Hi... I'm a 42-year-old bloke who thinks he may have Asperger's. I've applied for an assessment at a centre that's near me, so we shall see.
Till recently, I'd never particularly thought I might have Asperger's, though I definitely have a geeky manner, and obsessive tendencies. I've been through a rough time over the past few years due to a resurgence of bad social phobia and an obsession about eye contact and stuff; this prompted my parents to suggest I might have Asperger's. The more I think about it, the more I think they may have a point.
In the Asperger's test I scored 27, so quite a lot higher than average, though not spectacularly high.
The Aspie traits I have are: obsessiveness; self-absorption; high sensitivity to environmental disturbances; irritability; social awkwardness; a sort of intellectual single-mindedness that makes me embarrassingly excitable about things that interest or move me.
The Aspie traits I don't have are more on the emotional side. I don't think I lack the ability to read people's moods and facial expressions, although sometimes paranoia makes me over-interpret these. I appreciate linguistic nuance, I enjoy "deep" novels and poetry, and (on good days) I am creative with words. Also, I can be quite empathetic with people who are sad or distressed.
I've had social phobia most of my adult life, but there was a period when, mainly thanks to medication, I was less panicky around people. However, I was still shy during this period, and I was struck that I didn't find social activity as satisfying as most people seemed to. It's not that I don't need people, but I tend to want to get to know other people more deeply than they want to know me.
When I was a child, I used to clasp and unclasp my fingers rapidly when I was excited. I gather this is a symptom of Asperger's.
I'd be interested if any of this resonates with others here.
Thanks,
Franz
