Poll for the self-diagnosed

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FWIW, the quizzes only impacted my "self-diagnosis" in so much as they encouraged me to start actually reading about ASD and AS. Writings by women with AS are the first things I've ever read by women, about women, that I've related to in my entire life. I find it to be kind of creepy really...

I always knew I was different from other people, but I didn't know why. I went to the resource person (who was actually a clinical psychologist) at school nearly every day, and I visited several shrinks during my school and college years. None of them were able to diagnose me, although one of my shrinks guessed (correctly) that I had some form of autism. However, Hans Asperger's notes were not translated into English until I was in high school, and Asperger's Syndrome wasn't an official English-language diagnosis until I had graduated from college. Therefore, I didn't get the help I needed at the time.

Fast-forward to about two years ago. I got to know a family with two children, both of whom have Kanner's Syndrome (classic autism). I wanted to learn more about this condition. so I did some study. About a year and a half ago, I attended and watched a video at work about autism so I could learn a little more about it. Not only did the video cover Kanner's, but it also covered Asperger's, and pointed out the differences. The video showed the behavior of high-functioning autistic children, which also helped. While the video discussed the symptoms of Asperger's, which until that time I had never heard of, I listened with rapt attention and commented to myself, "That is almost exactly what I went through as a child." I watched a child whom the video said was afflicted with Asperger's, and said to myself, "That was me at that age." Could I have discovered my diagnosis?

I decided to do some more research on the subject. I first looked up the symptoms on several medical and psychology Websites, and confirmed my diagnosis. I could almost copy a "Symptoms" page, paste it into a Word document, put the title "The Story of My Life, by John Silver" at the top of the document, and finish my short autobiography with very few edits. After my research, I took two of the tests refered to on this Website. Taking the tests as I am now, I am about borderline Aspie, not quite into the spectrum, but much higher toward the spectrum than is normal. If I take the tests as I was at eight or nine years old, there is no question as to the diagnosis.

I see no need to get a formal diagnosis, because there is nothing that can be done about my condition at this point. I have lived on my own for many years without too many obvious problems, and I have learned to get around most of the symptoms I still have to the point where many people don't realize anything is amiss. Besides, if I did get a formal diagnosis, that would go onto my medical record, and I would have to declare my mental illness in certain situations. Such a declaration would keep me from driving certain vehicles, owning a firearm, and other freedoms I have grown to accept as my own. - LJS

Aspergers was unheard of when I was a child, but I was an oddball from an early age who stuck out worse than a sore thumb. No matter how hard I tried, I was just weird/rejected. I had odd interests, & only liked to discuss those few things that I found interesting....ad nauseum to everyone else around me. I was bullied relentlessly. I was tested in school & the officials couldn't understand why I excelled in some subjects & yet failed in others (girls did not have learning/social disabilities in those days), & they were all puzzled at why I could not form friendships with other kids, etc. Knowing what I know about my childhood into my adult life, combined with the fact that I have a biological child who shares many of my oddities, led me to believe there was something very different about me. Fast forward to about 6 years ago, & my kid was DXd with AS for the 1st time. I started reading everything I could get my hands on about Aspergers. I got books, went online, etc. Whenever a subject interests me, I dive in headfirst...deep. I guess this is not a normal NT thing to do. So after all this research on my child, I started connecting the dots. OMG! This is me too! I have taken several online tests, & test quite high for Aspergers. Well duh! I have been unable to get a DX due to being female & middle-aged. Funny because my now adult child has just been rediagnosed with AS, & she is female. I have also noticed that AS runs in families as there seems to be a genetic component. My youngest also has it, though her symptoms are much more mild than her sister's or mine.

In a nutshell, this is how I have come to realize my differences do have a name. I would love to get a shrink to give me an official DX & help me to work on some issues that have been holding me back for years. However, I have yet to meet that professional & since I don't have copious amounts of expendable money, I am SOL at finding that person who could help me. It would probably be far easier for me to find that lost needle buried in a haystack.