Are you on the "autism spectrum"? And if so, what are your + and - skills?

I have no way of knowing, really, but my parents did have me tested by multiple psychologists for any sort of defect they could find, and only discovered some adolescent depression. No autism, dyslexia, or anything else aside that manifested, except some OCD traits tied to the depression. That resolved...surprise...when I moved out at 13 to live elsewhere.

That said, I do see myself doing some things which are commonly associated with autism, but that's why they call it "a spectrum", so I don't really know when the "diagnosis applies", but none of the psychologists I previously interacted with seemed to apply it, so...
That sounds a bit like me (except for not being tested or moving out early). I drove a Frisby around the house as many hours as I could when I was young. When they took the Frisby away I spent all my time in car magazines and consumers reports, anything I could get my hands on. Some kind of weird ocd that changes over time. The same thing that brings me back to this forum all the time.
 
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That sounds a bit like me (except for not being tested or moving out early). I drove a Frisby around the house as many hours as I could when I was young. When they took the Frisby away I spent all my time in car magazines and consumers reports, anything I could get my hands on. Some kind of weird ocd that changes over time. The same thing that brings me back to this forum all the time.
That alone does not qualify you as autistic. What gets me, is that I typically do not care one bit about social norms, or "appropriateness", and people often confuse this with not KNOWING about these things or what/what not. No. I just don't care most of the time. Also, I have zero interest in interacting with most people outside of a structured environment (jujitsu, this forum, whatever).
 
Work emails I keep up on. I only keep what I need to address or if I'm waiting on a reply. One of my jobs is to sort thought the Junk mail that comes in through the contact page of our website which can be in the hundreds some days, there is always a few good ones that get sent to Junk.

Home is different, in fact I haven't checked my email at home for a few days.
 
Regarding age of starting talking, I am told that I started at a normal age. But an interesting fact is that I never crawled. I had a cousin who lived near by me and our families would visit each other then. I was born on April 29, and he was born on July 4. He was crawling and I sat and watched everyone. Then one day I got up and walked and he was still crawling, though he was 2 months younger. I do not know what significance it is that I never crawled, but it is not normal.
I never crawled. Just took. Test for autism. I got 43 of 50 on one test 27 out of 30 on another. They said I have most traits of autism. Always knew I was different.
 
I realize this thread started last year...to follow up on my 14 yr old daughter...she is enjoying her high school experience very much, so far. I was terrified at the prospect of her in a large, new school but she adapted just fine. She still has a 4.0 and has even made a few friends at school. She participates in class and all her teachers think she's a joy to have in class. They also all say that she keeps them on their toes with her 'honesty'. She has no filter, so will say whatever comes to mind...as in if directions are vague, if they make no sense or even if they are stupid!

I still can't believe how much this cool ,little girl has grown and matured over the years. She seems to continually figure out how to better 'live' in this crazy world of ours.
 
Does my absolute fascination with spinning things count towards a diagnosis :D:D:D


Vinr6Y1.jpg
 
Does my absolute fascination with spinning things count towards a diagnosis :D:D:D


Vinr6Y1.jpg
You might be on the spectrum and not even know it. 😊

Especially if you are essentially performing physics calculations as the RPMs there increase and how different frictional forces and other forces and thrust are all acting upon that spinning turbine or blade or whatever engine that may be lol, makes it even more likely.
 
If you know, what age did you start talking?

Have you been administered any autism-related diagnostic scales?


You are probably right but the disparity between the help different functioning levels get, and the conflict between the high functioning ASD and the caregivers of the low functioning ASD is uncomfortably surprising.

The main problem, and you have to accept this, is that "people"* in society are "jerks." Just about everyone, in some way, shape, or form. Go out driving on the road any meaningful distance and you will see my point, no that's not hyperbole. And it is "different" for everyone...

The issue people have with the HIGH Functioning Autistic (thought Aspergers was renamed to Autism, maybe in DSM-5. Is it in DSM-4?) is that people* - everyone, society by and large, most with an opinion, virtually everyone, "people" - consider the HIGH Functioning people (yep, that's me) - to be able to "Know better." Therefore.. "No help," "Screw you," etc.

I had those "Seven habits of highly effective" (teens, people, etc. It is a franchise of books) books and only at my very lowest, very most depressed, when I sought help from outside (validation) and not within (esteem, self esteem) did I even look at them. Now, for the most part, they tick me off because they suggest that one doesn't know these things.

And there again, am I proving my point.. the same way they say a bulletproof vest is "uniquely suited" to being combative and ready for war even if "legal," Aspergers/High Functioning Autism is "uniquely suited" to being SO smart - in some ways, and not in others....... - that people DON'T want to help you, and may actually want to keep you down for THEIR self esteem. The human condition is fascinating, indeed.

And that fellow that just cut you off in traffic? Is he "better than" you? Was he or she a "jerk?" You'll never know for sure, but you've probably assumed so, since even though nothing happened, it made you mad.

Strengths? Empathy, numbers. Driving.

Weakness? Structure, budgets,

Depends on the day and how the wind blows, reasons known only to The Man Upstairs? People skills, hospitableness...obviously, working on it, nobody is perfect, no, not one.

Then the Asperger brain tells you you must strive for this...
 
I was diagnosed with Aspergers when I was 12. I’m now 31, it hasnt slowed me down and I’ve gotten quite better than when first diagnosed. I have an excellent memory, especially with birthdays and anything to do with numbers. I also have intense concentration on things that I like, for example vehicles, when doing something having the proper torque specs. I used to be very shy to meet new people, not any more, but I still cant stand to walk or talk in front of a group of people. I have many quirks but Ive learned to control most of them.
 
Especially about motor oil? :LOL:

Careful, they might put it in the washer fluid bottle.
I was diagnosed with Aspergers when I was 12. I’m now 31, it hasnt slowed me down and I’ve gotten quite better than when first diagnosed. I have an excellent memory, especially with birthdays and anything to do with numbers. I also have intense concentration on things that I like, for example vehicles, when doing something having the proper torque specs. I used to be very shy to meet new people, not any more, but I still cant stand to walk or talk in front of a group of people. I have many quirks but Ive learned to control most of them.

When I was growing up, I was told repeatedly they did not know what it was.

So they guessed at it.

It started as Tourettes.. due to "constant blinking." I loved my model cars more than anything, had an interest in television model numbers (I could tell you the model number of every TV in the store. CRT days) and my RC car and Genesis and NES . Genesis was the better console, most people got SNES I was like WHY. Moving on...

Then that progressed to ADD/ADHD this was mid-90s. Then Aspergers. Again, "so new"...

Now, they prescribed every medication they could think of and the result was a suicide attempt so serious that I tell people I "should have died" because.. well, you don't just do what I did and be okay. Stopping right there. 🛑

So, bottom line? Screw "drugs."
 
Strengths? Empathy, numbers. Driving.

Weakness? Structure, budgets,

Depends on the day and how the wind blows, reasons known only to The Man Upstairs? People skills, hospitableness...obviously, working on it, nobody is perfect, no, not one.

Then the Asperger brain tells you you must strive for this...
Very interesting! Truly amazing how the mind works.

Since we are sharing, I don't believe I'm on the spectrum like others in this thread, but definitely stood out (and not necessarily in a good way) from my peers when I was young. According to my mom, Engineering families tend to have some Asperger-esque traits. My BIL just finished his MD in Psychology, and he's made some observations about our family.

- I'm not great on the empathy front; I'd say I have low empathy, generally, but it is something I'm aware of and try and work on. I suffered a significant loss (my best friend and cousin) when I was 12 (cancer) and I'm not sure if that was a contributor or not.
- I've always been able to take things apart and put them back together with extreme ease. Also have a knack for being able to rapidly troubleshoot and fix things.
- I'm physically chaotic. I tend to keep everything (might need that!) and so I have a lot of clutter. I get into fits of cleaning, but they don't last long. On the other hand, I keep my computers (file systems, e-mail...etc) quite organized. Dirt and mess bother me, but clutter doesn't.
- I was an extremely early talker, and in full sentences. My parents have a recording of me at less than a year rambling on.
- I had trouble learning to read in school (this would be a common theme, school and I didn't get along very well in many cases), so my mom taught me (she was a teacher). I was reading at a 4th year University level in weeks, this was in grade 2.
- I was diagnosed with ADD in grade 4.
- I started attending my dad's University courses, and participating, around grade 7 or 8. I also skipped grade 9 science and, along with a good friend of mine, who was very similar, took grade 10 advanced science instead. I loved (and love) physics and engineering but wasn't big into chemistry or biology.
- I started taking university courses (computer related) in grade 9
- I was formally tested (due to wildly varying academic performance) in grade 10 and ended up scoring off the chart, which was more frustrating than relieving for my parents.
- I have a very hard time applying myself and paying attention to anything that doesn't interest me. Contrarily, I can absolutely bury myself in something I am interesting in, to the complete exclusion of everything around me. A good book is totally immersive, it is like I am living the story.
- I'm awkward in social situations. I don't like to be around large groups of people and generally don't like people, if I'm being honest. I'm very content with being alone and an absence of human interaction to me is comfortable, rather than maddening. I also don't like being around people I don't know in a social setting, I find it uncomfortable and can be stressful/tiring. Attending something like a concert is OK though, because I'm not there to speak with or interact with others.
- I absorb facts and statistics and can do calculations and analysis in my head quite easily. I'm extremely logically driven and tend to be pedantic, as I feel nuance is important. I find people that struggle with understanding what I consider basic concepts frustrating, and that's something this forum has helped me work on, as I consider that a deficit.
- I am AWFUL with names. Like I will forget your name in less than 30 seconds. I trick myself to remember names by associating them with other things like band members that have the same name for example, or other people I know whose name I've managed to retain. I've known people for years whose names I still forget. This is far easier if I see the person's name in writing, so that's another trick I'll use, putting somebody in my address book, reading it back, which can then make it stick.
- I can't forget a face. I'll recognize somebody I knew in grade school immediately.
- I can easily retain complex strings (product keys for example) and music/lyrics.
- I need directions to be explicit. I'm not good with vagueness or allusive statements in the spoken word. I'm better with this in writing, as I seem to process that differently.

There's more, but I don't want to over-share. I expect the above won't surprise most people who have interacted with me on here.
 
Very interesting! Truly amazing how the mind works.

Since we are sharing, I don't believe I'm on the spectrum like others in this thread, but definitely stood out (and not necessarily in a good way) from my peers when I was young. According to my mom, Engineering families tend to have some Asperger-esque traits. My BIL just finished his MD in Psychology, and he's made some observations about our family.

- I'm not great on the empathy front; I'd say I have low empathy, generally, but it is something I'm aware of and try and work on. I suffered a significant loss (my best friend and cousin) when I was 12 (cancer) and I'm not sure if that was a contributor or not.
- I've always been able to take things apart and put them back together with extreme ease. Also have a knack for being able to rapidly troubleshoot and fix things.
- I'm physically chaotic. I tend to keep everything (might need that!) and so I have a lot of clutter. I get into fits of cleaning, but they don't last long. On the other hand, I keep my computers (file systems, e-mail...etc) quite organized. Dirt and mess bother me, but clutter doesn't.
- I was an extremely early talker, and in full sentences. My parents have a recording of me at less than a year rambling on.
- I had trouble learning to read in school (this would be a common theme, school and I didn't get along very well in many cases), so my mom taught me (she was a teacher). I was reading at a 4th year University level in weeks, this was in grade 2.
- I was diagnosed with ADD in grade 4.
- I started attending my dad's University courses, and participating, around grade 7 or 8. I also skipped grade 9 science and, along with a good friend of mine, who was very similar, took grade 10 advanced science instead. I loved (and love) physics and engineering but wasn't big into chemistry or biology.
- I started taking university courses (computer related) in grade 9
- I was formally tested (due to wildly varying academic performance) in grade 10 and ended up scoring off the chart, which was more frustrating than relieving for my parents.
- I have a very hard time applying myself and paying attention to anything that doesn't interest me. Contrarily, I can absolutely bury myself in something I am interesting in, to the complete exclusion of everything around me. A good book is totally immersive, it is like I am living the story.
- I'm awkward in social situations. I don't like to be around large groups of people and generally don't like people, if I'm being honest. I'm very content with being alone and an absence of human interaction to me is comfortable, rather than maddening. I also don't like being around people I don't know in a social setting, I find it uncomfortable and can be stressful/tiring. Attending something like a concert is OK though, because I'm not there to speak with or interact with others.
- I absorb facts and statistics and can do calculations and analysis in my head quite easily. I'm extremely logically driven and tend to be pedantic, as I feel nuance is important. I find people that struggle with understanding what I consider basic concepts frustrating, and that's something this forum has helped me work on, as I consider that a deficit.
- I am AWFUL with names. Like I will forget your name in less than 30 seconds. I trick myself to remember names by associating them with other things like band members that have the same name for example, or other people I know whose name I've managed to retain. I've known people for years whose names I still forget. This is far easier if I see the person's name in writing, so that's another trick I'll use, putting somebody in my address book, reading it back, which can then make it stick.
- I can't forget a face. I'll recognize somebody I knew in grade school immediately.
- I can easily retain complex strings (product keys for example) and music/lyrics.
- I need directions to be explicit. I'm not good with vagueness or allusive statements in the spoken word. I'm better with this in writing, as I seem to process that differently.

There's more, but I don't want to over-share. I expect the above won't surprise most people who have interacted with me on here.

That was gonna be a "like" but I speed-read about 50% of it because I'm watching The Shield .. cant wait until they get Glenn Close off this show, she sucks... BRAVO! Great post! 😀

I'm just ready to be an Adult Entertainer's personal chauffeur already. If they took care of me.. that would be what it is for me. Used S600s, saw one for $6000 with V-12 on the auto shifter lol.. well, maybe not that one.. just saying. A man can dream! 😀

I figured out I like the mechanics of cars.
 
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