Have I got AS?

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I met a cousin of mine a couple of weeks back, who I've not seen for a couple of years. When I asked what she's doing these days work-wise, she said she's working with people with learning disabilities.
"Oh yeah," I said, "what kind of learning disabilities?"
"Mainly autism and Asperger's," she said.
Well, my knowledge of autism starts and ends with Rain Man, so I asked her to explain what they were and what the difference was between them, which she proceeded to do.
Anyway, long story short, as she was describing Asperger's I felt like she was describing me. It was uncanny.
When I got back home, I Googled "Asperger's syndrome" & read solid for several hours, and it was even more uncanny because it was like I was looking in a mirror or something, like the person who'd written what I was reading knew me intimately & was writing about me.
I've always known my brain didn't work "normally" and that I'm not like "normal" people, and I've always been something of a misfit, but this was the first time my "condition" had been given a label, and more importantly been EXPLAINED.
I've been reading Wrong Planet for hours and hours the past few days, and the more I read, the more I keep thinking "That's just like me", "That's exactly how I think", "That's exactly what I do", etc, etc.
Have I got AS or what????

Can you please make a list of things which leaded you to believe you have AS? Perhaps it would be easier for the forum goers to speculate on whether you're an AS or not if you do so .

Yep, I agree. I kinda did the same thing you did for a long time -read stuff, watched documentaries, got angry at people telling autistic kids that they should blame their autism for everything bad in their lives...(blah documentary. Don't ask).

It took a long time to get up the courage to go speak to my doctor about it and he (being a sweetie) referred me to another who diagnosed me. Pretty much everything that I couldn't explain I now can, right down to the reason why none of the doctors' rhinitis drugs affected my allergy...

If you can give us an idea of the kind of things that make you 'different' we can try and help, but a doctor's diagnosis is important if you really want to pursue it (and I know that's a challenge to do, so hang in there. It is worth it, to know either way).

Some people I know are on the spectrum in areas but are not Aspie (my dad and sister both fall into that category) so it may just be you have shades of it without having the full blown thing.

Also remember that online diagnoses and definitions are a generalisation - so even if you don't fit the mould on all counts - or you DO fit - it does not guarantee either that you are or are not Aspie. Myself, I'm 95% in a lot of areas, but not all of them, and I think that's true for a lot of AS people.

That's why it's important to speak to your doctor to be sure.

Apple