Could I have Aspergers, ADHD or both??
10 Oct 2012, 1:08 pm
I went to a private school all my life and wasn't really educated about ADHD and Aspergers and when I learned about it in college in my education field I decided to get checked out.
Initially I thought of ADHD-IA because..
-I daydream and sometimes doodle or write in my notebook in class.
-Procrastinate in EVERYTHING, even things that I enjoy... I procrastinate in things that involved multisteps or sustaining attention for a long time.
-I get distracted whenever I read books, so I don't enjoy reading as much as I do writing, it has to be interesting enough or in understandable terms. I have a hard time with college science labs because the instructions and assignments are so hard cause of all the steps, advanced information and wow..I would just get so overwhelmed just by looking at the lab pages.
-I talk loud and a lot, I laugh loud and sometimes don't think...ohh I have to be quieter or it's time to shut up.
-I'm always on the go, always need to be doing something like a project or work.
-I don't stay on one task for too long, but I can stay on one topic for a long time. I have probably tons of unfinished projects that are 4 years old.
-I'm also disorganized and loose things daily. I have poor working memory.
Well..that's all ADHD... but I was told to consider Aspergers too because I started realizing something.
I realized that when I was little I didn't have a social life, in elementary school, middle school, or high school. I don't remember talking to other kids my own age very much...at all. And I remember that I was not depressed by that. I would get upset if someone made fun of me or outright rejected me, but I didn't seem to need friends to be happy. I was content in my own interests of art, ballet, writing, and religion.
I have obsessive interests that do dominate my speaking quite often. Although I thought of myself as an ADHDer, I do also have intense obsessive interests in addition to other interests I have. I have many interests and talents but I also have obssesive interests including in Education, Religion, The Nutcracker, ballet, Art, and World Cultures. I also miss a lot of things in social situations. I can read and understand facial expressions and I can socialize, but all of my social interactions feel scripted to me... I always surprise myself. Like when I'm at work, I surprise myself when I ask a question to a coworker like "So what are you majoring in?" I feel accomplished when I ask that simple question and I don't know why.
I have been raised in manners and the social graces and I get surprised when these things don't seem to work out very well. But again, I feel like everything I do socially is somewhat scripted, that I'm only socializing because I've LEARNED how to do it, not because it's natural.
I don't have sensory problems, but I do get frustrated easily and act differently. I also have idiosincricies with food. I always have to have an equal amount of bread with my meat or more, I can't eat hot dogs with tails (from age 4 til now I make other people bite off the tails of my hot dogs). If the food is slightly different or if it has too many ingredients...like a random stew, it overwhelms me and I don't like eating it. I prefer a lot of sameness in food. But I do try new things and like them, there are just types of foods that have nothing to do with taste but just how they look or how they are prepared. Weird right?
I also tend to talk and talk and repeat things and never know when is a good time to shut up or to start talking. My dad tries to help me by showing me extreme examples of someone trying to tell me to be quiet by nodding his head reaaally hard and saying "GOT IT!" ...because other people might do that in a more subtle way, but I don't notice it. But when my dad does it, he teaches me by doing it more extreme or obvious so I learn...but usually when I do notice people getting frustrated I feel guilty for going on about a topic but at the same time thinking "WELL YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ANGRY AT ME??! WHAT I'M SAYING IS IMPORTANT!!"
So I get quite defensive in that area, but not so much in public. I tend to be a wallflower. I don't have problems at work, I just do what I am told and sometimes I don't understand instructions but I just do what I'm supposed to.
I'm not too afraid of change, I like a little change once in a while, and I'm good with some changes in my routine...it depends on what it is, but I still prefer sameness in tight situations like work or school.
I couldn't make friends with girls because they were always so flowery (in their voices and hobbies) it was always shopping, chick flicks, clothes, hair, nails... I tried to get into that but I couldn't...I was much more into really important and educational things...and I always felt girls to be nasty...so I would hang out with boys more because they cared more about education...
But at the same time I couldn't make friends with boys because they were big on machines and sports and I didn't relate to that either.
Does any of this sound like Aspergers to you?
emimeni
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Joined: 28 Sep 2012
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,065
Location: In my bed, on my laptop
10 Oct 2012, 1:59 pm
You know what you can do to find out? Hang out here. Talk to a professional, if you want. Ultimately, only you can answer that question.
_________________
Living with one neurodevelopmental disability which has earned me a few diagnosis'
10 Oct 2012, 2:00 pm
Initially I thought of ADHD-IA because..
-I daydream and sometimes doodle or write in my notebook in class.
-Procrastinate in EVERYTHING, even things that I enjoy... I procrastinate in things that involved multisteps or sustaining attention for a long time.
-I get distracted whenever I read books, so I don't enjoy reading as much as I do writing, it has to be interesting enough or in understandable terms. I have a hard time with college science labs because the instructions and assignments are so hard cause of all the steps, advanced information and wow..I would just get so overwhelmed just by looking at the lab pages.
-I talk loud and a lot, I laugh loud and sometimes don't think...ohh I have to be quieter or it's time to shut up.
-I'm always on the go, always need to be doing something like a project or work.
-I don't stay on one task for too long, but I can stay on one topic for a long time. I have probably tons of unfinished projects that are 4 years old.
-I'm also disorganized and loose things daily. I have poor working memory.
Well..that's all ADHD... but I was told to consider Aspergers too because I started realizing something.
I realized that when I was little I didn't have a social life, in elementary school, middle school, or high school. I don't remember talking to other kids my own age very much...at all. And I remember that I was not depressed by that. I would get upset if someone made fun of me or outright rejected me, but I didn't seem to need friends to be happy. I was content in my own interests of art, ballet, writing, and religion.
I have obsessive interests that do dominate my speaking quite often. Although I thought of myself as an ADHDer, I do also have intense obsessive interests in addition to other interests I have. I have many interests and talents but I also have obssesive interests including in Education, Religion, The Nutcracker, ballet, Art, and World Cultures. I also miss a lot of things in social situations. I can read and understand facial expressions and I can socialize, but all of my social interactions feel scripted to me... I always surprise myself. Like when I'm at work, I surprise myself when I ask a question to a coworker like "So what are you majoring in?" I feel accomplished when I ask that simple question and I don't know why.
I have been raised in manners and the social graces and I get surprised when these things don't seem to work out very well. But again, I feel like everything I do socially is somewhat scripted, that I'm only socializing because I've LEARNED how to do it, not because it's natural.
I don't have sensory problems, but I do get frustrated easily and act differently. I also have idiosincricies with food. I always have to have an equal amount of bread with my meat or more, I can't eat hot dogs with tails (from age 4 til now I make other people bite off the tails of my hot dogs). If the food is slightly different or if it has too many ingredients...like a random stew, it overwhelms me and I don't like eating it. I prefer a lot of sameness in food. But I do try new things and like them, there are just types of foods that have nothing to do with taste but just how they look or how they are prepared. Weird right?
I also tend to talk and talk and repeat things and never know when is a good time to shut up or to start talking. My dad tries to help me by showing me extreme examples of someone trying to tell me to be quiet by nodding his head reaaally hard and saying "GOT IT!" ...because other people might do that in a more subtle way, but I don't notice it. But when my dad does it, he teaches me by doing it more extreme or obvious so I learn...but usually when I do notice people getting frustrated I feel guilty for going on about a topic but at the same time thinking "WELL YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ANGRY AT ME??! WHAT I'M SAYING IS IMPORTANT!!"
So I get quite defensive in that area, but not so much in public. I tend to be a wallflower. I don't have problems at work, I just do what I am told and sometimes I don't understand instructions but I just do what I'm supposed to.
I'm not too afraid of change, I like a little change once in a while, and I'm good with some changes in my routine...it depends on what it is, but I still prefer sameness in tight situations like work or school.
I couldn't make friends with girls because they were always so flowery (in their voices and hobbies) it was always shopping, chick flicks, clothes, hair, nails... I tried to get into that but I couldn't...I was much more into really important and educational things...and I always felt girls to be nasty...so I would hang out with boys more because they cared more about education...
But at the same time I couldn't make friends with boys because they were big on machines and sports and I didn't relate to that either.
Does any of this sound like Aspergers to you?
Yes, it does. You have some obsessions and communication issues. And then you were not interested in other at your young ages. That sounds a bit like me. Also you feel they jugde you wrong and reflect a lot about yourself.
You can learn a lot and you can be at the mild end of the spectrum. Then you would almost manage normally, but still you'll be special and a bit weird in your perception. I think feeling embarrased about situation that you can't understand what you think you should is typical.
Also there will be situations where you'd be wrong and realize afterwards by thinking it through.
Does that sound familiar to you?
