An accurate list of Asperger symptoms in adult women? I identify with 99% of Tania Marshall’s list

[Thatone5]

taniaannmarshall.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/moving-towards-a-female-profile-the-unique-characteristics-abilities-and-talents-of-asperwomen-adult-women-with-asperger-syndrome/

I identify with 99% of this so wondering if it is a specific list or so general that everyone will relate to this?

If I have Aspergers, I would say it’s very high functioning Aspergers but hard to tell due to overlap between its symptoms and symptoms of general social anxiety and being intellectual/cerebral.

Don’t really want to go to GP about it as I don’t have day to day issues because of it but just curious really.

Found another one:
the-art-of-autism.com/females-and-aspergers-a-checklist/

But feel that everyone has felt most of these at some point in their life or is that not the case?

Thanks

I don't relate to everything on that list but I'm beginning to believe I could be on the spectrum. Youngest Ds was diagnosed with ASD last year age 15. It was a long process and it's given me quite an insight into autism. There are lots of things about my childhood that are beginning to make sense too. Huge meltdowns because of sensory issues etc. Dh also thinks that I do have lots of traits.

At the moment I'm not going to pursue it any further. I am aware of the genetic links around ASD though. Interestingly we have been to an autism parents support group and many parents there have recognised traits in themselves after their children's diagnosis.

I think anyone could fit those lists.

But feel that everyone has felt most of these at some point in their life or is that not the case?

I think it’s pretty common to think “I can’t be autistic... I’m just normal. These traits are all normal. We’re pathologising normal personality traits here!”

I did. And then I had children and they displayed a bunch of interesting quirks and traits, and I thought to myself “But I remember being like that as a kid so it’s fine, they’re fine”. Then I started to realise that maybe I wasn’t that barometer of “normal” I thought I was

Long story short, one child is definitely autistic and I think the other one might be too. And I think I would get a diagnosis if I ever felt inclined to pursue one (but I’ve heard it’s difficult so I haven’t been arsed up until now).

A lot of that does apply to me. I'm not sure what difference a dx would make at this stage though.

I think these lists describe lots of people (huge range of potential jobs for example) but in response to your comment about social anxiety -I have a diagnosed Aspie 18 year old daughter. By far her biggest hurdle in life is her anxiety and there are lots of blurred lines around where asd stops and anxiety starts. The biggest difficulty though is that standard therapies for anxiety don't work due to her asd so finding help is nigh on impossible.

I don't really relate to anything on those lists.

Going by that list I'm definitely on the spectrum. But then in other ways it seems I'm very much not!

I don't have autism (or aspergers - which is no longer a diagnosis and there are threads in MN that have been attacked quite hard for discussing it).

On both those links I have many of the "may haves" and it's for another reason - verifies by professionals.

Those lists are far far too long and are very vague. I mean, are you supposed to have felt like that your whole life, or a certain period of time. How many "symptoms" need to match? 90%, 75%, 50%+?

And as someone who has adult family members with high functioning autism, both diagnosed and suspected, male and female, I'm not sure long, vague lists like this are particularly helpful.

It doesn't matter of someone has ASD or not, unless they are experiencing difficulties in life and need a framework within which to understand what's happening. In that case a very long list of experiences and traits which fit many types of people isn't actually got to clarify anything, and could lead to women wrongly self-diagnosing.

I absolutely agree that there's a shockingly sparse amount of information about how ASD presents in females and would add that it's rather typical of a (mental) health system that focuses on male presentations to (mis)diagnose or simply not diagnose women.

I often wonder whether I am non-neurotypical in certain ways. And then I wonder what I would do with that information if I had it. I know I struggle with certain things and so have some workarounds. I don't think there is a pill I could take that would help... Or if there is, I would get it based on symptoms (like depression or anxiety) anyway. It took my friend three years to get a diagnosis on the NHS.

I wouldn’t say the lists are very generally applicable - I relate to about 5-10% of the items.

Women quite often get diagnosed with anxiety and depression when there is an underlying condition. I began to suspect Im on the spectrum after ds was diagnosed and we were told that if you have 1 with asd youre more likely to have another. Since dc2 is a dd I started reading up on asd in girls and the descriptions I found were a description of me. Theres also an article on linkedin about the strengths of employees with asd and again it reads like a description of me. I went to the dr who would refer me, but wanted me to talk it over with a psychologist first. I never got that far because I got a ft job.

Apart from the sexuality/ gender issues, this is an exact description of me. I’ve known for years that I have ASD but I can’t see what difference a diagnosis would make and I wouldn’t know how to proceed with getting one. DH would think I was being silly/ mailing it up anyway. I’m also certain my Dad, one of my brothers and one of my nieces have it too, but DS is the exact opposite. I do work with children with ASD and I do feel like I can empathise with them more than most people.

My adult niece is an Aspie. Those links don't describe her at all.

@worldweary45 FWIW, having spoken to a specialist health visitor recently (regarding my concerns about my DD possibly being on the spectrum) literally her first question was “Anxiety?” because in her experience, anxiety is the main way that ASD manifests in girls... and it tends to get worse in their teens. Makes sense really, due to all the effort it takes to mask and try to fit in at school. I’m sorry your DD is struggling so much without help.

I don't relate to much on that list at all, I'm a scientist and usually come out quite high on the 'attention to detail' stuff but not at all on the social anxiety stuff. So I think while some of it might be general (who hasn't tried together out of a work thing because they are boring) recognising a lot in yourself is a reasonable reason to push for formal diagnosis if you think having the label will help.

That's me, except the gender stuff. It never remotely occurred to me to consider myself male instead.

The list reads like a horoscope, and is full of stereotypes which isn't particularly useful when it comes to real life diagnosis.

Ive often thought I have Asperger, more so since my DS was diagnosed with autism 12 years ago. I also have a genetic condition (diagnosed in adulthood) where ASD is one of the markers. If I do have Asperger, it'd now be classed as HFA, although I disagree that Aspergers should be classed in the same medical diagnosis as autism/ASD.

I can relate to quite a lot on that list. I'd love to get properly diagnosed.

I think there's a lot on that list that applies to people with other mental health conditions.

I fit pretty much all of the second list certainly. I do suspect I'm on the spectrum, as well as both my son and husband, but no diagnoses here at the moment.

Anyone can have traits wnich is why so many people think they may be autistic, but to be diagnosed with autism, they must have enough traits that 'limit and impair everyday functioning'

It's a medical diagnosis, not a label.

see NAS site www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/adults.aspx
"The characteristics of autism vary from one person to another, but in order for a diagnosis to be made, a person will usually be assessed as having had persistent difficulties with social communication and social interaction and restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviours, activities or interests (this includes sensory behaviour), since early childhood, to the extent that these 'limit and impair everyday functioning'."

This site explains the spectrum very well and dismisses a lot of myths.

neuroclastic.com/2019/05/04/its-a-spectrum-doesnt-mean-what-you-think/

The diagnostics for autism are very much still based on classic male presentation which is why a lot of women and girls are still under-diagnosed or wrongly diagnosed today.

Similar threads to this one are very frequent on MN, so it seems that awareness of autism is definitely spreading, although sadly the common myths and misconceptions are often trotted out as "facts" , even by medical professionals, when they are anything but.

I think there's a lot on that list that applies to people with other mental health conditions.

Autism isn't a mental health condition.

I would be wary of thinking you are autistic based on anything Tania Marshall has written. The crap she writes on her website is so broad as to pretty much apply to anyone who fancies labeling themselves as autistic. I say labelling because it's something of a trend on Instagram and reddit at the moment, on the basis of some overly generalised crappy list people are deciding they are autistic and an empath. And those people then dominate online autism communities, anyone who dares call them out gets jumped on for "discriminating against the self diagnosed" 😡

If I do have Asperger, it'd now be classed as HFA.

Nope, people who would have in the past been diagnosed with Aspergers are not classed as HFA (high functioning autism). Seriously, when are people going to get this was never a diagnosis of any kind?
Also, even when the descriptor of HFA did exist, it's different from Aspergers.
People diagnosed with Aspergers were those with a normal IQ and no speech delay. Whereas the descriptor of HFA was used to describe autistic people who have a normal IQ (that is no learning disability) but had a speech delay.
You have an autistic child and you don't know the difference?

If I have Aspergers, I would say it’s very high functioning Aspergers.

There is no such thing as "high functioning Aspergers" - a person either has it or they don't.

I can relate to quite a lot on that list. I'd love to get properly diagnosed.

It's a fairly broad and meaningless list of a few autistic traits mixed with normal personality traits. The list is so far away from being of any diagnostic value it's laughable. That list might as well be titled a list of human personality traits it's so generic.
Oh and surely you mean you'd like to get assessed? This really ticks me off online, people who are sure they're autistic because they read some list on the internet and then saying "I'd love to get diagnosed" like it's a foregone conclusion they meet the criteria. You think you are autustic, you don't know you are.

Theglaicit Thanks for that 🙄

If anybody is interested there's a really interesting book called Aspergirls by Rudy Simone all about how Aspergers and ASD present in girls.

Reading it was mindblowing; like reading a description of the inside of my head.