Highly functioning aspergers syndrome?

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Not good at maintaining lasting relationships although almost always had a woman close to me but not much else. Was even married for a time and a shift leader at a past job. Not good at making friends and always known as the "quiet guy." Uncomfortable in social situations, prone to depression.

IQ came out on the high end of average. Almost a savant in some subjects. I take great interest in doing things like spreadsheets recording statistics "for fun." I can lose myself compiling baseball stats for days at a time.

You should probably give us more details, cant really tell from your short descriptions. From what u put, it could easily be other things. If you really wanna know, seek a diagnosis.

There's no such thing as "highly functioning aspergers syndrome" first of all, but even if there was, a bunch of strangers on a forum wouldn't be able to diagnose you with it.

By this description, you could have autism, PDD/NOS, schizoid personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder, or being simply introvert.

A pedantic point of mine: there is no such thing as the concept "Highly functioning aspergers syndrome" - "high functioning" means "no mental retardation", but people with AS don't have MR by definition

Saying "high functioning" aspergers is a catch phrase ppl use to make themselves feel better. I mean have you ever heard of a "high functioning" cold?

You either have it or you don't

I know some people with "low IQ's" by the obligatory test who I think are brilliant in what they do.

But I have an IQ that got me into Mensa, but hate anything related to chemistry, dislike computers and seem more adept at blowing things up than fixing things.

(The wife made me put a smoke alarm in the kitchen before I was allowed to cook, apparantly potato gems don't go in stir-frys)

If you think you have AS, get a medical opinion and go on a treatment regime. Net forums can be a good sounding board, but they can also be a place where people hide from the world as well.

If you feel you may be on the spectrum, and a dx would give you tools to improve your life, then seek professional help.
I bristle at the "high functioning" label because, in my experience, it applies to how much or how little you inconvenience the NT world. By that standard, I'm considered very high functioning because I control my public interactions so I can best meet the needs of my family. My sensory issues are huge, I've never lasted in a work environment, and my AS once got me into years of spousal abuse that almost took my life.
But everyone got a hot dinner, clean clothes, and a loving mother, thus "high functioning".

The psychologist who diagnosed me mentioned that I seemed to be functioning higher than most Aspergers people that he'd tested. Whatever that means. All I know is that I like to talk to people, but always feel uncomfortable doing so.

I've bumped into two strains of docs diagnosing AS in people.

The new PDD diagnosis covers a lot of ADD / Behavior problems with a focus on the severity of the AS. If a person can function in day-to-day life, then they don't have AS.

Classical AS seems to hinge on the "little professors" description of Asperger himself. These people are also very similar to Sowell's "Late Talking Children", they have many autistic traits, but can also function in society but with difficulty. These people will self-diagnose if they feel the need for a label to explain why they don't fit in. Most honestly don't care if they don't fit in. I can take you to SUGI meetings filled wall-to-wall with people who likely have classical AS.


The nature of AS is that it seems to be an extreme form of a common way of thinking. Most highly intelligent people exhibit some level of AS traits, nearly all NT's will exhibit one or two. I fit into society ok, but the reason I lean towards accepting my AS diagnosis is that I simply don't get along with other people. It's not that I'm rude or that I behave badly, it's not social isolation on my part either. Instead I can form relationships, but after a time other people just don't want to maintain the relationship with me any more. The 'queerness', to cop a word taken over by the gay community, in how I communicate becomes too much over time. Instead of fostering closer relationships, getting to know me better drives people away. They eventually decide that I'm incomprehensibly un-understandable, so they stop trying to spend time or speak with me.

It took a few decades, but I've gotten ok with that. I can keep my wife, because that's the nature of marriage. I've got kids to support, intelligent women are willing to make an effort to keep on goods terms with an abrasive, egotistical, condescending, irrational, incomprehensible, argumentative, uncaring (what else have people referred to me as over the years...) Well, at least I'm also referred to as a logical, kind, intelligent, and well-mannered. Most people refer to me as "nice" or "pleasant". At the same time, the way I stand, the way I speak, the long-winded nature of how I beat people to death with explanations and have no concept of when to quit; all make their skin crawl, just a little bit.

ack - sorry for the double post.