Hello, I'm Mark from UK

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Hi to everybody on this site.

I've made my way over from another forum after conversing with somebody diagnosed with High Functioning Autism and realised I have remarkable similarities. I have always come across as being a shy person, I have bad social anxiety and have difficulty with eye contact. I have good academic ability and enjoy learning about different things. Recently I've been studying evolution & strength training, I'm trying to learn to walk on my hands, but I will move back onto programming again soon.

I have never been diagnosed with anything, but I meet the conditions for High-Functioning Autism. I had a delay in language development at age 2 years old whereby I would point at things but not really talk. My mom said I was 3 1/2 years old before she got me to say the word 'No'.

She always called me an absent-minded professor, she says she can't send me up the shop for a bottle of milk because I bring the wrong one back, yet I got the highest grades in my school with minimal effort.

My short-term memory is crap, I would always forget something when going to school and had to assign a number to the items I needed and go through a checklist before leaving the house. I prefer to make a lists of things because my personal management is poor.

If I put a pen down or something else I've got in my hand it takes me ages to find it again, yet I can remember facts, names & numbers having only been exposed to them once. When I'm doing something I can focus very intensley on a given task, sometimes to the point where I don't goto the toilet or feed myself properly.

I hate looking at photos of myself when I was younger. I have bad posture and in a lot of the photos my leg is bent or my head is not straight and I struggle to smile.

I've always been a bit clumsy, I'm always bumping into things. The worst I can remember I walked straight into a parking meter and nearly knocked myself out.

I struggle in social situations and just avoid them whenever possible. I struggle to speak when I'm around people I don't know and find it difficult to respond to people with words and facial expressions. I am a very nervous person and I like my own company. I don't like change and prefer to stick to what I know.

I'm 30 years old now. A few months ago I started taking anti-depressants for the first time and my life has been much improved since, my mom says I'm like a different person. I find they make it much easier for me to integrate with society.

So, there is a bit of information about me. I'm relieved to have some understanding on why I am like I am. I know I'm on the autistic spectrum, I just don't know whereabouts. I don't seem to have such bad problems as the other autistic person I was speaking to.

Please let me know what you think my condition would be classed as. Many thanks.

Anway, I'm glad to be here amongst likeminded people, I thought I'd say hello to you all.

Take care everyone

Mark

Welcome to WP!

Tim

Hi and welcome.

I am a newbie too.

Hi MarkUK30,

You might find it interesting to take the "Aspie Quiz" on http://www.rdos.net/eng/

There's a thread somewhere here about it (it's a new version of it, as of a week or so ago).

Before I learned the name "Asperger" last year, I went on anti-depressants briefly - they did nothing for me, but that's no big deal. Much of the stuff you mentioned sounds quite Aspie.

Anyway, read, enjoy and that's about it. And another welcome.

Thanks for the welcome Tim_Tex, Babtor24 & Lau, good to be here.

I took the test, these are the results, but I'm still non the wiser. What does it mean?

Your Aspie score: 115 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 113 of 200
You seem to have both Aspie and neurotypical traits

It quite likely means exactly what you thought... that you have some traits which seem a bit Aspie-ish, but overall you probably wouldn't be diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome.

The online test is in no way definitive. Take it with a pinch of salt.

In any case, still feel welcome. We accept associate member who are pure neurotypical.

Thanks for the reply. Is aspergers different from High Functioning Autism?

I didn't think I have aspergers just some of the traits like you say, things like my social ineptness and avoiding eye contact made me look into aspergers originally but I know somebody whose son has it and he is nowhere near my level of functionality so I thought I maybe had high functioning autism. It would also go part of the way to explaining how my short term memory is like a sieve but my long term memory is like a sponge. I'd like to be able to say I have a) or b) and not something inbetween. I know I am different from the vast majority of people, I just don't know what word or term describes it.

Usually those with aspergers are higher functioning than those with HFA but everyone is different. Even those with Aspergers have a very wide varying range of functionality, depending on severity. You sound more aspie in your academic ability and aspies also have trouble with eye contact and social awareness, though I think for Asperger's dx you have to have met childhood milestones at normal times whereas with HFA they are usually late (as you state with talking). You should be evaluated as both can be quite similar.

Hi, Mark!

How are you at the moment?

Welcome!

Hello there MarkUK30. Welcome to WP.

Nice to meet you! Welcome to WP!
Thank you for the interesting story on yourself...I am not in the position to diagnose...but I could recognize many factors pertaining to AS...I hope you enjoy posting here

Hi Mark. I'm 33 years old.

I was always called the absent-minded professor in high school by my teachers ... and also got high grades in school (although I had to put effort in). I am N.T. and have a 7 year old son with Asperger's.

Hope you enjoy this site. I love it and have found it a great source of inspiration. It's also great when I'm feeling down about my son.

Regards
Smelena

Thanks for the welcome everyone and for your comments.

I'm ok at the moment, but my sleeping patterns have gone again. I'm trying to keep control of it, I feel like a zombie this morning, a few coffees should sort that out. I need to try to start getting up at a reasonable time again tomorrow.

I have to go and sign on for unemployment benefit tomorrow again, I've been unemployed for a month now. I'm not looking forward to working again. I can't lie to save my life, last time I went I told them I had applied for 2 jobs but I haven't even done my CV yet.

I have some excellent skills which make me highly employable, including very fast typing speeds, excellent all-round computer skills and I learn incredibly quickly. I can get a job quite easily when I'm ready and I'll have to soon as my overdraft is going up, I've got the mortgage to pay but it is unlikely I'll ever earn the money I deserve.

I'm not looking forward to having to start a new job with strange people in a strange place, I feel like an alien. I'm just gonna get some job where I can be left on my own with a computer. I'm the worlds best procrastinator.

I was just using this time to learn a few things and try to understand more about myself.

When I can manage to drag myself off to get a doctor I'll tell him and see what he says and see if I can get evaluated. I haven't seen a doctor since I was 12 when I told him I needed amoxicillin for my 'swollen glands'. He said "Why do you want that?" and I replied "Because it has an extended microbial spectrum and excellent oral absorption rates, why what are you going to give me?". He said "Amoxicillin", I wasn't impressed with him, he should know that, he's a doctor. I think I knew more about antibiotics than him, and I was at school.

Thanks again for the welcome, I like this site very much and the people on it.

welcome to wp markuk30,

have fun posting

Thanks for the welcome

Anyway, I'm not normal, most people just sleep in their bed, who in their right mind gets the idea to try to balance on it at 30 years of age.

(I've taken the photos down now)

Last edited by MarkUK30 on 19 Apr 2007, 5:36 am, edited 1 time in total.