My legal name is Brenna and I am the adult child of an Aspie. My father was diagnosed as Schizoid for many years, even though my mother knew that wasn't true. Finally, when my half-brothers were diagnosed, my father was. My mother was unwilling to have the diagnostic run on me, because "Brenna's much too empathic." 10 years later, we're starting to regret that decision.
There are stories of me as an (early-verbal, early motor skills, but late walker) infant, doing such things as humming and crooning to my cheerios, having a deadpan snark reflex the moment I was talking, and being easily frightened (I was an early reader and my mother had to cancel the Post during Desert Storm). In school, I was always the kid with advanced vocabulary, reading books way ahead of my class, but hopeless at math and, much to my dismay in the school choir, musical theory. I was always the shy one, the one who was afraid to do the local haunted house walk, the one who was overly sensitive to damage in gym class. I was weird. I learned to accept it. It wasn't until a very badly handled meltdown in class that I realized, maybe there was something we were all missing. As an early adult, I started picking up more and more symptoms. I couldn't concentrate enough to hold a job or remain in college. I began rocking and fidgeting, even more than when I was in high school.
I now believe, after everything I've read, that I am most likely an Aspie, like my father and brothers. But, I live in a different state than my father when he was diagnosed and I can't seem to find anyone who will even consider diagnosing me, now that I'm 26 and a married woman. I don't know where to turn anymore and I'm hoping maybe I can find my resources here, since Google and state agencies have been so little help.
07 Apr 2012, 9:28 am
