questions

[puppy]

a work colleague who started a little while ago now is supposedly diagnosed with autism, shes in her early 20s but i was at school with an autistic boy and know a little bit about the condition and im not sure weve been informed correctly, so i thought maybe the management got it wrong or were confused about certain aspects of what theyd been told as she is very good with eye contact and can relate to people fine like the rest of us, i dont even recognise her condition as high functioning autism, what else could her condition be ?

the only difference between my work colleague and the rest of us is her general hygiene, her tendency to giggle a lot, and i mean alot ! and her overly happy personality which may be down to medications she is on, although i know nothing about that

 

[uniquetadpole]

I have Asperberger's Syndrome with is a form of Autism...and most people who meet me don't know I have an issue...just that I am a bit different or like my boss calls it "unique". I have very good eye contact at work because I have to...so I work very hard at it. But at home you can forget it...too much work. I would say she may not be misdiagnosed...

You can read more about AS in my other thread in this forum...hopefully it will help you understand...The Autistic Spectrum is just that a Spectrum...no two people with autism is alike...they simple tend to share some traits...and believe it or not...lack of eye contact is not a trait found in every autistic individual...

Autism is a neurological disorder...with basically means we have faulty wiring. Sometimes my senses work properly and sometimes they don't. Sometimes I am oversensitive to touch and sometimes I am undersensitive...and sometimes I am both at the same time...talk about driving someone nutz. There is so much to learn about the disorder...that you really really can't judge a book by its cover when it comes to autism.

I think that if you have a specific question about her autism...you could probably simply ask her if she minds answering some questions you have on how her autism affects her...my guess is she probably wouldn't mind sharing at all. And she would probably enjoy someone taking an interest in her...I know I would.

 

[kayd1966]

Autism is a spectum disorder, which means that every single person with autism is different. My son, has really good eye contact and loves being around people but he is considered high functioning autism.

I am wondering why your boss told you? Did she ask that the staff be informed?

 

[Mirelys]

First, you should probably ask your colleague. People start talking and the funniest rumors come out.
Like Tad said, sometimes eye contact is not a problem. Sometimes it's just work, and sometimes it's not knowing how to properly use eye contact. When I am talking to someone, unless they or I am overly emotional, I use continuous eye contact. I didn't realize this was unsettling to people until recently.

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

You'd never guess my son had autism. My family still denies it. Like others have said, it's a spectrum and varies quite a bit from person to person. It's like saying, I have a german friend with blonde hair and blue eyes so anybody with darker hair or eyes cannot be german because I already know what a german looks like.

by the way, my son with autism has a very wacky sense of humor and loves to be snuggled...not exactly what the general public would view as autism, eh?

 

[Fangtastic]

My son also has autism but people can't guess this. He can be perfectly in tune and then flip over into his shut down side. I know it lifetd for awhile with some therapies,then it slipped back in. This is the wierdest disorder I could ever parent. I don't think anyone has the answers for what IS autistic or what you look for that is right on with every kid. To be diagnosed in your 20's though,sounds too off. I'd need to be convinced by more than a few docs.

 

[Snoofles]

i worked with autistic children for four years, and each one was so different. some of them you wouldn't guess had it until something set them off. they were so in tune with things, were good communicators, but others were into their own little worlds so much, where it was safe for them and wouldn't communicate much with the rest of us. it does sound odd too that she wouldn't be diagnosed until she was in her 20's.

 

[uniquetadpole]

To be diagnosed in your 20's though,sounds too off. I'd need to be convinced by more than a few docs.

I was not diagnosed until I was 34...why? for two reasons really 1) because my parents compensated for me and thought nothing more than I was different and that was okay with them and 2) because I am high functioning enough to be able to masque my own issues...I did not need a doctor for me to know I had issues on the autism spectrum...heck I wasn't diagnosed with anything until I was in my 20's at which point I was misdiagnosed with ADD. How ever I did need the diagnosis to prove to others there was a problem...because I wa so good at masquing it...and I also needed it to prove to me that I wasn't stupid. I felt stupid because of my inabilites with my social skills. I needed to know that it was okay to not "get it" because I had been told the same things I was doing wrong all my life and I kept coming back to the same walls no matter what logic I ended up using...I was in a constant lifelong "catch 22" (still am BTW)...but now I know why and can get help in finding a new way around the wall to make me successful.

 

[Fangtastic]

hmmm..If you say so. I know everyone is different. Quite. You do quite well for Autistic. The Autistic mind usually cannot put what they mean down into words,type ,etc. There is one professor named Temple Grandin out at CSU in Colorado.She is so off the scale-I know dr's have questioned the diagnosis. Anyways,later.

 

[Fangtastic]

i worked with autistic children for four years, and each one was so different. some of them you wouldn't guess had it until something set them off. they were so in tune with things, were good communicators, but others were into their own little worlds so much, where it was safe for them and wouldn't communicate much with the rest of us. it does sound odd too that she wouldn't be diagnosed until she was in her 20's.

Hey Snoof.

 

[Mirelys]

hmmm..If you say so. I know everyone is different. Quite. You do quite well for Autistic. The Autistic mind usually cannot put what they mean down into words,type ,etc.

Excuse me?! Some do quite well.

 

[Snoofles]

Hey Snoof. (quote from Fangy.... i'm an idiot and forgot to quote his post before i typed mine in)

hi fangy