Did you know that Aspies don't get married?

Page 5 of 7 [ 108 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7  Next

Unknown_Quantity
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Age: 48
Gender: Male
Posts: 483
Location: Australia

02 Oct 2007, 6:50 am

Well, I've been married for 9 years now. I didn't know that was a defining factor, I better tell my counsellor before I go to all the trouble of putting "Aspie" on my business cards.

Oh that's right, she KNOWS I'm married, because she gave me all these books to give to my wife about being married to an Aspie! Wow, my psychologist must really suck if she doesn't know the whole "marriage disqualifies AS" rule! :roll:

See another doctor, my dear. You deserve better.



CeriseLy
Toucan
Toucan

User avatar

Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 252

02 Oct 2007, 1:58 pm

I've never been afraid of becoming a spinster. I definitely think it is easier for girls than boys to find someone who wants to marry them. But I wouldn't want to be married just to be married. I want my own place, to travel and to learn languages. I think I am a magnet for people who want me to be nice to them and take care of them and cerisely, I don't want to provide concierge services for anyone.



Wolfpup
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 14 Apr 2007
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,409
Location: Central Illinois, USA

03 Oct 2007, 3:07 pm

unnamed wrote:
Edward R. Ritvo, MD out at UCLA School of Medicine is working very hard to prove to the medical community that people on the autistic spectrum DO get married and have children. He recently posted a thread on WP asking for aspie volunteers to help him and his team come up with a more accurate tool to diagnose adults on the spectrum, but he got such a negative response from some people here that he gave up. I and several of my relatives are participating, and it's something I'm really proud to be doing. I understand that a lot of people here may have had bad experiences with shrinks, but it's ironic and unfortunate that he was treated so badly on WP, where so many threads are started by people saying that no one in the mental health profession believes they have AS. :?


That's unfortunate, and I'm kind of surprised too, as it seems like people here are mostly really nice.

Belle77 wrote:
I had a boyfriend as a teenager that I stayed with for 2 and half years. He was the first guy who ever showed any interest in me, and if he hadn't I doubt that I would have dated. That's pretty much how all 4 of my relationships have been.


Unfortunately that's the only way I got into my sole long term relationship. I'd pretty much have to have a woman walk up to me and say "hi, would you like to start dating?" Yay me :(

AnnabelLee wrote:
So....aspies don't marry? Won't my husband be curious to hear that?
As for the high IQ, that actually assisted my getting a diagnosis. MOST aspies have an IQ above 140. Ask her about Einstein. He was aspie...and he married. Ask her about Bill Gates. He's not really forward about it, but he is a diagnosed aspie and married AND his IQ is 160.


Are you sure he was actually diagnosed? I've heard Bill Gates' name used a lot, but I thought that was just speculation (though it does seem perfectly possible). Einstein seems really likely based on everything we know of his life, his family members, etc.



9CatMom
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Jan 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 5,403

03 Oct 2007, 7:56 pm

Tell that to Roger Bannister! He's been married for over 50 years now to his wife Moyra and the couple has four children and 14 grandchildren.



opal
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Jul 2007
Age: 56
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,118
Location: Australia

04 Oct 2007, 5:17 am

Just in case I haven't responded to this particular thread yet, let me say -

Bollocks!


Opal; 40 , diagnosed, married 8.5 years to a wonderful guy. :wink:

Edited for spelling



Lautbiru
Hummingbird
Hummingbird

User avatar

Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 19

04 Oct 2007, 5:31 am

Einstein seems to fit in what Aspies have in common - an low-acheiving genius in school.

Also, Einstein like me could speak very late in his childhood. I started to speak when I was 6 and a half, according to my mother.



Wolfpup
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 14 Apr 2007
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,409
Location: Central Illinois, USA

04 Oct 2007, 9:36 am

I think that technically disqualifies AS, at least by the "official" guidelines.



ChatBrat
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Feb 2007
Age: 64
Gender: Female
Posts: 501
Location: On the Wrong Planet with you

04 Oct 2007, 9:52 am

Wolfpup wrote:
I think that technically disqualifies AS, at least by the "official" guidelines.


What does? You mean getting married?


_________________
I'm selfish, impatient, &
a little insecure.
I make mistakes, I am
out of control, & at times
hard to handle.
But if you can't handle
me at my worst,
then you sure as hell
don't deserve me
at my best.
-Marilyn Monroe


Wolfpup
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 14 Apr 2007
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,409
Location: Central Illinois, USA

04 Oct 2007, 10:02 am

No, talking late, as per the post above me.



Prof_Pretorius
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,520
Location: Hiding in the attic of the Arkham Library

04 Oct 2007, 11:13 am

Married for 17 years. Got married at age 33, rather late for men. Had a lot of problems dating. Ended up in a relationship with a horrible alcoholic who was probably bi-polar. We had a daughter, but never got married. Dated my wife for about two years, and we both had doubts about the other one(! !!??)

It's difficult for ASpies to date, and more difficult to find someone to be in a committed marriage relationship with. We don't do well with stress, and marriage can be very stressful. I know three chaps, all within probability of being ASpie, and they're in their 50's and never married. Confirmed bachelors?? The one bloke lives in a house cluttered with boxes of stuff he sells on Ebay. And I do mean cluttered!! ! I asked him when his cleaning lady was coming 'round to dust, and he said she quit!! Had a good laugh over that ! !! ! He's the male equivalent of a crazy cat lady!! !


_________________
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go. ~Theodore Roethke


Belle77
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 9 Feb 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,078

17 Nov 2007, 3:27 am

I thought I'd update this topic with what's happened since my original post in case anyone's interested...this will be a long post.

It took me FIVE weeks to finally have another appointment with that psychiatrist. Two appointments were canceled because she called in sick, one was canceled because she had a car accident (that I didn't find out about until I'd been sitting in the waiting room for 20 minutes!), and one appointment was 'lost' and given to someone else so I drove to the facility for no reason.

I finally had the appointment on Oct. 29th. I was very nervous about it because I didn't really know how to start my counter-argument to her statement that I couldn't have Asperger Syndrome because I'm married. I'd been stewing over this statement and wondering if I should even bother trying to get help from this lady.

She started by asking me what I'd done the previous week, which I found humorous since it had been five weeks since she last saw me. I said that I'd been doing what I always do, which is watch TV and do things on the Internet. She asked me what I do on the Internet and I said that I read entertainment news, forums, and write on my blog. She asked what my blog was and I said that it was my online journal, so she asked what I write about. I hesitated for a bit, because this was the moment of truth when I'd have to confront her about Asperger Syndrome. I said, "Well, I don't really feel comfortable bringing this up because of the response that I got last time, but I write about why I think that I have Asperger Syndrome."

I told her that I didn't think the fact that I'm married should preclude me from having AS. She said that I was right, it wouldn't. Then I said, "But that's what you told me last time." So she backtracked and said that she didn't think I had Asperger Syndrome because of other reasons, such as that I seemed high-functioning. I told her that I seemed high-functioning because I was in a one-on-one situation with someone who was fairly easy to talk to. I said that if she observed me in a group of people, she'd find me to be low- or non-functioning. And I said that she barely knew me so how could she make a judgement about me so quickly. She agreed that she barely knew me and actually apologized for jumping to conclusions. She said that we should spend the next few sessions talking about why I think that I have Asperger Syndrome.

We talked about some of my AS symptoms, and at the end of the appointment she said that it sounded like I may have some AS traits. I could tell that she was leaning toward PDD-NOS because she'd kept saying that there were different forms of AS. Whatever, at least I'd made some progress and there was lots more to talk about in future sessions. We set another appointment for Nov 6th at 11am.

Well, imagine my surprise *sarcasm* when I get a call from the receptionist at 9am on Nov 6th saying that the doctor had called in sick yet again. And that it would be another 2 to 3 weeks before I could get another appointment. I finally lost it and said that it was ridiculous how many canceled appointments I've had considering I'm not doing well.

Long story short, I got a call from the Attending psychiatrist and we decided that I should be assigned to a different Resident. I had my first appointment with my new doctor this morning and the difference in quality and attitude was amazing. He told me that he's a fouth year Resident while my previous doctor was a third year Resident. We started from scratch and he was much better at asking questions and listening to responses than my previous doctor.

When we discussed my sensory issues, I had been referring to notes that I had typed up so I'd remember things to talk about. What really impressed me was that at the end of the appointment he asked if he could photocopy my notes. I'd actually taken two copies of the notes hoping that he'd be interested in seeing them and we could refer to the same papers. If he's able to take the time to look over them, he may be able to really help me because he'll understand my problems better than I can explain them through verbal communication. Then he'll know what's important to discuss to get to the root of my issues.

We have a standing appointment for Fridays at 10am. Unfortunately we can't meet next week because of the four day Thanksgiving weekend, but I finally have a little hope that things will get better one of these days. And he didn't even have a ticking clock in his office! He had a beautiful, soothing fishtank. :D



Danielismyname
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Apr 2007
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,565

17 Nov 2007, 3:34 am

Quote:
Individuals without mental retardation who are found to have Asperger syndrome frequently improve enough to live independent adult lives, and they may marry.

Quote:
High-functioning patients may live independently, hold jobs successfully, and even marry and have children.

Quote:
High-functioning individuals with autistic disorder are similar to people with Asperger syndrome.


Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Pervasive Developmental Disorder: Autism



ChatBrat
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Feb 2007
Age: 64
Gender: Female
Posts: 501
Location: On the Wrong Planet with you

17 Nov 2007, 4:40 am

Hey Belle! It's good to get an update from you! I'm sooo glad that you got another pdoc! That first one didn't impress me at all from things you told us. She sounds uneducated or inexperienced when it comes to AS... maybe even Autism in general. The new one sounds much better. Please update your progression towards a diagnosis. I've love to hear about it weekly, if you wouldn't mind. Have a great weekend!


_________________
I'm selfish, impatient, &
a little insecure.
I make mistakes, I am
out of control, & at times
hard to handle.
But if you can't handle
me at my worst,
then you sure as hell
don't deserve me
at my best.
-Marilyn Monroe


Belle77
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 9 Feb 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,078

17 Nov 2007, 5:01 am

Hi ChatBrat, I'm glad that you're interested in my diagnosis story, and I hope that it helps you in some way. :)

I've been wanting to update, but there just hasn't been a reason to because of all of these canceled appointments and I've been so frustrated. I'm glad that I finally stood up for myself! I'll definitely do regular updates in this thread to let you know how it's going (and anyone else that might be interested). My next appointment is Nov 30th...this will be the first time that I don't have to worry about organizing notes before an appointment since I spent the last almost 2 months fine-tuning my notes and my new pdoc has them now.

I'd love to go back and edit my original post title to make it obvious that this is a diagnosis story thread, but sadly, it's been more than 9999 minutes since I posted it. How annoying.



lastcrazyhorn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 10 Oct 2007
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,170
Location: Texas

17 Nov 2007, 9:26 am

The trait (or lack thereof) that people keep throwing in my face is the supposed lack of empathy aspies are supposed to have.

"But you DO care about other people!"

*headdesk*

Whoever said that aspies don't have empathy needs to be kicked in the balls.


_________________
"I am to misbehave" - Mal

BATMAN: I'll do everything I can to rehabilitate you.
CATWOMAN: Marry me.
BATMAN: Everything except that.

http://lastcrazyhorn.wordpress.com - "Odd One Out: Reality with a refreshing slice of aspie"


CeriseLy
Toucan
Toucan

User avatar

Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 252

17 Nov 2007, 9:38 am

well my aspie dad got married and I often wished he hadn't for his own sake and ours. My aspie grandmother was married and that didn't work out too well for her either.