Sh*t! I think I have Autism..

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Hey,

Every now and then I get on google and try to figure out whats wrong with me and today I came across this site. I checked Wikipedia and I have a lot of the symptoms. Especially the eye contact and social problems. A lot of people say I'm sketchy because I almost never make eye contact with them and the way I talk.

Anyone know how I can tell for sure if I have Autism or not? I'm 17 now, I don't really know if the same rules apply for me.

ROFL!! !! ! s**t I think I have Autism what an interesting topic title. ROFL! I can't stop laughing!! !! !! ! You didn't give us much to go on. eye contact and social issues can you elaborate? Also perhaps see an Autism specialist and get a diagnosis. I don't like people who put down Autism it's not a death sentence/bad thing. It's a part of who I am!! ! Yes I have my handicaps related to my AS but it defines me. The good and the bad.

The same rules do apply to you if you're in the US because you're still school age. If this is true your local school system must evaluate you. You will not get services (IEP) if your issues are not interfering with your grades. Thinking you have it from reading a Wikipedia article, however, is very distasteful. Look up the DSM criteria and see if you meet it for autism or Asperger's Syndrome.

Oh, well there's a lot more symptoms that I've noticed that I have. I usually make threads too long and nobody reads them, so I was trying to make it short.



Thanks you so much, I was looking for something that was more specific. I found this (autreat[dot]com\dsm4-aspergers.html Is that what I need to be going by?

I have the symptoms of I and II, I don't entirely understand any of them completely. I could use some elaboration on II. When I was a kid I used to be obsessed with Gameboy. I played it so much that I heard the music in my head and I dreamed about it. I've been told that it's OSD, but I dont know. Today I go through phases or obsession. I'll do nothing but one thing for a while and then I'll move on to the next or previous. Is that a symptom of II?

I think you should hang around for a while. You might be on to something.

I don't know if I'd be comfortable being active on this forum when I haven't actually be diagnosed with Autism. Right now my reason for being here is just for information.

There's a lot more to it than that. But yeah. Stick around and keep poking your own brain to see if it matches. Unfortunately, most doctors hate it when people self diagnose, so you're likely to hit a bit of opposition.

If you do meet the criteria for an ASD, then don't be upset about it - look at it as a relevation. A chance for self discovery and understanding. A tool to plan for the future.

Special interests. Obsessed with one topic so narrowly you can't speak of anything else. You can have multiple ones though. Or the interest is very unusual. You might watch a movie 10 times in a row or everyday or know everything about deep fat fryers. Or you would have an attachment to an object as your interest and carry it around with you.

Routine-oriented. Resistance to change. If a schedule changes at school it'd be stressful or upsetting. Or if you always have to sit in the same seat. Or you have to do everything a certain way everyday. Or you will only eat food if it's certain ingredients or made a certain way.

Pacing, hand flapping, rocking, finger flapping, twisting, chewing, etc. Normal people stim by tapping their feet.

Playing with toys by spinning car wheels in front of your eyes instead of actually playing with them.

I totally agree. OP says it like it is a bad thing. I view everyone on the spectrum to some degree. It's life, it is diverse. I don't believe in them or us. I believe in we.
No one ever points to a couch potato and says there is something wrong with him, but that just don't feel right to me. Now days doctors can label anything they want. Write a paper, feel good. I say they should look into 'couch potato syndrome'. Everyone, let me repeat that, Everyone has problems. Nobody ever gets to have a 'get out of jail free card'. No one has ever died who has not felt hardship and strife on some level.

So, suck it up kid. Learn what you can about yourself, learn what you do well, what you don't, how to compensate, how to control yourself, push your self to your limits, don't let emotions control your life and just get on with it. Use to good to your advantage.

Yeah, that's basically why I'm here. To figure myself out. I've always known that I have something, but never what. I guess I'm just hoping for someone on here to say "nope, your not autistic" or "yeah, your deferentially autistic". Life would be so much easier if I could have something to narrow everything down for me and tell me whats wrong/right with me.

Thank you for the explanation.

Right now I know for a fact that I have A and C, but I'm not sure about the other two.

I'm thinking that I don't have B. I'm resistant to change, yeah, but I wouldn't say that I have a ruitine. I guess I typically do the same stuff, but I don't schedule anything. I did stuff like this when I was younger, but I don't think I do it anymore.

I might have D, but I don't play with toys too often, so I dont know. I know I always 'play' with removable parts on things, like my bluetooth headset has this removable ear piece and I find myself removing it and putting it back. I do this with a lot of things, but it's kinda like popping a bottle cap. Everyone does it.

Remember you don't have to have every symptom to fit the criteria. You just have to have clinical impairment and fit the amount of symptoms each category states. Take this quiz: http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

I don't think any of us could tell you definitely either way. All I can say, based on what I've heard on this topic, is, "It merits further research." I can't rule it out; I can't confirm it. We're not professionals (well, most of us aren't, anyhow); and we're not talking to you in real life, observing body language and getting your childhood history. We're not doing a full evaluation. So really, all we ever can do when people come here, wondering if they have been missed for a diagnosis of autism, is to say, "Yeah, those are autistic traits; if you're having problems, you can get it checked and try to get therapy."

But really, even if you are autistic, what does it mean? You're the same person you always were; you have the same strengths and the same weaknesses you always did; you've got the same brain you've had all your life. Having a name for it doesn't change who you are, and that name might allow you to connect with other people who have the same name for what they've got, and swap strategies and advice.

For the record, though, we have a lot of people here who don't have an autism diagnosis. We have some who are "self-diagnosed" (that is, people who have done a lot of research and decided that they have autism, but that they don't need professional help because they are able to compensate on their own), and others who have autistic traits but not autism proper; and of course there are the neurotypical friends, girl/boyfriends, and family members who hang around to learn more about the people they love. We also have some people who are neurodiverse but not autistic, such as ADHD, learning disability, sensory integration disorder, and other atypical sorts of brain configurations.

So, bottom line:
1. If you are having problems related to autistic traits, then it makes sense to get evaluated.
2. You don't have to be autistic to hang out here.
3. If you're autistic, you don't have to be diagnosed to hang out here.
4. If you're not autistic, you probably still have a lot in common with those who are, and can use similar strategies to deal with daily-life problems.

Thanks, I just took the test. I didn't know the answer to a lot of the questions, but heres my score:

Your Aspie score: 143 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 52 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie

I don't know what it means though.

I love my autism and all the kinks and quirks that come along, with it. I wouldn't want to be cured, or should I say...kured?

Here's the course of action I suggest. Don't go to a professional just yet. (If you have ambitions involving becoming a police officer, politician, parent or soldier, you'd do better not to get diagnosed if you can possibly manage otherwise.)

Stay here, I promise you're welcome, we have NTs here, we have confused people here, we have BAPs and self-diagnosed people here. When you have trouble with something, come here and ask about it; ask if we also experience this, ask if it's related to autism. And ask for our coping strategies. Try them out, see if they work. Learn by being here, reading threads. You'll have a better idea later on, in months or years. In the meantime, it can't hurt for you to participate in the discussion here! Welcome to the forum!