Support thread for women who suspect or know they have ASD traits or are on the spectrum

[OxfordBags]

Hello, all! As the title says, I hope this can be a support thread for those of us who suspect or know we have some (or many) Aspergic traits; where we can share experiences, stories, problems, worries, knowledge and info, and hopefully benefit and help each other too.

I found a great link a while ago that is very comprehensive in its description of how Asperger's presents in women and how women experience it. Some of it is strikingly different from the male model and how most people perceive Asperger's. Here: ASD in women

I truly believe two things: 1) that ASD in females is woefully misunderstood and under-diagnosed and 2) that our current understanding and the definition of the AS Spectrum is, in itself, rather ASD in its rigidity, and that there is an actual spectrum of traits much broader and more nuanced than the current model, and that there are a hell of a lot of people struggling with some very typical ASD traits, who nevertheless do not have all the traits required to fulfil a formal diagnosis of having Asperger's or High-Functioning Autism.

So, with that rather typically ASD-style long-winded and unnecessarily detailed intro out of the way, let's chat!

I obsess over conversations too. It's so annoying as i'll actually think about them that much I imagine every single outcome possible. I have to have things just right and done in a certain way or I get really frustrated.

Can I join? becoming ever more suspicious that I am somewhere obtuse spectrum (40s in the AQ and just got 142 on the RAADS). confused about what I do about it though - I'm functioning perfectly well (I assumed this was normal until recently!) and I'm not sure where a DX would get me. would be nice to get an answer either way but I'm also terrified I'll be told I'm being an idiot and exaggerating things!

on the not obtuse.

holey I do that too with various conversations with people. I then get upset if it doesn't work out how I rehearsed!

blueeyed I need a like button for that last post. I think it's going to go the way it goes in my head and then it doesn't and it throws me. I'm sure I've actually thought I've told people stuff that I haven't. Just because I've rehearsed it in my head and then that part of the conversation never comes up in RL.

It's TV programs for me. I will find something I like and then watch it again and again and again. I suspect this is one of those things that gets missed in women as it doesn't appear to be that unusual on the surface. I mean MN TV addict section is full of people who find a program and then watch all the box sets of it. But there's a documentary series on one of the on demand services that's 4 episodes long. I've probably watched those 4 episodes about 15-20 times in the first 3-4 months they were online. Their being taken off at the end of April. Thanking my lucky stars there's going to be a second series. Hopefully broadcast before they take the first set off line.

My current obsession is curling. I can't see this ending well when the last of it disappears off iplayer in a few days time.

I rehearse conversations over and over beforehand (eg when phoning the doctor's surgery for an appointment, which I hate). I also replay in my head conversations I have had, over and over and over, both as they actually happened and with different outcomes. I obsess endlessly over particular things I've said and whether they were stupid/offensive/embarrassing.

I also read and re-read obsessively back over my own emails and MN posts, etc, to see whether they make sense, are offensive or embarrassing etc.

Things have to be neat and logical in my head. Anything that isn't, I throw away out of my head rather than have it half understood and messy in there. It frustrates me when I try to explain something that makes perfect sense in a certain way to me, and it's clear that the other person sees it in a slightly different way. Does any of that make sense to anyone else?

Polter

Under active thyroid, which despite being treated with thyroxine makes me swing between periods of utter exhaustion (when meds level not high enough) and horrendous anxiety (when meds too high).

DS' OT says I have hyper mobile joints in my hands but it's never caused pain or problems and I wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't said it!

General bowel/stomach problems - frequent and prolonged periods of upset stomach, generally gassy, bloated, gurgly stomach, always prone to nausea/upset stomach after any alcohol or rich food, hyperemesis in both pregnancies. I think I've read on a ASD blog that the stomach thing is common amongst those with ASDs.

signing in, have dx of mild AS, but suspect I have ADHD too, suffer with insomnia, eczema, asthma, emetophobia and IBS (when particularly anxious). I am also a complete perfectionist in work, but live in total chaos

I have eczema, asthma, I seem to be sensitive to gluten (my brother was recently diagnosed coeliac and had the same symptoms as me), Allergies to certain bubble bath, bronchiectasis. Think that's it.

Jack the stomach thing could be due to gluten!

Sensitive to gluten / wheat here. And also sensitive to most medication.

I'm also superorganised at work except that if I let it slip for a second I end up up to my neck in random mess. Current obsession is actually the new budgeting software which is actually proving useful in getting finances back on track. Still probably don't need to review it approx every two hours even when I know nothing's changed.

holey on a practical note, if the shrink was going to section you mainly based on what you submitted last time he/she would already have done so surely.