[SunAngel]

something was "wrong" or "different" with me when I was a small child. It came out that I have Aspergers.

Are these quizzes right or should I just ignore them.

I have Bipolar Disorder and just figured I had BP my whole life. When I was little, at recess at school, I just leaned up against the wall, without playing with the other kids.

One day, the teacher brought in a pinata and when someone broke it and the candy came flying out, I just stood and staring at it. The other kids were grabbling the candy. I just stood there. The teacher made them give me some of their candy.

I never wanted birthday parties either. When I was little, my mom made me have a birthday party and I was miserable. I just wanted to hang out at home with my own thoughts.

What is Aspergers and what are the symptoms. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Inedible]

There is also the diagnosis Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. There have been recent changes, but I remember the category Pervasive Developmental Disorder starting with the not otherwise specified and going up to Aspergers and then finally hitting Autism. It is a sort of spectrum depending on how many of the characteristics a person has and how severely. Most of the characteristics seem to be about being withdrawn and having difficulty communicating with other people. I also took that particular quiz and scored fairly high on it. I think I got a 30 on the test and the intermediate range was something like 30 to 33. It surprised me how narrow that was. The test is for your information. It gives you something to look into. It is not a diagnosis. To be fair, though, I would have to say that in my case the test was fairly accurate. When I was a little kid I told the other kids at school that the reason why I couldn't learn their names was because I couldn't tell them apart and only rarely was someone interesting enough that I could learn to consistently recognize them. As an adult I have the same problem every time I change jobs, but at least I don't tell them they all look alike to me.

As for advice, I would suggest reading about Aspergers. You can see how familiar the symptoms and experiences feel. That's a good place to start before you decide to do something about it.

[SunAngel]

My quiz came out No Autism, but likely Aspergers.

I will research it online to see what it is all about to see if I really do fit into this spectrum.

Thanks so much for your reply.

[SunAngel]

Originally Posted by Inedible

There is also the diagnosis Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. There have been recent changes, but I remember the category Pervasive Developmental Disorder starting with the not otherwise specified and going up to Aspergers and then finally hitting Autism. It is a sort of spectrum depending on how many of the characteristics a person has and how severely. Most of the characteristics seem to be about being withdrawn and having difficulty communicating with other people. I also took that particular quiz and scored fairly high on it. I think I got a 30 on the test and the intermediate range was something like 30 to 33. It surprised me how narrow that was. The test is for your information. It gives you something to look into. It is not a diagnosis. To be fair, though, I would have to say that in my case the test was fairly accurate. When I was a little kid I told the other kids at school that the reason why I couldn't learn their names was because I couldn't tell them apart and only rarely was someone interesting enough that I could learn to consistently recognize them. As an adult I have the same problem every time I change jobs, but at least I don't tell them they all look alike to me.

As for advice, I would suggest reading about Aspergers. You can see how familiar the symptoms and experiences feel. That's a good place to start before you decide to do something about it.

I talked to my therapist and she told me that no matter what my problems are, she will treat my whole person, everything about me. So if I do have Aspergers, she will help me out just by what she is doing with me.

[Astridetal]

I don't know whether this quiz you took is reliable, but there is something called the AQ test. You can do it online and it is pretyereliable. It obviously doesn't giv eyou a diagnosis, but can be used as a first screening tool for Asperger's/high-functioning autism. A score over 30 indicates further evaluation si warranted (the max score is 50).

Originally Posted by SunAngel

something was "wrong" or "different" with me when I was a small child. It came out that I have Aspergers.

Are these quizzes right or should I just ignore them.

I have Bipolar Disorder and just figured I had BP my whole life. When I was little, at recess at school, I just leaned up against the wall, without playing with the other kids.

One day, the teacher brought in a pinata and when someone broke it and the candy came flying out, I just stood and staring at it. The other kids were grabbling the candy. I just stood there. The teacher made them give me some of their candy.

I never wanted birthday parties either. When I was little, my mom made me have a birthday party and I was miserable. I just wanted to hang out at home with my own thoughts.

What is Aspergers and what are the symptoms. Any advice would be appreciated.

You sound like you have the classic picture of AS going on. These tests can have variable results because sometimes you change as you get older due to increasing socialization, increased demands, and a generally different life structure that the autism will sometimes fade into the distant background. This was why when I took the test a while ago, I only got a 19 on the AQ score (which is considered a reliable screening tool). I definitely am autistic (self diagnosed), but the only reason I got this score was because of forced changes in my environment (due to social pressures) caused me to lose many of my autistic traits. To surprise many of you, I actually miss a lot of them, especially my utterly intense, singular interests which have now been completely lost never to be seen again. I used to watch the same movies over and over and over for hours as a kid, delve deeply and passionately into scientific subjects acquiring rainman like knowledge of them, but as I integrated into the social world I totally lost all of that

Originally Posted by Steve223

You sound like you have the classic picture of AS going on. These tests can have variable results because sometimes you change as you get older due to increasing socialization, increased demands, and a generally different life structure that the autism will sometimes fade into the distant background. This was why when I took the test a while ago, I only got a 19 on the AQ score (which is considered a reliable screening tool). I definitely am autistic (self diagnosed), but the only reason I got this score was because of forced changes in my environment (due to social pressures) caused me to lose many of my autistic traits. To surprise many of you, I actually miss a lot of them, especially my utterly intense, singular interests which have now been completely lost never to be seen again. I used to watch the same movies over and over and over for hours as a kid, delve deeply and passionately into scientific subjects acquiring rainman like knowledge of them, but as I integrated into the social world I totally lost all of that

I would... question some of this.
To say one is definitely anything that requires a professional assessment without said professional assessment is odd, to say the least. The fact that you recieved a 19 on the AQ indicates that, if you believe it incorrect, you should seek further assessment by a professional.

I am active in society, have gone to college, public school, etc.
I have very specific interests, some detailed preferences, behavioral things like stimming, echolalia at times, I have actually been non-verbal at times when way over-stimulated.
I watch spongebob every day. Still. No joke.
I freak if people move my shoes.
I'm very particular about which spoon or fork I use and the color of my dishes.
I tend to yell random crap if I get too excited and I have tactile and auditory sensitivities.

I have a lot of social anxieties, oddities, and awkwardness but I've kind of learned how to navigate a lot of social situations with a mix of humor and some kind of sublime "charm" [i guess?] that i seem to have developed. Anything else I just brush off as a learning experience.

But I mean, I'm 31. Navigating the world is still pretty tiring on a daily basis, because I'm still autistic, and that can still be assessed.

I would encourage you to seek professional assessment if you are legitimately curious.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by SunAngel

My quiz came out No Autism, but likely Aspergers.

I will research it online to see what it is all about to see if I really do fit into this spectrum.

Thanks so much for your reply.

That is weird, considering Aspergers syndrome is autism, there isn't really anything that distinguishes the two from each other. Essentially if you have aspergers then yes you'd be on the autism spectrum.

[rosska]

Originally Posted by Steve223

You sound like you have the classic picture of AS going on. These tests can have variable results because sometimes you change as you get older due to increasing socialization, increased demands, and a generally different life structure that the autism will sometimes fade into the distant background. This was why when I took the test a while ago, I only got a 19 on the AQ score (which is considered a reliable screening tool). I definitely am autistic (self diagnosed), but the only reason I got this score was because of forced changes in my environment (due to social pressures) caused me to lose many of my autistic traits. To surprise many of you, I actually miss a lot of them, especially my utterly intense, singular interests which have now been completely lost never to be seen again. I used to watch the same movies over and over and over for hours as a kid, delve deeply and passionately into scientific subjects acquiring rainman like knowledge of them, but as I integrated into the social world I totally lost all of that

I'm going to be honest with you, I don't think you have an ASD.

I really don't mean to be rude but; if you scored 19 on the AQ test (which you refer to yourself as a 'reliable screening tool' but you disagree with the results of), you don't have any real difficulty socialising, you were able to adapt and 'lose autism traits' from forced change, you don't have problems with singular focus... then the chances are your difficulties were never caused by an ASD.

By it's very nature, austim is a life long condition. Sure you can learn to deal with the symptoms of it, but they never go away. No matter how good we get at skill management, or socialisation they are still challenging and tiring. We're all prone to losing ourselves in singular focus on a special interest.

I am 28, almost 29, and I still find socialisation to be a daunting and exhausting experience. To be fair, I was only diagnosed a year ago so perhaps I will get better with it in time. But you've never been diagnosed and it's only in the last few weeks you've been posting that you suspect ASD so I don't see how you could already have overcome these issues without any sort of therapy.

Like JosieTheGirl, I have 'issues' with crockery. I have set pieces of crockery which I use for set times or meals. I use three cups a day (two cups, one glass to be precise), one bowl, one plate. The same pieces I use every day and if somebody else uses them or moves them then I get incredibly anxious and upset. One cup is used for tea in the morning along with my bowl for my cereal, crunchy nut cornflakes (the same cereal I've eaten every day for the last 5 or so years now). The glass is used for drinking orange diluting juice during the day (I only drink the same brand of orange juice all day long, no deviations, no alterations), then my plate for my evening meal, and my other cup is used for my hot chocolate in the evening.

I live my life with routines and structure, if anything causes disruption to those routines I will have a meltdown and be left with a feeling of emptiness that cannot be undone. I would not simply adapt and lose my traits of autism. Being able to is the exact opposite of one of the major diagnostic criteria of any ASD.

Your posts give me the increasing impression that you may suffer from some form of BPD or DID.

I truly apologise if this comes across as rude or offensive. But I'm trying to urge you to seek professional help. You obviously have some mental health issues you need to work through, but guessing what they are isn't going to fix them.