I'm new and have a question
Hello, I'm new here and I'm almost 27 years old. I'm not sure if I have Aspergers or not, but it's extremely important that I find out.
I've been trying to read the symptoms on various websites and I'm not finding that very helpful. I do have many of the symptoms though. Then I came across a website that lists about 36 characteristics of Aspergers and I have them all except one. Would that be a good indication that I have Aspergers or could a person have all those characteristics and still be "normal"?
Here is the website - What is Asperger's Syndrome?
In case anyone is interested, the only characteristic I don't have is the "infamous flat affect". Although, my mother informs me that I sound like I'm angry when I'm talking.
there are various online tests, such as AQ test
proper diagnosis needs assessment by a professional and includes testimony of parents as to early development
there is often discussion on here about 'fake aspies' but I think if you feel you fit in and are happy here then welcome
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I've been trying to read the symptoms on various websites and I'm not finding that very helpful. I do have many of the symptoms though. Then I came across a website that lists about 36 characteristics of Aspergers and I have them all except one. Would that be a good indication that I have Aspergers or could a person have all those characteristics and still be "normal"?
dont worry, nobody has all the symptoms. you probably do have AS, its just our aspie nature that we want our symptoms to fit the diagnostic criteria completely and fully with no room for doubt.
besides, only a true aspie would count the number of items in the list yes, theres 36, i counted them too, i even double checked
actually it can be difficult to judge flat affect by onesself. have you ever had the experience of someone taking a photo of you when you were happy and thought you were smiling, but when you see it you look expressionless or blank or even miserable? or do people ever tell you to cheer up when you weren't actually unhappy and were just sitting there quite contented?
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This is a place for anyone who feels comfortable with the idea of being an ASpie. You don't have to hit 100% on a test ! ! THAT in itself is a good indicator that you belong here ! !!
Welcome, and similar salutations....
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All they could do without actually meeting them in person though would be to say, "Yes, you sound like an Aspie," or "No, you don't sound like an Aspie," which is what other people are doing on here anyway. For a real diagnosis, you need to actually observe the person's behavior and mannerisms, assuming that we have any qualified diagnosticians here anyway, which I doubt.
Honestly, if you're even wondering about this, you're likely *somewhere* on the spectrum. The spectrum shades into the non-autistic spectrum, but I suspect that predominantly neurotypical individuals, even the shyest ones, don't tend to experience the same flavor of lifelong alienation that neuroatypical people often experience.
It's tricky trying to diagnose yourself from trait lists, since most of them present stereotypical traits of male children with Asperger's.
Getting a "proper" diagnosis is up to you and your peace of mind. Autism is complicated because it has several different components which each contribute to make every person's case highly individual and specific. Because of this, adults and especially women with AS or other high-functioning presentations of autism don't always match the floor model. Not even all children present the same autistic face to the world. We all learn different strategies to cope with our difference, which alters how our autism looks to the outside world. Sometimes it masks itself very well, and getting a diagnosis can be arduous; you'll hear stories online from people who had to try two or three times before finding a diagnostician who was familiar enough to recognize autism in more subtle forms.
You might be more comfortable taking a few of the better respected online assessments (rdos, or some of Baron Cohen's online quizzes). I don't have the links handy, but it only takes a few moments of poking about here or on http://asdgestalt.com to find them.
I don't have health insurance or a job, so I can't afford to see a doctor. I'm having problems with life after high school and something is definitely wrong with me. Normal people do not act and feel the way I do. But I'll post about all that at another time.
On the Baron Cohen test I got a 31/32. 32 and over usually indicates Asperger's.
On the rdos test my Aspie score was 153 of 200. My NT score was 43 of 200.
Something interesting is that my paternal grandmother has two brothers that are labeled as mentally ret*d. It's a good possibility that they could be autistic rather than ret*d since doctors didn't know that much about autism back then. I have to wonder if there's a gene that got passed down to me.
I agree. For all the research that's gone into psychology and psychiatry, it's stil pretty nebulous. Even though diagnostic categories are useful tools, everyone's mind is unique and there will always be exceptions to generalizations. Ideally, diagnostic categories should be more adept at accounting for this diversity, but I guess we're just not there yet.
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