A few questions re aspergers

[LovebirdsFlying]

I scored pretty strongly for Aspergers on several self-diagnosis tests. In general I relate heavily to the symptoms. Sorry, but I haven't read all through the stickies here on the subject. Right now I don't have enough attention span--which is pretty indicative, right? My attention span comes and goes. Sometimes I have a goldfish brain, and other times I get a hold of an idea and can't give it a doggone rest.

While I strongly suspect I have Aspergers, I have not been diagnosed medically, but I'm not as interested in proving it on paper as I am in the question of what to do with it when you have it?

 

[joris]

at least, because of some of the things I learned about AS (also already something on the forum ) , I kinda can understand a bit why things are hard to me. So well, as I can be very insecure about myself, learning such things helped a bit.
Apart from that... not too sure what to do with it myself yet

 

[Scatterbrain]

I scored pretty strongly for Aspergers on several self-diagnosis tests. In general I relate heavily to the symptoms. Sorry, but I haven't read all through the stickies here on the subject. Right now I don't have enough attention span--which is pretty indicative, right? My attention span comes and goes. Sometimes I have a goldfish brain, and other times I get a hold of an idea and can't give it a doggone rest.

While I strongly suspect I have Aspergers, I have not been diagnosed medically, but I'm not as interested in proving it on paper as I am in the question of what to do with it when you have it?

I have high functioning autism myself, and I have a friend named Tony with aspergers. I am not exact on all the signs and symptoms, but I am pretty good at picking people out that have aspergers and autism in real life. People with aspergers may have social problems and difficulty making friends like others, problems with eye contact, clumsiness, and usually have a narrow set of interests in which they are obsessed with. From what I have seen in my friend Tony, he is an absolute expert at what he is interested in, but has great difficulty focusing and understanding things that he doesn't care for. The same goes for me. I have great difficulty focusing on things that bore me, and sometimes someone will have to tell me something (like instructions for example) 2 or 3 times simply because I keep wandering halfway through because it bores me. I also have a problem with listening and glossing over parts of something someone says. Especially in forums I will do this. Sometimes I will make a big long reply to the OP that I spent over a half hour on just to see that I glossed over something obvious later on. The problem has little to do with intelligence though.

I suppose if you do find out you have aspergers, even pretty badly, find something that you're very good at so people will not notice social problems and awkwardness as much. Keep your mind busy with things that you are good at. Then people will focus on the fact that you can help them, and not that you don't fit in socially.

 

[Scatterbrain]

Oh, and might I add, difficulty understanding jokes in real-time.

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

People with aspergers may have social problems and difficulty making friends like others, problems with eye contact, clumsiness, and usually have a narrow set of interests in which they are obsessed with.

Wow, that sure sounds a lot like me.

I have great difficulty focusing on things that bore me, and sometimes someone will have to tell me something (like instructions for example) 2 or 3 times simply because I keep wandering halfway through because it bores me.

Sounds like me, too. When someone is talking, if it's a very long speech, I tend to tune it out and hear only the person's voice talking... no idea what the words are. Especially if there is no eye contact going on.

I also have a problem with listening and glossing over parts of something someone says. Especially in forums I will do this. Sometimes I will make a big long reply to the OP that I spent over a half hour on just to see that I glossed over something obvious later on.

I SOOOO do that.

The problem has little to do with intelligence though.

And I'm SOOOO glad you said that. (By the way, just now I took extra trouble to make sure I had the same amount of o's in one "soooo" as I did the other. Silly, isn't it?) Anyway, I remember my mother slapping me and calling me stupid because I didn't understand her verbal instructions. Later she apologized and said, "I'm sorry I slapped your face like that, but now, I was being clear and you should have understood me..." Barf. That, IMO, is no apology.

She is the one, herself, who stumbled upon some information some time afterward about high-functioning autism and said it sounded like it applied to me. I'm not real clear yet on the dividing line between high-functioning autism and aspergers...

I suppose if you do find out you have aspergers, even pretty badly, find something that you're very good at so people will not notice social problems and awkwardness as much. Keep your mind busy with things that you are good at. Then people will focus on the fact that you can help them, and not that you don't fit in socially.

And that's very good advice whether or not I am ever actually diagnosed. I'm not so much interested in labels. I have plenty of medical diagnoses already. Not sure I really need another one...

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

Oh, forgot to say thank you and all others for posting support. I think I'm going to act on the assumption that I have this, and cope accordingly. God bless, all around.

 

[Scatterbrain]

Oh, forgot to say thank you and all others for posting support. I think I'm going to act on the assumption that I have this, and cope accordingly. God bless, all around.

Like I said though, I don't know everything about aspergers and high functioning autism, usually I can only pick these people out in person. But I was diagnosed with high functioning autism at the age of 2 1/2 by the doctor that my parents always told me supposedly invented time-out (or at least made major advances in time-out and has certainly written books on it), Dr. Edward Christophersen. He was an absolute expert and my mom was astonished that he knew how to communicate with me better than she did! He instantly did things with me that my mom could not do with me. Back then I had other problems. I was smart and far advanced in my lego skills, but I did not stop using diapers until around 4 and started speaking full sentences around that age as well. Around 2 I was echolalic, and extremely hyper. My mom once got her purse stolen in a mall because I outran her because of my interest in a large water fountain. But I digress. It's good to get a professional opinion, I don't want to mislead you.

P.S. - I also flapped my hands and still restrain myself from doing that along with other idiosyncrasies. But I think this only happens mainly with people that have high functioning autism and not aspergers.

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

Wouldn't know how to go about getting a diagnosis--is it really important to have one? Would it make a difference in how I take care of myself? Or would it just be another label to put in my medical chart?

Of course, it does help to have an answer to a question I've heard repeatedly for over 40 years... "If you're so smart, why can't you....."

 

[Scatterbrain]

Wouldn't know how to go about getting a diagnosis--is it really important to have one? Would it make a difference in how I take care of myself? Or would it just be another label to put in my medical chart?

Of course, it does help to have an answer to a question I've heard repeatedly for over 40 years... "If you're so smart, why can't you....."

Certainly talk to a doctor, especially if you don't want to risk having another label that you don't quite need. Unfortunately I don't know how you should go about doing this in the best way. I have mainly only gone to free mental health clinics in my life. You can get diagnosed at one of those if you don't have enough money to go to a more renowned professional. But I've seen some pretty good psychologists at the free clinics. However, like I said, the one that diagnosed me was an absolute professional and well known for his advances in time-out. Getting diagnosed by him surely meant that I had high functioning autism beyond the shadow of a doubt. My mom and dad got an appointment with him through KU or Kansas University med, because I lived in Kansas and still do.

 

[littlenova]

lovebirds,we have alot in common or maybe it's just certain topics and thread you're at i find myself in 2.
i don't have aspergers or even understand what this disorder is,just familiar with autism. u take care though.

 

[Dean Anderson]

Wouldn't know how to go about getting a diagnosis--is it really important to have one? Would it make a difference in how I take care of myself? Or would it just be another label to put in my medical chart?

Of course, it does help to have an answer to a question I've heard repeatedly for over 40 years... "If you're so smart, why can't you....."

If you already lead a normal life, it's not that important to get diagnosed. If you're just curious, go ahead.

I wasn't diagnosed until I was 16 by I think a psychiatrist. (Or was it a psychologist?) Until then, I was misdiagnosed as ADD, which is pretty common.

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

If you already lead a normal life, it's not that important to get diagnosed. If you're just curious, go ahead.

I wasn't diagnosed until I was 16 by I think a psychiatrist. (Or was it a psychologist?) Until then, I was misdiagnosed as ADD, which is pretty common.

Thanks for the advice. I don't lead a "normal" life in that I haven't been able to hold down a conventional job outside of the home, I'm just now learning to drive at age 43, I am on disability benefits, and I need medical intervention to manage mental and physical illness. I guess things really wouldn't change if I added one more label to the list of diagnoses. I'd still be doing the medication and counseling thing.

But maybe the direction of the counseling would change...

I remember when psychiatrists wouldn't even tell patients their diagnoses. The reasoning was that the patient might start self-defining according to diagnosis, and "What do you expect from me? After all, I'm a.... (fill in the blank.)" Nowadays people know their diagnoses, as well they should, but still don't like being defined by them, as well they shouldn't.

So, for informational reasons, I'll investigate the possibility of an Asperger's diagnosis.

Thanks for answering.