I believe I was misdiagnosed with Asperger's

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29 Oct 2011, 2:47 am

After years of introspection and self reflection, I finally figured out that all of my psychological problems, being unable to develop meaningful/lasting peer relationships, social problems, conduct problems, suicide, violence, criminality, depression, self esteem etc etc etc etc.... I could fill a page listing them. Nonetheless, I figured out they are all a result of inept parenting, lack of guidance, emotional support and growing up in a stressful/negative environment as a kid and as a teenager. In essence, I was not raised by anyone and have not yet been successful in developing a meaningful relationship with another person, but I am still trying.

Growing up with the Asperger's label and convincing myself for a decade that I'm an oddball was no doubt damaging to me. I would definitely say that being diagnosed with Asperger's did more harm than good, and now I am seriously doubting the diagnosis entirely. I had the opportunity not too long ago to meet an individual with the real deal Asperger's syndrome. It immediately became obvious that he was completely out of touch with the whole "socializing thing". He did not even offer a handshake when I met him, no eye contact, not the slightest attempt to carry on a conversation and he would only speak briefly in response to a question, in a very quiet, weak monotonous voice. While I was standing around with some other people I occasionally glanced over to observe his mannerisms. I could only describe him as being very withdrawn into himself in a spaced out sort of way, as if he were in deep thought. He was pacing up and down the sidewalk doing strange things with his hands and talking to himself in front of several other people. It were as if he was completely unaware or he didn't understand that the way he was acting would be perceived as strange, he genuinely does not "get" a lot of basic social skills, but he is aware enough to know how not to act apparently, seeing how he made it through mainstream college.

While I do have repetitive routines, horrible social skills and peer developmental issues, I have outgrown to a large degree not being able to pick up on nonverbal social Q's, I do not exhibit speech abnormalities, and I do not have clumsy/uncoordinated motor skills. Briefly describing myself I will also note that I pick up on jokes effortlessly, I have a great sense of humor, and I read between the lines. Real Asperger's people can't do these things to the degree that I can. I am certain that in my case all of my psychological problems can be traced back to several unfortunate circumstances and factors that occurred while living in a single parent home during my childhood.

I posit that perhaps tens of thousands of individuals have been and are being misdiagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, whose symptoms can possibly be attributed to factors such as;

(incomplete list)
Poor Home environment
Severe family dysfunction
Abuse
Neglect
Inept parenting or a total lack of parenting
Inherited personality traits
Bullying (the results of. for example, low self esteem and becoming socially phobic logically in my opinion, could cause a young child to avoid eye contact, have monotonous speech and recluse, and potentially develop a repetitive routine)
Loss of a parent
Other tragedy
[insert factor here]



When I did some brief research on the effects that single parent homes and dysfunctional home environments can have on a child I found out that this is apparently well documented, that such factors can and often do lead to behavioral problems, conduct problems, social problems, peer relationship developmental issues, emotional problems, criminality, suicide etcetera etcetera... I'm starting to speculate whether the decay of American society & culture, values, and the increase in divorce, single parent homes and inept parenting, may very well have something to do with the rise of Asperger's diagnosis.

I'm not saying that everyone has been misdiagnosed, but what if some of us supposed 'aspies' just had really crappy parents and had low self esteem as a child, or perhaps a lifetimes worth as an adult? Personally I was pretty screwed up as a kid & teen. I think we could all come to a consensus that people suffering from serious emotional and self esteem problems don't have very good social skills and can't easily develop relationships or socialize with others. I can imagine how this could be potentially mistaken as a case of Asperger's syndrome. At least for me, I believe it is the case.


Surely I am not the first one to have thought of this. What do you guys think?



Ichinin
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29 Oct 2011, 3:24 am

Some have it easy, some have it bad. As you grow up, your symptoms can get milder too.

The person you described i'd classify as a low functioning Aspie (which is comparable to a high functioning autistic). There are even other types of autism, PDD-NOS which is a even lighter form of autism which is even more hard to spot than Aspergers.


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League_Girl
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29 Oct 2011, 3:46 am

Remember, autism is a spectrum and you aren't going to have every single symptom of it. Who does?

That aspie you saw may have been a severe case of it, LFA aspie I describe them as. Also it's possible he doesn't even care what people think of him so he acts that way anyway and not care even if he is aware he is coming off as weird.



skonamis
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29 Oct 2011, 3:57 am

I am doubting my Asperger diagnosis also. But i don't really think about the diagnosis as much as i did when i was put the diagnosis. I feel like i am in the between, sometimes it looks like i have it and sometimes looks like i do not have it. I have seen a person with Asperger's syndrome and he seemed more severe. Also i did have a childhood that was bad at times. Family violence/abuse/bullying/divorce, also i was bullied in school almost every day. I do know that i was different from others though. I did not start conversation or play with others or run around like all the kids did. But i was fine doing those with my family, kind of. I have had very few friends. And i only get lonely when i am ill or have problems that i need support with.



babybuggy32
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29 Oct 2011, 4:28 am

that is exactly my story right down to meeting the real aspies and such i was misbehaved not because i didnt know how to behave but because i was a mischievious child. i liked to get reactions from ppl too knowing that i was being wierd


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DreamSofa
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29 Oct 2011, 5:48 am

Quote:
Other tragedy
[insert factor here]


You left out toilet training and that someone stole your candy when you were just a wee infant.



daveydino
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29 Oct 2011, 7:06 am

After quickly skimming over your post, I've decided that you have Asperger's. Sorry bro.



diniesaur
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29 Oct 2011, 7:22 am

I think Ichinin is right; autism is a spectrum, and not everyone has the same traits. Also, I think your idea that the rise in Asperger's diagnoses is due to the "decay of American society & culture" is complete crap (no offense); my parents were some of the best anyone could hope for. I can still pick up on humor, too, because someone explained irony to me when I was very little. The person you met was lower-functioning than we are.

You may not have Asperger's Syndrome, but you certainly should not assume that others don't have it, too. My mom immediately knew there was something different about me. I couldn't deal with the environment, and I always had a low level of fussing. The temper tantrums of my NT brother (different dad) are nothing compared to what mine were. I had problems with eye contact long before anyone bullied me. I was never neglected or abused, my parents are awesome, and none of them died. Also, your "inherited personality traits" thing actually strengthens the idea that Asperger's people are not nearly as misdiagnosed as you think because Asperger's is genetic.

You say you outgrew the inability to pick up on nonverbal cues. This suggests to me that you probably do have Asperger's Syndrome, and you've learned to make up for your disability. Then again, it seems strange that you were surprised when the Asperger's person didn't offer you a handshake because handshaking is weird. It would make sense if you're a little older, though.

You have these rigid ideas--Asperger's ideas--and you're trying to ascribe your experiences to everyone else. I've never met you, so I don't know for sure if you really have Asperger's Syndrome or not, but I do know that you shouldn't go stripping people of their diagnoses the way you seem like you want to do. You are not the same as other people.



jackbus01
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29 Oct 2011, 7:53 am

daveydino wrote:
After quickly skimming over your post, I've decided that you have Asperger's. Sorry bro.


What's really sorry is how quick people are to judge and diagnose things. Even after a careful read, I would have to say that I am not sure whether the OP has Aspergers. I can think of many things for and against this stance. I think you would certainly agree that just because someone had a poor childhood that by itself would not warrant a diagnosis.



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29 Oct 2011, 9:30 am

jackbus01 wrote:
daveydino wrote:
After quickly skimming over your post, I've decided that you have Asperger's. Sorry bro.


What's really sorry is how quick people are to judge and diagnose things. Even after a careful read, I would have to say that I am not sure whether the OP has Aspergers. I can think of many things for and against this stance. I think you would certainly agree that just because someone had a poor childhood that by itself would not warrant a diagnosis.


I think he was being sarcastic, but I'm not sure.



daveydino
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29 Oct 2011, 9:36 am

diniesaur wrote:
I think he was being sarcastic, but I'm not sure.
That's funny, because autistics are bad at seeing that, right? No, I am 100% sure of it. You see, bad childhood NEVER leads to autism. It leads to people acting out, UNLESS they're already abnormal, weird, etc., normal people are never diagnosed with Asperger's, unless they're faking.



jackbus01
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29 Oct 2011, 10:01 am

daveydino wrote:
diniesaur wrote:
I think he was being sarcastic, but I'm not sure.
That's funny, because autistics are bad at seeing that, right? No, I am 100% sure of it. You see, bad childhood NEVER leads to autism. It leads to people acting out, UNLESS they're already abnormal, weird, etc., normal people are never diagnosed with Asperger's, unless they're faking.


You seem to be a very confused person. It's the well-known nature vs. nuture debate that has existed throughout the history of psychology literature. In other words: Is it a genetic issue or an issue of one's childhood.
Aspergers is a form of autism spectrum disorder. Autistic persons are born that way (ie. it is genetic) however a bad childhood will greatly worsen the symptoms, but a bad childhood doesn't cause autism.
Misdiagnoses of Aspergers can be a problem and can happen when a "weird abnormal person" meets an incompetent mental health professional. In other words just because a person is odd does not mean they have Aspergers.
I am not sure what you mean by "faking it". I am sure that an NT person with some acting can pretend to be an ASD person, however that doesn't change the underlying fact that they are still NT.

I could be more specific, but I think you get the idea.



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29 Oct 2011, 10:17 am

I am on the low functioning end of Aspergers so I am more like the person you have described, however I am one of few people with AS who has ended up in care. The majority of people with AS become good enough at social skills to get by, don't do 'odd' things in public (well not as much) and know when to do certain things like, as you say, hand shaking when you meet someone. Have another look at the diagnostic criteria and see if you 'fit' the diagnosis in your opinion any more. If you don't then think of it as a good thing. You have obviously learnt coping mechanisms that others may never learn. It might also be worth finding someone to help you if you are still suffering because of your past. You might find that with a clearer head you might still have AS after all.


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daveydino
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29 Oct 2011, 11:04 am

jackbus01 wrote:
daveydino wrote:
diniesaur wrote:
I think he was being sarcastic, but I'm not sure.
That's funny, because autistics are bad at seeing that, right? No, I am 100% sure of it. You see, bad childhood NEVER leads to autism. It leads to people acting out, UNLESS they're already abnormal, weird, etc., normal people are never diagnosed with Asperger's, unless they're faking.


You seem to be a very confused person. It's the well-known nature vs. nuture debate that has existed throughout the history of psychology literature. In other words: Is it a genetic issue or an issue of one's childhood.
Aspergers is a form of autism spectrum disorder. Autistic persons are born that way (ie. it is genetic) however a bad childhood will greatly worsen the symptoms, but a bad childhood doesn't cause autism.
Misdiagnoses of Aspergers can be a problem and can happen when a "weird abnormal person" meets an incompetent mental health professional. In other words just because a person is odd does not mean they have Aspergers.
I am not sure what you mean by "faking it". I am sure that an NT person with some acting can pretend to be an ASD person, however that doesn't change the underlying fact that they are still NT.

I could be more specific, but I think you get the idea.
Typical taking out of context of an issue. In this case, he's showing ALL the symptoms of Asperger's. That means he has Asperger's. Simple as that. Like you said, his childhood won't change anything. If he has the symptoms, he has it.



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29 Oct 2011, 11:19 am

John Robison had crappy parents growing up and it was still obvious he had AS in his book.



jackbus01
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29 Oct 2011, 11:20 am

Actually, I am going to say that I think the more important issue here is whether you are coping with your traumatic past well, you may need counseling, and if so that may affect how well you socialize. Autistic people lie on a spectrum so I think comparing yourself to someone else is deceiving.
I am going to say it is unclear whether you have Aspergers or not and I wouldn't worry about it if is not causing you trouble. I hope that clears things up.