How Many People Here Are actually Autistic or have Aspergers

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Spectre of the Spectrum

I have been diagnosed by a specialist in AS/Autism, eight years ago, at age 46.

A psychiatrist I saw at age 17 thought I had autistic traits and then second guessed himself and thought I had STD (schizotypal personality disorder). He almost "saw" AS and might have been recognized along with Hans, but he clearly thought only non verbal children with "subnormal" intelligence could be autistic. He also misdiagnosed my brother's Tourettes, and thought my sister's ADHD was the result of being the youngest child.

Whatever.

I'm not officially diagnosed but have started the process of attempting to get one, which may take a while since I have an unsympathetic doctor, and phobias that prevent me from getting a new one.

But I'm 99% certain that I have AS or someform of HFA, as are my parents and my dads former landlady who used to be a nurse.

I am much more talkative and social... or "normal"... on message boards. In real life around strangers I am very quiet.

But anyway I am not diagnosed, haven't decided yet whether I will get one, but I am about 85% sure I have AS. I didn't discover it myself. My husband heard about it and noticed that every symptom fit me.

Thank God that we don't act the same way in person as we do on the Internet otherwise the discussions boards would be empty white space.

I was fairly recently "assesed" as having aspergers, meaning that an AS specialist gave her opinion that I likely have Aspergers.
If she is wrong, then I am merely a childlike, socially dysfunctional, ADDer with AS traits.
I do have issues, otherwise I would not have so many posts on this board

Also...although noone in my family is formally diagnosed, strong traits do seem to exist on both sides...some more severe than mine...

In real life, I am social when I have to be, but I don't have many normal or "in-depth"friendships..have a hard time holding "normal conversations"....am easily overwhealmed by interracting with people..which is odd concidering I have helped run a performance and arts space for 5 years...I get by because I have a peer group of eccentric artsy folk, many with assorted neuro-issues of their own...outside that box, things are alot worse.

Last edited by poopylungstuffing on 08 Dec 2008, 8:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I thought about that. I couldn't find any forums for a long time. I was thinking for a long time, 'well of course! We're aspies! No-one will ever talk!!' But that is most certainly not true!

I have Asperger's syndrome. I didn't know I did for a while, I did know, however that I was very odd and quirky. Then I got obessed with autism, and noticed I had the all of the traits, and figured out by my mother I was diagnosed with it when I was younger I have a cousin who is has HFA and a brother, who I believe is also an aspie. So there is definately some genetics that take place in my case.

My cousin is a very low function autistic. He can use sign language. But he has also other problems, like a stroke (at a year old), harmful seizures, and physical disability. He still can't talk.
But sign language is really helpful!

I am diagnosed with autism and not AS. I was diagnosed this year with schizophrenia. Thank goodness a other psych changed that and diagnosed me with BPD and a developmental diasability.

I'm hoping that at least a few of the regulars here have noticed that we have some different people posting into this thread that have been been standing in the wings do to speak until now. Sometimes you just have to ask blunt questions to get honest answers.
I really thank all of you who have posted so far. I really appreciate it. Sometimes we need to clear the air so to speak.

When my son was DXed a few years back, the documentation that I received was just way too familiar to me. It was obvious where he'd gotten it from. I'm not DXed, and don't particularly care. I'll echo several others here in stating that the qualities of an aspie don't necessarily come through too clearly online. The thing that most drew me to the site was the fact that the people who post here have clearly gone through/are going through the same experiences I've had throughout my life. Eerily similar, uncannily alike. They express things/emotions/feelings that I've also had, and have seen nowhere else in life. That is why I stay here. This board is seemingly as contentious and rowdy as any other, but the experiences we've all had link us in a way that can't be underestimated.

If you were anywhere near me . . . lol.

It'd be obvious.

It's a term I just now invented to refer to "Autism Radar"! !

My God I hope you don't really have that.

I think she was offended by your original post, so she said you must be lacking it.

I will give 'Poopy' a pass from this discussion only becasue I lke her avatar. Everybody else has to tow the line and no I have not made up my mind about anything. I have hope.

I'm not dxed, and wouldn't self dx either, but my son is VERY aspie - due to be assessed soon, I hope, and is now also referred for assessment for ADHD. My parents are still very doubtful, and say he's very like me at the same age.

I first started posting on the parents' sections of aspie forums, but very soon wandered off into other sections and started posting there too. Last night I was really excited on this forum to discover that there are other people who are really into roads! I've never met anyone IRL who shared that interest, so it's good to find others on-line who are into "strange and unusual" stuff!

As far as the Aspie Quiz goes, I've got both aspie and NT traits - weighted towards aspie.

I was officially diagnosed a month or so ago but have since rejected the label and consider myself to be just your average, everday guy.