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I'm sure many have made this statement before and there may be a better place to post this. I would like to express my concerns because I think I may have this condition. I've always been an odd person. I've never understood people or why most of them do the things they do the way they do them. There are times where I've felt smarter than most people and times I've felt inferior. What truly brought me here though is a simple test I took for fun. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the AQ test, the online test for Aspergers. A friend sent me the link and I took the test not expecting much. Then my score came back at 32 out of 50, so I started to read up on the subject. Most of it has hit pretty close to home except for a few inconsistencies. I do get humor but I think that may be because humor is one of my special interests. I have a cousin who was very poplar when we were younger. He was funny and people seemed to gravitate towards that so I focused a lot of my time on figuring out what was funny and why. So humor for me isn't so much instinctual as it is learned. To this day I still try to watch comedians but I'm always more focused on what they are doing and how they are doing it. The other inconsistency is that I feel empathy. I only mention this because it is such a struggle for me. Sometimes I think I feel to much. I came here to ask for your opinions. Given just what I've said is it possible I have this?

It's very possible you have AS. I seem to have similar characteristics. I get most comedy, have a pretty good grasp of sarcasm (though I miss it at times), many of the same feelings of inferiority/superiority. At least for me, I could never figure out why I was so strange. But I took a similar test as you, and it just kind of dawned on me...it really explains everything.

No one here can tell you that. Do a little more reading though, and you might be surprised at what you find...

Given only what you have posted, yes, it is possible, but that possibility isn't very meaningful because your post does not give much information. There are several components to the diagnostic criteria for autism, and one has to fit some minimum number of them to qualify for a diagnosis, so one or two discrepancies do not necessarily mean that you are not autistic. I suggest you look up the diagnostic criteria.

Although social deficits is a diagnostic criterion, the idea that autistic people do not experience empathy specifically is at least controversial; many would say it is downright false. Not understanding humor is also a specific trait that a given autistic person may or may not exhibit, but it is the general category under which this falls, communication deficits, that affects whether or not you fit diagnostic criteria.

I will second Major on this. When I read about AS the first time, I was completely unfamiliar with it. I read the term Asperger Syndrome in an article I was reading. I looked it up on Wikipedia, and I was stunned and thrilled at the same time. I remember being so relieved when I found out that I wasn't some kind of unique freak. Do some research.

MjrMajorMajor and Thelibrarian, I would love to do research on this. The more I can find out about AS, the better. Do you have any particular sites or publications you've found to be useful?

Wikipedia is where I got my start. And of course there are a number of books, especially Tony Attwood's. The problem I have with a lot of the literature, including Attwood's book, is that it is written about children. There seems to be little written about adults. See here for Attwood's book:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Guid ... r+syndrome

But I think the best thing you can do is to stick around here and read what other people say about ASD's. To my way of thinking, even if I don't have AS (which I seriously doubt), I can relate to much of what I read here, and it has helped me. To me, these are the important things.

Good luck.

I've read Attwood's book and found it to be beneficial. You're right about a lot of the publications. I've checked out 3-4 other books from the library and have found little useful information for adults, and I wind up returning the books with a feeling of disappointment. Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison was a fantastic read in that I could relate to quite a few of his experiences.

Thank you for your advice. I'm going to make a better effort to stick around this site more often.

Thank you all for your replies. I will read up on the subject and browse the forums. I'm not seeking a diagnosis here. Just trying to find something I can actually relate to, something that helps me understand myself.

Despite an official diagnosis being a weird status symbol around here, I would strongly encourage people who suspect they have AS not to get one. An official diagnosis is not only time-consuming and expensive, but will block many opportunities in life. Again, I think it is important to be pragmatic and concentrate on what works and what helps.

Disagree. How can an AS diagnosis block opportunities in life?



I agree, and diagnosis tends to provide a more secure understanding for that concentration, as well as an appreciation of the reasons why something may or may not help.

Of course, a person does not 'become' their diagnosis,. which is merely about some of their life's defining characteristics, but a diagnosis can help the individual plot a route through life as it unfolds.

Disagree. How can an AS diagnosis block opportunities in life?

An AS diagnosis is an automatic qualification for many jobs, including joining the armed forces, and I understand getting a security clearance for civilian government work. It is also an automatic disqualification for doing police work. These are just the ones I know about. I would guess there are others.

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Again, I think it is important to be pragmatic and concentrate on what works and what helps.


I agree, and diagnosis tends to provide a more secure understanding for that concentration, as well as an appreciation of the reasons why something may or may not help.

I think it is far more important to understand what works than why. I would offer the computer I'm typing this on as an example: My concern is that it works, and knowing how to use it. Exactly how this computer works and why is irrelevant. Similarly, understanding why something may or may not help us is largely an academic matter. In other words, if something learned on this website helps somebody, their diagnosis, or lack thereof, will not change that.

It is also the case that if I'm really curious as to the mechanics of AS, there are all kinds of books out there that will explain things. A diagnosis is not necessary even to understand the mechanics.

As far as a diagnosis helping one plot his way through life, I will say that discovering AS was one of the happiest days of my life; I then knew I wasn't some kind of uniquely weird freak of nature--that I wasn't alone. But an official diagnosis wouldn't have done a thing for me. The important thing is that I am able to relate to much of what I read here, and be helped by it. As far as it helping one plot his way through life, it's not necessary, and I am proof. I had my life fully established, and was doing well, before I had ever heard of such a thing as AS.

The only purpose I can see for a diagnosis is to keep bureaucrats happy. And the only reason to keep that bunch happy is to be eligible for government welfare programs, which are the opposite of plotting our own way through life.

A diagnosis may help your employer understand and respond to your unique needs, where they are relevant, thus making it more likely that you will succeed in holding down a job.

As for welfare programs, if a person with a diagnosis of AS finds themselves in need of disability-related Government assistance, either long term or short, then they shouldn't be ostracised for claiming them. Doing so does not mean that they are not plotting their way through life (unless you have a definition of life in which one is solely defined by employment) and does not even rule out finding a suitable job at some point in the future, if such becomes available and is within the person's abilities.