 
Support Wrong Planet Awareness!
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Tracker
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Jun 17, 2008
Age: 22
Posts: 176
|
 Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 4:31 am Post subject: Are these related to AS |
 |
|
I recently found out about AS, and thought that I fit the description pretty well. I asked some questions in my first 2 threads, but I decided to lump my remaining questions into this thread for the sake of reducing clutter.
I have alot of things that are odd about me. I am trying to figure out what is and isnt AS related. So, im going to tell you about myself, and you can say whether it is part of AS, related to AS, or completely unrelated. Lets begin!
1. I am skiny. I mean really skiny, 5'6", and 103 pounds. If I lift my elbows above my shoulders you could easily see all of my ribs. I havent done anything special about this. I eat when im hungry and thats it. I havent gone on any diets, or anything like that which would explain why im so skiny. Is this skininess due to AS, or is it unrelated?
2. I grew up slowly. I didnt start puberty till I was 15, and I didnt reach my full hieght until age 20. I always looked several years younger then I actually was. Even now, I could shave my face and easily pass as a high school freshman. Is this delayed growth due to AS, or unrelated?
3. I eat slowly. It will often take me over an hour to finish a meal. I dont know why it always takes me so long, but it does. Is this due to AS, or just me?
4. I cant seem to fall asleep easily. As it is, I am writing this at 4:25 am. Ive heard this is related to AS, but I have just never been able to easily fall asleep my entire life.
5. I have problems with tempurature. If the room is at 60 F, other people might just be slightly cold. But I will be wearing a jacket and freezing. Likewise, too much above 80 F, and I start overheating, and feeling sick. Is this AS or not?
If I can think of more, I will add them later, but for now. Are those 5 things related to AS at all, or just part of the uniqeness of me? |
|
| Back to top |
|
AlkalineOutlaw
Emu Egg
Joined: Jun 05, 2008
Age: 19
Posts: 7
Location: Texas
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 4:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
I don't think having Asperger's means you have to fit a certain body type, and there are big people with AS as well, but I can definitely sympathsize with you on this one. I'm 5'9", 135 lbs., and have a super-fast metabolism...I have the same body type as my Dad who might also have Asperger's. Again, I don't think is caused by AS, but many people with it are tall and skinny. I've always hated it, because I have trouble gaining weight (it seems like I'm either just maintaining my weight or losing a little bit all the time). You need to make sure you eat at least 3 meals a day and do some kind of exercise to work up your appetite...I also eat really slowly as well and I'm not sure if that's a mental problem or actually something physical. Do you find that you have to force yourself to eat, just because you need to, even though you have no appetite? Try dividing your meals throughout the day if it helps not having to eat so much at a time.
I also look way younger than my age, I always have -- I'm 19 and look like I could be a freshman in high school too. I'd like to see how many other people have these kind of symptoms from Asperger's. |
|
| Back to top |
|
2ukenkerl
Phoenix
Joined: Jul 20, 2007
Posts: 4620
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:39 am Post subject: Re: Are these related to AS |
|
|
| Tracker wrote: | | 1. I am skiny. I mean really skiny, 5'6", and 103 pounds. If I lift my elbows above my shoulders you could easily see all of my ribs. I havent done anything special about this. I eat when im hungry and thats it. I havent gone on any diets, or anything like that which would explain why im so skiny. Is this skininess due to AS, or is it unrelated? |
I started out skinny, but am not now. Skinny has NOTHING to do with AS!
| Tracker wrote: | | 2. I grew up slowly. I didnt start puberty till I was 15, and I didnt reach my full hieght until age 20. I always looked several years younger then I actually was. Even now, I could shave my face and easily pass as a high school freshman. Is this delayed growth due to AS, or unrelated? |
I started puberty EARLY! This has NOTHING to do with AS!
| Tracker wrote: | | 3. I eat slowly. It will often take me over an hour to finish a meal. I dont know why it always takes me so long, but it does. Is this due to AS, or just me? |
I eat FAST! This has NOTHING to do with AS!
| Tracker wrote: | | 4. I cant seem to fall asleep easily. As it is, I am writing this at 4:25 am. Ive heard this is related to AS, but I have just never been able to easily fall asleep my entire life. |
Possible AS trate, but maybe NOT!
| Tracker wrote: | | 5. I have problems with tempurature. If the room is at 60 F, other people might just be slightly cold. But I will be wearing a jacket and freezing. Likewise, too much above 80 F, and I start overheating, and feeling sick. Is this AS or not? |
Most AS people have the OPPOSITE problem. MIGHT be AS!
Until you state more, NO determination could be made. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Sora
Love all, trust a few
Joined: Sep 16, 2006
Age: 20
Posts: 2654
Location: Europe
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:17 am Post subject: Re: Are these related to AS |
|
|
| Tracker wrote: |
4. I cant seem to fall asleep easily. As it is, I am writing this at 4:25 am. Ive heard this is related to AS, but I have just never been able to easily fall asleep my entire life.
5. I have problems with tempurature. If the room is at 60 F, other people might just be slightly cold. But I will be wearing a jacket and freezing. Likewise, too much above 80 F, and I start overheating, and feeling sick. Is this AS or not?
If I can think of more, I will add them later, but for now. Are those 5 things related to AS at all, or just part of the uniqeness of me? |
The last 2 things could be related to AS.
Sleep issues are frequently observed in autistic people. Why sleep issues are common is hard to answer as there's no 1 answer to that. Sleep issues could be related to stress (because of AS), or other conditions (that might have arisen from living with AS such as depression, anxiety etc.) or medication or just eating the wrong food (nothing to do with AS). It's not an easily researched field because lots of non-autistic people have sleep issues too of course.
It's probably a start if you find out why
About temperature - it sounds like it could be a sensory issues. AS is often (but not necessarily so) accompanied by sensory issues. Temperature is one aspect of that. There are autistic people who rarely get cold.
Of course, if you say you are skinny - and if you are really skinny as you say - that's a very obvious reason to be cold often too. But that would make me wonder why you have an issue with warm temperatures too.
Additionally, there are other reasons why a person can have issues with temperatures and is cold often. Some people are 'healthy and fine' and just can't stand temperatures under/over a certain degree.
In essence, yes, could be related to AS if it's not something else.
_________________
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Terry Pratchett |
|
| Back to top |
|
Liopleurodon
Sea Gull
Joined: Jan 17, 2008
Age: 28
Posts: 208
Location: The Tethys Sea
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:50 am Post subject: |
|
|
Most of this sounds like coincidence to me. I'm certainly not remotely skinny. Among other aspies I've met who are around my age, there are two skinny ones and one fat one. Both my parents have strong aspie traits and are obese. This is only anecdotal of course but it seems pretty random.
Supposedly insomnia is often a problem for those on the autistic spectrum. But I think it's also a problem for younger people (I don't know your age). I had terrible insomnia until I was 20 and then it went away. Now I have no problems with it at all. I don't have much of a problem with heat or cold either - I'm probably average in this respect.
_________________
Do I look like a freaking people person? |
|
| Back to top |
|
NUTLOG
Blue Jay
Joined: Sep 19, 2007
Age: 20
Posts: 91
Location: UK
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:37 am Post subject: Re: Are these related to AS |
|
|
| Tracker wrote: | | 1. I am skiny. I mean really skiny, 5'6", and 103 pounds. If I lift my elbows above my shoulders you could easily see all of my ribs. I havent done anything special about this. I eat when im hungry and thats it. I havent gone on any diets, or anything like that which would explain why im so skiny. Is this skininess due to AS, or is it unrelated? |
Pfft, that's not skinny. I used to weigh less than that at 5'11" and I've always eaten at least three meals a day. I weigh slightly more now, about 115lbs but I do zero excercise so it's surprising that I weigh so little.
| Tracker wrote: | | 2. I grew up slowly. I didnt start puberty till I was 15, and I didnt reach my full hieght until age 20. I always looked several years younger then I actually was. Even now, I could shave my face and easily pass as a high school freshman. Is this delayed growth due to AS, or unrelated? |
I never had delayed growth, but I do look a little younger than I am.
| Tracker wrote: | | 3. I eat slowly. It will often take me over an hour to finish a meal. I dont know why it always takes me so long, but it does. Is this due to AS, or just me? |
I chew very quickly, I'm usually done in five to ten minutes.
| Tracker wrote: | | 4. I cant seem to fall asleep easily. As it is, I am writing this at 4:25 am. Ive heard this is related to AS, but I have just never been able to easily fall asleep my entire life. |
I've had this problem often. On a bad day, it can take me four hours of lying there before I can drift off. Lately I've not had this problem quite so much however, but I lead a somewhat atypical lifestyle at the moment, so it's not a good point of comparison.
| Tracker wrote: | | 5. I have problems with tempurature. If the room is at 60 F, other people might just be slightly cold. But I will be wearing a jacket and freezing. Likewise, too much above 80 F, and I start overheating, and feeling sick. Is this AS or not? |
I'm often very sensitive to temperature, I'm usually too cold, but there are times when I am less sensitive than most other people. I often feel ill during high humidity, but certainly not always. I'm definitely abnormal in this respect, but it's manifestations can appear to be quite random at times. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Irulan
The Borg Queen
Joined: May 18, 2007
Age: 24
Posts: 1879
Location: Poland
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:44 am Post subject: Re: Are these related to AS |
|
|
| Tracker wrote: |
1. I am skiny. I mean really skiny, 5'6", and 103 pounds. If I lift my elbows above my shoulders you could easily see all of my ribs. I havent done anything special about this. I eat when im hungry and thats it. I havent gone on any diets, or anything like that which would explain why im so skiny. Is this skininess due to AS, or is it unrelated? |
I was always very slim because of the fact I feel a hunger very rarely. One of my biggest nightmares from the earliest childhood was always eating. It's only a duty for me, I rarely perceive it in other categories. I recall at least one time when I was in another city alone and it wasn't until 5 p.m. when I realized suddenly I hadn't eaten anything that day. And even then, when finally I ate something, I didn't decide to eat from other reasons than a common sense.
| Tracker wrote: | | 2. I grew up slowly. I didnt start puberty till I was 15, and I didnt reach my full hieght until age 20. I always looked several years younger then I actually was. Even now, I could shave my face and easily pass as a high school freshman. Is this delayed growth due to AS, or unrelated? |
My puberty didn't start late but not too early either - I was, I don't remember exactly but I guess I must have been 10 years old when I saw the first symptoms of physical changes on my body and I was 12 years and eight months old when I got my first menstruation as one of first girls in my class.
| Tracker wrote: | | 3. I eat slowly. It will often take me over an hour to finish a meal. I dont know why it always takes me so long, but it does. Is this due to AS, or just me? |
The same here - my mother is still yelling at me that I eat so slowly. It simply doesn't feel good to me to have pieces of food in my mouth, to deal with chewing and in turn swallowing them. I'm almost never hungry so eating isn't a thing I would call pleasant; a duty - and it's all.
| Tracker wrote: | | 4. I cant seem to fall asleep easily. As it is, I am writing this at 4:25 am. Ive heard this is related to AS, but I have just never been able to easily fall asleep my entire life. |
I have problems with falling asleep as well - I wake up in the middle of the night quite often, especially when I'm hot and later I can't fall asleep again (in the summer time when there's a heatwave, not only do I wake up in the dead of the night but I am also cursed with few sleepless hours before Morpheus finally decides to take me in his arms) 
| Tracker wrote: | | 5. I have problems with tempurature. If the room is at 60 F, other people might just be slightly cold. But I will be wearing a jacket and freezing. Likewise, too much above 80 F, and I start overheating, and feeling sick. |
In my childhood I used to be almost permanently sick in the winter. Fortunately I grew out of this during my adolescence (which doesn't mean I'm a robust, healthy girl now). I'm sensitive to cold, sometimes I see in my college girls wearing skirts and blouses with short sleeves ot T-shirts while I'm dressed in trousers and sweater and every time I asked them if they weren't cold, their answers were negative  co I come to a conclusion I must react to cold differently.
_________________
http://nitocris1.livejournal.com
MSN Messenger -> salamandra84@windowslive.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
DevonB
Sea Gull
Joined: Mar 14, 2008
Age: 40
Posts: 248
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 12:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Frankly, most of it sounds like it's related to your weight. Many people who are very thin have little appetite. They have strong reactions to temperature, and have trouble sleeping.
Temperature sensitivity is associated with Sensory Integration Disorder (which may be present with ASD).
Your height and weight are not normal (meant as average). A doctor would advise you to put on weight as being underweight carries its own risks. |
|
| Back to top |
|
Tracker
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Jun 17, 2008
Age: 22
Posts: 176
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 1:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Ive tried putting on weight, It just never seems to work.
I am just not hungry enough to eat 3 meals per day. Often times I will only get 2 meals per day and that satisfies my hunger. But yeah, alot of it may be related to my skininess.
Also, the slow growth seems to run in the family, both my uncle and grand father were that way too. But my uncle doesnt seem to have AS (i wouldnt know, never looked for the symptomes)
Also, I have another question.
6. I have trouble falling asleep, but once I am asleep, I might as well be dead. I generally dont respond to anything short of a rocket going off next to my head. Ive had alarms that failed to wake me 2 feet away from my head, but still woke up the rest of my family in other rooms. I have also had trees felled (choped down) in my yard just outside my window. All I know is that I woke up around noon to see 2 less trees outside my window.
Is this deep sleep normal to AS, or unique to me? |
|
| Back to top |
|
latreefarmer
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: May 20, 2008
Posts: 44
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:07 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The weight issue sounds exactly like me. It could be conincidence, or could possibly be related. I tend to think a lot of issues are related to our neurology. The brain controls our bodies and AS affects all of us, but no one knows for sure. I was 6' 2" and weighed 130 lbs when I graduated high school. Now that is skinny. I had many of the same issues as you, and would not doubt that the low weight made the sensory issues worse, like being cold a lot. I, too, could not gain weight and tried everything I could think of. I eventually started gaining when I got in a relationship, and got married. She learned to cook for me, and so that combined with a calmer, more focused brain (newlywed bliss) led to me gaining weight up to a normal weight of 185-190 now. Once i put it on, I have been able to maintain much easier.
The sleep issues are very common and are definitely related to your AS and your brain activity. |
|
| Back to top |
|
krex
Phoenix
Joined: Jun 21, 2006
Age: 44
Posts: 4973
Location: Village of the Damned
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I really can't say that much is related to AS but I do share a few of the traits. You might consider having you thyroid, adrenal and hormonal levels checked if you have medical insurance.
I have always eaten very slowly. I think this is a sensory issue. People used to make fun of how many times I chewed my food. I don't like the feeling of "chunks" in my throat. This is actually one of the things they recommend for people who want to lose weight...eat slower because the food has more time to get to your stomach and let you know you are full before you over eat. I was pretty thin until I was in my mid 30's but I was also always exercising and doing physical jobs, so....
People tell me that are surprised when they find out my age but they could be lieing...people always lie to females about that but there have been other threads here from people claiming that people always think they are younger then they are...I avoid the sun and since it accounts for 90% of wrinkles...plus, I have very limited facial expressions...another cause of wrinkles, that could be AS related for some of us.
Lots of people have delayed sleep insomnia. Main causes seem to be anxiety and rehearsing for social situations or thinking about obsessions...can't shut brain off. Also more problems if you don't get enough energy burn off during the day...sitting in front of the computer ? There does seem to be more night owl then morning people here. I do think insomnia is AS related but don't have a link to research....anecdotal. Once I do fall asleep nothing wakes me up for the first 6 hours, sometimes I can fall back to sleep and sometimes I can sleep another 6 hours...depends on how sleep deprived I am over several days.
I do get to hot or to cold easily but I always connected it to my throid and related hormonal inbalance. I always thought I was more like a reptile then a human because I don't seem to be able to regulate my body temperature well. My BF has MS and has some of the same issues, a known problem in MS, so there could be a neurological connection. He also has a lot of traits that his neurologist says are MS but ooverlap AS...so I am never sure which traits are which for him.
_________________
Just because one plane is flying out of formation, doesnt mean the formation is on course....R.D.Lang
Visit my crafts store
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5412685 |
|
| Back to top |
|
anbuend
Oak-Type Autie
Joined: Jul 06, 2004
Posts: 3200
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 3:28 pm Post subject: Re: Are these related to AS |
|
|
| 2ukenkerl wrote: | | Tracker wrote: | | 1. I am skiny. I mean really skiny, 5'6", and 103 pounds. If I lift my elbows above my shoulders you could easily see all of my ribs. I havent done anything special about this. I eat when im hungry and thats it. I havent gone on any diets, or anything like that which would explain why im so skiny. Is this skininess due to AS, or is it unrelated? |
I started out skinny, but am not now. Skinny has NOTHING to do with AS! |
Inability to gain weight easily can be linked to certain things that are potentialy linked to autism though. I was like that as a kid (definitely not now).
| Quote: | | Tracker wrote: | | 2. I grew up slowly. I didnt start puberty till I was 15, and I didnt reach my full hieght until age 20. I always looked several years younger then I actually was. Even now, I could shave my face and easily pass as a high school freshman. Is this delayed growth due to AS, or unrelated? |
I started puberty EARLY! This has NOTHING to do with AS! |
Again -- there are syndromes that can cause being skinny, late puberty, unusual growth curve, and autism. Just because not all autistic people have them doesn't mean they're never linked to autism.
| Quote: | | Tracker wrote: | | 3. I eat slowly. It will often take me over an hour to finish a meal. I dont know why it always takes me so long, but it does. Is this due to AS, or just me? |
I eat FAST! This has NOTHING to do with AS! |
By that definition, then being very silent a lot of the time would have nothing to do with autism, just because talking a lot can have to do with autism for other people. You're not making sense.
| Quote: | | Tracker wrote: | | 4. I cant seem to fall asleep easily. As it is, I am writing this at 4:25 am. Ive heard this is related to AS, but I have just never been able to easily fall asleep my entire life. |
Possible AS trate, but maybe NOT! |
Unusual circadian rhythms and irregular sleep/wake pattern are common in autistic people.
| Quote: | | Tracker wrote: | | 5. I have problems with tempurature. If the room is at 60 F, other people might just be slightly cold. But I will be wearing a jacket and freezing. Likewise, too much above 80 F, and I start overheating, and feeling sick. Is this AS or not? |
Most AS people have the OPPOSITE problem. MIGHT be AS!
Until you state more, NO determination could be made. |
I agree that we can't know, but all of these things might or might not be linked to being autistic for certain people. (I've heard the difference defined as "essential autism" vs. "complex autism", "complex" meaning the person has autism as well as, say, Down's syndrome or some other syndrome causing autism as well as many other traits (the rate of autism in people with Down's syndrome is higher than among non-disabled people). I don't know that I agree with that definition, but it's at least been noted and studied. I also once heard that it could be something like 40% or 60% of autistic people who might have additional syndromes that could be detected if people looked for them, and that are tied to autism in some way.)
_________________
"We may seem in the gutter from up there where you are but maybe you don't know we still see the same stars." -Donna Williams |
|
| Back to top |
|
anbuend
Oak-Type Autie
Joined: Jul 06, 2004
Posts: 3200
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 3:41 pm Post subject: Re: Are these related to AS |
|
|
| NUTLOG wrote: | | Tracker wrote: | | 1. I am skiny. I mean really skiny, 5'6", and 103 pounds. If I lift my elbows above my shoulders you could easily see all of my ribs. I havent done anything special about this. I eat when im hungry and thats it. I havent gone on any diets, or anything like that which would explain why im so skiny. Is this skininess due to AS, or is it unrelated? |
Pfft, that's not skinny. I used to weigh less than that at 5'11" and I've always eaten at least three meals a day. I weigh slightly more now, about 115lbs but I do zero excercise so it's surprising that I weigh so little. |
Whether it's skinny or not depends on people's body type and muscle mass too. When I weighed around 105 pounds my bones poked into everything whenever I sat down or tried to lie down, and I was undernourished (not by choice, but by situation) to the point where it was affecting my health. But I am only 5'2". I am (genuinely) large-boned and large-breasted for that matter, though -- my "ideal body weight" supposedly ranges from something like 110 to 133 (for a small-boned person my height, it's more like 90 to 110), and with normal amounts of food, prior to the period of undernourishment, I weighed around 123 which is supposedly about dead average in the "ideal" range, and I appeared thin. When I was 105 pounds I was told that I looked like I had an eating disorder.
So if someone with my general body type were 5'6", 105 would be way skinny. Whereas if the person had a different body type it might just be normal for them. From what I can find online, it says a woman who is 5'6" and small-framed would have an "ideal body weight" of between 105 and 130, but if large-framed it's more like 130 to 155, and 105 would be very skinny indeed.
So my suspicion is that it really varies depending on body type, and also fat distribution, whether someone looks skinny or not at a certain weight (and whether that weight is under what it should be or not).
_________________
"We may seem in the gutter from up there where you are but maybe you don't know we still see the same stars." -Donna Williams |
|
| Back to top |
|
Tracker
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Jun 17, 2008
Age: 22
Posts: 176
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I am a male though 
I tried that web MD BMI calculator, I am already underweight. |
|
| Back to top |
|
trewissick
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Apr 18, 2008
Posts: 47
|
| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
hi- I also just found out about asp's recently, so each time I am on here I keep finding more weird co-incidences I would not have related to autism.
I had actuallyy been meaning to post a questyion about late development- I started puberty at 15 too, though it was indirectly prob caused by my asp's- because I nevera ate- over sensativity to food, now thankfully passed off- so underweight children/teenagers develop later than their peers.
a documentary recently said a girl had to be over 7 stone to begin periods, which was under until 15, so that explans that.
there is certanily lots of anectdotal evidence for youthful looks- I look 5-10 years younger- and for sleep disturbance- see today or yestoday's post about being nocturnal and sleeping, and recent 'why do we all look so young' post. i also had really bad bouts of insomnia until I was in my late 30s- thuogh I now am so exhauseted that I sleep through the night- unless i have to make old person style midnight trips to the loo, which is ultra annoying.
remember that autism is really unresearched- and so this is probaly a very good place to find out about common aspects of asp's you may not come across elsewhere, or may seem really unrelated
.
my weight started to normalise in my late 20s; and my metabilism became normal too- so sad as i only discovered pizzas when i was 29 or so- i cuold have eaten millions when i was younger and still been really thin.....
in looking in a book baout asp's in children, i saw several weird thnigs i know i did- nkawed my nails down almost to the bone- nutil my fingers bled, and a love of heights- i still wakl on those one foot high walls and love it like i was six again... no idea why either of those should be common, but they were definate features of my childhood...
anyway, you're not alone.
some things do def decrease with age- my taste has improved, i sleep better, and cope better with my emotions etc. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
|
