When did you first realize you were an Aspie?

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I had always enjoyed reading about psychology, psychopathology and, to a lesser extent, philosophy. I struggled with them because I found myself able to understand, but unable to relate to much of what I read. One day in the library I picked up a book, I remember thinking,'Aha! Today I am going to learn about autistic spectrum disorders'. Before I got to the chapters referring specifically to AS, I could see myself being described. It was upsetting. It was not until three years ago that I visited my GP regarding it. I told him I felt that I may have a pervasive development disorder or learning difficulty. The GP referred me to a specialist psychologist in AS diagnosis. The specialist told me it was 'very obvious', to him, that I had AS, even without the anecdotal evidence provided by my parents about my childhood.

Last edited by Orr on 29 Jun 2011, 4:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I came very close to figuring out what was up with me before I found my actual diagnosis letter. When I was 12, I wrote a speech in school about my difficulties in making friendships and about my special interests before I even knew what Aspergers was...and this was when my differences were obvious to everyone around me. I had no idea that these things were realted, let alone there was a term for all of it, but I knew I was different, and at the time, I was trying to figure out how.

Never came to the conclusion that I was an aspie on my own, but I realized I identified with the description of autism (minus the deficiency in verbal development) when I was 4 and a half years old. I stumbled across a description of it while reading all sorts of random things at my place. Sitting in my room and reading was all I did back then.

I usually watch the many different judge shows on different channels I went to watch Judge Mathis but it was on a different channel from what I just watched him. The second channel showed the same episode I had just watched so I ended up watching The Doctors they were discussing the autism spectrum so I viewed it. When they talked about Aspergers syndrome all the traits they disscused described me perfectly. They also mentioned how some people in the 70's and 80's had Aspergers but since they did not diagnose for it back then they were labeled with ADHD incorrectly. Also mentioned was WrongPlanet so it was big time luck that I stumbled on the show that day,

Actually my dx-story goes back to '77. As Todesking is stating, a lot of us were "labeled" as ADHD (or similar). At that time, here in Denmark, ADHD was called Damp. Ups, back on track... I got the dx Minimal Brain Dysfunction (MBD) And were told, it would'nt prevent me from get a degree, if thats what i wanted... - At that time i were 10.
Later i found out that MBD were used, in cases that did'nt fully mach known dx. - As a sort of umbrella to put ADD/ADHD and the like under...
Some years later, i started to dig in to it. And found out, that there were something missing as i did'nt see my self as having same problems as a couple of ADD and ADHD's i knew. At the time, i didnt really see my self as ASD, as at the time it were stereotyped as a person sitting in a corner rocking/stimming 24/7! - Therefor i setteled with the fact that i were, and am, rather awkward.
Last year i were helping my wife with a report. Thats when the bomb blew! The report was about a patient with AS and organic paranoid schizophrenia... Yeah You guessed right! As sitting there reading about people, telling of their experiences, i really found myself in a state of chock, exitement, relieve and clarification! I took contact with a friend, that i had known for about 5 years. Told her about what i found. And she just started smile! - Me going, what the heck is she smiling about? And then she told me, she had been dx'd AS herself, as had her daughter. And she told me, that they actually had had a descussion as if i would have AS... So i started taking all the tests i could find online. Reading in a state of obsession. And the more i read, the more i knew. - Home at last!! ! As i have a daughter who's having special needs, i went to see my MD. While talking to him about my "suspicion" i told him i would really like to get a renieved assesment, as to get a dx, to find out if i were right and if there was indiciment for heredity...
He agreed and wrote the papers. So after app. 5 months, on march 4'th '11, i got my formal dx!

And mathgirl. - When You write about reading, as the only thing you did, it really makes me smile! So did i for nearly four years, it was about the only thing i really liked to do! - Litteraly "eating" every factual book i could lay my hands on. Or detective novels, usually solved within the first third of the story... And if i did'nt have more to read, and no time to go to the library, i took a look in to my moms encyclopedia. - Wich, at the time i got my own flat, were literally 5000 pieces of paper...