Hello! Desperately Seeking Advice...

[1ForAll]

Thank you so much for your response. I need skepticism, I need questions, I need things that challenge me to think deeply on this. I take this very seriously and I want to make sure I'm respectful of everyone -- and I have so many issues I worry that I've conjured this up. I want this to be the answer so that I will finally have an answer!

I'd be more than happy to answer your questions.

Do you have any idea what it could possibly be if not ASD?

Thank you for your comment and I look forward to hearing from you again... I greatly appreciate your time.

Thanks for your answers. I would have asked other questions relating to your childhood, but you seem to not remember much that far back. I am not a doctor, but ASD and ADHD are two conditions I know about very well, as my wife has severe ADHD, GAD and PTSD, our youngest son has ADHD and ASD, I likely have ASD, and our oldest has ASD. As well, I have always been fascinated with human psychology, and the development of conditions and personalities, and I love analyzing behaviors.

Your situation reminds me about 75% of my wife's, but about 25% of mine. ASD and ADHD have far more similarities than differences. Sometimes, like another poster said, the conditions can be dual, but other times one such diagnosis is mistaken for the other, which another member was curious about too thinking they could have ASD instead of ADHD. My wife scored much higher than I on ASD online tests, because I have some traits that do not appear as Autistic than her.

The main differences I see between you and my wife, from all those things you mentioned, was you feel you are more organized, and you seem more functional. But, all those numerous other things you mentioned fit her almost exactly. She is far more disorganized and has many difficulties with daily living activities as she is not into details, and needs to do things at her time, frequency, pace, and unique ways, etc. You say you prefer things more straight and to the point and factual.

With regards to I, lots of differences in that I was never able to mask like you and some others here could. I can do everything independently, like all the daily chores and duties here and in public, without any difficulty, but for most of my life I could not function in the outside work world because of severe avoidance of persons and anxiety near them. I had no friends, and it was my wife who initiated with me, as she appeared more extroverted on the surface, though she tells me she really gets stressed out with persons too and feels introverted.

I think I likely have ASD though, as our 2 kids definitely have it, and as I am very factual, detailed, with poor eye contact, cannot concentrate around others, have difficulties expressing a range of emotions, still have some poor social skills for others I do not trust, and as I have the sensory issue of being hyperaware of everything. However, I do not have difficulties understanding non-verbal cues, have any fine or gross motor issues, have many rigid routines, and I have strong empathy and many different interests.

So, I guess what I am saying is, you certainly have enough signs and symptoms that very well could be ASD, ADHD or both, as we each here on the forum could have many of the typical traits, but not all, and as all here will not be totally alike, or if you have dual conditions that is why it could be tricky to pick just one condition as lots of things fit, but one or more things not. I was always diagnosed with AvPD, Social Phobia, OCD and Social Anxiety Disorder, until relatively recently when a professional suspected I had the ASD, formerly Aspergers Syndrome or PDD-NOS she had said.

So, as you can see, not all doctors may diagnose correctly, if a combination of conditions could be better explained by one or two, or if the two conditions are so similar. Overlapping conditions can make it often hard to diagnose. I can just say you definitely belong here, from all the things you said, as many here have dual conditions and many of the signs and symptoms you talk about, or were not formally diagnosed yet, and as many here have also adhd diagnoses too, in addition to their Autism, or they suspect the Autism instead. Lots here have GAD and depression issues too, which explains their other worries.

 

[Tido]

You do have something – you. Your beautiful self is what you have and whether or not that self is Autistic, Anxious or anything else, you are still you. Reading through the way you are communicating what you feel – you seem to be reaching out, to everywhere but what’s been under your nose all along – yourself. You have all the answers you will ever need, and it takes a lot of courage to realise this responsibility. You don’t need other people’s confirmation of anything, however it is perfectly okay to want it and seek it. There is nothing wrong with wanting answers and confirmation, just remember you can always find that inside if you pour the same energy into it as you are here. Affirming your own experience is one of the most powerful tools you can use, realising the power you’ve had inside all along is an absolute game-changer. I may think you have Autism from what you’ve written, but what you think is where the rest of this story lies. What you think will determine what actions you take or don’t take. Become friends with yourself. Realise the thoughts you are having are not you, it’s like standing on the side of a multi-laned road and watching the thoughts drive by – they are not you, they are something you experience, but you don’t have to believe them or be them. You are what lies beyond the thoughts, you are what is reading this right now, you are an observer of life, and you can observe your thoughts and feelings rather than being them. You are a wonderful being and sometimes it’s okay to just sit back and be. Be yourself with all of your possible or confirmed diagnoses, be yourself with all of your perceived problems, be yourself with all of your dreams and desires, just be yourself, you needn’t do anything else while you’re here. You are enough and very much loved, you always have been and you always will be, just for being you.

 

[Wheelered]

Thanks for your answers. I would have asked other questions relating to your childhood, but you seem to not remember much that far back. I am not a doctor, but ASD and ADHD are two conditions I know about very well, as my wife has severe ADHD, GAD and PTSD, our youngest son has ADHD and ASD, I likely have ASD, and our oldest has ASD. As well, I have always been fascinated with human psychology, and the development of conditions and personalities, and I love analyzing behaviors.

Your situation reminds me about 75% of my wife's, but about 25% of mine. ASD and ADHD have far more similarities than differences. Sometimes, like another poster said, the conditions can be dual, but other times one such diagnosis is mistaken for the other, which another member was curious about too thinking they could have ASD instead of ADHD. My wife scored much higher than I on ASD online tests, because I have some traits that do not appear as Autistic than her.

The main differences I see between you and my wife, from all those things you mentioned, was you feel you are more organized, and you seem more functional. But, all those numerous other things you mentioned fit her almost exactly. She is far more disorganized and has many difficulties with daily living activities as she is not into details, and needs to do things at her time, frequency, pace, and unique ways, etc. You say you prefer things more straight and to the point and factual.

With regards to I, lots of differences in that I was never able to mask like you and some others here could. I can do everything independently, like all the daily chores and duties here and in public, without any difficulty, but for most of my life I could not function in the outside work world because of severe avoidance of persons and anxiety near them. I had no friends, and it was my wife who initiated with me, as she appeared more extroverted on the surface, though she tells me she really gets stressed out with persons too and feels introverted.

I think I likely have ASD though, as our 2 kids definitely have it, and as I am very factual, detailed, with poor eye contact, cannot concentrate around others, have difficulties expressing a range of emotions, still have some poor social skills for others I do not trust, and as I have the sensory issue of being hyperaware of everything. However, I do not have difficulties understanding non-verbal cues, have any fine or gross motor issues, have many rigid routines, and I have strong empathy and many different interests.

So, I guess what I am saying is, you certainly have enough signs and symptoms that very well could be ASD, ADHD or both, as we each here on the forum could have many of the typical traits, but not all, and as all here will not be totally alike, or if you have dual conditions that is why it could be tricky to pick just one condition as lots of things fit, but one or more things not. I was always diagnosed with AvPD, Social Phobia, OCD and Social Anxiety Disorder, until relatively recently when a professional suspected I had the ASD, formerly Aspergers Syndrome or PDD-NOS she had said.

So, as you can see, not all doctors may diagnose correctly, if a combination of conditions could be better explained by one or two, or if the two conditions are so similar. Overlapping conditions can make it often hard to diagnose. I can just say you definitely belong here, from all the things you said, as many here have dual conditions and many of the signs and symptoms you talk about, or were not formally diagnosed yet, and as many here have also adhd diagnoses too, in addition to their Autism, or they suspect the Autism instead. Lots here have GAD and depression issues too, which explains their other worries.

Thank you again for your response! I've been to several doctors, psychiatrists, and counselors in my life and really only found one I liked -- a psychiatrist in Nashville. Prior to him I had been told I was depressed, and he said he believed it was GAD and depression was an offshoot of that.

What you said about you and your wife I find fascinating! I had no idea ASD and ADHD were so similar. Actually, my wife just was diagnosed with ADHD and is now taking medication for it.

The one thing I AM sure about is that I have anxiety. It's bad. I don't really notice depression all that much. I used to have panic attacks but I learned a method that seemed to help and I haven't had a problem with that thankfully.

If I read your post correctly, your wife does not have ASD and you do, and yet she scored higher than you on some of the tests. That's intriguing to me! All of these variables make my head hurt.

My AQ test was 33/50, my RAADS-R total was 107 (apparently 65 is the threshold for ASD with the average ASD male scoring 149.1), and my EQ was low and SQ high. It all fits, but my scores seem to be lower than the average person with ASD (from what I've read on these test sites).

I'm highly anxious that I'm leaning into these tests and subconsciously answering what I know will score a certain way. But honestly, I'm like this with everything. I buy something, freak out and take it back. Freak out and buy it again. It's a terrible cycle.

Thank you for sharing your story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I honestly feel foolish mentioning my anxieties after hearing what you and your wife live with. I hope that you all have found peace and happiness, and I thank you again for your encouragement and kind words.

 

[Wheelered]

I have been travelling today so I haven't been able to keep up with this thread. But it looks like you have not been lonely!

Are you "just worrying" or "making connections that aren't there"? Yes, you are worrying, no, you are not making connections that aren't there.

I felt similar to you when I started investigating. One of my most divisive thoughts was "I can't be autistic. I am too confident and get along in the world pretty well."
Except I don't! I guess due to age and experience I have just gotten comfortable being uncomfortable.

Anyway, before I get off track, I had the thought today accepting oneself as on the spectrum may be more difficult if you think that others are judging or rating how autistic you seem to be. But as we say "If you have met one autistic, you have met ONE autistic". We are all different from one another. You are unique.

Keep doing what you are doing. Comparing yourself to others can bring about insights to areas of thought you were not aware of before. It is also comforting to hear that others have similar experiences and a relief when you hear that not all autistic do the same things, like the same things or are sensitive in the same way.

I also had the thought today that professional assessment can seem like getting validation for your experiences. But the quality of assessments and even quality and quantity of the professionals knowledge can be poor. So having an assessment can actually be less validating that you might hope.

I hope to see you round the board.

Thank you so much for your response again. I know that you are right, I am notorious for being too hard on myself. I don't know how to explain it, it's almost as if I have manic highs and lows. Sometimes I am very confident and feel like I am super special (even though deep down I kind of know its a sham), and others I feel ultra inferior.

I'm just venting but after all these years, counselors, doctors, medicines, web searches, etc. sometimes I really do feel like there's not a name for me and that no one understands.

Also, my worries that I could be wrong with ASD would be unthinkable -- it would mean that I have no reason for why I am the way I am.

I'm curious to know your experience if you want to share -- when you first started investigating and/or were comfortable to tell people, what were their responses? Had you ever had family or friends say anything before? Were you believed?

 

[Au Naturel]

12-13 I was obsessed with the end of the world, which also caused a great fear of death.

I am probably a lot older than you. When I was 7, the world almost did end. I was just a bit older when I became obsessed with nuclear war and nuclear weapons. Duck and cover drills, civil defense stories, fallout shelters, it all added up.

I've never had much fear of death. I made her into my imaginary friend. My obsession with the end of the world was more oriented to curiosity and later wondering if I could beat it.

Now spiders? That's something I used to be terrified of. We had them all over the place.

 

[Wheelered]

You do have something – you. Your beautiful self is what you have and whether or not that self is Autistic, Anxious or anything else, you are still you. Reading through the way you are communicating what you feel – you seem to be reaching out, to everywhere but what’s been under your nose all along – yourself. You have all the answers you will ever need, and it takes a lot of courage to realise this responsibility. You don’t need other people’s confirmation of anything, however it is perfectly okay to want it and seek it. There is nothing wrong with wanting answers and confirmation, just remember you can always find that inside if you pour the same energy into it as you are here. Affirming your own experience is one of the most powerful tools you can use, realising the power you’ve had inside all along is an absolute game-changer. I may think you have Autism from what you’ve written, but what you think is where the rest of this story lies. What you think will determine what actions you take or don’t take. Become friends with yourself. Realise the thoughts you are having are not you, it’s like standing on the side of a multi-laned road and watching the thoughts drive by – they are not you, they are something you experience, but you don’t have to believe them or be them. You are what lies beyond the thoughts, you are what is reading this right now, you are an observer of life, and you can observe your thoughts and feelings rather than being them. You are a wonderful being and sometimes it’s okay to just sit back and be. Be yourself with all of your possible or confirmed diagnoses, be yourself with all of your perceived problems, be yourself with all of your dreams and desires, just be yourself, you needn’t do anything else while you’re here. You are enough and very much loved, you always have been and you always will be, just for being you.

What an unbelievably kind post with many kind words. You are a valuable soul that must touch every life you meet. Thank you!

 

[Tido]

What an unbelievably kind post with many kind words. You are a valuable soul that must touch every life you meet. Thank you!

You are most welcome
Thank you that's very sweet, I appreciate it deeply. All the best to you!

 

[1ForAll]

Thank you again for your response! I've been to several doctors, psychiatrists, and counselors in my life and really only found one I liked -- a psychiatrist in Nashville. Prior to him I had been told I was depressed, and he said he believed it was GAD and depression was an offshoot of that.

What you said about you and your wife I find fascinating! I had no idea ASD and ADHD were so similar. Actually, my wife just was diagnosed with ADHD and is now taking medication for it.

The one thing I AM sure about is that I have anxiety. It's bad. I don't really notice depression all that much. I used to have panic attacks but I learned a method that seemed to help and I haven't had a problem with that thankfully.

If I read your post correctly, your wife does not have ASD and you do, and yet she scored higher than you on some of the tests. That's intriguing to me! All of these variables make my head hurt.

My AQ test was 33/50, my RAADS-R total was 107 (apparently 65 is the threshold for ASD with the average ASD male scoring 149.1), and my EQ was low and SQ high. It all fits, but my scores seem to be lower than the average person with ASD (from what I've read on these test sites).

I'm highly anxious that I'm leaning into these tests and subconsciously answering what I know will score a certain way. But honestly, I'm like this with everything. I buy something, freak out and take it back. Freak out and buy it again. It's a terrible cycle.

Thank you for sharing your story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I honestly feel foolish mentioning my anxieties after hearing what you and your wife live with. I hope that you all have found peace and happiness, and I thank you again for your encouragement and kind words.

Thanks. Yes, ASD and ADHD are very similar as both are neurodevelopmental conditions affecting executive functioning and involving many of the same signs and symptoms, but having a few key differences, However, if one has both Autism and ADHD, like our youngest son, he can at times show more traits of the one condition, but other times show traits of the other. Sometimes though the traits can be explained by both conditions.

From what I understand, both conditions often involve sensory sensitivities, hyper-focuses of interest where can be detailed or obsessive there, difficulties with picking up on non-verbal cues, less ability showing empathy, social etiquette and bluntness issues, behavioral meltdowns, comprehension issues, STIM/motor issues, concentration difficulties, etc. But, overall, those with ASD may seem more detailed, precise for more things, factual, formal, introverted and/or structured, whereas those with ADHD can seem more outgoing, artsy, into sports, friendly, show more range of emotions daily, and may generally have more difficulties remembering, organizing, focusing, preferring to be more general than detailed. My wife says she is not disorganized though I see it clearly. Instead she says, she is an "organized mess."

The reason I scored much lower than my wife on the ASD online tests was because she has far more sensory sensitivities than I, has less empathetic qualities, is less able to change her ways, has more executive function issues than I, has difficulties in knowing what is socially proper or not, has difficulties picking up on verbal language, has less diverse interests than I, and so on. However, some of my issues could have been masked, or I learned to adapt, in some ways, as I grew up in an abusive environment. But, overall, I am far more structured than her, and far more formal and into details. But, it confuses me some, as I am far from blunt, but very polite, and I am heavily into sports and thinking of others before myself. So, I stopped worrying about what I have; I appreciate what I have.

My scores were lower than yours, so if I feel I likely have ASD despite being on the low end for each test, certainly you could have it. As for my family and I, we focus on the positives of being not NT's. This does not mean we do not have struggles in ways, but if I worried as much as my wife about everything (she asks tons of daily hypotheticals and worries about past, future and things she cannot control too,) then I would not be able to handle all the stuff minute-by-minute here. I lived alone for twenty years, survived a far worse life than what we have now, and thanks to all my self help efforts too and being able to divert my energies to positive things, I am not at all too distressed about things, but see the good in most things.

 

[Wheelered]

Thanks. Yes, ASD and ADHD are very similar as both are neurodevelopmental conditions affecting executive functioning and involving many of the same signs and symptoms, but having a few key differences, However, if one has both Autism and ADHD, like our youngest son, he can at times show more traits of the one condition, but other times show traits of the other. Sometimes though the traits can be explained by both conditions.

From what I understand, both conditions often involve sensory sensitivities, hyper-focuses of interest where can be detailed or obsessive there, difficulties with picking up on non-verbal cues, less ability showing empathy, social etiquette and bluntness issues, behavioral meltdowns, comprehension issues, STIM/motor issues, concentration difficulties, etc. But, overall, those with ASD may seem more detailed, precise for more things, factual, formal, introverted and/or structured, whereas those with ADHD can seem more outgoing, artsy, into sports, friendly, show more range of emotions daily, and may generally have more difficulties remembering, organizing, focusing, preferring to be more general than detailed. My wife says she is not disorganized though I see it clearly. Instead she says, she is an "organized mess."

The reason I scored much lower than my wife on the ASD online tests was because she has far more sensory sensitivities than I, has less empathetic qualities, is less able to change her ways, has more executive function issues than I, has difficulties in knowing what is socially proper or not, has difficulties picking up on verbal language, has less diverse interests than I, and so on. However, some of my issues could have been masked, or I learned to adapt, in some ways, as I grew up in an abusive environment. But, overall, I am far more structured than her, and far more formal and into details. But, it confuses me some, as I am far from blunt, but very polite, and I am heavily into sports and thinking of others before myself. So, I stopped worrying about what I have; I appreciate what I have.

My scores were lower than yours, so if I feel I likely have ASD despite being on the low end for each test, certainly you could have it. As for my family and I, we focus on the positives of being not NT's. This does not mean we do not have struggles in ways, but if I worried as much as my wife about everything (she asks tons of daily hypotheticals and worries about past, future and things she cannot control too,) then I would not be able to handle all the stuff minute-by-minute here. I lived alone for twenty years, survived a far worse life than what we have now, and thanks to all my self help efforts too and being able to divert my energies to positive things, I am not at all too distressed about things, but see the good in most things.

Oh man, your wife and I sound very similar in many ways as you said in an earlier post. I'm gonna find something to worry about. It sounds like you have found some peace, and have a positive outlook. I was in a good place right before all of this happened, meditating daily, and generally felt aware and positive and happy. Then all of this hit, and well, as they say, stuff hit the fan.. I think I was in shock the first few days and then it got to a point of anger and denial "this can't be me!" etc. The jokes people have made cease to be jokes.

I keep looking for excuses as to why I can't be ASD. I definitely don't notice any sensory things. Bad smells are bad, but tolerable. Loud sounds are unpleasant but tolerable. But aren't those things true for everyone? It's hard to tell what is "abnormal" because isn't your life the only life you've ever known? I've never had a problem mixing food together if I think they go together well. The only "weird" thing I guess people could say is I tend to eat my food in order (unless it's a food I mix).

You and I sound very similar in the love of sports and politeness. I don't get as into sports lately, but I do love watching them. I am very polite and try to be considerate of people. But I honestly don't know if that's how I've always been or if that is my wife's influence... she has changed me so drastically (for the better) and has said that I was immature when she first met me.

Was it a hard road for you to find your peace or was it just a matter of making your mind up and pursuing it?

 

[1ForAll]

Oh man, your wife and I sound very similar in many ways as you said in an earlier post. I'm gonna find something to worry about. It sounds like you have found some peace, and have a positive outlook. I was in a good place right before all of this happened, meditating daily, and generally felt aware and positive and happy. Then all of this hit, and well, as they say, stuff hit the fan.. I think I was in shock the first few days and then it got to a point of anger and denial "this can't be me!" etc. The jokes people have made cease to be jokes.

I keep looking for excuses as to why I can't be ASD. I definitely don't notice any sensory things. Bad smells are bad, but tolerable. Loud sounds are unpleasant but tolerable. But aren't those things true for everyone? It's hard to tell what is "abnormal" because isn't your life the only life you've ever known? I've never had a problem mixing food together if I think they go together well. The only "weird" thing I guess people could say is I tend to eat my food in order (unless it's a food I mix).

You and I sound very similar in the love of sports and politeness. I don't get as into sports lately, but I do love watching them. I am very polite and try to be considerate of people. But I honestly don't know if that's how I've always been or if that is my wife's influence... she has changed me so drastically (for the better) and has said that I was immature when she first met me.

Was it a hard road for you to find your peace or was it just a matter of making your mind up and pursuing it?

I am glad you have a support system in your wife, as she seems to have helped a lot. I do sense some similarities between you and I, besides some personality similarities, sports interest, little or no sensory issues, and as neither of us are completely sure we have ASD as of yet, but know we have varying traits, signs and symptoms of it, some similar and some not, which is expected for those on the Autism Spectrum, as core components can show up in different severities and in different ways, and as if we have one or more other conditions and had traumas growing up on top of that, that can highlight things more or mask things more.

Your writing and expression style reminds me of a mix between mine and my wife's. I mean you seem open and organized in ways, with feeling and sincerity shown and not just facts and details in your posts, and you can be lengthy, and with desire to reply to most if not all messages you get, like I, but at the same time I sense you a bit cluttered or confused in whether you want to get a diagnosis or not, unless I misunderstood things. I mean, in earlier posts I thought you were leaning towards wanting/needing a diagnosis, to help explain things or to worry less, but then I see your last post and it sounds like the opposite, that some diagnosis/condition could create you more worries.

Thus, I sense that no matter if you got a diagnosis or not, you currently could worry about something, or second guess things, once you learned recently of the possibility of some condition. There are lots who will spin or naturally turn almost everything to a worry. I was this way through my twenties. I worried what others thought of me, what I was doing wrong or could do better, what could happen in the future, and what my past caused me to be, and so on. But, when my condition was at it's worst, around age seventeen when I vomited daily and felt I was having a nervous breakdown, something clicked when I told myself, "I can not let others and situations determine my mental health state." So, I created my own plan for finding peace, and put forth daily efforts there.

While I am not naive in thinking all genetic or environmental conditions for the most part can or should change, as that is dependent on the condition, their severities, other extenuating circumstances, our stress tolerance and motivational levels, our priorities, and the specific desires of those involved, nevertheless, our attitudes can change, and our efforts can be redirected if need be to create more peace, functionality and/or happiness. We can eventually usually choose whether we see any condition in some positive or negative light, or choose not to get any diagnosis at all. In my case, knowing the exact correct diagnosis was never needed, as I focused on my efforts and being my best. However, for those wanting or needing a correct diagnosis, for treatment, or other reasons, that is very much understood too.

So, in your case, before you proceed much further in wanting answers or diagnostics, maybe you should consider writing a list of the pros and cons in getting or not getting such extra medical answers, to see what your choice there is, as otherwise you may be very unhappy what you learn as once one gets a diagnosis, it's hard to take it back. I mean, although I would have the ability to see the good in any such decision, I am not you, and so you must determine whether you'd get more comfort and relief or more distress in another diagnosis, after weighing the specific good, neutral and bad things from that. I have seen many here that rather not get formal such diagnostics, but others that needed such.

In general, if you feel much medical help is needed, in addition to your wife's support, wisdom, etc, or if not knowing one way or the other will drive your anxiety up much more indefinitely, then maybe you could want to know what you have or don't, if anything more than the already diagnoses. But, if you feel you can ever reach a state of mind like me where you do not need formal diagnosis or verification, or mental health treatment, as I feel in control of such now, perhaps you could move on after you find that peace and positivity through knowing generally what you could have, and after targeted efforts or changed positive perspective. There is not one way to find peace and happiness, as we all are different here.

In some of my earlier posts, I thus shared my specific many ways to worry less, feel more confident, and to be more positive, so as to not let society dictate my feelings at any given moment. Naturally I likely improved there too over time, or as a coping mechanism I needed to not get too up or down. So, who knows if genetics, my efforts, or my environments are what caused me to to be who I am now, but I do feel much more at peace and more healthy now. I am not embarrassed with or worrying about anything other than me focusing on being my best daily in the time allowed, and with regards to by abilities, but allowing time for myself too to do those things I enjoy.

For those things that I prefer bettered but that I cannot change much, I do not dwell on that, but find something to appreciate about that. The good news is you seem to have some belief in yourself, but seem wanting answers, to get others' experiences and input to learn more, or to see what others think of your situation. That was a very important step, if you feel you got any extra support and direction, after coming here to share and inquire more. I know it's easier said than done for those with anxiety conditions too, but we cannot change the past; We can only learn from it. And we cannot control the future either, as unexpected things happen all the time and as we cannot control what others do, think or feel.

But, again, we can often change our attitude, and redirect our efforts. If we need help there, there are others there gladly to assist... Feel free to PM as well..

 

[ouviel]

I also used to be obsessed with time, and in the same way, but when I was about 6 years old. I also used to freak out counting numbers.

I also struggle so much with taking jokes, and have a problem with anger.

With time, I also get better at socializing.

I just wanted to echo those specific parts, not because they are the only ones I identify with, but because I haven't seen them listed among the usual signs of aspergers, in the specific manner that you've described them (i.e. I've read "understanding jokes literally" and not "having problems with taking jokes"; although both statements are related).

 

[VictorR]

Welcome! I like your avatar.