is it Asperger's or just being plain weird?

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Tyri0n
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11 Aug 2013, 4:41 pm

lostonearth35 wrote:
I have been having a hard time knowing if something about me that's weird is because I have Asperger's or because I'm just plain weird. Especially when I read about other people with it on this site. Here are a few of things about me that are weird and I don't know if it's because I have AS or not:
- Ever since I was a teen, there have been shows I like to watch on TV alone, usually cartoons and stuff, but if someone else is in the same room with me I get extremely uncomfortable and may turn the TV off. I used to watch cartoons with the sound down as low as possible so other people in the house couldn't hear it, and if I'm visiting a place where they have the TV on it will often make me uncomfortable and distracted, especially if it's cartoons or a TV scene that I find disturbing (like graphic violence) or a really stupid commercial. The same is also true for certain songs that may be playing while I'm in a car or at a party. It just makes me feel really antsy.

-I really, REALLY hate drugs and alcohol. I was never even temped to smoke even though other kids at school made sure I got plenty of it second-hand. It makes me furious the way alcoholism and getting high is so glorified in society, movies and TV, it makes me sad that most violent crimes are committed while people are drunk or stoned, and it makes me feel like an alien that I am so against tainting my body with toxic substances. Why are all the things so "popular" in the world so disgusting and stupid?

-I played with baby dolls a lot when I was a little girl. I played with them as a teenager even though my mother thought it was stupid. But I have never had babies of my own, have no desire whatsoever to have a baby, and I am not really fond of babies because of all the not-cute things they do. I heard some fear-mongering nonsense that playing with baby dolls will make girls think having babies is "fun", and encourages teen pregnancy. I think that's stupid, most kids know it's just pretend. I don't think it's fair that if adults to carry a doll or stuffed animal around with them they get locked up but it's acceptable to carry a barfing, bawling real baby around.

-I hate swearing and hearing people swear all the time. I think it's disgusting and hate it when they say stupid things like "it's only words". But the words are so ugly! My tolerance for swearing was at its lowest when I was a teenager!! ! The stage of life when other teens think (wrongly) it makes them look tough and grown-up! I have learned to tolerate it a bit more over the years so I wouldn't go insane, but I still hate when people use the f-word every two seconds.
If I have one of my ear infections, I sometimes jokingly blame it on hearing profanity, or say I need to wash my ears out. :wink:

So what do you think? Is it Asperger's or is it just part of my personality? Does anyone else have the same quirks?


Those things don't really sound specific to Asperger's. None of those suggest deficits in reciprocal communication, relationships appropriate to age, restricted movements and interests, or sensory issues -- which are the criteria for the condition.



Annaliina
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11 Aug 2013, 10:06 pm

The only thin I can really comment on is the not watching tv with others. For me, I've concluded it's because it's awkward and painful to share the emotional situation. It can be because I'm not comfortable with the person in general. It can also be that I'm embarassed that my emotional reactions are so different from what others experience. I could feel pressured to feel a certain way or, pressured to try and blend in; which is emotionally and mentally draining. It might be because my emotionality has been rejected so I'm defensive.

It's a complicated thing that I've yet to fully figure out, but I know that it relates to me experiening emotion in a different way.



Annaliina
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11 Aug 2013, 10:12 pm

Tyri0n wrote:
lostonearth35 wrote:
I have been having a hard time knowing if something about me that's weird is because I have Asperger's or because I'm just plain weird. Especially when I read about other people with it on this site. Here are a few of things about me that are weird and I don't know if it's because I have AS or not:
- Ever since I was a teen, there have been shows I like to watch on TV alone, usually cartoons and stuff, but if someone else is in the same room with me I get extremely uncomfortable and may turn the TV off. I used to watch cartoons with the sound down as low as possible so other people in the house couldn't hear it, and if I'm visiting a place where they have the TV on it will often make me uncomfortable and distracted, especially if it's cartoons or a TV scene that I find disturbing (like graphic violence) or a really stupid commercial. The same is also true for certain songs that may be playing while I'm in a car or at a party. It just makes me feel really antsy.

-I really, REALLY hate drugs and alcohol. I was never even temped to smoke even though other kids at school made sure I got plenty of it second-hand. It makes me furious the way alcoholism and getting high is so glorified in society, movies and TV, it makes me sad that most violent crimes are committed while people are drunk or stoned, and it makes me feel like an alien that I am so against tainting my body with toxic substances. Why are all the things so "popular" in the world so disgusting and stupid?

-I played with baby dolls a lot when I was a little girl. I played with them as a teenager even though my mother thought it was stupid. But I have never had babies of my own, have no desire whatsoever to have a baby, and I am not really fond of babies because of all the not-cute things they do. I heard some fear-mongering nonsense that playing with baby dolls will make girls think having babies is "fun", and encourages teen pregnancy. I think that's stupid, most kids know it's just pretend. I don't think it's fair that if adults to carry a doll or stuffed animal around with them they get locked up but it's acceptable to carry a barfing, bawling real baby around.

-I hate swearing and hearing people swear all the time. I think it's disgusting and hate it when they say stupid things like "it's only words". But the words are so ugly! My tolerance for swearing was at its lowest when I was a teenager!! ! The stage of life when other teens think (wrongly) it makes them look tough and grown-up! I have learned to tolerate it a bit more over the years so I wouldn't go insane, but I still hate when people use the f-word every two seconds.
If I have one of my ear infections, I sometimes jokingly blame it on hearing profanity, or say I need to wash my ears out. :wink:

So what do you think? Is it Asperger's or is it just part of my personality? Does anyone else have the same quirks?


Those things don't really sound specific to Asperger's. None of those suggest deficits in reciprocal communication, relationships appropriate to age, restricted movements and interests, or sensory issues -- which are the criteria for the condition.
I think that the viewing tv and such is very relevant. Autistic people can experience the world. No, wait. We do experience the world differently, and that can often mean emotions too. It can be quite uncomfortable to be engaging your emotions with someone else who experiences their's differently.


As for the swearing, we are rigid and structured. If we ölearned manners a certain way, it can be devastating when people deviate. The OP learned that some language is awful, so it can repulsive to her. I experience this too; I very, very rigidly understand and utilize the rules of politeness. I feel very upset when people don't follow these rules.

Autism is at it's heart a pervasive, neurological disorder.

I don't like that people are focusing on the typical symptoms and not the cause. You must understand the heart of the matter and talk about that.