[tumblr]

Hi. I posted here yesterday.
But I saw that it's harder to diagnose women due to autistic traits in women being different than those in men. I've been non stop researching since yesterday (I haven't even eaten much..), and found a book called Aspiengirl. I haven't yet purchased the book, though I plan to. There are samples online of what's written, including a long list of female symptoms. I read through most of it, and it was hitting right on the mark, especially "the chameleon", imitation.

I, at first, Aspergers quizzes because I'm so interested, scored 152 on the Aspie Quiz (took it 3 times to be sure), then heard from here that the author was biased and racist. However, I do believe the quiz was correct when it comes to ADD diagnosis.

I'm not yet sure whether self-diagnosis is accurate, but this research has helped me understand myself a lot more.

[-jimi-]

I don't know any good online tests. The Baron-Cohen test is very male aspie oriented. He seems to think one cannot have aspergers if one is interested in movies, books and hates numbers.

But I do think if you read stuff about aspergers and you feel it fits, that is a good indicator.

A real test can usually see past male and female. My test was very extensive and took two full days (whew!) and I feel good about it being done that way. Every time in the past when I got diagnosed with something it was because my doc "felt" I had that. Not so accurate.

I can relate a lot to the aspergirl mindset. People who are raised as girls have much more social demands on them, you just HAVE to use so much brainpower to understand the social stuff, it is not allowed to be different the way it is for a boy.

[tumblr]

I just discovered my college has a resource center for disabilities and there's a lady that specializes in autism, so maybe I could speak to her and get tested too! I heard that misdiagnosis is common in the community. May I ask what the test was? Written? Verbal?

The thing with the test is I'm afraid they'll ask about childhood, in which I can only remember fragments of - mostly only that bad parts.

[-jimi-]

Where I live, the test seems to be more extensive than many other places. I did the WAIS, which is a test that measures all types of thinking, took ages... Also I had an interview as to my life as now, I also included childhood stuff because I do remember it well. They also wanted someone that knew me as a child to participate, but I refused. Also they watched how I did things and at what speed.

In some places they simply guess.

And everything inbetween.

[L.P.]

Originally Posted by tumblr

I just discovered my college has a resource center for disabilities and there's a lady that specializes in autism, so maybe I could speak to her and get tested too! I heard that misdiagnosis is common in the community. May I ask what the test was? Written? Verbal?

The thing with the test is I'm afraid they'll ask about childhood, in which I can only remember fragments of - mostly only that bad parts.

Yeah, they will ask about your childhood. I ran into problems with that at one point because I have blanks in my memory and I had no one to really ask about how I behaved/acted/whatever as a child (junkie mom, absentee dad, no siblings, so on). Ultimately it ended up being based on what I did recall not only from early years but later into life. I got diagnosed later, either late twenties or early thirties. I forget. It's been awhile. Anyway. They will work with you in those kinds of situations. They kinda have to because in a lot of cases things like childhood neglect and abuse can give someone traits that look autistic-ish. Things like poor eye contact or failure to come home and share/interact with adults in your house are common enough in both groups of people. As uncomfortable as it may be, those things need to get addressed and figured out by a damn competent psych professional if you decide you want a dx.

I'm not yet sure whether self-diagnosis is accurate, but this research has helped me understand myself a lot more.

^ Quoted because I think that is the most important thing. I remember having this aha moment when I first started looking into autism. It was wild, to say the least, as I am sure you understand. It's cool to if you can find some tips and tricks along the way to help navigate life and be more comfy in your own skin in the process. Whatever you decide to do (go for the dx, self diagnose, or whatever) I wish you well in it.

-Avery

[88Butterfly88]

Asperger's is no longer a diagnosis in the US, it's now all Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with three levels of functioning.

[MiddayNap]

Originally Posted by 88Butterfly88

Asperger's is no longer a diagnosis in the US, it's now all Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with three levels of functioning.

This is true. .
Those with Asperger's were diagnosed at a later age than those with Autism.
They did not expereince a significant delay in language acquisition, adaptive behavior or curiosity about their environment in childhood, nor did they experience significant conginitive delay. These differences lead to their being separated despite their similarities.
It is now agreed that Asperger's, as well as Pervasive Developmental Disorder NOS, and Childhood Integrative Disorder are a part of the Autism Spectrum.
With that said, Asperger's is still quite a commonly used title-at least in common parlance-to differentiate between HFA and LFA. Its use is not wrong, but outdated, and there are still very interesting books regarding Asperger's written prior to the publication of the DSM V.

[cool09]

What if you had problems that started at 13? It can't be Asberger's, right?

[Lonewolf4]

Originally Posted by tumblr

Hi. I posted here yesterday.
But I saw that it's harder to diagnose women due to autistic traits in women being different than those in men. I've been non stop researching since yesterday (I haven't even eaten much..), and found a book called Aspiengirl. I haven't yet purchased the book, though I plan to. There are samples online of what's written, including a long list of female symptoms. I read through most of it, and it was hitting right on the mark, especially "the chameleon", imitation.

I, at first, Aspergers quizzes because I'm so interested, scored 152 on the Aspie Quiz (took it 3 times to be sure), then heard from here that the author was biased and racist. However, I do believe the quiz was correct when it comes to ADD diagnosis.

I'm not yet sure whether self-diagnosis is accurate, but this research has helped me understand myself a lot more.

Hi,

I've done a similar thing to you and researched into asperges and done quizes to figure out more and come across similar information. From what I've gathered with female autism, typically we are more adaptable in social situations due to how female society can be - we may copy what we see as we realise this is meant to be the expected behaviour even if we don't understand it. Which suppose makes it harder to diagnose?

Honestly if you relate to the traits and the research, then that's great in the idea that you're understanding yourself better. What you do with that information is up to you.

For example if you think it would be beneficial to get properly diagnosed go for it, however not everyone feels like they need to be diagnosed.

My bother was diagnosed when I was at primary school, as he showed obvious signs. However for me, I'm only self-diagnosed myself from my understanding of asperges but never gone out of my way to be properly diagnosed -
most of my family put it down to being shy however my brother figured I was similar to him. Considered going for a diagnosis but my brother thinks it wouldn't help as he feels it would affect my chances of getting a job, wonder if people have similar opinions on that issue? - I heard that people with autism have a tendency to go towards people that also have similar experiences in that regard? So possibly that could be another signifier for you?