New member - very likely Aspie

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Have come across AS quite by chance. Until last week I didn't really know what autism actually was and hadn't heard of Asperger's Syndrome. Now, having found out about both autism and AS, most facets of them are certainly true of me.

Although I had no knowledge of the autism spectrum, I have a close friend who has an autistic son and knows all about autism and Asperger's. We met for lunch today and had a good chat about autism and AS. Looking for a second opinion from someone who knows, I told her I'd recently found out a lot about the autism spectrum.

She says I certainly show the traits of Asperger's. Not by any means severe, but I didn't think that for a minute. She has believed all along I am a likely Aspie but just hadn't brought it up till now, in case of possibly making me feel 'labelled', but today was quite a revelation for both of us. So we both think I'm a probable Aspie and both think I should look into it further and get a diagnosis. I'm certainly up for that, the main reasons being good old peace of mind, great problems finding and holding down employment, and being able to encourage people in the same boat. I have also realised AS is the probable reason I have had so many struggles in life.

I have done 3 or 4 of the online autism/AS tests and have scored very highly on all of them.

A bit about me. By all accounts I was developmentally delayed in my early years (up until about age 7 or 8 ). Apparently I couldn't speak until I was 7 (though had a well advanced lexical and numerical ability and a phenomenal IQ). I was totally lacking in social skills and totally didn't interact with other children. I had no sense of being able to play or use my imagination. (Does my early development sound more like autism than Asperger's?) Unfortunately my mother was blamed for absolutely everything, I now realise totally unfairly - there being little or no understanding of autism, let alone Asperger's in those days (late 70's).

Today I still show some problems with interaction particularly in group social situations. In these type of situations e.g. nights out, I always become lost in a crowd, not really knowing how to interact, and essentially being sidelined. Probably because I have little to talk about owing to my narrow and limited interests. I have improved quite a bit in social skills over the last 4 years, but to the extent that I have really only been able to interact successfully when it's been on a one-to-one basis with close friends I have made. Before this I had been truly an out-and-out social isolate. Social skills certainly don't come naturally to me and have been learned almost as if they're an academic subject.

It's an Aspie trait to have a limited number of narrowly focused interests. Well, my interests are a whole lotta arcane, esoteric interests that very few people are likely to know anything about. I've virtually never had any interest in many of the 'essential' things such as movies, music (even if I do listen a lot, usually the same tracks), popular/celebrity culture, etc. etc. This has made me feel somewhat isolated, though now I realise I'm none the worse for that. In my early years I had an obsession with all things to do with mathematics, any sort of indices, and dictionaries (the latter still being true today).

I've always been a highly intelligent individual. Not that at any time whatsoever in the last 10 years, my intelligence has ever been properly used, or even ever encouraged (if anything, quite the opposite). I have always taken things too literally, often with embarrassing results, and I'm all too aware I have a poorly developed ability to 'read between the lines'. Especially as a teenager, I was always told I used too many 'big words', which certainly set me apart. I was a 'bully magnet' at school and underwent severe bullying. I have been so much of a bully magnet, that I have been bullied to a great extent even during most of my working life so far - then again I've clearly been unlucky in terms of workplaces.

But hey, I realise all of the above is likely down to AS. I'm aged 31 and from Scotland, living near Edinburgh. Looking forward to a third, and fourth, and subsequent opinion on my Asperger-ness!

Welcome to the planet! Scotland is awesome!

Welcome,

I'm not any type of doctor but, with what you describe, I'd definately say you should look at High Functioning Autism. When you do go for a diagnois, make sure the doctor has worked with other adults. So often its difficult for adults to get a dx because they have learned coping skills and therefore don't present as a child would.

Please read around the board and join us. I look forward to read more from you.

BeeBee

Obviously I can't be diagnosed until I've seen a doctor and be diagnosed formally. However, for what it's worth I just found and did the Autism Quotient test.

I scored 39, and there was a comment saying most people with AS or HFA score about 35.

Hey hey we have a Scot!! ! Welcome to WP. My dad is Scottish hence I got excited, I also really like Scottish people, every single one Ive come across have all been really friendly.

Thank you very much Fiz, I guess being Scottish conjures up so many romantic images of beauty, castles, traditions etc. in so many people, which is lovely. Where are you located?

I'm currently living in Southport, Merseyside, about an hour away from Manchester (where I originally come from) and less than an hour from Liverpool. I looked at your post in the singles bit and it made me laugh because, by coincidence, I have a half-brother called Mark who is 31, but I don't know where abouts he is in Scotland at the moment. I have two half brothers there but I don't think Mark wants to know, the other one isnt too sure either I don't think. I found them both a couple of years ago.