Am I REALLY autisitic? Asperger Syndrome? My doctor said I have autism but did not specify if it was Asperg?

Question

I used to hang about with myself at school and I didn't realise I did this or people didn't like me...When I found out that being social is in human nature I decided to hang about with people. But usually I didn't talk but rather thought all of the time. By this time I was 14-15. People started to make fun of me and I didn't actually say anything back.

Then I realised I had NO FRIENDS. I also learned how to boost my confidence but still didn't get anything right. So then I started to imitate people and found that they made fun of me even more but I still didn't realise why. I started getting depressed and drew things. And I found out that I had a natural talent. But I didn't obsess about it I was more interested on collecting virtual books my sciences. I also couldn't keep conversation going and I imitated everything my peers did which got me nowhere.

I just wasn't myself. I also realised that as a child I had no frineds but obsessed in my surroundings...

Answer 1

The fact you can articulate your feelings in this way would leave me to believe your just an individual.

Think about the conversations you had when socialising, bet there all boring small talk and you haven't really had the opportunity to connect with someone in a conversation that inspires or interests you.

This question itself is a reach out for meaningful contact on your part. Just because you can't stand meaningless interactions in my opinion doesn't make you autistic. I just think you haven't found the belief or inspiration to come out of your shell.

Good luck with that.

Answer 2

My great-nephew has Asperger Syndrome and is a typical lovable child. He is on a par with children of his own age at school and has many friends. He has little 'rituals' which he likes to do and he does not appear to have the same level of awareness of danger as his piers, but he is otherwise fine. My 19 year old son is at the lowest end of the spectrum though (Kanner's Autism) and has the mental age of a 12 month baby. He does no use or understand speech, has no life skills, no concept of danger and presents with severe challenging behaviour. I used to attend many support groups when my son was younger and many children with both Asperger and Autism lead good lives. The spectrum is enormous and with the right level of support your son should do very well.

Answer 3

I have Asperger's. I have a formal diagnosis. There are quizes on the internet, but many of them are bad. I did find one good one. Someone on Yahoo told me about it. Unfortunately the address didn't print on the printoff. My score was 109/200 Aspie and 82/200 neurotypical. The quiz is currently being revised. Did you notice any other things about your talents and weaknesses? The quiz was Stable Version 8. Another way you can tell is the WAIS-R. There should be more than 15 points between the two main IQ scores. Also you must have normal language development before age 3 to have Asperger Syndrome. OCD is a major symptom of Asperger Syndrome, but not all Aspies have it.

Answer 4

Having Asperger syndrome is not just about not having any friends, it is about having a triad of impairments. These are a difficulty with social situations and communication, difficulty with social interactions and very often a lack of social imagination. All this means is you are unable to understand body language and people's facial expressions, knowing how to start and finish a conversation and respect what other people are saying. Being very literal and unable to grasp what idioms and metaphors mean. They are usually unable to look ahead to what is going to happen in the future and live only in the moment they are in. People with Asperger syndrome don't usually care what other people feel or think as they are usually only interested in themselves.They may also have a marked lack of imagination and prefer routine to the point of obsession, if this routine is disturbed they become very agitated. They are quite happy most of the time to live in their own worlds and don't seek to make friends as they prefer their own company. If your doctor has said you are on the autistic spectrum you need to find out what exactly he means by this so you can access the proper support.

Answer 5

Autism and Aspergers are just labels. The Autistic Spectrum is just that - a spectrum.
You may be very slightly "Autistic" in some of your behaviours, but many people are - these people can often be loners or have difficulty maintaining relationships.
Maybe you are Autistic, maybe you're not, it doesn't really matter now does it? If it really bothers you then ask for a referral to a specialist, but it won't change anything.

Answer 6

It does sound like autisim...I dont know anything about this...but I can offer a bit of advice: My brother is the same way...except he doesnt shut up. Try not to imitate things, and simply try to be yourself. What do you like? If you hear someone in a conversation you have opinioins about (so long as it isnt personal) state them, try to make friends. Dont let it control your life, you control it. With a bit of practice, you should be able to make friends and be what most would consider "normal" with time. if you need a way to start, feel free to email me and we can talk. I dont know what else to say on here, restricted by not knowing you very well, but things will get better sweety. But also remember, dont change yourself to fit in...be you. Be true. Because no one can make you feel bad unless you give them permission.
You are you, no matter what diagnosis has been given, and that in itself is wonderful.

Answer 7

You just maybe !! My son is autistic and he hates school and people have made fun of him all his life. He looks normal but his behaviour is not. He says he doesn't care that people make fun of him and that I seem to care more than he does. He doesn't have any friends except one girl who is mentally disabled she just LOVES him. She tells me he opened up a whole new world to her. As he gets older he seems to have found coping mechanisms for his anger. He would have tantrums if things got to be to much. If you are autistic you are very high functioning I can tell by the way you articulate. By your question I can also see a little of my son in you like keeping to yourself imitating other people just trying so hard to fit in and having a hard time with conversation. My son is now 16 going on 17 he wasn't properly diagnosed until he was 14 at 7 they misdiagnosed him they said he was ADHD. It got worse when he started high school and I had him diagnosed again and they said it was so clear to them that he was autistic. I always knew it had to be more than just ADHD . My son can draw the most incredible things mostly cartoon type warriors his work has been showen to people who think he could really make something of himself through his art.I really believe you maybe autistic but their are so many really cool people out there that are and I think my son is so cool and wouldn't want him any other way than he is.

Answer 8

Do a bit of research but if you are an aspie then consider yourself trendy mate, more and more people are declaring themselves aspies, its the new gay.
Seriously if you have survived this long, consider yourself eccentric and forget the trendy stereotyping.

Answer 9

I think you may be autistic as people often have difficulty socialising and understanding things, but DONT WORRY, you're okay!

Answer 10

It is difficult to say whether you are suffering from autism based just on these limited symptoms

There are two major types of autism, of which you have probably heard, they are autism and asperger’s syndrome. First let’s look at classical autism, how would we recognise it? Well, autism was first recognised in the mid 1940’s by a psychiatrist called Leo Kanner. He described a group of children, whom he was treating, who presented with some very unusual symptoms such as; - atypical social development, irregular development of communication and language, and recurring / repetitive and obsessional behaviour with aversion to novelty and refusal to accept change. His first thoughts were that they were suffering some sort of childhood psychiatric disorder.

At around the same time that Kanner was grappling with the problems of these children, a German scientist, Hans Asperger was caring for a group of children whose behaviour also seemed irregular. Asperger suggested that these children were suffering from what he termed ‘autistic psychopathy.’ These children experienced remarkably similar symptoms to the children described by Kanner, with a single exception. – Their language development was normal! There is still an ongoing debate as to whether autism and Asperger’s syndrome are separable conditions, or whether Asperger’s syndrome is merely a mild form of autism

What is the cause of autism?

In the 1960s and 1970s there arose a theory that autism was caused by abnormal family relationships. This led on to the ‘refrigerator mother’ theory, which claimed that autism in the child was caused by cold, emotionless mothers! (Bettleheim, 1967). However the weight of evidence quickly put this theory to bed as evidence was found to support the idea that the real cause was to be found in abnormalities in the brain. This evidence was quickly followed by findings, which clearly demonstrated that the EEGs of autistic children were, in many cases, atypical and the fact that a large proportion of autistic children also suffered from epilepsy.

From this time, autism has been looked upon as a disorder, which develops as a consequence of abnormal brain development. Recently, evidence has shown that in some cases, the abnormal brain development may be caused by specific genes.

However, we should not forget that genes can only express themselves if the appropriate environmental conditions exist for them to do so and so, we should not rule out additional, environmental causes for autism. We should not forget that autism can also be caused by brain-injury, that an insult to the brain can produce the same effects as can abnormal development of the brain, which may have been caused by genetic and other environmental factors. I have seen too many children who have suffered oxygen starvation at birth, who have gone on to display symptoms of autism or Asperger’s syndrome. So, it is my view that autism can also be caused by brain-injury.

The cause of autism therefore needs no complicated definition, whether it is produced by genes, environmental causes such as, alcohol abuse or abuse of other drugs, infection, jaundice, malnutrition, or one of many other causes, - or by oxygen starvation. It is simple and easy to understand. The cause of autism is brain–injury. It is that simple! The important and simple thing to remember is that autism is caused by brain–injury, in the same way that cerebral palsy is caused by brain-injury. In fact, autism is an expression of brain–injury, again in the same way that cerebral palsy is an expression of brain-injury.

Difficulties in socialisation is an area, which characterises the entire concept of autism. To many parents the lack of willingness on the part of their autistic child to share in normal social action is of paramount concern. One parent described her child as having social amnesia.

The social impairments, which typify autism are exact, that is, the child’s social conduct is not atypical universally. It is incorrect to declare that children, who are autistic, have a deficiency in their level of curiosity in other people. What they are deficient in is the proficiency for conveying or exploiting that interest. Uninjured babies are focused on faces and voices, whereas autistic children do not seem to be! They do not turn automatically to the sound of a voice, or fix their eyes on a parent’s face, and may actively avoid meeting their vision. In many cases, this is due to sensory impairments, which can block the development of these social skills.

The importance of play

One of the first signs that a toddler or preschooler has autism is their atypical play. Even the brightest youngsters with autism display highly unusual patterns of play. Classically, children with autism over-focus their attention on visual aspects of specific toys, or noises, which their toys make. Many researchers see this as a lack of imagination in autistic individuals and it is true to say that children with autism do lack imagination and spontaneity within their behaviour, preferring to stick rigidly to routines with which they feel comfortable and safe. What we claim though, is that many times, these problems are created as a result of the sensory distortions, which they suffer.

Do you suffer from any sensory distortions?
Did you pretend as a child?

Visit my website at http://www.snowdrop.cc. Look at the page on autism and if you like, download the book on autism. It may help.