Not an NT, by any means...

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Hello everybody!

I joined this forum, because I'm not an NT. I don't know exactly where I fit in on the spectrum, but I surely do know that I am not neurotypical by any means.

I have ADHD, so that clearly rules out any possibility for me to be an NT. I know there's a lot of controversy about whether or not people with ADHD or LD should be considered part of the neurodiversity, but I for one strongly believe that they truly are part of it. Every day reminds me of the fact that my ADHD brain is functioning differently than an NT one, even in the most minute details... And the latest research is suggesting that there are shared genes between autism and ADHD.

But there's something more than ADHD at stake, in my case. All my life, I've felt different from everybody else, as if I was from another planet. Some of the reasons why I feel different are not related to or explained by my ADHD. And by this I mean that I am socially awkward, I usually don't get social cues and I always take things literally in social situations (although I do understand and enjoy literary metaphors). I also have a hard time recognizing faces. I am also much of a loner. I need my time alone and I do not have a romantic relationship, because I fear being suffocated by the partner. But I also need to feel love and connection with people, so that just makes matters more compliccated. People don't understand that, although I deeply love them, there are so many times when I don't want to be around them or talk to them...

I also have a few strong interests that I passionately pursue for years on end (usually one at a time). I can talk about the said interest until it drives everybody off the wall. I've also been told that I have a tendency to over-rationalize and over-intelectualize (although I mostly see myself as emotional - impulsive emotionality while we're at that, due to the ADHD).

I am certain that I am part of the broad autistic phenotype (ascertained by some tests too). But I do not know if I am more than that. After completing an Aspie traits inventory quiz, I got the following result: "You have both Aspie and NT traits". I had scored very high on both scales. So I don't know. I really don't know. Maybe this is the place where I'll be able to find out more about myself...

hi, ST77.

Welkome to WP

Mick

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome to WP!

Thank you all for welcoming me to the forum.

_________________
Probably 75% Aspie, 25% NT... and 100% ADHD

Aspie-quiz results:
Aspie score: 138 of 200 / NT score: 78 of 200 => Very likely an Aspie.

Hello, and welcome!

I don't think you need to worry about whether you have an official case of Asperger's or not. It's not a case of you either have it or you don't. I consider the Autism spectrum to extend beyond the official diagnoses, and well into the range of "neuro-typicals". As long as you understand who you are and how to cope with it, then there's no need to mess with fancy labels.

Hi, I've only just joined Wrong Planet some minutes ago and I'm quite glad this place exists!

I present strong features that make me almost sure I have Asperger, but I have great social skills and this is awfully confusing and frustrating and prevents me from ever getting a diagnosis, I believe. I'm 23 and ever since I gained consciousness, I've been training myself incessantly to act normal and to socialize, to be empathetic and kind, to listen to people and to comfort them always. I love people, I do. But I never got the chance to behave around them the way I really felt I wanted to behave. Frankly, after all this time, I don't even know what I mean by "the way I really wanted to behave"... I constantly struggled to adapt myself to the needs of others and to do what my parents or my teachers or any other authoritative figures requested of me.
But it's been an immense effort. And I'm so exhausted at times and so depressed. And so confused. I don't know what to do. I love people, I do, but in my heart I want to spend all my time in my own world, to simply think of the ones I love, but to be by their side on the inside...

Apart from this "social skills nightmare", I'm a true aspie. The tests I took enabled me to understand so many things about myslef, about everything I had to put up with all these years.

And I do want a diagnosis. I do want to talk to someone who could confirm my feelings. I have a therapist, she's absolutely great, but I've been going to therapy only for a month and a half now and I had many emergencies I had to deal with... But I have a mind to bring the aspie thing into discussion, because I really need a specialized opinion.

So simply acknowledging who I am and what I feel isn't enough. I'm afraid I might actually need a name for it and solid proof my feelings are in accordance with reality.

Batlevi, you sound like you could be an Aspie with mild social impairment who has learned to cope and adapt very well to the neuro-typical world. That could explain your exhaustion and frustration. Driving people nuts by talking about your interests is a common Aspie trait, as well. The vast majority of Aspies like people, too, as long as they are kind and accepting.


So simply acknowledging who I am and what I feel isn't enough. I'm afraid I might actually need a name for it and solid proof my feelings are in accordance with reality.

I'm not quite sure if you're severe enough to be diagnosed with Asperger's. But there are other Autism spectrum disorders such as PDD-NOS that you might fit under. I'm diagnosed with PDD-NOS(due to the mildness of my condition), but consider myself an Aspie(I do fit the criteria, I'm just mild). My philosophy is to not worry about the labels, and focus on reality.

Hi guys, I'm new here too, it's great to finally feel among "my own kind." Like batlevi, I'm not 100% sure where I stand on the spectrum either, all I know is in some way or another, I'm weird. Among my friends, I do fairly okay on the socialization front, but every once in a while I'll say something stupid, or out of sync with what they were talking about and not realise until I've said it how dumb it sounds. I'm hopeless with strangers, and I think part of it is my inability to even look at them while I'm talking, never mind eye contact, I can't form my thoughts unless I'm looking deliberately away from them, which is probably partly why I miss social cues so often. Also like batlevi, I have a shrink, who is helping me overcome the communication obstacles I'm having at work (inability to process verbal commands on the spot being a big one), and who I hope to get a formal diagnosis one way or the other (NT or aspie) from in the near future. Anyway, it's nice meeting you all, I look forward to posting with you in the future!