I knew my son had it, never knew I did!

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Good evening! I am the mother of a Aspie son. He's been diagnosed since 2004. His weaknesses are primarily social. We pulled him out of private school last year and he's now thriving in public school.

Last night I was at the doctor, getting my medication adjusted. The doctor looked at me, squirmed, and asked me if she could tell me something without me being upset. I said yes. She told me I fit the characteristics of an Aspie because my decisions and my actions don't "fit" with what she expects people to do.

Instead of being upset, i was thrilled that there might be a reason for why I am the way I am: social miscues, can't read office politics correctly. Basically bull in a china shop, as my mother puts it.

I told my supervisor today (I'm a HS teacher). She laughed and said, "COWORKER and I could have told you this 3 years ago. We thought you knew!" I stared at her.



Anyway, a diagnosis better late than never! I'm 37.

Welcome to WP!

thanks!

Happy for you, IrishLass, and welcome to WP!

Welcome home, IrishLass! As you can see by my join date over there
<------------- I learned about this place three years ago and fell in love and in habit with the WrongPlanet.

Merle

Wow, that is surprising. How could you not know? Did you ever think you had traits of it or thought they were due to something else?

I didn't know I had autism until I was 26 and didn't know about me having aspergers until I was 32. It was a big relief to me when my "disorder" was autism when I was 26. I acted in different ways than other people.

To WrongPlanet!! !

hi Irishlass99, i am new here as well. welcome

Thanks everyone!

I can write a little more this morning, now that Thanksgiving break has officially started!

I always knew I was an "odd" child. I never fit in high school socially. At the time I chalked it up to the cliquish environment. I made a personal vow to go to college out of state where I could start fresh and no one knew me. So I did.

I became a newspaper reporter as my 1st career, and to get over my fear of interviewing people, I IMAGINED myself "working the room." It was never ME reporting, it was ME acting as a reporter. It worked, too.

When my son was diagnosed, I became interested in special education. So I studied, got a Master's in it, and landed a job in a local high school. Once again, it wasn't ME teaching, it was me IMAGINING myself as a teacher would act. For 3 years, I've gotten good reviews and I have a strong connection with parent and kids.

I started having problems at work when situations came up that I had never dealt with. I didn't panic or freak out, but I handled them differently than my boss would have. So that triggered my depression ("I'm such a f-up at work"). Which ultimately led to the doctor's visit.

Obviously, my boss can't "prep" or "social stories" me for every possible situation that could occur at work. I can't do that for my own kid or those I work with. But she will now tell me how to handle these situations as they occur.

As my stepsister pointed out this morning (the same thing that my doctor has said), I'm very bright and smart, and I've obviously worked out my own way of coping. Long before I knew I had AS.

Hope to talk to you again soon! *Waves!*

Welcome aboard the Wrong Planet, Irishlass99. Glad to see you here.

Hi Irishlass99, welcome, and enjoy your stay on the Wrong Planet!

I'm 33 and my psychiatrist told me a year ago I have Autism Spectrum Disorder, and a few weeks ago she told me I have Asperger's Syndrome. I agree with you, better late than never!

Hi,

You did well. There are also 'normal' people doing what you do, playing a role, they're called actors and get paid. Unfortunately we don't get paid, I do it as well. Some days I am better at it than others, but it is only to a certain extend that I am able to play a social role and it can only last for a hort time, after that I am exhausted. One of the criteria's is that I have to be in control. Perhaps that is the same for you, you are a teacher did interviews, so you're leading. I sometimes get an outer body experience and then I see myself sitting or staniding their, it's very odd. I used to be a fulltime dreamer, I still dream but I also write, I done so for donkeys years, so that's very long about 34 years. I am now using my gift to create characters for my stories.

Hi Irishlass99

I wasn't diagnose until later in life, it help explain so much.... taken awhile to get my head around having aspergers and the many co-morbids that seem to come it... its a process with its ups and downs but so worth the ride, as truly I feel have the confidence now to be that person I never fully knew until discovered I was a real spectrumite

I never thought about careers where I am in control, but that makes sense. As a reporter, I did the interviewing and crafted the article. As a teacher, I control the classroom, the grades, and the reports to the parents.

Interesting! Thanks for the insight!

Welcome to WrongPlanet.