• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

How old?

Chris said:
After requiring so much speech therapy, do you still have any vocal difficulties or have you overcome it after so long? (Not that 1965 was that long ago. :p )
Click to expand...

No vocal problems that I am aware of. I usually either talk too much or not at all, but that is pretty "normal" I guess. I have gotten into the habit of talking slowly and deliberately pronouncing every syllable since I have been working around the world for the past 12 years. The accent (Australian) is hard enough to understand for some at the best of times.
 
Ah right. You've *been* places then? :p

I'm not great with speech, my voice is 'too low' it seems. Thats what people always complain about anyway, not much i can do about that though. :( :p
 
Wow. I've only ever been abroad twice. Both times to America. It was a lot of fun, but over 10 years ago, I hope to go again one day.
 
Chris said:
I'm not great with speech, my voice is 'too low' it seems. Thats what people always complain about anyway, not much i can do about that though. :( :p
Click to expand...

Hmm. You don't put enough volume into it sometimes. You know when I sing low it gets quieter? Well..that's how your voice is, and sometimes you don't put any extra volume in and it just turns into a mumble. I can understand you though, if there aren't a million other noises :)
 
Two things.
I had speech therapy for a few months when I was 5 maybe, don't remember it to much.

My problem with speaking is to much volume, I'm often told to lower my voice or use an inside voice, usually when I get to excited in conversation.
 
Willow said:
Hmm. You don't put enough volume into it sometimes. You know when I sing low it gets quieter? Well..that's how your voice is, and sometimes you don't put any extra volume in and it just turns into a mumble. I can understand you though, if there aren't a million other noises :)
Click to expand...

Hmm. Yeah, I know what you mean. Probably just a bad habbit then.. I guess... :p
 
Never was diagnosed myself,being in my fifties most people never had heard of asperger's.

I finally figured it out for myself about 2 years ago.
 
Rikk, had you always known you were different then? Or was it a suspiscion that developed over time until you figured out it was Aspergers?
 
Chris said:
A question for all the aspie's that were diagnosed at some point after they left school: Did you find school difficult? Would it have helped you if you'd been diagnosed earlier?
Click to expand...

I got diagnosed at the age of 15/16 when in Senior High. I'm now 19 and at college studying at National Diploma level in computers. So, I went most of my school life without knowing what Aspergers even was or that it existed. I got diagnosed by a psychologist (I think that's the right term) after I missed years of school due to a car accident. I was never seriously injured as a result of the car crash and everyone made it out unhurt, but I got migraines in my stomach (basically a like a very painful headache). I was put on tablets to combat this but missed a lot of school. The more I stayed off, the harder it was to go back. I got into a bad sleeping habit where I would sleep during the day and get up at night. I wouldn't eat food at the right times and felt generally down/depressed after the crash.

Due to my poor attendance, I started to get singled out at school and verbally bullied, which made it even more difficult to go back. Added to the fact that I was getting left behind in work and missed important tests. So, I was eventually refereed to a Education Welfare Officer, a Social Worker and then finally a Psychologist doctor who gave me my diagnoses. At first I rejected it, thinking that if I attended school more often then I could socalise, but then I did a lot of internet research and discovered how much the diagnoses defined who I am. To cut a long story short, I accepted I had AS and later made a decision to tell people in my class through careful planning (with the help of a well-liked teacher who also happens to be a counselor). Through time, my class accepted me for who I was and more understood my difficulties.

Essentially, if the car crash never happened, I would probably have never found out I had Aspergers Syndrome. I'm still not perfect at socialising, but now I better understand myself, as do my friends which helps me a lot.

Sorry for the long post.
 
Hi everybody!

My name is Rebecca. I live in Canada and I'm 28 years old. I received my diagnosis from Dr. Marc Woodbury-Smith when I was 27, on April 24th 2009 at 11:39 am in the morning! Very Asperger-ish of me to note the actual time!! I was ecstatic at the news, finally, I had solid proof I wasn't going crazy. I'd had symptoms my entire life, starting from a small child, however due to a premature birth, my pediatrician never thought anything of my symptoms, other than "she'll outgrow them". Yes, not playing with toys, completely uncoordinated (I still can't ride a bike or throw a ball) very fastidious about routines, and liking to line things up in neat rows - my family and I look back and laugh, all the symptoms were there, and everything makes much more sense.

It's strange receiving the diagnosis, but somehow a massive relief. You can stop feeling so much pressure to conform to be a certain way, and just be yourself. Having this diagnosis, certainly makes it easier to discover who your friends are! The real ones will stick around, and the "pseudo-friends" will disappear.

Answers to Chris's questions:

1) High school for me was the worst (high school where I live, is attended between the ages of 14-18). I did relatively well up until that point, but the then un-diagnosed Asperger's reared it's ugly head. In many ways I felt different from people my age, much younger, but in some ways, I felt more mature. I never was really interested in dating, gossip, or talking about cute boys and stuff like that. I never felt like I fit in, most people accepted me, but I never felt included - if that makes sense. I could never find my niche, I wasn't preppy, a geek, a jock/athlete, a brainer - I was me!

2) I don't think getting diagnosed earlier would have changed anything. It might have made my understanding of myself a little easier, but academically speaking, it wouldn't have changed anything. Granted, being born in 1981, the diagnosis wasn't even considered, as Asperger's didn't make the DSM-IV until 1994. Oddly enough, 1994 was around the time my anxiety started to spiral out of control, and I had my first onset of depression.

3)I guess because I never felt "normal", getting the diagnosis was a relief, finally an explanation! I'm doing a lot better, my Occupational Therapist (OT) says I'm wiser and stronger emotionally, than I was when I first started seeing her over 8 months ago. Knowing what the diagnosis is, makes dialectical and cognitive behaviour therapy a lot easier to learn. Although, I must say my OT is a pretty amazing person and has been a tremendous support.
 
Willow said:
Rikk, had you always known you were different then? Or was it a suspiscion that developed over time until you figured out it was Aspergers?
Click to expand...
It was made very clear to me when I started public school that I was different and that I didn't belong.

For the most part it wasn't much fun but I survived it and managed to walk away with a diploma 12 years later.

Learning about asperger's was a real eye opener and helped me understand a lot about myself and others.
 
You have a great attitude Rebecca, very positive. :) - welcome to the forums!
 
Chris said:
A question for all the aspie's that were diagnosed at some point after they left school: Did you find school difficult? Would it have helped you if you'd been diagnosed earlier? It must be somewhat of a shock finding out you have AS after thinking you were neurotypical to some extent for so long?
Click to expand...

Oh yeah! School was an absolute nightmare. But having said that, I may never have been diagnosed otherwise. My experiences at school led to severe depression, 12 years of various treatments for that ultimately led to the Aspergers diagnosis. I think an earlier diagnosis would certainly have helped; may not have stopped the bullying, but at least it would have allowed me to understand myself a lot more. Finding out about AS was more of a relief than a shock. I always knew there was something different about me, but due to the way I'd been treated I always thought it was my fault, that there was something wrong with me. I still have zero confidence and rarely leave the house, but at least now I know what it's all about.
 
Chris said:
A question for all the aspie's that were diagnosed at some point after they left school: Did you find school difficult? Would it have helped you if you'd been diagnosed earlier? It must be somewhat of a shock finding out you have AS after thinking you were neurotypical to some extent for so long?
Click to expand...



I was 12 when diagnosed. I had other labels like dyspraxia, ADD, language processing disorder, sensory integration (sp) dysfunction, and OCD was suspected.


Yes I found school to be difficult. Being diagnosed helped because it got me the help I needed. I never thought I was NT, I didn't know the word then so how can I think it? I knew my whole life I was different, as a baby I didn't know but at age three I did. But I never knew I had a disability and I never knew I had a neurological condition. I always thought I was normal but different. I was never shocked to know what I had. Why would I be? I knew I was different. I just didn't like hearing how different I was and how different my mind worked because it made me feel alien and a freak.
 
I'm 37 and only recently diagnosed. I'm actually under a working diagnosis of 'autism' on the high functioning/aspergers end of the spectrum. I am waiting to undergo some more testing to specify. Here in South Wales its been very easy to go undiagnosed, even though I was taken to a speech/language specialist when I was a toddler, ASD didnt exist at that time here. The psychiatrist diagnosing me has told me that swansea is one of the worst places for diagnosing and supporting people on the autistic spectrum, hopefully things will get better with the recently passed 'Autism bill', which is making its way into Wales this year.
 
I was 16 when I got a diagnosis with high-functioning autism. Yeah, only a year ago.
 
I was diagnosed last year. I was 40.

A friend of mine was told by a psychologist that he had Asperger syndome. He thought I displayed symptoms similar to his. This was 3–4 years ago. I then began looking into Asperger syndrome and autism in general. I did recognise a lot of the symtoms and childhood problems in myself and went on to take some free online tests like the AQ test and the Aspie-Quiz—all of which suggested I was on the autism spectrum.

My doctor (not specialised in aspergers/autism) didn’t think I was on the spectrum and said “I don’t really believe in all that diagnosis stuff” which I found a strange thing for a medical professional to say.

That put the issue to rest for a while. But after a while I realised that I wanted to know if there was something to it. I then decided to pursue a formal assessment and contacted a psychologist who specialises in diagnosing adults with Asperger syndrome / ASD. From what I told him he did think I might be on the spectrum and agreed to assess me. He did and diagnosed me with Asperger syndrome (ICD-10).

On some level it was a relief to have an explanation for so many things in my life—and for me as a person. On the other hand being diagnosed that late in life can lead to some negative emotions as well… “If only I had been diagnosed as a teenager I could have…”

Another thing is that a lot of people have a hard time believing the diagnosis is correct which can lead to self-doubt.

All in all I’m happy with the diagnosis, though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom