Not fitting the "standard" AS profile as a kid...?

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I recently started reading The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood. I'm still reading through it, but from what I've read so far, I've realized that even though I displayed at least some AS traits as a child—special interests and being a "little professor" in particular—I didn't follow the profile of an AS kid that Attwood describes. I even had a period of childhood where, looking back, I was relatively normal in terms of social interaction. I had a few friends and felt like I fit in for the most part. Around middle school,

I felt like I was staying about the same socially and mentally, while other kids were advancing. I think about how I act today and how I acted as a kid, and I don't feel like I've changed all that much, but I find myself again questioning how it is I ever thought I might have an ASD, even though I display a good many of ASD traits and relate to a lot of what others say here.

I don't know...maybe I'm just quirky or in that gray area between ASD and NT...

I find that books are not going to be absolute about people with conditions. I don't fit the textbook of AS either nor the stereotypes so I doubt the whole book will fit me too. There were things I could relate to like I heard that he wrote that aspies who try and blend in by copying other kids and "faking it" will grow up and have a successful life while the other aspie kids who don't mimic NT kids don't have a chance having a successful life to make it through the workplace and all. That part sounded like me. I was obsessed with being normal and wanted to be like everyone else so I tried being like other kids and bothered to learn but I never got successful like getting a career or anything but I can work and keep a job.

I didn't meet the AS profile as a kid either under his standards because I went to his conference in 2009 and he talked about aspie kids and I left because it was all boring and I couldn't stay awake there so during break, I went home. But Temple Grandin was more interesting to hear her talk and I never got tired there listening to her speak. But Attwood, something about him made me sleepy and bored me. I never liked stereotype stuff and generalizing making it sound like all aspies are that way as kids.

I think professionals still forget to take into account, that all Aspies have their own personalities and different environmental experiences. Everything influences your behaviour. Even if there are core traits, that still doesn't mean all Aspie children will act on them the same. And bearing in mind that we all have our our individual blend of those traits that's yet another factor. For instance, my eldest daughter has virtually zero empathy, yet my youngest daughter who is HFA and has more severe traits in a few areas has more empathy than my eldest and far more sympathy and emotional reaction to things.

They are too busy trying to mould us into textbook types. There are supposedly 4 sub-types (Lorna Wing) and even those will all be displayed in their own unique way.

Clinicians have a lot to learn, still.

I think that the issue is labels but we do need them to some degree. Aspergers, adhd, add, bipolar etc.......all titles to help the professionals. If you think about it, in a house you have different titled rooms. It isn't so we know where we are in the house but where things are best suited. Everyone's rooms will be unique to them but with some similarities. Tony attwood or any author describes experiences with their patients and friends around them. They write and state that these are common traits or symptoms and never say 100% that they are fully recognise all variences. Nobody can. I also felt that i am not text book aspergers. Im not even diagnosed yet. Maybe i have a touch of aspergers with a little a.d.d and some ocd sprinkled on top. I know i am autistic to some degree. We are not to disimilar to nt's as they to have no text book nt. They are all unique with some similar traits.
We simply are different from the norm and i for one is not that bothered by it i only have 1 life, i'm going to appreciate it, whether i'm a complete sentence or not!

Maybe not after this post lol

Official descriptions of conditions are not engraved in stone when applied to actual people. They are just a guide, not a bible. That's because no two people will exactly meet the official description, or exactly match each other's version of the condition. We are all different. We each have our own biochemistries, our own DNA, our own biological and social environments, and our own life experiences. The official description of conditions does help though, as it gives doctors and patients a guide to figure out if a particular condition may be present. If the condition is determined not to apply, then it can be eliminated from consideration, and people can then concentrate their research on other conditions. If it does apply, then people can do more in depth research on it, and maybe find ways to treat the condition.

Just remember, you don't need to have every symptom, in order to have a condition. Usually, you need to have several of the symptoms to be considered to have it. Check out the forums here to research Autism spectrum traits. The General forum has some posts that link to online tests you can take, to help you figure out if you may be on the spectrum.

Hope this helps.

I know what you mean about the whole Aspergers stereotype. I was a 100% textbook Aspie as a child but as an adult not so much. Every single expert still tells me that being employed I cannot have Aspergers because that not what a textbook says.