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Danielerger
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11 Jan 2014, 12:02 am

Hello, I was wondering about my strange behavior as an 18 year old person. I have noticed I acquire many traits of an Aspereger/Aspie person. And I feel more intelligent than many other people I know in life; however I have failed 2 grades in school, guessing through the way they teach me, and I definitely do not follow the same religious beliefs, science is my answer. I have thought of myself as an Aspie for a few months now.

My self diagnosing results are:

Aspie-quiz:
Your Aspie score: 175 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 34 of 200
AQ Test:
40

I do not know what to do as of now and I really do feel like I am not like my peers, and I feel like I've come to the right direction: This Forum. Should I get diagnosed by other means? Is this a critical score or am I just being paranoid right now?



redrobin62
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11 Jan 2014, 12:10 am

Speaking for myself, I think getting diagnosed by someone who is a specialist in Asperger's and autism is good for your peace of mind, just in case you'd made a mistake. Welcome to WP. You're still accepted here even if you're not on the spectrum.



Danielerger
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11 Jan 2014, 12:14 am

It would make perfect sense that I am on the spectrum, plus I barely talk to anyone and thank the internet for letting me not use my voice as I've taken advantage of technology.



other_worlds
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11 Jan 2014, 12:20 am

You most definitely should try to do whatever you can to see a specialist, self-diagnosing is just where a lot of people begin, it's typically someone's first hunch or indication that they might be on the path to a label for their unique behavior and set of talents/interests. Do not just go find any doctor, the majority of inexperienced mental health professionals will misdiagnose you with depression or something. This happened to me when I was 22 years old and it nearly caused my death via suicide when I had problems with Wellbutrin, it made me highly suicidal and insanely depressed...ironically all because the doc thought I had depression. That is what those wonky SSRI type drugs do to people who do not actually have a chemical imbalance.

Look for someone who knows the differences between a spectrum disorder and more common mental illness issues. Those doctors are capable of sifting through real cases of Asperger's and cases of someone who might just be a NT who is suffering from other problems.

Do not worry, I am in the same boat. I have recently taken ASD seriously as a potential explanation for myself and my problems. I am in the process of wanting to find an experienced specialist somewhere in western Pennsylvania. I feel that Asperger's is more than likely what I have, along with ADHD, but I can't say entirely for sure on my own. Most of the online tests agree with me, but we know those only "go" so far. Whether I am Aspie or not is not so much what I concern myself with, it's that I know I am not NT and because of that, I would feel very at peace if I had a diagnosis of some sort, Asperger's or not. I can not accept the idea of being NT, I have struggled with socialization, obsession, becoming lost in thought and other issues far too long to know that I am not just NT. I tried repeatedly to become part of normal society throughout my teens and 20s, now at 27 I have a growing list of failed jobs and attempts at education that I believe could have been avoided if only I had realized that I most likely have an ASD.

I am happy to be seeking assessment, even if it is a bit late in life, I feel I am still young enough to right my ship and accomplish something and find success and happiness. At 18 you would do well to not slack on things, find assessment and go from there, a true specialist is your only real hope, tests and other people here on WP are only able to give you moderate guidance, a true professional is what you need to make sure. Do not be afraid of what you might discover, all you will really discover is yourself.



Jacoby
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11 Jan 2014, 12:20 am

Well that test says what it says, you are likely on the spectrum. I am guessing you are in still in high school since you said you failed 2 grades, I would go to them and have an IEP or something like that I dunno. I got diagnosed when I was 15, my grades had taken a turn for the worst and they knew something was up. They may accommodate you somehow.



Danielerger
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11 Jan 2014, 12:31 am

I am currently in some special class in High School that helps me with my school work, but even then do I feel overwhelmed of my work. They gave me a number to call a few days ago to ask about these things to some sort of specialist over the phone I'm assuming, and even then I would feel overwhelmed about doing that! Ugh.
I've had IEP's before, however; I never brought this stuff up before, only to a councelor(a few days ago), but I'm not sure if they are directing me to the right place.

I feel like I am about to collapse.



EzraS
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11 Jan 2014, 12:35 am

Danielerger wrote:
I barely talk to anyone and thank the internet for letting me not use my voice as I've taken advantage of technology.


Amen! Hear hear!



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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11 Jan 2014, 12:56 am

I think I've been helped by something Temple Grandin said about persons on the Spectrum tending to have one of three preferred intellectual styles, with some overlap of course:

1) abstract thinkers, like in math or music,

2) story / narrative thinkers, and

3) visual thinkers, like Temple herself.



Danielerger
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11 Jan 2014, 12:58 am

EzraS wrote:
Danielerger wrote:
I barely talk to anyone and thank the internet for letting me not use my voice as I've taken advantage of technology.


Amen! Hear hear!


Computers have enabled me to be more socially active, but there is still some flaws present, but it is nothing serious.