I guess I should introduce myself..

Post Reply New Topic

I am 45, LGBT, and a recently self diagnosed aspie..

A friend of mine came out to me as a aspie and the experience was mind shattering. I was curious and asking about his experiences and I then sat there for a hour listening to him describe me. Two online aspie tests later (AQ test score: 42) and I find myself attempting to integrate this new data into my identify. I once told a friend that there was literally no place for me on the internet. Even in the LGBT community I was a alien. I had never found a community of people like me. I guess I might be understanding why.

Next I guess a official diagnoses while I settle in and learn more..

Hobbies? I skydive, skate board, surf, sing, teach archery, body build, and program computers...

Welcome to Wrong Planet. You'll find a lot of like minded individuals here.

Greetings and welcome to the Wrong Planet.

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

you sound like a hoot. welcome

Aspergers is no longer diagnosed, see here, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-575 ... on-manual/

The new diagnosis will be to score each autistic trait, and use the scores to determine where you fall on the ASD spectrum. I use the term "ASD" to refer to the sum of my autistic traits.

Welcome.

I guess I'll have to do some research..

And, thanks everybody. I am still kind of putting this all together. I describe learned traits to my partner and the response is, "Yeah.. yeah.. uhh.. yeah.. god yeah.."

For example, we are really careful about not doing things that might trigger my.. well.. to use a newly learned term.. trigger my meltdowns. I don't help with the kids homework because I am really not good with when they don't "get it".. I go non-asymptotic far too quickly and have very little patience for idiocy .

Interestingly, two of my longest relationships were both with guys who also have since admitted to me that they have alot of aspie traits. Seems we got along really well because we avoided confusing each other and kept things simple. ie, I spent a lot of years using hyper-sexuality to protect myself from having to actually hold a meaningful conversation.

Well, that's not really true... Aspergers is no longer being diagnosed *in America*. Europe still recognizes the diagnosis, and given that it has a population more than twice as big as America's...

I'm not just new here, I'm new everywhere. I've been lurking around the Net nearly since there was a Net, but I almost never posted or the like before now because of anxiety, uncertainty, etc. Beginning in January, 2013 with serious spine surgery, and on to ending a 20+ year marriage, changing careers, starting three new businesses, and falling in love with a beautiful t-girl, I am not the man I used to be. I don't quite know who I am now, but that's ok since I really like who I am becoming. In fact, I often ask myself, "Who is this guy?"

As to an Asperger's (or other) diagnosis, in my professional opinion, labels are for soup cans. The Diagnostic Statistical Manual, revision number whatever, by the American Psychiatric Association is the "official" reference used by "official" people to classify other people into categories. It uses a system based on identifying a minimum number of symptoms from a list of "typical" symptoms to make the diagnosis. Aside from the arbitrary assigning of the label "symptom" to a specific behavior, and the arbitrary assigning of that "symptom" to a specific person, the methodology is akin to saying, "You have a stiff neck, headache, fever, and feel achy all over, you have spinal meningitis," rather than a cold or the flu. This "official" diagnosis then becomes your identity as far as most of society is concerned. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is trying to develop a classification system for mental illness based on the absurdly better basis of the actual pathological damage to actual activities of daily living of actual human beings by causes known or unknown.

In the meantime, I recommend the National Empowerment Center for good information and support for people with mental illness, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a grass roots resource for information, support, and political action. Also, peer feedback on open, non-axgrinding or not for profit sites like this lovely place. As always, take what makes sense for you that you can use to improve the quality of your life as you experience it, and leave the rest.

Nameste