Diagnostic Flaws(my sister)

Post Reply New Topic

So I read a lot about aspergers/autism diagnosis. People claiming that autism is overdiagnosed and others claiming autism is underdiagnosed. I think both are true. I wanted to bring in an example of my sister.

See my sister went to this learning disorder center because she was persuaded she had ADHD. She was 22 or 23 at the time. Well apparently she not only got the ADHD diagnosis but she made it onto borderline Aspergers too. And I can tell you, Im 99% sure my sister is NOT aspie even a little.

She reads social cues very well and she always has. Shes never struggled with it as far as I know. In fact at family gatherings she used to make a ton of social observation when we were kids that I apparently didnt notice. She used to get a little pissed that I never saw it. Later to figure out, I really didnt see it cause I was aspie.

She's always had a charm about her, she makes friends really easily and she easily likable. She NEEDS social contact, shes always talking/or texting her friends all the time. From what I know about most aspies, we generally need less social contact. And Id say outta many aspies, I probably yearn for more social contact then most. But even then my need for socialization is waaay less then hers.

And also, shes my adopted sister, we're not blood related. I just included that cause I know some of you all might state that autism runs in families so if I have aspergers then she could. Well not blood related!

Sure shes got her social and executive functioning problems too. But Id suspect that her ADHD pretty much explains it. I'm sure there's some overlap between aspergers and ADHD symptoms

Why did they think your sister had it?

I can testify to the opposite. I am now diagnosed and 95% sure I am an aspie, but the first time I went in for a dx (6 years before the second time, so don't think I just went in the second time to get a dx, I really just wanted them to test me so I could get accommodation on a test I had to take) they said I wasn't an aspie because I didn't stim enough. That was their only reason, my lack of stimming. Now I have worked with 100s of aspies in my life, and I stim about as much as half of them, and I have a lot of less noticeable stims as well (largely playing with anything I can to get some stimulation and music) but I still rock, mess with my hands, etc. ... so don't tell me I don't stim enough!

A few years ago my brother's teacher suggested we have him assessed for Asperger's. She decided since he was having conflict with this one popular girl, this indicated social impairment (even though he had plenty of friends).

Now he certainly has autistic tendencies, and I suspect he isn't exactly NT. but he's definitely not autistic. (And not ADHD either, despite a screwball assessment he had once where he got a diagnosis of ADHD for traits that virtually everyone shows such as Stroop interference.)

I see AS becoming a fad diagnosis, like ADHD. This doesn't mean there aren't people who have AS and the diagnosis is missed, particularly among adults, but I do think some people are starting to see AS everywhere. For example look at some of the famous people who are speculated to have AS, such as Jane Austen (honestly, I seriously doubt she could've written the social complexities in her stories if she had AS, especially undiagnosed AS).

That happened with my friend too, according to her sister (who is my ex-best friend and a liar). I was telling a group of people why me and my friend (different friend - this one's a boy) get to go to a holiday programme (it's a holiday programme for autistic people, and Asperger's counts) and then my ex-best friend piped up with "Remember when my mum told your mum that she thought my sister had Asperger's?" and I said, "Yeah, and my mum thinks it's ADHD because she's too happy" (I was meant to say bubbly - she's super hyper social) and then the ex-best friend said "Well the doctors at her school said she has it but a happy side" but I still don't think she has it. When I first met her she was all "Talk, talk, talk, talk, wanna be friends?" Even if I wanted to get a word in, I probably couldn't. Now I don't think we Aspies would be like that even if it's a "happy side" But her sister said that they think she has it because she "exhibits some of the traits" but I never found out what ones. But then, maybe she was just lying to get involved, she does that.

I've known a few autists and aspies who have been really bubbly and wanting friends and never stop taking, they're too overbearing, though, which is another way of being socially awkward.

Well, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just going to borrow Joe90's words from a post in another topic and say that what I meant by "super hyper social" is that she is "naturally chatty" to all sorts of people. Like I said, not trying to be mean, I still don't think my friend is actually an Aspie though.

I have a friend with autism and he is also a social butterfly. He talks and talks and talks. I have heard that people on the spectrum either talk too much or too little and he just happens to talk too much. Being very social doesn't always mean they have good social skills. They can still be missing social cues or not being following the social rules of talking and people can just tell they are different. He talks to anyone.

It's not mean, and I'm not trying to be mean either, but I'm still telling you I know autists and aspie's who are naturally chatty. People on the spectrum can literally be polar opposite. Talking a lot and being "Naturally chatty" or "Super hyper social" doesn't mean you're not socially awkward. Again, you can be those things, and it can be too overbearing, which is another way of being socially awkward. I'm not saying I think your friend is an aspie, I'm just pointing out that being bubbly, talkative, social, etc. Doesn't automatically mean a person isn't socially awkward or on the spectrum.

One little guy I know who is a severely, non verbal autistic little dude, will go up and take anybody's hand, will try to interact with them in his own way (giving them toys or objects, sitting near them, etc.) All those things are him being social, but it's still awkward and it's not chatty, but that's because he doesn't speak. My sister never shuts up if she's awake. She's overbearing, she has trouble making friends despite talking to anyone who is within earshot, known people or strangers.

I'm not sure if my point is getting across, but it's not the being social part that makes a person autistic, it's the awkwardness- A ton of aspie's are very social, they just don't know how to do it properly.