Questions about Asperger syndrome...appreciate some advice - Asperger's Syndrome Message Board

JBQ · 09-04-2006, 06:59 PM

Hi

I've always had a really hard time with socially interacting. I always thought it was b/c of the time I spent in the hospital and at home recovering from surgeries related to a spina bifida related condition, thus keeping me rather isolated.

Now I think I might have AS, or something similar and I'd like some input. Lord knows my mum won't take me seriously.

So...my life history

I started talking at a rather early age. The only person I was really attached to when I was little was my mum. I hated loud noises(still do) to the point where my dad sneezing would send me crawling to my mum. In preschool I was okay socially, but at 2-4 you don't play alot with people. I sorta hung to myself, really submissive.

Something odd I've noticed that seems congruent with AS is that as a child my mum told me not to ask strangers or other adults for stuff. I get now that that meant if I went to the store with my friend I shouldn't ask for candy. However then I though it meant I couldn't ask to use the bathroom or for a glass of water. That persisted for years. I still won't ask for a drink or anything.

After K-garden my social life went to hell. I wasn't interested in the same things as other kids. If we played with toy animals they had to be porportional or I wouldn't play. Also I wouldn't mix realistic animals with pokemon or other such things, but this didn't bother me so much as porportions.

I always wanted to go play with the other kids, but it was beyond me how I was supposed to interact with them. They couldn't even hold onto one subject for more than a few minutes, while I could go on for hours.

This was also when I started being terrified of teachers more. Like I said I hate hate hate loud noises and I was so scared they'd yell at me so I tried never to make them mad.

In fourth grade I got fixated on reading, mostly fiction, and that persists today. I hated starting new books so I'd read the same one 3-5 times. Most of the books I read were 1-3 grade levels higher than mine. I've several other extreme intrests including ants and cancer. I've always been very focused on the intrests or even daily activities I chose.

Alot of times I didn't understand when the kids were teasing me, but I knew they were. I had a few friends but nobody close or even anybody who was nice to me.

I tried to copy what the other kids did socially but it's like trying to do trig without understanding 2+2=4.

Now that I'm in highschool, it's much better. I have 3 very close friends. I still don't understand social interaction, but I've stopped trying. I just do my own thing. (Forgot to mention my "interest" in finding shapes in food. If I see a piece of food that looks like a shape or ear ect I tend to keep it for a few weeks.)

The reason I want to know if I have AS is in adittion to the social ineptness, I get into these....I dunno, well it's really just a feeling. It's like my mind is pushed to the very front of my skin and I can't process stuff right, and I tend to get really panicy easy. This has happened before, the longest for a month. I've had this feeling for a week now, and I just want to know if it's related to AS and if there's a way to make it go away.

Um...anything else?

I get panicky, and anxious alot, plus just to emphasize my fear of loud noises is very very bad.

Thankz so much if you read this. Sorry it's so long.

P.s forgot to mention something. I don't hate hate change, I have problems with it. If I rearrange my room I'll have nightmares for a few weeks. I tried to move my stuff around last year but I had to change it back. Also I realy like soft material. In the stores I touch ever thing to see if it's soft, or I like to pet my friend cloths if it's soft.

9CatMom · 09-04-2006, 07:18 PM

JBQ,

I have a lot of the same issues as you do. I think I have AS, because I have unusual interests. I have always been fascinated with something unusual, and still am. I do not read much fiction, although I have been fascinated lately with autism and Asperger's stories. My favorite subjects to read about are history, geography, and animals, particularly cats.

I am currently fascinated with English runner Roger Bannister, because his life is a testament to what can happen in a person's life if you are intelligent and never give up. I also think he has some degree of Asperger's, because he was said to do his own thing. His story is a great source of inspiration to me.

GatsbyLuvr1920 · 09-05-2006, 06:22 AM

It sounds like Asperger's could be a possibility. I'm a 19-year-old Aspie who just started her sophomore year of college. I DO hate change very, very much. I cannot tell you how many breakdowns I've had over the past few days because I don't have my old routine.

I get daily panic attacks- I'm having one right now, in fact. Like 9CatMom, my Asperger's is defined by my "special interests." I Love Lucy is my biggest one, but not the one that I have to talk and talk about. No, that right now would be A Beautiful Mind, as many others on here already know. A Beautiful Mind is to me what Bannister is to 9CatMom.

When that comes into play, my Asperger's-ness just blossoms. I mean, I couldn't focus for two hours last night because I unexpectedly found two pictures from A Beautiful Mind in my Abnormal Psych book.

This prompted me to exhibit much more Asperger's traits- I began talking to myself, laughing to myself, getting all excited and giddy, and needing to talk about the subject. I have a moderate case, so I don't have severe social deficits, so that's why I didn't really suspect Asperger's. I'm the Aspie who can make friends, but much prefers to be by herself. Too many people, especially peers, overstimulates me, so that's why I've been pretty bad lately- I have two classes with 90 people in them, something that shouldn't happen at a small college. Hell, last year for INTRO chem, there were only 40 people in a class, but now for organic, which is more specialized, there's 90?!

Anyway, I know how hard it is to deal with the stresses of high school work when you're an Aspie. You're not alone. Good luck, God bless, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

-GatsbyLuvr1920-

9CatMom · 09-05-2006, 08:02 AM

I indulged in another of my special interests, my main one-which is cats. I found some quizzes about cats, specifically Siamese. I answered 9 out of 10 questions correctly, which means I am better versed in Siamese cats than the average person, who got 7 out of 10 correct. The only one I missed was when the first Siamese appeared in cat shows. (I think they said it was 1909.)

I also took some quizzes on the Olympics, which is another special interest of mine. I did pretty well on most of them, although there was a lot I forgot about.