in a way. I loved my aunty due to this.
Anyway. This Korean girl. She could only speak broken English. The last time she visited she borrowed a bicycle and fell off, so I had to go down to rescue her. On the journey back I was able to tell her to find out if she could be assessed, though due to language difficulties she didn't u derstand. However, my brothers wife was able to translate. It turns out she works in Korea looking after autistic people I believe! I have not heard anything since.

It was in 2003, when I was 19. Back then no one in Poland knew about AS (but for, maybe, specialists but even their knowledge was very limited back then, as they could recognize only the most obvious cases - but normal folks - no, they didn't know anything about the existence of such a disorder). I was curious as for what autism is so I checked it on the net and voila! - a new world opened in front of my eyes out of a sudden. I found a site made by some Polish mom living in Canada with her family. One of its members was an aspie boy. "He's like me" - I thought then but even if I did try to find some info on this disorder back then (in English because there was nothing on this in Polish on the Internet and my knowledge of this language wasn't as fluent as now, back when I was a teenager), I didn't really believe I could have it, I was just toying with this idea not fully believing that I really could have it. In 2006 I recalled this and I started to look for any info on this again and a year later I registered on this site and started to talk to other aspies. I still don't know if I'm one but my psychologist claims I'm one indeed - or at least that I do have some pervasive developmental disorder.

I read a newspaper article about it years ago, thought a lot of it sounded suspiciously familiar, then spent many years denying the possibility that I might have anything so appalling. Then I crashed.....

I've known I was different since early childhood, but never had a name for it. Back then, autism was only the severe kind. I had trouble socially all the time, and had lots depression and anxiety because of it. I got taken to see a psychologist in middle school because I was suicidal from getting bullied so much, and went to a couple of others on my own as a young adult because of having social problems, but they weren't much help. A few years ago I read an article online about Gary Numan, which mentioned he has Aspergers and gave a link to the AQ test. I took the test for kicks and it said I probably had it, but at first I just dismissed it - online tests could say you had anything. It wasn't till a couple of years later after getting involved in an online study of prosopagnosia and taking a similar test which also came up positive that I finally started reading more about it, and the more I read, the more everything weird about my life started making sense. Feeling different, toe-walking and "echoing" as a child, trouble controlling emotions, calming myself by doing repetitive motions such as pacing, interactions always mysteriously going wrong, having intense obsessions, getting startled by noises and disliking bright light... it was all there. I was just overwhelmed - everything suddenly had an explanation! But I still wanted a professional opinion. During that time my marriage was also in trouble, so I sought out a therapist for couples counselling who also listed herself as having experience with ASD, and she confirmed what I already suspected, and diagnosed me. If I ever get the opportunity to have a proper neuropsychiatric evaluation I'll do that too, but I live in an area without a lot of resources, so that may be unlikely.

Last edited by darkwaver on 07 Sep 2019, 10:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Got dragged to a child psychologist as a kid and went through weeks of testing. My parents then meticulously covered it up and didnt tell me for years. I found out by accident years later and denied it for several months. Did some research, and finally accepted it. Confronted my parents about keeping it a secret and never helping me out as a child, only for them to pronounce they had "cured me" because according to my mother I had "outgrown that stupid Aspergers stuff".

I had started going to meetings of Adult Children Anonymous to understand my dysfunctional family. In 15 years of that and similar investigations, I had never heard a rumour of anything physical or inherited being involved. Then, my AS mother was dying and my NT sister was in distress over wanting to hear at least one motherly sentiment from her, so I did another search, on line, and found a list of AS characteristics. Suddenly, it all made sense.
There was a guy on a tech listserve with a family, business, and friends, but I suggested he also had AS, and he was astounded, but agreed.