Support thread - adults on the Autistic Spectrum :)

[fuzzpig]

Hello!

I've seen a lot of MNers mention being on the Spectrum, whether diagnosed or not. I thought we could use a long-running place to chat, share coping strategies and basically to know there are other people like ourselves, who won't judge us for being different.

I'm new to all this myself - only realised there was a possible name for How I Am a couple of weeks ago (thanks to MN)! Now I have a referral to an adult ASD specialist, to see if I have Aspergers. It's all happened very quickly.

Enough waffle from me (for now anyway...) but I hope other people will come along and find this thread useful. :)

I was diagnosed as an adult. It is worth it. Firstly it means you finally have a line drawn under all the difficulties of the past. You get to adjust your mindset and accept yourself for how you are rather than constantly striving to be like everyone else. Official permission to be yourself kind of.

It means you officially have a disability and as such it offers a layer of protection which wasn't there before. For example your employer can't constantly change your shifts at a moments notice if transitioning is one of your difficulties.

I find that medical professionals treat me differently. They show more patience and understanding and check comfort and axiety levels at every step of the way.

I can get free assistance when I fly so I don't have to cope with the stress of the airport. Whisked straight through security and passport control straight onto the plane.

Where I live (not UK) it also means I get extra support looking for work and employers get massive incentives to take me on. I also get non means tested financial assistance so that I only have to work part time, because full time is too much for me.

Marking my place after being linked from my other thread. :)

I have been looking into getting a dx but am worried about going to the GP, I have been going for years for various problems and it has been horrid trying to get them to take me seriously as I had so many different problems, they really were just not believing me and the latest "stop trying to medicalise your self so much" but I ended up getting dx from specialists for all of the problems so obviously I haven't been going for no reason.

I fear because of this though, I will find it hard for them to take me seriously and how to approach the subject. :(

Hi everyone, can I join in? I've no dx but am pretty certain I'm on the spectum. My son has an ASD dx so I'm familiar with the traits. I was on the last thread for a while but most probably under a different nn - no idea what that was though

Hello!

Ooh look two pandas :)

I haven't said it on this thread yet but I have set up a facebook group for anyone with Aspergers etc (doesn't matter if you have a dx or not) so if you want to then pm me your name and I'll add you. Group is set to secret.

Have finally got a new date for my assessment - late November. In fact it's 2 days after my appt with the M.E. specialists. Busy week!

Schrodinger are you able to change doctors? What bad luck to get a horrible/useless one. :(

I don't think I have aspergers but can I just say this
Thread is amazing - just reading it is in an insight. Hope you
don't mind me lurking - I think if more people lurked your
life would be a lot easier.

I was lurking because I have an adult family member who I think fits the bill.

Hi, I have just popped over from the other thread too.

I have thought for a while that I have some autistic traits, I have 2 Dd's on the spectrum although only one of them is diagnosed.

I struggle with eye contact, changing routines, smells, textures and noises.

I also have some funny ways like having to match up the colour of the pegs on my washing line.

I dont have many friend, dont much enjoy social events and I have been known to be slightly outspoken on occasions

Hello new people! :)

It is funny (well, sort of) how many women only come to realise about their own ASD traits once their DCs are diagnosed! It sort of happened that way with me - I was worried about DS mainly due to his speech, and that's what started me thinking about autism, and then I realised how many of my own traits are actually not neurotypical. That's when I posted a thread asking WTF is wrong with me and people suggested Aspergers. As it turns out, nobody is concerned about my DS having autism at all! He is diagnosed as having a 'severe speech delay' with no known cause, but apparently is doing brilliantly with social communication etc. Such a relief - he's even making friends at nursery which is amazing :) I don't want him to struggle like I did.

Lurkers welcome of course and thank you Val for your kind words. Yes I agree I wish more people could read and understand it. I want to blog about it or even just be more open on facebook etc but I am just too shy and reserved and scared of what people think. Maybe I will feel different with a dx. Earlier this week it was the ten year anniversary of my admittance to a psychiatric hospital - I wish I'd been brave enough to acknowledge this on FB, because I know it's nothing to be ashamed of!

I went to GP today and was referred to PCT, I didn't even have to mention the AQ test. :)

Feel a bit better now.

I've just seen this thread has come back with lots of new people on it so I thought I would post to say hello to everyone.

Hi can I join, I did the AQ test and scored 37 so think I am probably borderline AS. I have always really struggled socially and find it hard to maintain friendships - if someone texts me I often never reply because I spend ages thinking about in in my head and then it is too late. Need loads of time on my own as I find being around people can be exhausting. As a teen would go mute at parties and developed issues with EDs and depression.

Reading this thread has highlighted some things I didn't even realise were symptoms as I had thought they were just things I did such as hand flapping, I got teased at secondary school by people who noticed I flap my arms around when excited and often would punctuate my speech with little sing song sounds.

Does anyone know if indecisiveness is a symptom? If I am tring to make a trivial choice where there is no clear winner (eg should I buy the blue or purple pencil case) I kind of just shut down and will sit there for absolutely ages as there is no logical choice. My DF has OCD so I thought it might be linked to that but it is specifically choices where I cannot choose via logic and I have no other OCD symptoms.

Yes I think the indecision is a big problem. I get really stressed out about decisions even when they are trivial. It's even worse in a shop, like the pencil case example, because of crowds/light/sound etc, I hate it!

Hello by the way :)

Yes I also agree about the indecision as it is getting me in big trouble again at the moment. At university this year we are allowed to do a project that is a choice of anything at all you can think of. Everyone else is saying great and loves the freedom to choose anything. For me it is too difficult. Anyhing is far to big to choose from so I can't decide. I can narrow it down logically e.g subjects I'm interested in or that is easy or will get me good marks, but even within that there is still way too much choice. S when the tutor asks today what I have chosen (we have had 3 weeks to write a proposal) I still can't say anything and she gets angry at me because they have to order the equipment to start on thursday. I think I am getting another fail again this year

Can I ask a question? I've been following this thread with interest as it all seems so familiar to me, so I have been to the gp to ask for a referral to someone who can dx me as aspie (or not, as the case may be!). Who are they likely to refer me to? How long does it take?

Thank you. Sorry for reviving a dead thread!

system- sorry didn't see your post till now. have you sorted anything out re:choosing a subject?

viking - I think it is usually a psychiatrist that diagnoses. In terms of wait, on the NHS it will vary massively from area to area.

Well I have chosen a subject and starting doing some of my project already but I had to get extra help and deadline extensions from my tutor. Even that wasn't easy, I don't seem to be able to explain what problems I have to the tutor properly and I think she just expects that I will 'get it' like everyone else. I don't but it took me almost having a meltdown in front off her (and several other students) before she would give me any extra help. :(

glad to hear you have got started on the project. sorry that tutor was unsupportive, is he aware of the recent appointments/assessments you have had? it's over a decade since I last wrote a uni essay, but I am sure if you have any general questions re:your project, people on this thread or elsewhere on MN would gladly help.

waves I've been sent over here from a thread I posted in the Relationships section about my dh who has possible BPD and myself, who has possible Asperger's. In his word, "We're both nutjobs!"

So, I suspected I had AS in October 2011 when I took the AQ test and got the result of:

Your Aspie score: 129 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 80 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie

But it took me till August this year to get around to seeing my GP to seek a formal diagnosis. As of now I'm still waiting although I had contact the other day from a member of the mental health team to say the lady I'm meant to be seeing has broken her arm and is off on sick leave so there will be a little bit more of a delay till she was back. So at least I know I am on the list.

Coming in from the cold.....not a diagnosed Aspie, but have distinct traits - don't know if I'm borderline, or just someone with traits. Was diagnosed with stress induced depression earlier on this year, and have been having increased feelings of being a bit alien in the world.

I've always struggled with decision making. Like someone else a little further up, my pegs have to match (colour), I have a number of food texture issues, I have never liked loud voice noise or bangs/explosions, I'm quite happy if I only see the same people - quite content on my own. I don't like change, it unsettles and disturbs me quite a lot. I will feel overwhelmed and panicked in a crowd (not immediately, but after a while, it gets too much), I hate getting my face wet, I'm not brilliant at eye contact (although I have learned to fake this), I'm ridiculously clumsy and fall over/bump myself daily, my ex husband accuses me of "monologuing". There's probably other traits.

I've done the AQ test, and have come out as very likely Aspie. I've done other tests, and they have also pointed to Aspergers. I'm not sure if it is worth pursuing any form of diagnosis - have I found my niche and place in the world? Are my alien feelings as a result of the depression? Who knows?!

Anyway, that's just me saying hi to the thread x

Yy to decision making difficulty and stress depression.

Now my divorce is over, I have asked for a referral for assessment - at age 60! - and my psych is referring me. I really don't think I have bipolar although I can see how they arrived at that diagnosis.

My latest score on the 'quiz'

Your Aspie score: 131 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 78 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie

Just still can't make a decision about whether to do anything about it!

Hello all!

I had an appt with a psychiatrist last month and he was convinced I have OCD instead. Bit weird. He said he would refer me to a psychologist anyway so a good result in that sense. Haven't heard anything yet, but unfortunately physical health issues have taken priority now.

I'm really struggling at the moment, I am starting to accept how much anxiety is ruling my life. The crazy thing is, last month when a Professor of Psychological Medicine (I was being diagnosed with ME) asked me whether I felt anxious, I said no. Similarly I said I didn't feel very depressed. But I've come to the conclusion that actually I feel anxious SO much that it is like my baseline emotion. It is normal for me. Does that make sense?

I worry about such stupid things, what people said, germs, mistakes I imagine I made, whether things have patterns, it's endless. I don't know what it's like not to worry or be depressed.

Sorry I'm waffling now. My head is full of thoughts at the moment!

Hope everyone has a lovely Xmas :)

I scored exceptionally high on the OCD screening test which was done as part of the ASD testing. I was told that under normal circumstances this would be cause for concern and would need looking at. As the other tests confirmed I had AS the OCD results were ignored as the consultant felt these were within the normal range for someone with AS and were a symptom of AS rather than a symptom of OCD. If that makes sense.