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

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littlelily613
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15 Jun 2011, 4:28 pm

swbluto wrote:
kfisherx wrote:
Answer the question please RE professional help.


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


I am 30000$ in debt, living off of student loans, and well below the poverty line. I still got the diagnosis, and am now being re-assessed to get the report the last clinic refuses to give me. It definitely is NOT cheap, but if it is important enough to you, AND you feel your life is being impacted enough, then you'll find a way. I did....



littlelily613
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15 Jun 2011, 4:31 pm

swbluto wrote:
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".


Okay, I am going crazy with the posts now, but....

my university was not very helpful with this either. Doesn't mean the funds aren't available. Maybe contact a private clinic and ask. I am meeting with a new psychologist on Friday who is doing the screening process and then we are discussing payment options. She mentioned something about the YMCA because I am a student. I don't have any more info about it yet, but that is always an option. Of course, if you think you are so AS that you are NT, then you might not really have a need to be assessed? That is not being saucy by the way, just a helpful suggestion of saving money: if you think you are fine and act NT, then it might be pointless to waste your time and/or money on the assessment.



littlelily613
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15 Jun 2011, 4:48 pm

Tinman wrote:
Is it offensive to users here who have been diagnosed with Asperger's that other people would be here, trying to figure out if they also have it, rather than getting a professional diagnoses?


It is not offensive that someone might suspect they have it. It is not even offensive if someone suspects they have it and chooses not to get a professional diagnosis for one reason or another. With all of the many possibilities however, what I don't like is someone so concretely saying without a diagnosis and refusing to even consider any other ideas. (I am NOT saying anyone on this thread is doing that, btw).



Verdandi
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15 Jun 2011, 6:07 pm

I don't mind people concretely saying without a diagnosis. I mean, it helps to have that external confirmation, but I don't see the point in expecting the official diagnosis before saying that one is autistic.

But then, I did that - I had a lot of reason to at the time, and I had no trouble getting a diagnosis when I was finally able to see someone.



League_Girl
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15 Jun 2011, 6:14 pm

littlelily613 wrote:
League_Girl wrote:
I was joking because littlelily said those who look NT are very mild AS. Of course they seem NT, aspies look like normal people. AS doesn't give you any looks to tell people you have a disability after one first look at you.


I didn't get the joke.

Also, I don't think I said "look". I said "seem". That is different. Obviously, someone doesn't have AUTISM painted across their forehead. Still, I can often tell if someone is autistic when I am around them because of the way they act, talk, etc. And I have not met one with severe Aspergers who acts and talks like someone who is neurotypical.


Look and seem sound the same to me in that context. Temple Grandin seems normal to me but I know she has autism because she says she does and she was diagnosed with it when she was a kid. She just learned to adapt so she appear more normal. But is she mild? I dunno. I can also say she looks normal to me. Seem, look, different wording but they both mean the same right? Maybe it's semantics I'm doing.



kfisherx
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15 Jun 2011, 10:46 pm

League_Girl wrote:
littlelily613 wrote:
League_Girl wrote:
I was joking because littlelily said those who look NT are very mild AS. Of course they seem NT, aspies look like normal people. AS doesn't give you any looks to tell people you have a disability after one first look at you.


I didn't get the joke.

Also, I don't think I said "look". I said "seem". That is different. Obviously, someone doesn't have AUTISM painted across their forehead. Still, I can often tell if someone is autistic when I am around them because of the way they act, talk, etc. And I have not met one with severe Aspergers who acts and talks like someone who is neurotypical.


Look and seem sound the same to me in that context. Temple Grandin seems normal to me but I know she has autism because she says she does and she was diagnosed with it when she was a kid. She just learned to adapt so she appear more normal. But is she mild? I dunno. I can also say she looks normal to me. Seem, look, different wording but they both mean the same right? Maybe it's semantics I'm doing.


Temple and i are both in the ESC bucket per Winner's social profile. That is NOT the mild bucket. We are both also gifted. Most people say that I appear and can pass as NT.

And to the person who asked if I (or some) get offended about people not getting DX'd. This is the wrong thread for that. This has nothing to do with that. I am referencing the stupid comparisons that OP keeps making as if we are all the same just because we have a label...



Verdandi
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15 Jun 2011, 10:57 pm

kfisherx wrote:
Temple and i are both in the ESC bucket per Winner's social profile. That is NOT the mild bucket. We are both also gifted. Most people say that I appear and can pass as NT.


If you have any experiences like mine, you can even display autistic traits and people will not notice them or assume they're something else, too.

I used to stim around people all the time without knowing what it was that I was doing. Now I stim around people while knowing what I'm doing, but people still don't see it, or they assume it's just normal fidgeting. Or who even knows. I think people tend to assume everyone's NT until proven otherwise.

(not to say you aren't really appearing as and passing as NT, just throwing some other stuff out there as well)

And comorbids or not, I don't think I'm mild at all, and I seem to fit best into ESC, and I - well, my experience as above.



littlelily613
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15 Jun 2011, 11:02 pm

League_Girl wrote:
Look and seem sound the same to me in that context. Temple Grandin seems normal to me but I know she has autism because she says she does and she was diagnosed with it when she was a kid. She just learned to adapt so she appear more normal. But is she mild? I dunno. I can also say she looks normal to me. Seem, look, different wording but they both mean the same right? Maybe it's semantics I'm doing.


I can understand misinterpreting the word look if I chose that word, because look often implies something visual. To me, the word seem does not imply something visual. So I guess they COULD mean the same thing, but when I said seem, I thought that was enough without having to say the looked (visually) different. And by different, I mean different to NT of course. To me, AS people are normal. :wink:



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15 Jun 2011, 11:05 pm

littlelily613 wrote:
League_Girl wrote:
Look and seem sound the same to me in that context. Temple Grandin seems normal to me but I know she has autism because she says she does and she was diagnosed with it when she was a kid. She just learned to adapt so she appear more normal. But is she mild? I dunno. I can also say she looks normal to me. Seem, look, different wording but they both mean the same right? Maybe it's semantics I'm doing.


I can understand misinterpreting the word look if I chose that word, because look often implies something visual. To me, the word seem does not imply something visual. So I guess they COULD mean the same thing, but when I said seem, I thought that was enough without having to say the looked (visually) different. And by different, I mean different to NT of course. To me, AS people are normal. :wink:


I suspect you're much more likely to notice autistic tells than the majority of NTs. Someone who would appear NT to most people can be downright obvious to those who know what to look for, I think, from my own experiences and what I've read from others here.



littlelily613
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15 Jun 2011, 11:10 pm

Verdandi wrote:
If you have any experiences like mine, you can even display autistic traits and people will not notice them or assume they're something else, too.


Yes, this is kind of what I am referring to as well. You will still be autistic, but people won`t realize you are. Most people don`t go around thinking, ``that person looks autistic.`` Instead, they think ``that person looks strange``. Look, seem, appear....whatever!

The point is that, IMO, you can be SO autistic, but likely not appear to be NT to those who know what to look for. Even if those who aren`t all that knowledgeable on the subject just think you are a bit quirky.

I am also ESC, and people do not generally pick out autism right away because they do not understand what autism is. They do pick out something that is a bit off to them though because I cannot put on an NT facade.



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15 Jun 2011, 11:20 pm

littlelily613 wrote:
Verdandi wrote:
If you have any experiences like mine, you can even display autistic traits and people will not notice them or assume they're something else, too.


Yes, this is kind of what I am referring to as well. You will still be autistic, but people won`t realize you are. Most people don`t go around thinking, ``that person looks autistic.`` Instead, they think ``that person looks strange``. Look, seem, appear....whatever!

The point is that, IMO, you can be SO autistic, but likely not appear to be NT to those who know what to look for. Even if those who aren`t all that knowledgeable on the subject just think you are a bit quirky.

I am also ESC, and people do not generally pick out autism right away because they do not understand what autism is. They do pick out something that is a bit off to them though because I cannot put on an NT facade.


Yes, this. Thank you for added points.

And your last paragraph: I thought I was putting on an NT facade - and I was putting up facades - but in retrospect, as I learn more, I am pretty sure I didn't brilliantly cover anything up. Just most people thought I was weird or quirky, or as some people said, there was something off-putting or strange about me, or I was best taken in limited doses.



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15 Jun 2011, 11:36 pm

Verdandi wrote:
kfisherx wrote:
Temple and i are both in the ESC bucket per Winner's social profile. That is NOT the mild bucket. We are both also gifted. Most people say that I appear and can pass as NT.


If you have any experiences like mine, you can even display autistic traits and people will not notice them or assume they're something else, too.

I used to stim around people all the time without knowing what it was that I was doing. Now I stim around people while knowing what I'm doing, but people still don't see it, or they assume it's just normal fidgeting. Or who even knows. I think people tend to assume everyone's NT until proven otherwise.

(not to say you aren't really appearing as and passing as NT, just throwing some other stuff out there as well)

And comorbids or not, I don't think I'm mild at all, and I seem to fit best into ESC, and I - well, my experience as above.


What's ESC?



Verdandi
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15 Jun 2011, 11:46 pm

League_Girl wrote:
What's ESC?


Emerging Social Communicator. It's from a method of classifying autistic people that kfisherx linked a few months ago:

Thread here: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt155488.html

Link to PDF in first post.

But short version, severity is ranked from:

Nuance-Challenged Social Communicator (NCSC) -
Socially anxious social communicator (SASC)
Weak interactive social communicator (WISC)

Emerging Social Communicator (ESC)

Challenged Social Communicator (CSC)

Severely Challenged Social Communicator (SCSC)

I think it has flaws, but it gets referred back to somewhat often, and it identifies a lot of traits common among autistic people.

I'm sorry I can't provide more complete summaries here. Too much headache.



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16 Jun 2011, 12:03 am

I have a hard time understanding the opening title. You are so AS that you don't even seem AS. You'e lost me, there.


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17 Jun 2011, 7:22 am

swbluto wrote:
You know how something that's so pink, it doesn't appear to be pink anymore because it's red? Is it possible I'm sooooo AS, that I appear to not have AS and so many people assume by default that I'm NT? Just curious.

hey i actually think the same with you. maybe it is our ability to cope, but also, maybe you just have a gift in imitating NTs. i think i do.