Do I really have Asperger's? (REALLY important)

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Dokesi
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20 Sep 2011, 4:43 pm

So, to begin with, I want to clear out the fact that I have been officially diagnosed with Asperger's but I'm still skeptical about it and when I say officially, I obviously mean by doctors who are specialized in this subject. Anyway, let start out with the things that lead me to think that I do have Asperger's and then, the opposite, the list that makes me think that I don't.
Let begin with the list that makes me think I do have it (And of course, I can miss out some, I won't list all of them but when I remember later, I will edit the post and add them because there are too many.

- When I was younger (I am 15 at the moment, I was very closed to others, I lived alone. I remember going to parks and I'd always play alone while my sister went around and played with anybody even if she didn't know them).
- I don't like being surrounded by many people, especially people I don't know or are not close to. Even though, I do want to be social, I do want to have friends, etc.
- My smelling and tasting senses are pretty strong, I can easily smell anything from far away and if it's a bad smell, I get nausea and a headache and I almost throw up, even though, people are around, even if they smell it too, they don't give it much importance and it doesn't affect them as much. Also, I guess it's the same thing for tasting.
- I have a bad posture, even though this is like nothing, but I saw through the symptoms and I was surprised I had even the smallest details, anyway, this could be applied to anyone else but I saw it in the Asperger's symptoms and I think it might be related.
- I do a lot of repetition, this might be OCD related but not sure (I am not diagnosed with OCD) Anyway, a few months before I got diagnosed with Asperger's (I did this summer, July to be more precise), I thought I had OCD, I saw the symptoms and I had the basic ones but then, I left the idea seeing that they weren't as strong, but then, when I got diagnosed with AS, it all got clear for me, many OCD symptoms were in the AS symptoms too.
- Routine, I guess this would be the same as repetition, I don't need to explain much but I have many things that I should do every day and I don't feel confortable when I have to leave them or change them.
- Very bad at sports, more specially, team sports, this is one of the symptoms too. I am bad at many sports. Actually, most.
-Bad coordination, this could also be counted in bad at sports, I have a bad coordination.
-Trouble starting a project and trouble ending a project. Whenever I have a project, I have a lot of difficulty to start it, it's almost impossible to me and it's not laziness, I know it. Also, when I push myself to the extreme and actually start the project, I have even more difficulty finishing the project. If I was to count the number of project I successfully completed in my life, I could count them on the tips of my fingers.
- I tend to things waay too seriously. One of the biggest souvenirs of this. When I was in primary school, the teacher gave us a text to read, she said to memorize (I forgot her exact words and it doesn't seem the same when I translate it from Arabic to English, but it wasn't literally, she meant it figuratively). Anyway, I took her seriously, even though, she just meant to read it really well. Anyway, I went home and spent one hour just memorizing the text, the next morning, I went to class and the teacher asked me to read, I stood up and began reciting the text, literally and with almost no mistakes, every one started laughing at me and no one besides me actually memorized it, she then told me that I just had to read it, not memorize it. Another thing that I think is definitely pertinent is, I once was walking with my dad and I told him something, he told me that he didn't hear me and that he was tired that day, just when I went away from him, I went crying to my mom saying that dad is turning deaf and is sick, she then asked me to tell her what he said and I did, she then and my sister (Who is younger than me BTW, 3 years younger) started laughing at me, they told me he wasn't but I stack to my word until he came and told me he wasn't, when I remember that now, I laugh. But nowadays, I don't do any errors of these kinds, I guess I learned the way society works but one of the problems I have these days is I can't differentiate when someone is serious or joking and because of the many incidents that happened to me in the past, I tend to take things way more jokingly, even serious things, which is a problem.
- I am slow sometimes at jokes, not always though, I'd say 15% of the time, I am slower than others to get the joke.
- I've always being weirder than others, in so many ways and I usually don't think like others, at least for what I know of.
- I am an Agnostic Atheist, I know this might seem irrelevant but I read recently, like 2 weeks ago that Aspies tend to be more Atheists than Theists, at least most of the time and this is also relevant because my whole family without exception is Muslim. (P.S Please don't push over your religious BS on me for this, I am not interested in any of that).
- Ever since I was 4.5 or even less, I adored computers, the first time I saw one, I never left it, it was so amazing to me that I could dictate to this machine whatever I wanted and it would do it. Anyway, I thought this might be somehow related to Asperger's as I saw somewhere that it was also called the "Geek Syndrome". I know it is ridiculous but it might have some effect.
- Whenever I speak, it's about the same subject over and over again, it is usually, Math, Computers, Physics, Philosohpy, Religion or Politics, whenever it's not, I don't come into the conversation. Also, those are the subjects that I like the most, that I am really into but I am more into Maths, Physics and computers.
- Through out my whole life, I never had trouble understanding Math. I remember my childhood friend always doing his best, he studied day and night to get a good math grade while the most I ever studied for a Math examn, even the big one at the end of the year was a maximum of 30 minutes and in those 30 minutes, only approximatively 15 are actually reading the damn thing. Even then, my poor friend who deserved grades more than me got most of the time less while, who doesn't deserve it at all, got a grade in the top three ones and I was in a science concentrated class.
- Some times, I don't know what I did wrong. This happened very few times through out my life but sometimes, people would tell me that I did something wrong and I wouldn't know what it was.
- I have a great imagination and I mean it, I could imagine anything and I could think of complete stories in a minute. A good quick example is when my doctor who diagnosed me with AS showed me a picture and told me to think of something that might be related to this and to give him a story (To see if I have psychological disorders), he was shocked at the stories and at my imagination. Anyway, I thought this would be relevant because Aspies usually have big imaginations.

That's the things I have in my head now but I'm sure there is much more, I just can't remember at the moment, I will edit my post when new things pop in my head.

List of things that make think I DON'T have Asperger's :

- I understand pretty much every face and non verbal action. Even though I had more difficulties when I was younger, not much though and I don't really remember not understanding a specific thing at the moment. BUT, I remember struggling with many emotional or social related concepts, I remember wondering what jaleousy is and egoism is and not knowing the difference between to two and also remember having difficulties understanding political systems even though I don't now, because I learned what they were and studied them much more. Anyway, there aren't much things that I struggle with in this side even though it happens, VERY rarely though nowadays. What bugs me here is, this is one of the main symptoms of Asperger's, like the most important one and I don't have that much trouble with it. But I guess I learned through time what every face was and still memorize them, if I saw some kind of face I never saw before, I'd have difficulties with it, even though the normal person wouldn't.
- I understand 95% of sarcasm, I don't really remember struggling with it at any given time, I understand pretty much everything, maybe I had more difficulties when I was younger but I don't remember any. Anyway, this is also one of the main factors.
- No one in my family that I know of has Asperger's syndrome, in fact, my parents are both very social and my I'm pretty sure my parents has very superior EQ, he always knows what to do and when to do it and he is the person you'd adore at first sight, even though I'm not at all, you'd hate me if you saw me for the first time, you'd think I think big of myself and don't even want to interact with you because you are inferior and you'd just dislike me. By the way, there aren't any in the rest of my family too and I thinked for a long time and I can't think of someone who might have Asperger's.
- I am a North African Berber from Morocco (Look up Berber if you don't know what it means or ask me for a link if you need one). Even though I am Caucasian I noticed that most of Aspies are white and when I say white, I don't mean Caucasian, I mean who's ancestors come from Europe, meaning those who live currently in Europe, North America or Oceania. Also, I noticed that a big majority of them are also Ashkenazi Jews, I am not any of the above and I don't know how it came to be in my genes, it may be a mutation but it's not a really plausible idea.
- Nowadays, I don't have much trouble with eye contact, I remember just not too much ago, I had a lot but I don't what happened but I don't have it as much now. I still have some difficulties looking at others in the eyes but it's only for the people I don't know and even then, I don't struggle as much with it.
- I have a lot of empathy towards anyone and what I mean by that is I think I have more empathy than the average person. I always feel others, I can put myself in their places, I am not cold hearted at all. Even though, gore $hit doesn't have much effect on me, I can see a person with his eye balls out and wouldn't feel much.
- I am very sensible, I am full of emotions, even though I try to get rid of them I always was like this. When I was young, I cried very easily and for small things and could get sad for anything or happy, etc.

Oh, and also, one last thing that MAY or may not have a coorelation with the fact that I have Asperger's. The doctor that diagnosed me with Asperger's gave me an IQ test and a week after, when I went for the results, he told me I was of very superior intelligence and he was impressed but he didn't give me the numbers, he told me they never do. But, he can't lie, because that would be fraud and he could go to jail if he does and I don't think he would risk it for such a small thing, it's not like he cares what it will do to me so I'm pretty positive it was the truth. Anyway, sorry if this is not related, I thought it may be since Aspies are usually more intelligent even though I don't think I really am, IQ tests don't really measure much anyway.

Anyway, the list that makes me think I have Asperger's sure does seem bigger but please don't take count of the size, the list that makes me think I don't have some really important factors that are really related to Asperger's.

Also, if you have questions in order to determine if I either have it or not, please don't stop yourself from asking them, I will answer each and every one of them.

And sorry for the big text, I really want an accurate answer, this is really important to me and I don't want random answers. Sorry for this.

And thanks a lot if you took time to read the whole text and help me with it, I really appreciate it.

And if this is in the wrong section, please tell me so I could post it in the right one next time (This is my first post on this forum) and maybe delete this one and recreate it if I can.



Last edited by Dokesi on 20 Sep 2011, 5:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Willard
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20 Sep 2011, 5:01 pm

I can tell you're Aspie without even reading your post (and I thought some of mine were long). :D

Don't take this as an attack, 'cause its not - only someone with Asperger Syndrome becomes so obsessed with what they're saying that they lose all concept of 'when to shut up' and go on and on and on, reciting endless details that nobody is interested in hearing. I do it myself.

I had an Aspie coworker come into my studio once, while I was going on the air to do a live call-in request show. All the phone lines were blinking and I'm standing at the microphone with my headphones around my neck and he comes in to tell me a quick joke, I make some remark about loving a particular TV show, and he proceeds to recount to me the plot line of his favorite program - starting with Episode One and continuing through every single show and how each character related to the others for nine seasons, right down to the last moment of the series finale. By the time he was done, my 2 hour 'live' call-in show had been over for more than 45 minutes and I hadn't been able to take a single call or open the mic once the whole time, because he never stopped talking.

Never in my life did I ever think I would know so much about Xena: Warrior Princess. :roll:

So yeah, I think your diagnosis is probably spot-on. :wink:



League_Girl
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20 Sep 2011, 5:40 pm

It sounds like you do have it. You don't need to have every symptom. The lack of empathy thing is just a myth. Aspies do have empathy and in fact some of them have too much of it. It just sounds like you have learned to adapt.



Dokesi
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20 Sep 2011, 5:42 pm

Willard wrote:
I can tell you're Aspie without even reading your post (and I thought some of mine were long). :D

Don't take this as an attack, 'cause its not - only someone with Asperger Syndrome becomes so obsessed with what they're saying that they lose all concept of 'when to shut up' and go on and on and on, reciting endless details that nobody is interested in hearing. I do it myself.

I had an Aspie coworker come into my studio once, while I was going on the air to do a live call-in request show. All the phone lines were blinking and I'm standing at the microphone with my headphones around my neck and he comes in to tell me a quick joke, I make some remark about loving a particular TV show, and he proceeds to recount to me the plot line of his favorite program - starting with Episode One and continuing through every single show and how each character related to the others for nine seasons, right down to the last moment of the series finale. By the time he was done, my 2 hour 'live' call-in show had been over for more than 45 minutes and I hadn't been able to take a single call or open the mic once the whole time, because he never stopped talking.

Never in my life did I ever think I would know so much about Xena: Warrior Princess. :roll:

So yeah, I think your diagnosis is probably spot-on. :wink:


Thanks for your reply :D. And yeah, indeed, it only takes an Aspie to be as obsessed to something that he has to write all that, lol. I bet everyone who opened this thread immediately closed their tab just by looking at the text, lol.
Anyway, yeah, I do have many symptoms but those counter symptoms bug me alot, they're like the basic things you'd see on an Aspie, it's what others define Asperger's as, I don't know what kind of Aspie I am if I can recognize faces and sarcasm. Anyway, I would just like an explaination for those counter symptoms :)



Dokesi
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20 Sep 2011, 6:03 pm

League_Girl wrote:
It sounds like you do have it. You don't need to have every symptom. The lack of empathy thing is just a myth. Aspies do have empathy and in fact some of them have too much of it. It just sounds like you have learned to adapt.

But what about understanding almost every sarcastic sentence? What about understanding facial expressions? What about no one in the family having it? What about not being white or Ashkenazi Jew? What about being over emotional?
Those are alot of counter factors :/



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20 Sep 2011, 6:09 pm

Dokesi wrote:
League_Girl wrote:
It sounds like you do have it. You don't need to have every symptom. The lack of empathy thing is just a myth. Aspies do have empathy and in fact some of them have too much of it. It just sounds like you have learned to adapt.

But what about understanding almost every sarcastic sentence? What about understanding facial expressions? What about no one in the family having it? What about not being white or Ashkenazi Jew? What about being over emotional?
Those are alot of counter factors :/


Aaaaah! :roll: :lol: :? :evil: 8O

Stop! Don't fall into that trap!

Whether you do or do not have Asperger's or any form of Autism has NOTHING to do with how many symptoms you do not have!! !! !! !! !! !! !

All that matters is whether or not you have ENOUGH of the symptoms in the correct categories. Don't focus on what you don't have. Focus on what you do have that matches, and whether or not there is enough of it there.

Somebody please post the DSM criteria for this poor guy. I would if I had time, but I gotta go.

@ the OP: Sorry for the reaction. It's just that the kinds of "disqualifying" stuff you're listing there are things we hear all the time, from non-Autistics, as "proof" that we couldn't possibly be Autistic. It's especially infuriating to hear it from professionals, as I have. That is not how determination of Autism works.

BTW: I'm in agreement with everyone else here. I didn't even have to read your whole post. I think you have some form of Autism. None of us are doctors though, so I would start digging deeper and get evaluated if I were you.


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Last edited by MrXxx on 20 Sep 2011, 6:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

kfisherx
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20 Sep 2011, 6:13 pm

Willard wrote:
I can tell you're Aspie without even reading your post (and I thought some of mine were long). :D

Don't take this as an attack, 'cause its not - only someone with Asperger Syndrome becomes so obsessed with what they're saying that they lose all concept of 'when to shut up' and go on and on and on, reciting endless details that nobody is interested in hearing. I do it myself.

I had an Aspie coworker come into my studio once, while I was going on the air to do a live call-in request show. All the phone lines were blinking and I'm standing at the microphone with my headphones around my neck and he comes in to tell me a quick joke, I make some remark about loving a particular TV show, and he proceeds to recoui
nt to me the plot line of his favorite program - starting with Episode One and continuing through every single show and how each character related to the others for nine seasons, right down to the last moment of the series finale. By the time he was done, my 2 hour 'live' call-in show had been over for more than 45 minutes and I hadn't been able to take a single call or open the mic once the whole time, because he never stopped talking.

Never in my life did I ever think I would know so much about Xena: Warrior Princess. :roll:


So yeah, I think your diagnosis is probably spot-on. :wink:


LOL! This!!



TPE2
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20 Sep 2011, 6:13 pm

Dokesi wrote:
- I am a North African Berber from Morocco (Look up Berber if you don't know what it means or ask me for a link if you need one). Even though I am Caucasian I noticed that most of Aspies are white and when I say white, I don't mean Caucasian, I mean who's ancestors come from Europe, meaning those who live currently in Europe, North America or Oceania. Also, I noticed that a big majority of them are also Ashkenazi Jews, I am not any of the above and I don't know how it came to be in my genes, it may be a mutation but it's not a really plausible idea.


I suspect that asperger is "rare" in Morocco because most people are poor (for Europe/North America/Oceania standards) and their last priority is to find a therapist for the strange behaviors of their child.

About the aspie/ashkenazi connection, it is the first time I heard anything about that (but possible many Moroccan could have some lost Sefardit genes)


Quote:
- Nowadays, I don't have much trouble with eye contact, I remember just not too much ago, I had a lot but I don't what happened but I don't have it as much now. I still have some difficulties looking at others in the eyes but it's only for the people I don't know and even then, I don't struggle as much with it.


I count this more as a point for aspergers than as a point for non-asperger

Quote:
- I have a lot of empathy towards anyone and what I mean by that is I think I have more empathy than the average person. I always feel others, I can put myself in their places, I am not cold hearted at all. Even though, gore $hit doesn't have much effect on me, I can see a person with his eye balls out and wouldn't feel much.

- I am very sensible, I am full of emotions, even though I try to get rid of them I always was like this. When I was young, I cried very easily and for small things and could get sad for anything or happy, etc.


"Empathy" in "Aspies have problems with empathy" as a very specific meaning that is not the usual meaning of the word - means difficulty in imagining how the other person is feeling (while the usual meaning is more sharing the feelings of the other after you know what these feelings are)

Quote:
Oh, and also, one last thing that MAY or may not have a coorelation with the fact that I have Asperger's. The doctor that diagnosed me with Asperger's gave me an IQ test and a week after, when I went for the results, he told me I was of very superior intelligence and he was impressed but he didn't give me the numbers, he told me they never do. But, he can't lie, because that would be fraud and he could go to jail if he does and I don't think he would risk it for such a small thing, it's not like he cares what it will do to me so I'm pretty positive it was the truth. Anyway, sorry if this is not related, I thought it may be since Aspies are usually more intelligent even though I don't think I really am, IQ tests don't really measure much anyway.


Giftdness and AS could have some similarities (specially because the respective stereotypes are very similar).



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20 Sep 2011, 6:18 pm

What does being white or Jewish have to do with AS?


I used to have troubles with sarcasm but I have gotten better at it. I have learned to pick up on it. I still miss it but doesn't everyone? So I count it as normal when I miss it.

No one has been diagnosed with AS in my family either.

I used to be very emotional because of my hormones. Some aspies are very sensitive and my ex who was aspie was very emotional. He cried a lot because I was too honest and kept saying the wrong things. But maybe he was just too sensitive so I didn't do anything wrong. But my husband says I say things but he knows I don't mean it. Same as how I say things.

Understanding facial expressions, I can understand them sometimes. Some aspies are better at things than other aspies. I have seen aspies on here who are good with metaphors and I am not.



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20 Sep 2011, 6:20 pm

Someone asked for the criteria, here it is:

For Asperger's Syndrome.

http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-aspergers.html

(I) Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

(A) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
(B) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
(C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
(D) lack of social or emotional reciprocity

(II) Restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

(A) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
(B) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
(C) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
(D) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects


(III) The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

(IV) There is no clinically significant general delay in language (E.G. single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

(V) There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction) and curiosity about the environment in childhood.

(VI) Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia."



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20 Sep 2011, 6:20 pm

You sound like you do have Asperger's. The level of detail in your post is very Aspergian.



Dokesi
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20 Sep 2011, 6:38 pm

MrXxx wrote:
Dokesi wrote:
League_Girl wrote:
It sounds like you do have it. You don't need to have every symptom. The lack of empathy thing is just a myth. Aspies do have empathy and in fact some of them have too much of it. It just sounds like you have learned to adapt.

But what about understanding almost every sarcastic sentence? What about understanding facial expressions? What about no one in the family having it? What about not being white or Ashkenazi Jew? What about being over emotional?
Those are alot of counter factors :/


Aaaaah! :roll: :lol: :? :evil: 8O

Stop! Don't fall into that trap!

Whether you do or do not have Asperger's or any form of Autism has NOTHING to do with how many symptoms you do not have!! !! !! !! !! !! !

All that matters is whether or not you have ENOUGH of the symptoms in the correct categories. Don't focus on what you don't have. Focus on what you do have that matches, and whether or not there is enough of it there.

Somebody please post the DSM criteria for this poor guy. I would if I had time, but I gotta go.

@ the OP: Sorry for the reaction. It's just that the kinds of "disqualifying" stuff you're listing there are things we hear all the time, from non-Autistics, as "proof" that we couldn't possibly be Autistic. It's especially infuriating to hear it from professionals, as I have. That is not how determination of Autism works.

BTW: I'm in agreement with everyone else here. I didn't even have to read your whole post. I think you have some form of Autism. None of us are doctors though, so I would start digging deeper and get evaluated if I were you.


Thank you for your reply :). And yes, I know it is okay not to have some symptoms but those are the main ones :/. I mean, I can understand facial expressions, sarcasm, my family members don't have it. Those are essential things in my opinion. I'm just lost, I don't know what to think at the moment, nor what to know. Anyway, thanks a lot for your help :)



Dokesi
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20 Sep 2011, 6:45 pm

TPE2 wrote:
Dokesi wrote:
- I am a North African Berber from Morocco (Look up Berber if you don't know what it means or ask me for a link if you need one). Even though I am Caucasian I noticed that most of Aspies are white and when I say white, I don't mean Caucasian, I mean who's ancestors come from Europe, meaning those who live currently in Europe, North America or Oceania. Also, I noticed that a big majority of them are also Ashkenazi Jews, I am not any of the above and I don't know how it came to be in my genes, it may be a mutation but it's not a really plausible idea.


I suspect that asperger is "rare" in Morocco because most people are poor (for Europe/North America/Oceania standards) and their last priority is to find a therapist for the strange behaviors of their child.

About the aspie/ashkenazi connection, it is the first time I heard anything about that (but possible many Moroccan could have some lost Sefardit genes)


Quote:
- Nowadays, I don't have much trouble with eye contact, I remember just not too much ago, I had a lot but I don't what happened but I don't have it as much now. I still have some difficulties looking at others in the eyes but it's only for the people I don't know and even then, I don't struggle as much with it.


I count this more as a point for aspergers than as a point for non-asperger

Quote:
- I have a lot of empathy towards anyone and what I mean by that is I think I have more empathy than the average person. I always feel others, I can put myself in their places, I am not cold hearted at all. Even though, gore $hit doesn't have much effect on me, I can see a person with his eye balls out and wouldn't feel much.

- I am very sensible, I am full of emotions, even though I try to get rid of them I always was like this. When I was young, I cried very easily and for small things and could get sad for anything or happy, etc.


"Empathy" in "Aspies have problems with empathy" as a very specific meaning that is not the usual meaning of the word - means difficulty in imagining how the other person is feeling (while the usual meaning is more sharing the feelings of the other after you know what these feelings are)

Quote:
Oh, and also, one last thing that MAY or may not have a coorelation with the fact that I have Asperger's. The doctor that diagnosed me with Asperger's gave me an IQ test and a week after, when I went for the results, he told me I was of very superior intelligence and he was impressed but he didn't give me the numbers, he told me they never do. But, he can't lie, because that would be fraud and he could go to jail if he does and I don't think he would risk it for such a small thing, it's not like he cares what it will do to me so I'm pretty positive it was the truth. Anyway, sorry if this is not related, I thought it may be since Aspies are usually more intelligent even though I don't think I really am, IQ tests don't really measure much anyway.


Giftdness and AS could have some similarities (specially because the respective stereotypes are very similar).


Not really, people are not poor, at least not the place I came from. Sure there are some poor places but not much. But yeah, I guess they just don't get diagnosed :/. But the reason why I brought ethnicity is because Asperger's tend to be genetic and since I don't have family members, I would at least to have it in my genes from a far ancestor.

And no, the eye contact is more of a counter argument, I don't have much difficulty with eye contact, surprisingly, I had long time ago but I don't do any more and that's a big thing IMO.

For empathy, ok, I admit, I was misinformed, it's just a myth :/. But what about being over emotional? When I was a baby, I cried all the time and if for example I see something at the mall that interests me, I would not leave until I get it and if not, I cried like a little b***h. That was of course when I was much younger. Also, I am very emotional, more emotional than most of my family and over empathic too.

Also, yeah, maybe being gifted might have a correlation with Asperger's but anyone cna be gifted too and the IQ test is jut another stupid test, I don't think it really determines how smart you are, well, it can but not a precise scale. So I don't really refer my score much, this is the first time I referred to it actually and it's just to know if I had Asperger's



Dokesi
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20 Sep 2011, 6:50 pm

League_Girl wrote:
What does being white or Jewish have to do with AS?


I used to have troubles with sarcasm but I have gotten better at it. I have learned to pick up on it. I still miss it but doesn't everyone? So I count it as normal when I miss it.

No one has been diagnosed with AS in my family either.

I used to be very emotional because of my hormones. Some aspies are very sensitive and my ex who was aspie was very emotional. He cried a lot because I was too honest and kept saying the wrong things. But maybe he was just too sensitive so I didn't do anything wrong. But my husband says I say things but he knows I don't mean it. Same as how I say things.

Understanding facial expressions, I can understand them sometimes. Some aspies are better at things than other aspies. I have seen aspies on here who are good with metaphors and I am not.


Sorry for bringing ethnicities :/, I noticed I wasn't clear enough. What I meant is since no family member of mine is on the autistic spectrum, I had it in my genes from my far ancestors, that's why I brought ethnicity.
For sarcasm, I miss almost none, well, for the most part, it's very rare that I miss some.
And for the family, but why? It is well known that Asperger's is genetic, but why don't we have anyone with it in our family? It just seems very weird :/

For the emotions, my emotions aren't related to hormones, I was over emotional for ever, not when I hit puberty and also, I'm a male, it's different for you.

For facial expressions.. But I understand most of them, I don't struggle almost at all with them, well, sometimes, but not often.



MrXxx
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20 Sep 2011, 6:50 pm

"Those are the main ones..."

This is what you need to understand. There are no main symptoms.

There are but a few categories, and subcategories. NO symptom is ANY more important than any other. Each one carries the exact same weight.

What you are actually doing (and this isn't meant to be offensive, just to help you understand more clearly), is falling prey to certain stereotypes. You need to understand that almost ALL the stereotypes and things that you've "heard" are very often dead wrong.

Look over the DSM criteria League Girl just posted (thanks League Girl!). You'll see that there are several symptoms that can be totally non-existent, yet even without them, you can still have Autism. You can be missing any one of them, or any of several of them, and still qualify.


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Dokesi
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20 Sep 2011, 6:57 pm

League_Girl wrote:
Someone asked for the criteria, here it is:

For Asperger's Syndrome.

http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-aspergers.html

(I) Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

(A) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
(B) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
(C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
(D) lack of social or emotional reciprocity

(II) Restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

(A) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
(B) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
(C) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
(D) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects


(III) The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

(IV) There is no clinically significant general delay in language (E.G. single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

(V) There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction) and curiosity about the environment in childhood.

(VI) Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia."


(I)
(B) and (C). I guess I do qualify for it.
(II)
LOL, all of them. (A), (B), (C) and (D). I qualify for sure.
(III)
Don't know what they mean by "clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.". I always had one or two friends in my early years, some years, none. But I don't really know what they mean.
(IV)
I qualify for this, I spoke my first words at eight months.
(V)
Qualify for this too.
(VI)
I am sure I don't have any other psychological disorder. So I qualify.

Thank you for the list :)