HSP/Asperger's/Empath? What am I?

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I don't know that people with autism are poor at reading nonverbal cues. Maybe it appears that way because it's hard to read indirect, contradictory messages.

People with autism can be extremely sensitive, extremely empathic, at times. When it's straightforward. When I get too upset and it's hard to speak, someone with autism tends to be supportive, other people might be at that moment, but I've learned they do judge me harshly for this.

So who really is more empathic?

Maybe as some people think, it's easier to empathize with someone whose mind works similarly to your own. Maybe we are selling ourselves short.

I hope no one is getting hurt in this thread.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism

Well thats what i'm trying to determine, as I too was leaning towards HSP. HSP and Asperger's both have very similar and vague traits, except the empathy/social part. Now i'm more discussing this topic, than discussing myself. I have more traits than what i posted, but like many have said already, professional diagnosis is probably the only way for me to know 100%. So, instead, Let me present a scenario or theory, or even ask a couple questions. It may help me understand better.

Lets say a person has Asperger's and HSP. Would HSP help overcome the social difficulties caused by Asperger's, or at least make it less pronounced? I know there are a lot of variables here, but lets assume the variables are skewed in our favor, mild Aspie with a more dominant HSP trait. This does not mean they're extroverted, we'll continue using introverted in this example. Thoughts?

And if HSP is due to an overly sensitive nervous system, then why do Aspie's also share in many of the same symptoms of HSP? Do they also have a highly sensitive nervous system? If so, and as described to me awhile ago, Autism is a "short" in the brain, which can link things that normally aren't linked. I know this is a very basic explanation, but again, keeping it broken down may help me understand it better. So if Autism is formed through this "short" or linking of senses, and this is a neurological condition, then what is HSP? If a sensitive nervous system is caused by something in the brain, then couldn't HSP's also have a link to the same condition as Aspie's but.. different? Is it luck of the draw? As in, where the "short" occurs determines if you trend more HSP or Aspie?

I apologize if this is way off base, just discussing, trying to work things out in my head

This post does not empathize with the OP, so it certainly back up its words with actions.

It sounds like the OP has learned skills to cope with being social. Just because the OP does not currently demonstrate those stereotypical aspects of autism (is not noticeably idiosyncratic to NTs) does not mean those aspects were not present during adolescence and early adulthood.

It would be faulty to generalize that all people with Asperger Syndrome never change throughout their lives. Competency with certain aspects of socializing (competency learned through years of trial and error) and being comfortable socializing are two different things. The OP makes it quite clear that competency has developed gradually, but comfort has not.

True, many people are proud of and identify with their AS and have no wish to change. However, many people were never officially diagnosed as children and did their best to learn how to navigate the world on NT terms. Just because some people who would have been diagnosed as AS if they were tested as children learned how to pass as "normal" as a self-defense mechanism does not mean they cannot be AS.