Hi. Am I actually an Aspie, or just really similar to one?

Erminetheawkward · Raven Joined: May 24, 2012 Age: 21 Posts: 106

Hi everyone. Nice little community you've got here.

Background information:

In the last few weeks I've been meeting with a therapist trying to face my social issues head on. He believes I have Asperger's. It makes sense for me but it doesn't. I've been reading personal accounts of other aspies, and looking them up on Youtube. The general trend is I either relate completely or not much at all. Odd, huh? To muddle the situation further, I also have a history of autism in the family. My sister has classic autism, and I'm 90% sure my cousin and grandpa on my dad's side have Asperger's. I've also read that family members of those on the spectrum tend to have similar traits, though not to a clinical level. That would include shyness, great intellectual abilities, visual thinking, etc. all of which apply for me.

Here is the DSM-IV description of Asperger's.

(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'd say I qualify for the first category. I'm not very good at reading non-verbal communication until after the fact when I have time to think about it. I generally get sarcasm though. I'm terrible at developing close relationships beyond family and roommates (you kind of have to be close to someone when you live with them). I don't have empathy (or the ability to express it), I'm not good at sharing my inner world with others. It takes me forever to know what to say in a conversation. I'd say it's to a point where it's interfering with my quality of life.

The main disparity for me is the second category. I somewhat qualify for A. I taught myself how to read when I was 3 and did almost nothing but read for the next couple years. My parents had to force me to do anything else. But I haven't been that obsessive about anything since. I do have great powers of concentration when working on a project I care about though. I don't really relate to the rest. I don't get upset when my routine is changed. I don't have any stimming habits either.

I also don't experience sensory issues to the same level as the aspies I've met/read about. I can get disoriented in noisy crowds. After a while I start perceiving people's voices as noise and vice versa. I also have a good ear for music (I have almost perfect pitch). But I'm not bothered by certain textures, fluorescent lights, etc.

I guess either way it doesn't matter much since my personality is the same either way, but it's still nice knowing how to describe yourself.

What do you all think? Aspie or highly introverted with some idosyncracies and autistic family members?