Beginning to think I was misdiagnosed...

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I have been diagnosed with Asperger's by several different clinicians, but I feel as if the disorder doesn't describe my difficulties. I struggle most with short-term memory, focus, anxiety, organization, visual-spatial skills and physical coordination, but I have limited social issues. People comment that I am a bit quirky and display odd mannerisms (rocking, talking loudly, playing with objects constantly), but I also have a good understanding of social situations--I read non-verbal cues well, easily sense others' emotions, and have been described as polite and friendly. The main reason why I am questioning my diagnosis is because I tried attending a social skills class for people with Asperger's, and I found that I had few commonalities with the other people enrolled. Most of them said that they had very few/no friends and they struggle with initiating conversation, whereas I have a decent amount of close friends and am very outgoing. The social skills material in the class was information that I already understood, and I feel that my challenges with tone and volume which I tried to address in the class are caused by anxiety and executive function issues rather than a lack of social understanding. When I feel calm and my anxiety subsides, my speech issues seem to fade away. Oddly enough, I found that I can more readily relate to neurotypicals than I can to other people with Asperger's. I feel as if my primary issues can be explained by the labels of ADHD, NLD, and dyspraxia rather than Asperger's. Here is the breakdown of Asperger's symptoms with information on which issues I display:

(I) Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
(A) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction

I struggle with eye contact, but there are certain times when I can make it. I seem more likely to make eye contact when my anxiety is low and when I have good concentration (due to attention issues, I have a hard time focusing on what the person is saying and their eyes simultaneously). I've been told that my posture is "lethargic" and I think this is due to my low muscle tone. People say that I use my hands a lot when I talk. I tend to be overly animated and speak rather loudly, but I wonder if this is just because I have a very extroverted personality. While I was shy earlier in life, today I consider myself very much a people person.

(B) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
When I was a child I was very withdrawn. Now that I am an adult and my anxiety is abating, I really enjoy being around other people. I have a good handful of friends.
(C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
This has never been a problem for me.
(D) lack of social or emotional reciprocity
I am very attuned to others' emotions, and have been told that I am an empathetic person.
(II) Restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
(A) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
I have a few obsessions, but I know when to refrain from speaking about them. I can sense when people may be getting bored and change the topic. My obsessions aren't all-encompassing and there are other things which interest me as well. Now that I am a college student, my obsessions don't seem that strange--lots of my classmates have deep interests in academic subjects.
(B) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
I don't think I've ever displayed this trait.

(C) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
I am notorious for wringing my hands, bending objects, and shredding items (i.e. little bits of paper, erasers, etc.). I feel like I can't concentrate if I'm not doing something with my hands! I also find rocking to be very soothing when I am anxious, and it keeps me alert when I am bored or having a hard time focusing. I don't know whether this is because of ADHD/anxiety, or if it is Asperger's.

(D) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
Not sure if this applies--there are certain "parts of objects" that I like to physically manipulate to calm myself, but I don't hold an interest in them per say.

(III) The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

I struggled with making friends as a child, but as an adult, I feel satisfied in this domain. My symptoms do cause significant problems on the job--I've had to quit several positions due to my challenges (mostly issues with focus, disorganization, dropping items due to low muscle tone).

(IV) There is no clinically significant general delay in language (E.G. single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

I was a slightly late talker.

(V) There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction) and curiosity about the environment in childhood.

My numerical skills were very delayed, and I still struggle with calculation today. I also have severe visual-spatial deficits and a very low processing speed (in the severely impaired range). I struggle with poor coordination and have a hard time opening jars, holding objects without dropping them, and performing self-care (particularly shaving myself and brushing my hair).

(VI) Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia."

I do not have schizophrenia and haven't been diagnosed with another PDD.


Other symptoms: I have sensitivity to touch. While I can handle hugs, I have extreme issues being touched at the doctors. When I get my blood pressure taken, I started screaming, and I can't handle a doctor's hands on my body.



What do you think--Asperger's or misdiagnosed?

Misdiagnosed. I know a few people who were shy loners as kids and now they're very extroverted. Maybe you have ADD (but don't take me word for it!)

Social interactions is THE defining factor that makes or breaks an Aspergers'. Even those who adapt well have trouble reading people, empathising or having many close friends or a social life. (My dad is a well-adapted Aspie whom people find pleasant, but struggles to understand feelings and hasn't got a real social life).

Not all aspies have all of what's considered the usual symptoms of AS. People are different.

I suspect I've been misdiagnosed as well. When I was a kid I recieved a lot of different diagnoses including one diagnosis of autism. A social worker advised my mom to stick with the autism label because of services. One person even thought I was mentally ret*d because I didn't know enough English to understand her. When I learned a bit more English I got retested by her and she said I had a high IQ instead of mental retardation.

Loner, Actor, Outcast... You can be an outcast and not know it. You could also be taking every symptom that is used to Diagnose Autism/Aspergers literally. When they say lack social skills, you said it yourself " I feel that my challenges with tone and volume which I tried to address in the class are caused by anxiety and executive function issues rather than a lack of social understanding" anxiety is a huge part to why people with ASD have social issues. Its not that we all dont know how to talk or act or read completely, but the anxiety causes our brains to shut down and we can not communicate effectively and as quickly as NTs. All of what you said goes into one pile of ASD on social skills. If you do not feel you are, and you want it taken from your name, you do not have to take a label you do not feel fits.

Mine could probably be explained about the same way. I was diagnosed with ADHD. I am not sure if NLD fits me, probably not, but I think I have mild dyspraxia and dyslexia, and I'd have to include SPD. I'm just not sure how you differentiate between having a collection of disorders, vs. one syndrome or spectrum disorder that covers most of it. The best thing I can settle on for now is PDD-NOS.

Like you I also have low muscle tone, and trouble gripping things. Things just fall out of my hands. I have to grip a pen really hard to write. My back muscles get tied in knots when I do anything standing and using my hands, like washing the dishes. I get tired and out of breath very easily. Autism explains a lot for me, but it doesn't really explain my physical problems, which are far more concerning to me than anything else.

Wow, thank you so much for writing the last paragraph. I have been going to the doctors for years because of my muscle problems and I have the same problem with pencils and standing, I never thought to put it with something like ASD or something similar cause for some reason, I took it as having it severe. This explains why when I was a kid I had awful time writing my homework cause my arm was "tired". YES, ASD has a lot to do with muscle tone. It is one of the more defined childhood symptoms.

Im a moot and so are you lets hug it out

I think for some aspies it's not that empathizing is an issue so much as the type of empathizing NTs are used to and expect. We empathize a different way, but we have empathy.

Is it that you were misdiagnosed or you have learned to adapt?

I have adaption ups and downs, like a temporary mask fades away and suddenly i'm left with all the issues I usually have.

When I adapt well and I act well (though it's still tasking) I don't end up with too many issues. During these times I often question if I was misdiagnosed. But when that mask fades away I eventually find myself more sensitive to sensory issues because of the lack of mental preparation and stimming going mad.

You could be right, but based on your description it sounds more you take the criteria too literal. For example here (this is just an example):

That is a typical reason for trouble with eye contact for persons with aspergers/HFA - to have a hard tome focusing on what the person is saying and the eyes simultaneously (I have this problem). The other issues you describe are also typical of aspergers.

That autism tend to cause difficulties with eye contact, social interaction and other typical autism symptoms doesn't mean that it magically does so. The difficulties are caused by a myriad of underlying reasons that are interlinked and differ from person to person. That is why autism is called a "fruit salad" as an analogy - there can as many combinations of elements as there are people. Typical major elements are executive function issues, sensory processing disorder, social leaning issues, anxiety, and some of the physical symptoms you describe.

It sounds like aspergers to me. All the symptoms and traits you are describing actually are common struggles for people with as. It could be lots of things combined, like dyspraxia, nld (which in my opinion is asperges but anyway), anxiety, muscle issues etc but in those cases aspergers fits better because it covers all of those overlapping symptoms of all those disorder.
what worries me is that you said you have little in common with other aspies. I think that's very important because 1) identity and 2) describing traits online is not nearly as effective as the real persons behavior and attitudes in real life. Why don't you explain to us more about why you think you are not like the other aspies? Can you give some examples? Maybe you're just milder than them.

one last thing, but that's only my opinion (temple grandin says something about that too but not on those terms), I think there are two major types of aspies, one of those types are the empathetic ones, which have different traits than the "cold" ones (more like the stereotype) What I have been reading of other users here fits this idea, maybe you just have to find other empathetic-sensitive types like you.

You don't *have* to have no social skills to be asperger's.

You can learn them, and some of us do, be it naturally or by experience. Some of us even have social skills but don't exercise them because they make us uncomfortable.

I felt differently from the other Aspies I met in real life because they seemed to have limited social cognition, whereas I've been told that my understanding of other people is one of my strengths. When I get discouraged because of my attention, visual-spatial, and coordination issues, I can always count on a good conversation with someone to boost my self-esteem. When I've had a bad day due to my other problems, I instantly feel better when I'm interacting with someone, whether a co-worker, classmate, or friend, because I feel like at least I can do something well--keeping someone engaged, making them laugh with a good joke, showing that I care about their day, etc. The other Aspies that I met tend to view social interaction as something that depletes their energy, but I find social interaction to be very energizing. I was expecting that I would connect very well with the other Aspies since I had been diagnosed, but I actually found that it is easier for me to forge relationships with NT's. When I would ask the other Aspies questions, they generally weren't too interested in sustaining the conversation--I would generally get very brief responses.

Something else I've found with some, though not all other Aspies, is that they struggle with boundaries and understanding what is socially appropriate. An Aspie guy who I barely knew held my hand and made some comments about sexual topics, something that I would never dream of doing. I have been told by many people that I am respectful and polite, and I've never received feedback about problems understanding social cues or boundaries.

I also found that my friends were surprised when I told them I was diagnosed with Asperger's. A few of them said that I was nothing like other people they have met with Asperger's and that I strike them as someone very socially engaged. One of my friends commented that while I have many symptoms of Asperger's, I am missing the primary symptom: challenges with social interactions.

I think it is interesting that you mention the idea of empathetic Aspies versus the stereotype. All of the Aspies I met exemplify the media's notion of someone with Asperger's--not interested in other people, awkward, quiet, and obsessive. I will also note that all of the Aspies I've met are males, so I have never encountered another gal with Asperger's in real life.

Can you give an example of AS with empathy and NT with empathy? I never really understood any of it to be honest. How differently do we express?