Educational Assessments - aspergers

LegacyUser

I dont know if this belongs here or where to put it so please move if its appropriate in anohter forum.

I have been seeing a councellor (am 31 yo female). Basically, things havent been going right for along time (and when I look back, Ive been considered "odd" all my life). Ive become more and more confused about things and behaviour-wise, I wouldnt be considered as the classic "normal" person walking around the street. What ever normal is. I function on a daily basis - I have high education, full-time permanent job, lovely car - but am awful - frankly awful with interacting with other human beings. And its now come to a head.

Anyways, I decided to seek help with a councellor as I said above, and in the second session, she advised me to go and get an educational assessment, for analysis as she feels I am displaying tendancies of aspergers. The symptoms have gotton even worse as Ive gotton older. I dont know if I have it (and the internet can be an awful thing as you can look up everything), but it makes sense.

My question is if anyone has been diagnosed in their 30s (or 20s or 40s etc, basically as an adult rather than a child) with this, and what the educational assessment is/if you've done one. Am terribly frightened and scared-isnt this something that should have been caught as a child? The funny (not funny haha) thing is I have a nephew who is 7, and I can see the same problems in him (extremely bright but considered as a little weird or difficult or cranky child-especially has trouble understanding things, when in his head whats there is right-no getting around him).

please remember that no medical advice and diagnoses can be given here
will leave open for sharing experiences of assessment

sharper

I looked into this a few months ago and everything seemed to be oriented around kids and support for parents of kids rather than adults.

I don't think you need to be frightened though. It's probably just the case that you have a certain view of what Aspergers is when in reality we only ever know about the extreme ones. Many who'd be diagnosed with it you might not even be able to guess.

I don't actually have any solid advice, mental health seems to be a hard one to get support for Ireland (even to the point of figuring out if there's a problem or not) but again, no need to be scared.

greenteaicedtea

I think I have Aspergers but I've never been diagnosed. I'll just describe my situation and you can read between the lines for yourselves.

I act a bit weird, I take things literally sometimes. It wasn't till my last year of high school that I started to notice when people were tuning me out when I was talking I am not the best person for picking up on peoples' emotions and I have to make an effort to give other people space in a conversation.

When I was a kid, I loved horses. I drew pictures of them, did a few riding lessons, I was obsessed. I was also teased a lot, and bullied. I had a hard time with changes of routine - I still do!

When I was an adolescent, I was depressed and anxious. I got cognitive therapy (after trying a few other types of therapy) and that worked out the best.

In my opinion, what would work for Aspergers adults is cognitive therapy. It helped me to stop associating with toxic friends, accept my own limitations, and to do things in my life that would make my life better. There would be no magic fix for Aspergers, I imagine, you just have to learn how to manage your life better so that you are happy.

For Aspergers children, I imagine that teachers and other students would be told about the Aspergers child's shortcomings and abilities, that the child would (hopefully) be sheltered. However an adult with Aspergers, you're on your own to manage friends and co-workers and bosses, and to just make do, avoiding people who REALLY think you're weird and try not to act too weird overall.

LegacyUser

I work with children with special needs and I myself was called a bit weired too when I was a teenager. Luckily I had nice people around me and I was never got bullied, but just being called weired. I don't think I am Asperger's. But I am a bit weired and sometimes I found uneasy to interact with people. I guess, a lot of people would have a tendency of being weired a little bit here there sometimes. As a minority in Ireland, I always have a sense of not being able to fit in. It is not easy, but I accept this is me. And again, I am lucky that people around me are a lovely bunch of people. I guess people around you, most of them, are lovely too. They may find you weired, but this does not mean that they wanna hurt you, or wanna would look down upon you because of your differences, especially you are smart and highly educated. I guess, the key point is to accept yourself for who you are, be grateful for what kind of talents you have. And yea, F*** them if people tease you for being a bit different. You are not hurting anyone and they should thank you for giving them a topic to gossip from time to time. Be proud of yourself!

looksee

Life would be very boring if we were all the same. Maybe someone will establish that your personality fits into what is now described as Aspergers. So what? You will still be the same person.

You sound like someone with a very good ability to understand yourself, anyone with any imagination at all can have feelings that they are a bit different. Maybe some cognative therapy might help you feel better about the way you conduct your life, no harm, but there is a lot of enthusiasm at the moment for putting labels on people and making it sound as though there is something wrong that needs putting right.

When you look at some of the people who consider themselves 'right' and 'normal' you might wonder why you aspire to be like them! People used be described as 'a bit eccentric' when probably now they would be lumped into a category. You are probably putting a good deal more effort to be a social person than most, and not giving yourself credit for it!

Certainly do the investigation if you feel it might help you, but remember, this was just one councellor who made this suggestion - they could be wrong. And even if it is established and you decide to do some therapy, bear in mind that you have got this far in your life pretty successfully, don't let a label overwhelm you.