Just diagnosed with Asperger's...

Sabertooth said:

If you read about prophets [in this context; not the office of Prophet], they are said to be black & white thinkers, who resonate with the sense of order afforded in the Law/holiness. They still recognize Grace, Repentance & Salvation, but advocate that (once saved) walking in obedience to Jesus' commands and the Word, generally, is the best place to be. And, when failing, repenting (per 1 John 1:9) and returning to that place of obedience.

Those inclinations parallel the Aspie experience.

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I'll have to think about that. Ty.

I am also unofficially diagnosed. more of a self-diagnosis.

it was a relief for me because I now had the answer as to why socializing never worked for me. when I got saved I was given a peace about my social situation. I was no longer depressed about being isolated. I got another layer of peace when I discovered my AS.

as far as the not getting jokes and being too literal thing....yep, that's me. do you also have issues with making eye contact?

celestialpearl said:

Yep, always have. I score a 195 on raads-r.

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I took it again and got a 138 which is about 10 points below the average for officially diagnosed and suspected. this due to not suffering as much with sensory issues.

THE W said:

I am also unofficially diagnosed. more of a self-diagnosis.

it was a relief for me because I now had the answer as to why socializing never worked for me. when I got saved I was given a peace about my social situation. I was no longer depressed about being isolated. I got another layer of peace when I discovered my AS.

as far as the not getting jokes and being too literal thing....yep, that's me. do you also have issues with making eye contact?

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I have no issues with my salvation but more with building a relationship with Him. My whole life has been a struggle socially and spiritually - mostly because I was involved with a teaching ministry so they overlapped. I have a very difficult time being in a church service situation because of stimulus overload but would love to be there in order to worship.

I have not been officially dx'd but I scored way high on the test and, having been a special ed teacher (how ironic, eh?) I can see how I fit perfectly in an Asperger's diagnosis. I'm 60 and have so many frustrations from my life!

I'm happy to have found here for sure!

celestialpearl said:

Perhaps a better way to phrase it, is my mind works in a slightly different way. There are other people whose minds also work in a way similar to mine and we might be able to communicate and get along better!

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I found this to be true with my mother-in-law, who we now realize was probably Aspie too.

faroukfarouk said:

@celestialpearl In summary, you know that "ye must be born again" (John chapter 3), which puts you at an incomparable advantage over secular psychological experts.

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This is no help at all in practical matters of dealing with autism. Not everything is a spiritual matter. Sometimes people want to talk about autism, not religious platitudes.

The fact is that therapists can be enormously helpful, regardless of their religious orientation. I worked with a woman that specialized in trauma recovery and she was able to use many therapies oriented towards people with limited verbal abilities, such as play therapy. If a person who is autistic has trouble with conventional talk therapy, that is no sign of being a failure. It's just a matter of having the wrong therapist.

celestialpearl said:

As for analysis and self absorption, I've struggled with it! I agree there is a definite downside to diagnosis etc.

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You can overcome those things. Anything that gets you away from ruminating thoughts is good. Also, you can work on mindfulness techniques so that you can tone down how much rumination bothers you.

I've taken up drawing in a coloring book when I get stressed. Doing things like washing dishes is also good. Anything that involves getting outside your head is useful. Sometimes a change of pace is not what we want, but it's what we need. So we should avoid getting stuck in ruts even if its uncomfortable to get outside routine.

If you have alot of difficulties avoiding meltdowns, you might want to get a pressure vest or squeeze machine.

The most important thing to remember about an autism diagnosis is that it is descriptive, not prescriptive. It doesn't limit what you can do, necessarily, it's a description.