Do I have Aspergers? (probably overused question , sorry)

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Hey everyone!

Recently I have decided that I've had enough (Im 17 now) and need to know what is causing me to be the way I am! Different , I suppose would be the way to describe.

Now when I say different I mean that I have felt different all my life. I have always felt like the outcast and the one outside of the group or person that doesn't belong. I have gone to a psychotherapist and explained this to her and she says its very possible I have Aspergers syndrome because I have traits. For me that isn't enough, hopefully very soon I can get a proper diagnosis . For now I'd like to hear your opinions.

I can make eye contact to a certain degree and only with people I feel I am truly comfortable with or if I'm drunk

Prefer to be alone , but after a while I will feel lonely and fustrated because everyone else can blend in so well and talk to each other so seamlessly , as if they are integrated in a system.

I hate when my daily habits don't happen, but if I have to not do it, I get over it and stay content after. For example , daily I need to do some form of excercise ( It's become an obsession lately actually, I have routines planned in my head.) If I don't do it i'll occasionally get angry in person but most of the time it's all in my head the burden that I'm not doing what I am meant to be doing. This is the same with music and computers, Daily I feel the need to study it and ATLEAST learn one thing about it, If I don't I feel its a wasted day and that time has been lost, You see for me everything is very planned and calculated, life is a form of math to me.

When in groups of people, I tend to only talk and become eccentric and hyper active with certain people, A selective mutism is what I label it. ( And I can become very hyperactive , I don't know why or how it happens , I just suddenly get a jolt of excitedness, whether it feels like im being accepted or I fit in for that split second)

I can only do 1 on 1 conversations with certain people, if not someone I feel I can do it with, it normally doesn't go too well or I act up and try to change my personality to suit them so I can get through the conversation without looking stupid.

If I want to learn something I have to know WHY it works like that, not just the front label, I need the behind the scenes.

Sorry if It looks like I have been ranting, you see this is another reason why I have waited so long to get peoples help and opinion, I fear that it would make me look like I am trying to look for attention or try to make me look unique .

Ask away more questions if needs be, I would love opinions.

Thanks for you'r time

If you think you might have Asperger's - you might try taking some of the online quizzes that are available such as this one:

http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

and this one:

http://aspietests.org/eq/index.php


NOTE: You do NOT have to sign up on the site to take these tests. You only have to answer your age group, your sex and whether or not you have or are suspected of having an Autism Spectrum Disorder. After answering those questions you can skip the rest and go straight to the test.

When I saw that I scored in the mild to moderate range of the autistic spectrum - I contacted a psychiatrist I already knew who did a preliminary evaluation and is planning to do a full detailed evaluation.

That is one way to establish in you own mind where you might be at.

I am much the same, especially the knowing why part. If I don't know why something is a certain way, it bothers me a lot. I recently got diagnosed, so yeah you might want to look into it, especially if you think it's causing problems in your life.

The most common reply that you are going to receive to such a question is that "Only a trained psychologist/psychiatrists can diagnose one with an autistic spectrum disorder." There is a bit of truth in this, as the professionals have studied the diagnostic criteria much longer than have many of the people one would meet online (though, to be fair, many individuals here have studied the topic of autism more intensely than do most therapists. However, even the 'professionals' cannot, at this point, determine with 100% accuracy that one has or does not have Asperger's or any other mental disorder, as such determinations are based on how said professionals interpret how you present yourself that day and how they interpret the diagnostic criteria; it is sometimes the case that one professional will clearly see a person's symptoms as Aspergers whereas another person will not see the Asperger's at all and see your symptoms as, say, Social Communication Disorder or Social Anxiety Disorder.

That being said, only the professionals can give you an official, on-paper diagnosis that is often needed for such things as Social Security/Disability and receiving accommodations at work or school, if that is what you need.

Now, you can look at the diagnostic criteria for Asperger's (click for link) yourself and see how you compare to that; you can also take the rdos/Aspie Quiz, the Autism Quotient, and/or the PDD Assessment to see how your symptoms compare to those who are thought to have Asperger's or autism and those who are not (there should be a stick at the top of this form (here) with more assessments, if you would like). None of these are meant to be an official diagnosis, but they can provide some useful insight.

Regardless of whether or not you eventually receive an official diagnosis of any particular disorder, I hope that you find much acceptance and happiness on this site and in your life.

Welcome to Wrong Planet.

Knowing why you are the way you are be it Aspergers or something else is is important.

Another question to ask yourself is if your life is being inhibited by these traits.

Based on what you wrote I would agree with your psych in that you enough traits to being on the Autism Spectrum is a realistic possibility. Asperger traits do overlap with other conditions. It is not uncommon for Autistic traits to seem like "normal" traits because one has lived ones whole life with them.

Good Luck

Thank you so much guys ! You are all very understanding, I am getting a referral very soon.

I find it funny how for most of my life I have deemed all this normal, It is only recently that I have looked back and reflected on my actions and thoughts.