Does age, children, and/or Ritalin strengthen aspie traits?

AthenaErdmann · Tufted Titmouse Joined: Dec 06, 2009 Posts: 40

My diagnosis is ADHD, and I've been on Ritalin for over two years now. I'm in my mid-forties, and lately I have been wondering about how much less "social" I am than what I remember of myself when was younger. Yet I still do like people and going out, talking, having a beer - but I also crave time completely alone. I love being at home alone, studying, writing, planning, or doing research, and doing a simple (mindless, manual) chore every time I get stuck. I hate the phone ringing when I am working like this, I prefer to not look at my email or social networking sites, and there is almost a dancing-like quality to the "slow" and "internal" rhythm of my thinking.

Managing to have a day like that is not just deeply satisfying and calming emotionally. It usually also means that I have more simple and mundane work/study tasks lined up for 1-2 weeks onwards - an undisturbed day is that much more productive, and on a strategic level besides.

Am I just older, more goal-oriented or more regularly interrupted by kids than when I was young (with no kids) or does the aspie dimension of the human character get strengthened by a) Ritalin or b) age per se?

Opinions? Experiences? Literature?

Athena