A few questions about AS.

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Hi, since I don't know a lot about AS and Autism, I figured I'd ask them.

I don't think I've ever been diagnosed with AS, but I know I have it. I'm planning to get a diagnosis soon. I found out I have it about two years ago, when AS and Autism was a subject in my English class.

My best friend got a diagnosis a couple of months ago, but she functions a lot better than I do. She is actually my go-to person about social s**t because she's a lot better at it than I am.

The thing is, I've been wondering if it could be that I don't have AS, but Autism. So, I've got a few questions.

I heard that people with Autism develop speech and movement later than other kids. I don't know when I started speaking, but I started walking pretty early. I have a picture of me that was taken when I was 8 months old and I was running around my grandparents yard. I quit my diaper before I was 8 months old. I started drinking from a regular glass before I got teeth. I was really quick at developing in physical actions, but I know that I learned all of the things I mentioned before I started speaking. Although, I was a really late bloomer in physical appearance. When I was 15, I had the body (and mentality) of an about a nine year old kid.

I tend to get lucky in social situations. I may have no idea what to do, which sometimes either causes me to not say anything or just react in some way while being confused. Those things usually either pushes people away or brings them closer. I do have a lot of friends, but I don't really make a point of meeting up with them. I hang out with my best friend a lot, but it's different somehow. I don't have to worry about what I'm supposed to do in various situations in order to not offend people. She just gets me somehow. Of course, it probably has something to do with it that she has AS. I'm also very close with my foster-father. For some reason, he just gets me. I can talk to him about everything and he won't judge me, be offended, or anything. He just gets it. Of course, I don't like to call people, and my best friend and my foster-father are mostly the people that contact me.
While growing up, I didn't really have any friends. I mostly spent my days solving puzzles and building cities out of legoes. I didn't really care that I didn't have any friends. what bothered me was the bullying I got at school.
My little sister often tried to get me to play barbies with her, but I always ended up just being the stylist who was mute because I didn't really know how to pretend.

I really like my routines, and if my routines are broken for some reason, I get very confused and frustrated. It's not normal things like eating, sleeping, bathing, ETC at the same time every day. It might be things like in what order I like to eat my food, preparation for things, what I do after I do some things, the placement of everything in my car... And all sorts of stuff like that. Also, if my meetings go over the time-limit, I get very confused and don't understand what's going on.

People with AS and Autism have a lot of trouble with a lot of things, but can they learn how to deal with certain things after going through the same things several times? I've learned quite a few things about social interaction, for instance. I've learned that when people ask how I am, they usually don't really want to know the truth... Except for my foster-father. He always wants the truth about everything.

Most people with AS and Autism have trouble figuring out peoples intentions, but can they figure out the plot in movies better than most people. Watching movies and figuring out the plot is really easy for me. It's kind of like a puzzle for me. I watch everything, gather intel' and info, line them up and add them together, and out comes the plot and often how the movie is gonna end. I've usually figured out how a movie is gonna end before I'm half way through it. Although, I've noticed that I can enjoy movies, but I don't get the: "WOW!" feeling that people sometimes talk about. Fixing cars is also a lot like puzzle.

Socializing really drains me, emotionally. Sometimes while I'm hanging out with somebody, I get really exhausted and tired. That's usually when I go home, sometimes intending on going to bed. Except, when I get home, the exhaustion usually just evaporates. When I'm in crowds, I get really, really grumpy and snappy.

While growing up, my grandparents were more of parents to me than my parents were. I really loved my grandpa. When he died, I didn't feel any sorrow and I didn't cry, or feel the need to. I was just annoyed at my second cousin because she was crying. I couldn't understand why she was crying when she hardly knew my grandpa. I still don't really understand it. My foster-father has tried explaining to me that people just cry at funerals, but it just doesn't make sense to me. Why would people cry in certain situations just because that's what people generally do? I just don't get it.

I've heard that people with AS and Autism don't lie. I don't. I can't really explain it, I'm just unable to. Although, if I don't want people to know the truth, I'm very good at manipulating the truth and saying things that are the truth, but I know that they'll misunderstand it the way I want them to.

I don't know how high my IQ is, it's never been checked. I'm not really excelling in any of the subjects at school, but most of what I've learned for school, I've had to teach myself. I learned English when I was 19, by myself. I learned math by myself because the teachers tend to misunderstand my questions and I tend to misunderstand them. I learned Danish when I was five, when I went to visit my Uncle, that lives in Denmark, for three weeks. Learning lyrics and songs is not a challenge for me. I'm a part of choir, and I usually learn the lyrics and the notes for all the vocal groups long before my own vocal group even learns our own notes and the lyrics. I don't usually use the sheets so other people usually borrow them because there's usually somebody that forgets their sheets at home.

People often refer to common sense, but others people common sense often make no sense to me. Although, I've noticed that my common sense tends to not be common sense to other people.

I'm a very logical person, but it's really frustrating when my feelings aren't logical.

So, to sum this whole thing up, with one final question... Which do you guys think applies more to everything I've said, AS or Autism? I'm not looking for a definite answer, a professional, or anything like that. I'm just looking for opinions.

greetings from the commonwealth of virginia !

you are definitely on the autistic spectrum & my guess is that you have AS ( asperger's syndrome ) ; as opposed to actual 'conventional' autism

those who are purely autistic have severe speech & language delays as well as cognitive impairments

good luck and props to you ( that means congratulations ) 4 getting your diagnosis may God Bless you and remember that whether you are autistic / asperger's or NT ; which is neurotypical / ie "normal", no matter which you are diagnosed as : always keep in mind that you are "fearfully and wonderfully made"

Ok, thx.

aspicious wrote:

I would just like to point out that I am a "High Functioning Austistic". I do not have Aspergers. I did have fairly severe speech delays as a child and was diagnosed very young. However, in my middle age I also have advanced degrees, regularly take courses at the university and support myself. I do not at this point in my life qualify as someone with cognitive impairment. While some non-aspergers on the spectrum do have cognitive impairments NOT all of us do--hence the "high functioning" part of the label.

As far as whether you have Aspergers, Autism, or are even on the spectrum, that can only be diagnosed by a professional. The Aspergers diagnosis does seem to be what is chiefly given to adults seeking diagnosis at this point. However, with the DSM V it will become a moot point, because all diagnoses will be under Autism.