Hello -
I am a sixteen year old and I know that there is something a little... off with me, however I don't know if it's Aspergers, or OCD, or what. So I'm asking for some input.
Well. Here are some of my things:
I have always memorized every teacher's name and position at every school i've been at. even first names. my friends are astounded by this, but for me it's like a need and an instinction.
I have a very difficult time letting small things go, like a small comment or a facial expression that nobody else even NOTICES. i'm extremely sensitive
I am EXTREMELY picky about food, I will not eat anything that has touched a mushroom, or even been near a mushroom. or a shrimp. and this really annoys people.
i'm very very sociable, except sometimes i just suddenly FREEZE up and become extremely self-conscious
i'm kind of paranoid.
my iq is 147...
thanks guys. if there are spelling errors it's only due to fatigue
1. I get obsessed with favorite topics. I currently like Roger Bannister, the first person to break the four minute mile. He became a physician, specializing in neurology. I think Bannister had some features of Asperger's as well. He was very shy, very serious and was considered different. I am also a cat lover. I know every breed of cat and love to collect cat related items.
I'm a 19-year-old Aspie, recently diagnosed. (I also have comorbid OCD.) My biggest symptom is also the obsessive fixations. The one that I have to talk and talk about is currently the movie A Beautiful Mind. Others are I Love Lucy, Frank Sinatra, FDR, American history, and neuropsychiatry. I found it interesting that you have a "need" to memorize things. I do, too, but I think this stems from my OCD. Of course, extraordinary memory is an Aspie thing. Do you have trouble keeping friends? You say you're sociable, but there has to be some sort of social awkwardness involved for you to have Asperger's. It's a common misconception that all Aspies are these stone walls that don't want to talk to anybody. We actually like to talk to people... so we can talk about our "special interests." Aspies engage in what are called "one-sided conversations," which means that, once you get us started on something, it's hard to get us to stop. We like to take control and get the topic back onto our "special interests" in any way we know how. We may interrupt, switch topics abruptly, or not let anybody get a word in edgewise. I'm guilty of all three. My one friend said that when I'm in "full-blown Aspie mode," I'm like a train, and I just run over everything she tries to say. I'm viewed as a very friendly person, but I hate people. I tolerate them the best I can, but just because I appear to be polite and sociable doesn't mean that I want to be. I'm a loner. I'd much rather be by myself than with anyone. The computer and people on my forums are my best friends. I have real friends, but I rarely contact them. I just don't see the point. I only seek them out when my enthusiasm and need too talk about my "special interests" gets to great for me to talk about them to myself. Do you not have any friends? Have friends, but don't care about them/have trouble keeping them? (That's how I am.) The fact that you can't let little things go is more OCD-ish. I'm the same way. I don't have horrible social deficits with my Asperger's, but I think this is the OCD. I always worry that I hurt somebody's feelings or that somebody's mad at me. I'm hyperaware of voice intonation. I'm not good at reading facial expressions, but I'm very good at telling tones of voice and what they mean. I often read too much into things. Feel free to ask me any questions about either OCD or Asperger's because I'd like to try and help you sort this out, too. I just need some more information. Good luck, and God bless!
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
__________________
"Not everything that steps out of line, and thus 'abnormal,' must necessarily be 'inferior.'"
-Hans Asperger
Last edited by GatsbyLuvr1920; 01-03-2007 at 08:37 AM.
GatsbyLuvr1920, you are an amazing person.
Actually my therapist kind of thinks it's just OCD, really.
What's comorbid OCD?
What other information might you want?
Aw, thanks. I don't think I'm all that amazing... "Comorbid" is just a fancy term to say that there's another condition that coexists. So, since I have both Asperger's and OCD, you can say "comorbid" about whichever one you're not focusing on. Well, for other info, what are your fears? Things that can consitute as obsessions and compulsions? Do you ever "stim?" ("Stims," or "self-stimulatory behaviors" are repetitive motions/gestures/behaviors that an autistic does to calm themself. Examples are rocking back-and-forth, wringing one's hands, and flapping one's hands.) Do you have problems with eye contact? Are you clumsy? Do you just naturally feel eccentric/awkward, like you don't fit in?
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
__________________
"Not everything that steps out of line, and thus 'abnormal,' must necessarily be 'inferior.'"
-Hans Asperger
