[Kiffygirl0793]

I think I might have Aspergers. I have no friends, boyfriends, no contact with anyone outside my close family. I've always been more comfortable playing video games than being around people. At the same time, I miss the company of people. I have a family party to go to tomorrow, don't even want to, I can't even relate to people anymore. My uncle is dying of cancer and I feel nothing. I hate myself for being like this and just want to be normal. I also have ADD, major depression (under control with meds) and social anxiety. Boy, I love my life...not!

[ariesmars]

Originally Posted by Kiffygirl0793

I think I might have Aspergers. I have no friends, boyfriends, no contact with anyone outside my close family. I've always been more comfortable playing video games than being around people. At the same time, I miss the company of people. I have a family party to go to tomorrow, don't even want to, I can't even relate to people anymore. My uncle is dying of cancer and I feel nothing. I hate myself for being like this and just want to be normal. I also have ADD, major depression (under control with meds) and social anxiety. Boy, I love my life...not!

sorry i cant be much help..just give you a comfy

[Kiffygirl0793]

Thank you, it does help

[Callista]

I'm going to be honest here--I really don't see why the OP is worried about Asperger's. I see social isolation; but there are so many reasons that could happen that to think of AS specifically is kind of a jump. Not that it's impossible, of course; but there are so many other reasons this might be happening. Simple introversion, for one thing, means you're more comfortable alone--and people often see this as pathological even though it's nowhere near. Depression and social anxiety could easily account for all of this...

The major issues in Asperger's are generally some combination of problems with understanding other people's verbal and non-verbal communication, with communicating with other people (a low skill level, not hindrance due to anxiety) and having conversations; also repetitive movement, extreme fascination with a favorite hobby (which can be very narrow or very intense or both), and often sensory problems like overload or under-sensitivity. It's also common to have problems switching tasks, making decisions, and planning things (this is similar to what's found in ADHD, actually, and I think the two conditions are somewhat related).

I think you need more specific information, really, before you figure out whether this is something to consider. You could probably mention it to your doctor if you wanted, I guess.

BTW: I'm not normal, and I'm proud of it. Normal is boring, hon. Seriously. I think you would be happier if you decided to be the best YOU that you could be, the person you were meant to be, rather than "normal".

[sane1logic1]

Kiffygirl and Lifeshould,

I would suggest that you start by perusing the web sites of:

Donna Williams http://www.donnawilliams.net/

Wendy Lawson http://www.mugsy.org/wendy/

- just to see whether as a start you identify with much of what they write about. They are both in the spectrum and both have helpful professional qualifications & experience.

Please note that autism spectrum conditions are not purely psychological.

One of the publishers in the field is Jessica Kingsley Publishers ( www.jkp.com ) and they publish a number of books by people with the condition e.g the above mentioned.

Writings by people who have got it describe it better.

Please keep us informed of your explorations! In my opinion there aren't a lot of channels of information or support. Perhaps autism societies can give a little guidance or advice.

[sane1logic1]

Just to add Kiffy that I think not having a boyfriend/girlfriend is far more normal than it is so often made out to be.

My few dates (persons I dated) lasted 'with' me a fortnight and the last one was 23 years ago.

[Kiffygirl0793]

Well, the reason I think it might be Aspergers is because of a couple of things, I read somewhere that being good with dates is a sign. I'm in contact with a university about being tested for hyperthymesia, which is I'm able to recall random events in my life and I remember the date it happened on. I also can tell you what day September 15, 1986 was on right off the bat. It's true, I could be jumping the gun, but I also remember when I was little I had a habit of fiddling with things in my hands and staring at them while doing so, which I don't know if that's autistic or not, my parents just always got mad and told me to stop doing it. Hopefully, I will be getting tested soon, I hope it's not since there really is no cure,it's a developmental disorder you just have to live with. And I am obsessed with playing computer games, it's my only stress reliever, i can do it for hours!

[Fresquinn]

I worried over that for a while. A teacher had spoke about it once, and it caught my interest. When I was reading about the symptoms I kept thinking "That's me"... but it isn't. I'm not super-smart, I have friends, I participate in the "contagious yawn" (social cue), and I'm mastering body language, I have a love/hate relationship with change, I don't lack empathy (unless it's someone I don't like), I have a GREAT sense of humor and I'm great at spotting sarcasm. I did speak unusually for a kid, and I still usually avoid eye contact as much as possible, but I'm no longer freaked and worried about being autistic. It's just not me.

[sane1logic1]

Kiffy, anyone can have some of those gifts and most people with ASCs won't have some of them.

Fresquinn, people on the autism spectrum aren't usually "super smart".

And they don't lack empathy. Outsiders have narrow ideas about how empathy should be expressed and even narrower ones about the time frames. When news comes of someones illness injury or disability, guess who are the ones that lie awake at night thinking about it for years afterwards.

The other things you have listed are not strong signs of an ASC being present or not.

That being said Fresquinn your attitude could be a useful example because if you didn't need to access specialised help then you didn't need a diagnosis so the question whether one would have been relevant didn't arise. In my case I have always had lots of ailments so it was of help to professionals to see the contributing elements from each one, as well as me developing better adaptations.

Kiffy and Lifeshould, can you explain why you need help?

Kiffy don't worry because while there's no cure it can open the way to find better adaptations.

[Kiffygirl0793]

I'm just worried because while I believe I am a good worker, (I get there on time and when I'm there, I work, not goof around, don't take sick days), I am losing a lot of jobs because I can't grasp things as easily as other people. Maybe that's the ADD, I don't know. It probably has nothing to with Aspergers, I just know people with AS aren't good socially. I just know something's wrong with my brain and I just wanna know what it is.

[sane1logic1]

There are also learning differences associated with Asperger's. I for instance have found over the years that I am slower than others at picking up most tasks. I eventually found however that I sometimes devise quite good ways of teaching myself a task (and sometimes not).

Hoping the best for you at the tests - and remember, either way, all is not lost! A life of successfully adapting lies ahead of us!

[sane1logic1]

Fresquinn & Lifeshould, there is nothing inferior about having Asperger's. Fresquinn, it frequently co-occurs with other conditions.

Paediatricians frequently miss cases and it is due to people going on an exploration in later life that many adult cases are revealed. Growth has a lot to do with this and growth should happen at all ages and not stop when one is 18.

I have suggested specific reading for a purpose, because I think it is most likely to help in that exploration.

The "prevalent" accounts of the syndrome are stereotyped and superficial.

[wing]

Wow! I learned so much here! I scored really high for Asberger's on my "sanity" test and plan to ask my dr about it after reading this thread.

[hatteras duck]

http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

Try this quiz. It is a bit more thorough.