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Hopeless_Aspie_Guy

Well-Known Member
I'm kind of annoyed in some ways that having had behavioral problems throughout most of my school life (especially through having to see a councillor on and off roughly between ages 7-9) that I was never suspected or diagnosed with aspergers sooner than age 25 and yet others (admitedly some of whom showed stronger or more obvious symptoms) had the luxury of a much earlier diagnosis in their life and could at least have something to attribute some or most of their problems to. My mum (who made my unoficial diagnosis through some training at her pre-school) was the one who suspected this of me and then retracted the assumption a long time after (by which time I knew much more than her and was totally convinced). It's still potentially going to be a long wait before an official diagnosis, but I want to hear from others.

How old were you when you were suspected of this?
Who suspected it?
What country and or health service (if any) were you diagnosed or helped under?
What did your diagnosis testing involve?
How did it change your life (in terms of your knowledge, expectations and support)?
Do you feel lucky to have been diagnosed?
 
I'm a little pissed off myself that my teachers weren't trained to notice signs of autism or learning disabilities and kept passing me off to another unqualified teacher because they simply did not want to deal with me in their class anymore. I noticed signs that I was falling behind in 8th grade, was constantly teased and bullied. I failed 9th grade reading comprehension and I failed the entire 10th grade due to heavy-duty abuse at home. I dropped out of high school, but got my GED.
I had no idea that I was autistic with high functioning aspergers until I noticed how drawn I was to people way younger than myself and I agonized repeatedly, What's wrong with me???? Finally, at 40, I sought out a mental health professional and she declared me autistic with PTSD & ADHD. I felt relieved because now I understand my weirdness now. Since I am unemployed at the moment, I am on a 3 month waiting list for therapeutic help. I wouldn't call it lucky, but it's like a ton of bricks was lifted off of me. I have come to terms with my condition and made peace with them, however, I am still in a learning phase of ways to improve myself. AC has helped me tremendously.
 
Back in the 70's teachers didn't even know what it was. I was just a dumb kid. When I was a teen I remember both of my best friends moms telling them I had something wrong. My friends said their moms told them I wasn't retarded but it was something similar and they couldn't remember the name.

I was never diagnosed and only figured it out when one of my friends posted a Temple Grand in video on Facebook. It wasn't until I went to community college that I figured out my brain actually works pretty good and I made the honor roll.
 
I lived a quiet, homeschooled life in New York state with mostly fellow churchgoers and any next-door neighbor kids for friends until I was 12, in 2006, when my dad got a pastoring job in Minnesota and we moved out there. MN, as I learned, is a VERY social and extroverted place, and as an adolescent still under her parents' power, my social demands went up - youth group, youth events, parties, church itself, etc. While my brothers got on fine (which is my reason for believing homeschooling wasn't what made me awkward), I was struggling, especially with the bullying - most of which actually came from authority figures trying to force me to be normal and fit in with the other kids when I simply couldn't. At youth events I would bring books to read on the sidelines while everyone else played and socialized, because I couldn't get into it (although authority would sometimes force me to get involved; why, besides conformity, I never knew). I also started watching Disney movies and developed obsessions with certain characters and the Disney brand in general, which I still have today. My mom noticed this and watched me for a few years before sitting me down in 2010 and explaining that she figured I had Asperger's. I looked it up and agreed with her when I found I could relate to a lot of the information.
 
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I was 7. I was having problems in school so my mother thought perhaps I had ADHD like my cousin does. I went to a neurologist and while he said I didn't have ADHD he recommended my mother take me to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist then diagnosed me with PDD-NOS. The psychiatrist asked me questions and talked to my parents and teachers, including my preschool teacher. I think it's a little different for kids than adults.
 
I was in my 30's, trying to finish my Bachelor's degree in spite of what I THOUGHT was my PTSD flaring up (that was definitely part of it, but not the whole story!). I had been going to my college's on-site student counseling center for the PTSD issues, and one psychologist heard me say "I was never really able to connect to people, even as a child". She heard that and started giving me Asperger's support group lists. This was the first I'd ever heard of this, and VERY skeptical, but the more research I did (including joining here, some time later) just convinced me more and more. My current Therapist is not sure that's what it is, he still thinks I could have something else going on, or just attribute my symptomology to PTSD, but I know better. I'm getting a formal assessment soon, and will be able to get better help now for problems I've just buried my whole life.

This has GREATLY changed the way I see not just myself, but my whole childhood. The questions I'd always had about why social things were so difficult for me, and why I get so frustrated when people's brains don't move as quickly as mine does, now all have answers. That's what i'm looking for...answers; and I think I found them.
 
When I was a child in Idaho, nobody had even heard of Asperger's Syndrome much less diagnosed it. I have known since I have had memories, that I was different from everyone else. I just did not know how or why. I actually never heard of AS until I was 60 years old. I was watching a documentary about AS and I was astonished. To me, it seemed like the documentary was about me. I started researching AS to find out everything that I could about it. After 2 years, I was pretty sure that I was a Aspie, but I wanted to know for sure. I was diagnosed with AS (DSM IV 299.80) when I was 62 years old. I had 3 appointments with the doctor. I was given a WASI and a 16PF personality measure tests plus a extended interview. At age 62, the diagnosis did not make huge impact on my life. However, it was very nice to know why I am the way that I am and that there are others like me.
 
When I was a child I was considered just a weird kid and a tomboy. I was also in the gifted program in jr hi and that helped: I was with other weird kids and decided all the bullying and shunning was just a thing that happened to intelligent people :)

I remember we moved to a new suburb in eighth grade and I decided I would try to fit in when the neighborhood kids my age came around and invited me to hang with them. I have never been so bored in my life. Pull my own head off BORED.

I decided it would be better to be alone. The company was better. As I grew up to be a writer, I hung with a crowd much more accepting of creativity and eccentricity.

But I never dreamed that I might be an Aspie until I read The Journal of Best Practices a few months ago. The author was a man diagnosed as an adult, and how he developed strategies to be a better husband and father. He described his sensory issues with clothing and they were exactly like mine!

I still would have let it go by except that someone on my cat advice blog mentioned my strategy with cats was similar to what she did with her students: as a special Ed teacher with autistic students.

So I took a couple of tests to get the issue out of my head. Instead, I diagnosed myself :)
 
I remember we moved to a new suburb in eighth grade and I decided I would try to fit in when the neighborhood kids my age came around and invited me to hang with them. I have never been so bored in my life. Pull my own head off BORED.

Which leads me to a funny story:

This kids were offended when I politely declined their invitations. (You must be assimilated.) So they tormented me instead, on the school bus when we all had to gather together. I would get overwhelmed and get my mother to call me in sick, and then the school office would get on my case about my high level of absences.

So at the end of the year, I typed out, on various kinds of paper, as many different excuses as I could think of. I was part of the space program. I was captaining a submarine temporarily. One was from the President, saying I had been on a secret mission. Then I turned them in.

The last day of school, the principal got on the school intercom, and told everyone that I was excused for the whole year, because they had called the President and he agreed my mission had been of vital importance.

That not only got the school office off my back, it freaked out the kids in the neighborhood. The whole bus ride home, and the walk to my house, they followed at a discreet distance, asking if it was true. I just didn't say anything, because that is what spies do.

They left me alone the whole rest of the time we lived there. BWAHAHAHAHA.
 
At age 62, the diagnosis did not make huge impact on my life. However, it was very nice to know why I am the way that I am and that there are others like me.
Wow, you've got to be the oldest aspie in the world and on this forum :smirk:

This kids were offended when I politely declined their invitations. (You must be assimilated.)

The last day of school, the principal got on the school intercom, and told everyone that I was excused for the whole year, because they had called the President and he agreed my mission had been of vital importance.


Firstly, you shouldve accepted their invitations:relieved: :grin:
Secondly....Whaaaaaaat. Why would the principal (head teacher) announce that over the intercom? Why did your school even have an intercom too?
 
Firstly, you shouldve accepted their invitations:relieved: :grin:


I accepted the first one and was bored out of my mind. It wasn't like they wanted to do anything I suggested, or talk about anything which interested me. They were just Brownian motion with no conversation.



Secondly....Whaaaaaaat. Why would the principal (head teacher) announce that over the intercom? Why did your school even have an intercom too?

The school did announcements to the entire student body. I think the school staff got some great laughs out of my efforts, and they rewarded me thusly.
 
The school did announcements to the entire student body. I think the school staff got some great laughs out of my efforts, and they rewarded me thusly.

Hmm, odd. So they knew it was all a hoax but decided to go along with it? What do you look like behind your avatar mask lol?
 
My parents noticed that I preferred to play alone rather than with other kids at school, and that I got frustrated over little things. They had me tested, and I got diagnosed at age 7.
 
A similar theme running through this thread ie feeling like I was always looking in on social interactions and failing when I tried to join in. Was told by "experts" that I was thick and hapazard ideas of what was going on with me. Was bullied but really I see that it was mild in comparision to what I have heard others have gone through.

Thought that age would help ie just a painfully shy child. Nope, this has not happened! Throughout my growing years, I have battled with trying to keep up with the norm and rarely succeeding.

I was in my late 30's when I read in a magazine called: the Awake of a girl who had this thing called: aspergers. I was intriqued as I had never heard of it before and as I read through, I was astounded with how similar we are, but thought: no, I can't have that, because I am not autistic and besides, she has it far worse than me ( actually not, but I have trouble with thinking about "symptoms" and the difference really was her getting support and me not!

The trouble was, I kept thinking about it and I suppose because of that, everything seemed superimposed, as my husband would say: wow you and your obsessions and how I do not lower my voice and other things.

I cannot get a professional diagnosis, but now know that if the chance came, I would be diagnosed as aspergers.

My husband would like very much to think that it is just another obsession and I will get back to being "normal" again, but he is now seeing that actually, this is me and we are learning stratagies to cope. So, when my voice gets loud, instead of shouting at me to lower it, he says he gently!
 
I was diagnosed nearly 17 years ago in October 1999 at the age of 23, before that, my Sister in law used to work in a Home for Autistic adults in Gloucester, England, and when she came to Sheffield with my Brother, she used to often pass comment that I was like some of the clients she worked with at the Home, so she and my Brother Googled the symptoms of AS and then my Parents took it to the Doctor, and after a long drawn out, very stressful period of tests, including an MRI, I was formally diagnosed.

Although I was a bit annoyed that I went to a "Special Needs" school back in the late 80s during High school years, and nobody ever picked up on it, not even the so called "Specialists" at school at the time, and then 5 and half years later I went to a Special Needs College in Grimsby, England which had a Psychologist, and even he must've been worse than flipping useless cos he never picked up on it... School always just said I was "odd" or "strange".

Also, call me picky if you like, but I hate the term "Special Needs", contrary to popular belief not everyone with mental health issues is "Special" (retarded) however I've been called that and more in the past.
 
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Because as a general rule, I seem to have little conversational contact with others, I find it of special
value to be able to "see my doctor", whose company I seem to value, but maybe not for politically
correct reasons. In truth, I thrive on the nature of her brain, and her sophistication during my encounters
with her.
Other than this, I believe I have very little meaningful conversation with others as I compare and
contrast my other and various experiences as against those with my doctor.

Tyko Berglund
 
i was suspected of *not* having aspergers.

fortunately, the idiot teachers backed off once they learned that i do, indeed, have Asperger. but it was too late. i never went back to school after that.
 
My friend told me she's always thought I had it when I was around 17? She's still one of the friends I feel the most comfortable around, but when we were comparing test results and I narrowly scraped in as aspie I still knew I wasn't being 100% honest! I usually get around 41 on the AQ test, but the main point is my parents never cared about my differences and would rather go on being the rocky household constituted of loners we generally are. There are things about it which as a kid sometimes seem funny, while others are more isolating. The only funny one I know of, because it's from when I was really young so I don't remember it and know I was less anxious then, is that I was once at the beach and with nan and parents and walked over to some other kids building a sand castle to tell them "Can you please be quiet because I'm trying to have my lunch." I can see how that would sound funny coming from a 4 year old?? But later on I always had something to do to avoid people in school. In secondary school it was first writing, except I always tried to write a book and lost interest in my ideas, so I was on the library computers every lunch time doing that for most of a year or two, then later it was piano, so I was practising during every lunch time. Not to mention my fantasy reading phase which was far more extensive, I'd probably spend most of even school days wit my head in a book. 2-4hrs sat in the library, more time lying on the sofa reading, in bed and I'd sneak it in during school lessons when I was bored to the point teachers were telling me to put the books away...
 
I'm honestly surprised I was not diagnosed as a child either but then again, I had a few other problems as well. As a child, I was abused so I believe they blamed a lot of my behaviour on that. I was special needs all throughout my schooling period (because of behaviour problems) and am annoyed it took so long to get diagnosed. Early intervention and teachings go a long way towards having a more independent adult life.

How old were you when you were suspected of this?
24. My aunt thought I had already been diagnosed and didn't mention it until then.

Who suspected it?
Her. It never occurred to anyone else. I don't have a large family and they are very used to my behaviour.

What country and or health service (if any) were you diagnosed or helped under?
Canada, Alberta Health Services. It was just this year.

What did your diagnosis testing involve?
A few visits to a specialist and a report written by my best friend and roommate asking about my behaviour.

How did it change your life (in terms of your knowledge, expectations, and support)?
Honestly, I look at myself a little different. There is still a stigma attached to the disorder and I'm not sure right now.

Do you feel lucky to have been diagnosed?
I do. I've always fumbled around at how to explain my behaviour and lack of work. I can now tell people without worrying about the judgement that comes from having a mental illness (which is what I thought I only had before).
 
I am still waiting for my official diagnosis, which will come... tomorrow!
I guess the question is if I have enough AS traits to make me fall in the spectrum (probably with mild AS) or outside it, or at least this is what it sounded the last time I talked to the psychologists in charge of the testing.
I am 33 now.
A friend, 3 yrs ago, mentioned it. He found my rational side and my memory "out of the norm". Besides, I always felt different since early childhood, but never knew why and while all my life had been pretty simple until I left home to go to university, since that day on, has been utterly difficult in many respects.
After my friend's claim, I did some seraching and found that indeed there were traits, especially in the recent literature concerning AS and women. I then bumped into the book by R. Simone, 22 Things a Woman with Asperger's Syndrome Wants Her Partner to Know, and I had a wow moment. I wanted to give it to my boyfriend of the time, but didn't.
A few months ago the psychologist of my boyfriend (a different one) told him if he knew anything about AS, as his girlfriend looked like she could be affected by it. I then gave him the famous book and he had the wow moment.
I decided to try to get a diagnosis, to make sense of the last "crazy" ten years or my life...
I did all the diagnostic in the Netherlands.
6 hrs total. Questionnaires. Talking to psychologists. Some structured talking, some free talking. Some funny exercises with inventing stories. Some questions to how I respond to social situation. 2 hrs talking to someone that knew me as a child (I asked my parents).

I still have to see what the results are, but I am happy I did this and I feel lucky I could do the testing (all paid for by my insurance, among the other things...).
If people look at me from the outside, all seems perfectly fine with my life. But it isn't. I know I look successfull (workwise) and happy and all that, but inside I feel very troubled. There are many events (recently work related ones) that were traumatic for me. I went past them with great effort, but I know that if I had been 100% NT, they would have not had such an impact.
I still don't know how to shield myself from these things, and how to balance my social interactions, so that I have some, but not too many.
The hardest part of all this, being well adapted, was the disbilief of people around me, when certain difficulties started to arise. It felt like they didn't believe me, they didn't believe that this or that could happen or could feel in a certain way and I could not take it...

I hope that the diagnosis will help me to fully understand my past and put things in perpective to have a life that truly feels good (and it's not good only on the surface...).
 

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