10 Apr 2012, 3:37 am
fragileclover wrote:
It's bizarre to me that people, both on and off the spectrum, believe that those with ASDs have to be unable to take care of themselves or require extensive support in order to get a diagnosis. I have all of the clinically required symptoms, dozens of secondary symptoms related to AS, and have issues in my life that drove me to seek diagnosis, versus accepting my own self-diagnosis. This is why I believe that the DSM-V, though nowhere near perfect, is at least on the right track in terms of defining one's Autism diagnosis by a need for support and severity of symptoms. There are people with Classic Autism who function better than some with AS, which people can't seem to believe or understand, either.
Hi Fragile & congrats on your dx.
I think you and I were diagnosed in the same week!
You made the following comment in a post in a thread I started:
"Note that 'high functioning' is not your diagnosis, though, it's just a remark about you display your symptoms." (Did your psych explain it that way
)
I found that very helpful because I feel like that term makes it sound like I'm doing just fine and I've got it all sorted out, no worries.
Hearing all your details & knowing that you're considered high functioning too makes me realise that it's just a term that means you've figured out how to pretend very well.
I know that without medication, my wonderful partner and wealthy parents, I wouldn't seem anywhere near as "high functioning".
Best, Zel.
10 Apr 2012, 5:50 am
zeldazonk wrote:
fragileclover wrote:
It's bizarre to me that people, both on and off the spectrum, believe that those with ASDs have to be unable to take care of themselves or require extensive support in order to get a diagnosis. I have all of the clinically required symptoms, dozens of secondary symptoms related to AS, and have issues in my life that drove me to seek diagnosis, versus accepting my own self-diagnosis. This is why I believe that the DSM-V, though nowhere near perfect, is at least on the right track in terms of defining one's Autism diagnosis by a need for support and severity of symptoms. There are people with Classic Autism who function better than some with AS, which people can't seem to believe or understand, either.
Hi Fragile & congrats on your dx.
I think you and I were diagnosed in the same week!
You made the following comment in a post in a thread I started:
"Note that 'high functioning' is not your diagnosis, though, it's just a remark about you display your symptoms." (Did your psych explain it that way
)I found that very helpful because I feel like that term makes it sound like I'm doing just fine and I've got it all sorted out, no worries.
Hearing all your details & knowing that you're considered high functioning too makes me realise that it's just a term that means you've figured out how to pretend very well.
I know that without medication, my wonderful partner and wealthy parents, I wouldn't seem anywhere near as "high functioning".
Best, Zel.
I am unable to argue with the term 'high functioning' being applied to me, because as far as I can tell, it's very true. There's nothing at all obvious about me in terms of my AS, unless one is very close to me and has a much more in depth understanding of AS than the textbook definition. My most apparent problem some years ago was an issue with eye contact, but once someone pointed it out to me, I made a conscious effort to make eye contact, even if brief. I'm also very quiet around people, because I am incapable of small talk, but this has been misinterpreted as me not liking the person in question, or just being shy.
Often when I'm alone, I'll begin to doubt myself and my diagnosis, because in those moments, I feel normal. When I'm at work, and I interact with customers proficiently, I feel normal. When I smile and laugh and go on with the few friends I do have, I feel normal. Then I have an experience like yesterday evening, when I had plans to meet my stepbrother and his girlfriend for dinner at 8, right from work, and then there ended up being some severe family drama at home, and they sent me a text to see if I could come home instead, and we would go later. I couldn't answer them because I was paralyzed. The change to the plans literally shut off my ability to function in that moment, and I began to rock and cry. Then there are the times when a customer at work asks me something 'off script', and I begin to fumble my words, unable to think quickly enough to give them a concise answer. Then there are times when I smile and laugh when I get a text saying my dad and stepmom are fighting, and he just called her, whom I adore, a horrible parent.
I am labeled 'high functioning' appropriately, because I could live and function every day on my own, and I could get by without most people ever noticing that anything was wrong. No one ever did notice, until my boyfriend and I began dating, and I actually spent a great deal of time with another person. I'm 'high functioning' because I was quite successful in high school, and graduated summa cum laude, top of my class, from college, and have held down a job for 9 consecutive years.
Yes, in general, I do believe 'high functioning' indicates an ability to fake 'normal' in most situations, but also remarks on your level of success in various pursuits, like school, work and relationships. My troubles are clear in a clinical setting, but even my psych said that had I not discovered Asperger's on my own, I would have never ended up in his office.
10 Apr 2012, 6:16 am
10 Apr 2012, 12:43 pm
10 Apr 2012, 3:34 pm
PM sent. 
10 Apr 2012, 4:01 pm
10 Apr 2012, 6:58 pm
