Well, I had my first session with my Asperger's specialist today, and it is officially confirmed that I do indeed have Asperger's. The small amount of doubt/guilt I had over maybe getting a diagnosis that I didn't deserve is gone. She said that it was extremely obvious (to someone who knows what they're looking for, that is), and that I havea "typical expression of the syndrome in a girl." So, now I have absolutely no qualms about declaring that I am indeed an Aspie! ;)
-GatsbyLuvr1920-

Gatsby,

Thank goodness that doubt is removed for you. Now you know exactly what you're dealing with. Good luck to you.

Hi Gatsbyluver;

I remember posting to you earlier this year on the parenting board or the OCD board and asked you if anyone had ever mentioned Asperger Syndrome because based on your post you sounded classic from what I had read about it. I'm so glad that there is closure to the wondering for you.

The diagnosis doesn't make you a different person it just gives an understanding to some of the things you felt were different about yourself. Everyone is different in their own way and that's what makes us individuals.

Your insight to Aspergers has been very valuable to the parents of young children on this board. Stories like yours give hope to parents with children on the spectrum. Thank you for sharing so openly with us, I appreciate it.

Good Luck

Hiya Gatsby

Glad your mind's been put at rest. Now you've been officially diagnosed you can get cracking on writing that book! We need people like you writing about the neurodevelopmental stuff!

Talk again soon

Janine x

I just wanted to second Jeffreysmom's comment that your insights are very valuable to parents of young children. Thank you for being so willing to share. I am glad you were able to the official valadation for what you knew all along.

Thank you all for responding. It was just nice to hear it from someone whose specialty is Asperger's, rather than someone whose specialty is OCD and CBT. I do have both, though. That is very clear. The woman that I'm going to see had "diagnosed" me with Asperger's, basically just saying that the symptoms my CBT therapist presented her with sounded like it, but there's nothing better than for someone who knows what to look for to actually see an Aspie's behavior in action. I believe that it was quite easy for her to tell because of the setting I was in. Anything dealing with psychiatry is one of my fixations, so I unwittingly talk and talk and talk... :D
-GatsbyLuvr1920-

Hi Gatsby,
I seen your posts on a number of these threads and I want to get your opinion.

My ex-boyfriend had been diagnosed as Bipolar II. It almost seems like he may have a little bit of Aspergers as well. He will fixate on a subject for days, weeks or sometimes months at a time. Learn all he can and then move on to somthing else. During this time it can be all he wants to talk about with anyone. I have looked elsewhere on the net, but am having a hard time determining if he really has any of the symptoms. He does seem to have a really hard time comunicating about emotions. He says it is all just a jumble in his head. He seems to be able to make eye contact, but sometimes I wonder if he is able to feel empathy. He does feel and can be very caring, but I am not sure about the empathy part.

What do you think?

Jen38

The fixation on subjects definitely makes Asperger's a possibility. It's a common misconception that Aspies can't be empathetic. Rather, we have more of a difficulty relating to what most people think is a situation that requires empathy, but we react very strongly to things that most people wouldn't bat an eye at. Talking about heartbreak and death and such makes me intensely uncomfortable. I feel bad for people who have been injured, have an illness (or have someone in their family with an illness), have had a death in their family, or have had some other hardship, but I don't empathize with the normal person's problems, which I find to be trivial. Do you have any specific questions? I have difficulty with answering broad topics, not suprisingly... ;)
-GatsbyLuvr1920-

Hi Gatsby,

Sorry about the spelling etc. in yesterday's post. I will try and be a little more attentive and precise with this one.:) I really appreciate you taking time to respond. You are obviously very knowledgable and have been on these boards for some time.

I would like to know if you think the following scenarios are typical of somone with Asperger's. You already responded to the fixation on subjects, but here are a few more examples.

You may have read some of my other posts and know that my Mom just died.
About three days after my boyfriend (who is BP2) said something to the effect "well now that the crisis is over....." he did not seem to get that the crisis of living without my Mom was just begining for me.

Another common example is when we would be having a discussion and I would say "I feel like blah, blah, blah" and he would give me a blank stare and then say it was all jumbled in his head if I asked for a response. More often than not he just would not have a response.

He also had a song that he sings for each of his dogs. He would repeat it fairly often whe we were interacting with them. Mostly the songs contained the dogs names.

He hates group gatherings and finds shopping too much pressure. He can't stand to watch anything gory and is afraid of flying and roller coasters.



Does the above give you a clearer picture?

Jen 38

Jen,

That's interesting about your boyfriend having songs for all of his dogs. I sing to my cats.

Hi Gatsby! :wave:
Good to see you! Well I'm glad you finally got confirmation on what you suspected for some time now......isn't it great to know that you're just as smart as those doctors? LOL
How's school going?
:angel:

Jen38- Well, Aspies aren't necessarily lacking empathy, so much as they don't know how to deal with serious situations. I know that I'm very uncomfortable talking about sadness and such. I feel bad for the person, but I'm a horrible person if you need a shoulder to cry on. I just can't naturally give advice or console someone. My one friend, who's very emotional, has told me this many times. I like to just say, "Oh, I'm sorry that happened to you. Are you okay?" and then want to change the subject. I'd rather distract someone with happy talk to help take their mind off of their sadness. I rarely ask someone how their day was or something, and I certainly don't ask about their feelings. I hate group gatherings and shopping, too, shopping more so when I was little. Shopping trips always ended in a tantrum when I was a child. I just get bored in stores now, and I don't like having to walk around. It could be the lights in there, as well. Certain stores are worse than others because I just get this creepy feeling, presumably because I used to obsess a lot in them when my OCD was really bad, so that just brings those feelings back. I get very uncomfortable when I have to be in a close confined room. If you have any more questions, just ask.
rosequartz- School's okay, I guess. I don't like the fact that I have three classes with 70-90 people in them, so that obviously doesn't bode well with my hatred of clusters of people. :rolleyes: The best thing is my TA-ing job for my geeky chem professor from last year. The one who always said, "In Terms Of," has an Aspie daughter, and is obviously an Aspie himself? Yes, that's just plain awesome. I just got back from TA-ing for his 110 class, the one I was in last fall. It's a way for me to still be able to connect with him, despite the fact that I don't have an actual class with him. That was important to me because he's only one of three friends (read "people who I can stand because they're quirky like me") I have up here, and he just makes me laugh so damn hard! ;) I hope you're doing well. I never get to talk to you anymore! Write back soon! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-

Hey Gatsby!
Glad to hear you're still in contact with "Mr. In Terms Of".....he sounds like a great guy who you have a good connection with! Wow those are some really big classes! Yeah I've been hanging out on the relationship board lately.....but a lot of times I just search by new posts and see if anything grabs me! So are you still in a private room? Have a great weekend, and I'll talk to you soon!
:angel:

Hey, rosequartz! Yes, I am still in a single. That is absolutely essential! I have documentation, so I will never have to have a roommate again, and if they would give me one by some chance, I have a long list of doctors and therapist who are more than willing to go to bat and say why it's crucial that I'm by myself... ;)
-GatsbyLuvr1920-