female asperger symptoms

Post Reply New Topic

I recently recogniced that I have some asperger tendencies, and recogniced myself in deskription of other aserger females. My psykologist believe me and want to diagnose me, but he says my asperger is really mild and I dont have any cognitive problems. He also focus on that aspies have tics, I only have a small tendency to that. I have social problems and have always been wery shy. Dont have friends now as an adult, only family contacts. I dont take much initiative to talk to people. Eye contact is also difficult. Its difficult to explain my feelings and make people understand me.
I understand jokes, irony, and can take others perpective, dont need much routines. Sometime I analyse things a bit slowly.
I find it challenging making big desitions, planning, dealing with stress, and focusing on many things at the same time. Need to focus on being a mother (fore my two daughters) and cant manage the stress of working anymore.
I read that asperger presents different in females and is not easy to recognice. How about you other asperger girls, do you feel you dont fit all the criteria as men do? Expecially understanding irony and taking things literally, and is this not things you learn to understand by experience as you get older?

Iam not a Woman, Iam a Man, but as it looks like all the Aspie Girls are busy ironing their hair or whatever it is Girls do, I thought I would say, "Hi"!

Yes, females do present differently to males. Some professionals don't know much about Asperger's in females, and don't recognise it when they see it. I completely understand irony and sarcasm, and don't take things literally like some other people do on here. Everyone has different strengths and challenges. I would recommend Aspergirls by Rudy Simone and she also has a website with a chart of female autistic traits.

Rudy Simone - help4aspergers.com

AS does look a little different in males and females. I understand irony and sarcasm but I have a diffucult time identifying when a person is using sarcasm. My speech is more fluid than some aspie guys. I do take things literally when first encountered but after that they go through my translator. Because things do go through my internal translator it takes me a little bit longer to process what people say. I need routines to function. I do not always like them but without a highly routine schedule I cannot keep track of anything.

I used to take things very literally when I was younger. Started to learn how to identify sarcasm when I was in college, but sometimes I still have trouble with it. I have to process for a minute or two when I hear something I think might be sarcasm. People look at me like I am a doorknob and say, "It was a joke!"

Thanks for the Rudy Simone page link! I am going to order her book this week, but the site is very helpful too. I found a psychologist here in town that says she has experience diagnosing asperger's in adults (don't know if she has experience with females), so I am planning to print off some of the graphs and bring them in. My husband has read a lot of the articles I have printed off, and he said he would make a list of things he has noticed so we can bring that with us when we go to meet her. I'm glad he is going with me as it will help with my stress and anxiety level.

My parents don't live nearby, and neither of us thinks they would be cooperative with the therapy and diagnostic process. My entire life, they have repeatedly told me I was a hypochondriac, making a big deal out of nothing for attention (ironic since I usually just wanted to be left alone), and was being too dramatic. When I was 13, I was injured in gym class. I kept complaining that my shoulder hurt, and they kept telling me to stop being a baby about it and stop complaining. Five months later, it was discovered that I had whiplash in my neck and a dislocated collarbone. But, you know, I just wanted attention. I've tried to talk to my mother at other points in my life about some of the therapy I have been through and the diagnoses I had been given, and she just dismissed it.

That is one of the biggest reasons I am seeking a professional diagnosis. I would like it for my own peace of mind, as well, because I continually second guess myself and think I am making too big of a deal out of things (wonder where that came from, right?) I also want a professional diagnosis so I can receive appropriate therapy.

I have been known to take jokes literally and someone needs to explain the meaning. I tend to have a "punny" sense of humor though.

Sometimes hubby explains more figurative forms of speech. I do tend can get irony and sarcasm.

----

I do recommend Simone's book and Attwood's information. If you deal with a lot of social anxiety, this book may assist. It helped me out I believe: Asperger Syndrome and Anxiety: A Guide to Successful Stress Management - Nick Dubin

http://www.amazon.com/Asperger-Syndrome ... 184310895X

I'm 100% like that! Seriously have to get the book.

better go to sleep lol

I can identify sarcasm if I'm listening closely to a conversation and can tell when someone's joking (partly because my dad's a huge joker and doesn't take stuff seriously half the time ). I do enjoy jokes, although I have a hard time coming up with my own. I also really enjoy ironic situations. I did have to take speech therapy when I was younger, but now I just have a habit of talking way too fast. I kind of need routines, but I can get by without them. For certain things though, I need a routine (like getting dressed in the morning, what I do when I log on to the computer, etc).

All those lists of traits, though, they have me second guessing myself. I'm going to try to get a professional opinion because it's going to bug me until the end of time if I don't.

Personally, I don't feel my symptoms differ at all. I guess that explains how I got diagnosed earlier - my symptoms were more obvious. As a child, I was very loud, tomboyish and extroverted, so maybe that had something to do with it? I dunno - your guess is as good as mine.

The traits do present themselves differently, but not always! Remember there is great variation.
my experience with jokes and sarcasm: yes, I have a harder time with them. When I was little a friend told me a joke and when I didn't laugh he said "I am not going to tell you jokes anymore, you don't laugh at them!" as if I was being rude. Then from that on I would laugh when I didn't know if it was a joke or not, sarcasm or not. I heard a few times: "you laugh at anything I say!" talk about crazy just this year this guy thought I was in love with him because I laughed of everything he said!
but it is easier if you are not talking one-to-one, I prefer talking to two others because you can always see how the other is reacting. If they laugh, then it is a joke! Laugh too. It avoids all the mental exercise of thinking "is it a joke?? Now what do I do?"
when I am on a one-to-one I give half-smiles. Sometimes this accounts for wonderful awkward silents! "being awkward is find exciting new ways to do the wrong things! Always, always, always"

I am probably not a typical female aspie. I am more like Temple Grandin with the strong visual and spacial areas and weak in writing and language, and I kind of have the 'extreme male brain' traits that some autism authors talk about.

I think I'm scattered within a spectrum. My functionality varies so much within circumstances, and just the time of day... it's confounding. I've never met another female aspie, which makes it hard for me to make any kind of comparison.