Ever met someone with Aspergers?

How do you get assessed as an adult?

shivermetimber wrote: »

How do you get assessed as an adult?

Go to your gp first and they refer you to the local mental health team it is a neurological disorder and needs a multidisciplinary team to correctly diagnose. I am trying to decide whether to get an official diagnosis for myself. I have one child diagnosed and one waiting for assessment. Speech and language therapist is pretty positive I'm on the spectrum (it makes a lot of sense).

My two kids have AS. Both are as different as chalk and cheese. My son is very sociable but struggles with boundaries, he's very gullible, sensitive to emotions and physical triggers and above average academically is some areas and behind in others.

My daughter is very socially anxious, has OCD, is very smart but struggles with everyday tasks especially those involving interactions with people.

It's hard work and I'm worried about what the future holds for them.

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

My son is Level One on the autism spectrum (high functioning). He would have been classed as Aspergers on the old scale.

He is very literal and has a fascination with certain topics. If you met him for a few minutes, you wouldn't notice anything. After a while, you would notice the poor social skills and the fixation on topics. He has no issues with bullying and he is very happy at school. However, his group of friends would be small. The fear is that he would be a 'loner' in later life.

He also has dyspraxia, which means that his gross and fine motor skills are poor. He doesn't like sports or physical exertion.

I reckon there are thousands of people in Ireland that are undiagnosed with Aspergers. Back then, people might have been classed as 'a bit odd' or loners. Their IQs tend to be extremely high.

Certain professions like IT, maths and accountancy would lend themselves to Aspergers employees. Logical, unemotive and no real need for major human interaction.

It's crazy how many neurotypical people interpret 'taking things literally' as 'being stupid'. I can't always tell when someone is messing, especially when I don't consider their sense of humour very good (I often think, why would you joke about that? It's not even funny), and loads of people have assumed I'm thick because of it.

Bob Gray wrote: »

If his routines are disrupted it can sometimes lead to meltdowns or sometimes I'll just see the frustration on his face as he's trying to suppress a meltdown.
Stringent routines are a common trait with autism/aspergers.

And people interpret it as you being awkward or difficult or (if female) a drama queen if plans suddenly change and you can't deal with it. I've learned to adapt to change with minimal notice, but minimal is the key word - I need SOME notice, even if it's a few minutes, for the new 'plan' to sink in. Throwing me in the deep end without notice is absolutely sure to cause a meltdown.

I don't know if all Aspies do this, but the only way I can cope with life is to visualise what I'm going to do. So I plan it all out in my head, visualise it happening, and make sure I'm comfortable with the idea. If I'm going to the airport, I'll visualise walking to the bus stop, waiting for the bus, boarding, paying, and so on. It's like a kind of 'dress rehearsal' in my head, where I can prepare for different scenarios and try to imagine in advance what might go wrong, so I can plan for that too. For example, if the bus is delayed, I might need to get a taxi. Where would I get it? How much money would I need? What would I say to the driver?

If someone suddenly drops a last minute change of plan, my world crumbles. I remember once when I was teaching, I was told 30 seconds before the class started that I would be teaching a different level, with a different number of students, with a different topic. I don't think anyone would LIKE this, but for me it was totally devastating, because of the level of mental preparation I need to do to build myself up for things. And for some reason, people are unwilling to believe that an outwardly normal looking young woman would be autistic, so then you get labelled as a drama queen and hysterical. It's draining.

hgfj wrote: »

My son was diagnosed when he was seven. He's 22 now. Smart, obsessed with history which he studies in uni. Very gentle, kind, loves animals, wouldn't hurt a fly. But he has no friends. Zero. And like someone else posted earlier my main fear is how will he cope later on in life. He has no social skills whatsoever. Very polite but also very shy. He rarely leaves the house except to take long walks in the rain. I think one of the reasons he likes those walks is because the streets are empty when it rains. My fear is that after I'm gone he might be taken advantage of by more savvy individuals. When I die the house will have to be sold and shared with his brothers. He will have some money but nowhere to live. I worry about it all the time. Also I'm fairly sure i'm on the spectrum myself. After he was diagnosed I watched a documentary about people with aspergers and found I identified with practically everyone on the show. It was a bit of a shock at first. I don't know how I come across socially but I find socialising extremely difficult.

I have the same fear somewhat for one of my sons . Like your son , beautiful , intelligent , loving , compassionate , but zero friends . His two siblings have said he can live with either of them when the time comes , and he'd be ok with that too , but there's always a "what if " niggling away in my mind .

Avalynn Purring Tablespoon wrote: »

Has employment ever proved problematical for people here? such as constantly getting fired, unable to get work, can't settle in one job for too long etc?

There was a BBC program on Aspies and someone on it said that in the UK, Aspies have the highest rate of unemployment of all disabilities, at 90% Terrifying, if like me, you you have a child with it, possibly two.

Im a special education teacher, was friends with an Asperger woman for over 10 years and also have a sibling who was diagnosed with Asperger's as an adult.
Theres allot of myths around the disorder for instance not everyone on the spectrum is highly intelligent, it can effect anyone no matter the intellectual ability.
Im in two minds as to whether Asperger's and Autism are the same disorder, ive definitely seen a big difference between the two, theres cross overs in terms of OCD behaviors, difficulty managing emotions and daily tasks, pickiness when it comes to food and special interests but in my experience people with Asperger's tend be allot less empathetic when it comes to other people and much more self focused compared to Autism.
There does seem to be a bias in that girls are less diagnosed, having worked with special needs adults and children there have always been more boys and men in my classes and the Autistic units ive worked in.
Getting a diagnosis at any age is a rigmarole but especially for adults and even more so for women, besides the high cost psychologists can be biased, dismissive and wrong diagnosis is common.

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

There's actually a theory that people with Aspergers are MORE empathetic, to the fact it becomes overwhelming. I would certainly identify with that. I would go to the end of the earth for people I care about and have a very hard time dealing with the fact that most people don't care about me as much as I care about them. I was worrying all day when one friend had knee surgery, mentioned it to my family, was checking my phone for news. I was in hospital a couple of weeks ago and he never even bothered to ask how I was. I also feel great pain when I see horrible things happen to other people on the news or on TV. So I don't buy this 'Aspies are self centred and have no empathy' thing at all.

Im speaking in general terms, not everyone with Asperger's is the same or experiences the same traits but generally speaking from my own experience - which is not by any means an expert evaluation of the entire Asperger community - there tends to be a lack of empathy where others are concerned but that said, neurotypicals can be equally lacking in empathy and can be very self involved.

HappyAsLarE wrote: »

Why does everything have to be a diagnosis these days?

Back in my day you had kids that were just a bit mental, a bit stupid, geeky smart, or in between.

Diagnosis is important so that people can get the help and support they need, maybe the 'mental' or 'stupid' kid had an illness or disability making them vulnerable and victim to bullying, harassment, unemployment and depression. Labeling kids 'mental' or 'stupid' is hardly a better alternative.