Who have we got here, then?

[baddad]

Hi all -

 

Seeing this lovely new area all clean and pristine I thought I'd mess it up with a pointless but hopefully interesting poll!

 

This is the first time I've actually done one (I know - very lax of me! ) so if it doesn't 'work' I'll get someone who knows what they are doing to fix it for me!

 

 

 

L&P

 

 

 

BD

[bid]

Well, as most of you know, I have a 17 year old son who was diagnosed with AS when he was 7. My dad was identified with 'mild autism' in 2005 when he was undergoing mental health assessments for dementia (he died last year). He was a retired Educational Psychologist who believed he had AS...I think he was the man Tony Attwood talks about meeting on the train in the introduction to his book!

 

I have been 'officially' identified as presenting with traits of ASD by my local mental health team, and my GP has referred me to a specialist adult team for a proper assessment.

 

So, that's me!

 

Bid/Boho

Edited March 1, 2007 by bid

[Mumble]

I think the results of this poll will be really interesting once there are more votes on it. I'll be particularly interested to see what differences emerge between the numbers of adults suspecting they are someone on the spectrum and the number with an official diagnosis (someone join me please - I'm lonely up there at the top on my own )

 

I was only officially diagnosed 2 1/2 weeks ago. I have a diagnosis of Aspergers, Alexithymia and Dyspraxia. The process took well over a year from actually seeking a diagnosis (I've always known there's something 'different' about me!!), and I would not have got through it without the fantastic support I've had from my university - I don't know how anyone, but particularly someone seeking a diagnosis for the very problems that make it difficult to work through this process, would cope - my suspicion is that they wouldn't, and this may be why there are likely to be so many undiagnosed adults.

 

My personal opinion in that the process of diagnosis is appalling and has to improve. Still, thats one battle won - on to my next one - getting appropriate adult support now I have a diagnosis - yeah right!!!!!

[smiley]

Oh......cringe......cringe.......

 

Couple of months ago i would have said i'm NT and the parent of an aspie..

 

My sons' psychiatrist begs to differ......... ...........and believes i'm on the spectrum. (Not too far off your experience with your son Bid...Not entirely expected! ). In my sons' psychiatrist words, she'd place me into the 'Donna Williams' category and my son into the 'Temple Gratin' category.................. But, I don't feel the need to seek a dx.

 

My brother, however - is (seeking a dx..)!

 

Confused yet....??

[Karen A]

Hi I am very confused but ok about it. I like my son have a few rather Aspie bits. However the professionals are unable to agree re his Dx.My family history is complicated in the extreme.I also read in the NAS mag yesterday that the main clinic for adult Dx need an adult who knew you as a child to provide info which I no longer have.My family accept me as me with a few unusual ways. Regards Karen

[bikergal]

I will be seeking a private assessment soon, as I strongly suspect I'm on the spectrum somewhere. There's a family history of obssessive/compulsives, tics and mental illness. I strongly suspect my natural mother to have been misdiagnosed as I think she struggled to express herself, used to become angry and lash out...and of course As was a long way off becoming well known. Her world collapsed in her late teens when she struggled to keep a job and cope with adult life. My dd1 (13) has atypical autism. She is very different to me, but we do share some similarities.

[Tally]

I am an adult with an unofficial diagnosis of AS. I've just (finally) been referred for an assessment which could result in an official diagnosis.

[butterfingersbimbo]

well i voted that i'm a parent with no obvious traits of my own....although i do wonder about el's dad....

[Karen A]

I will be seeking a private assessment soon, as I strongly suspect I'm on the spectrum somewhere. There's a family history of obssessive/compulsives, tics and mental illness. I strongly suspect my natural mother to have been misdiagnosed as I think she struggled to express herself, used to become angry and lash out...and of course As was a long way off becoming well known. Her world collapsed in her late teens when she struggled to keep a job and cope with adult life. My dd1 (13) has atypical autism. She is very different to me, but we do share some similarities.

 

 

I think there must have been so many others like your mum in the previous generation-misdiagnosed,wrongly labled or just silently finding life difficult.I often wonder about my parents too.Karen.

[badonkadonk]

I have an official diagnosis of AS, I was diagnosed just over a year ago. My mum suspects that my Uncle is also AS but I'm not sure he does.

 

Anyhoo that's me!

 

Emily

xxx

[David Matthew Baker]

I'm personally a TA so here more as an information resource to try and make sure I am offering as good as possible support to my students. Also come the summer I am training to be a teacher and like the idea of long term working in a special school. In particular one for autistic spectrum students would be nice. I voted that I share a few traits because I believe I do but I don't seem to have any in the vital communication area. I do have obsessions and routines to a degree but also seem to thrive on chaos. I frequently get complained at by one of my friends that getting me to commit to anything is really hard work. It is easier just to suggest it on the spur of the moment. I'm more likely to go for it. I also get told that I try and impose my interests on others and that I am fairly pedantic when it comes to language. That does depend on mood to a degree though and how awkward I'm feeling. I also can't sit still very long and will frequently be shaking a leg without even realising it. That fits better with ADHD though. I also don't shut up (well unless I'm in a car or minibus then I often go very quiet). The thing my friends keep telling me I'm addicted to at the moment is autism to the exclusion of everything else. I'm not so sure I am though. I'm just taking an active interest in an area I would like to work in for the future.

 

The person who is a better fit though is my brother. He certainly has always been a bit of a loner with a very small group of friends. Addictions include the likes of Star Trek and presently World of Warcraft. He is very hard to convince to participate in any activities especially if they have a social aspect. He was also a very quiet baby who didn't like to be in bed with my parents and was quite happy left alone. At school he was often described as a quiet version of me. (I.E. he wouldn't volunteer answers to questions and wasn't volunteering to do anything that staff wanted all the time - I still can't believe the number of times I volunteered to do the longer distance races as a stand in on House Sports day even though I can't stand running a long distance). He has never liked hugs much or close contact with others. Like me he can be pedantic with speach. My dad also quite possibly would fit on the spectrum. Neither would be at a level that is too much worry though. It would be nice to see if they would be diagnosed as such but it wouldn't really make any difference to either of them. Just would be nice to know if I am right or not.

 

Having said that it was said at the Special School that almost everyone shares a few of the Autistic Spectrum traites.

[Flora]

I have an unofficial 'official' dx of AS. Have a son with AS and a son with ASD. My father most certainly had AS though was never dx; I have an aunt with OCD....

 

Flo'

[Lynden]

My hubby is definitely AS - we thought that before Logan but its even more evident now. So I'm a parent of a child with ASD with a genetic link. Hubby is undiagnosed, but we dont really see the need in having him diagnosed. There's no doubt in any of our minds that he's AS - and talking to his parents if they'd looked for it it would have been very evident from a young age.

 

Lynne x

[Mother in Need]

I am 100% sure that my ex is on the Spectrum, after all that I have learned over the last year (most of it from/via this site!!!). And as my son is growing up, he is becoming more and more like him, which I actually find more and more difficult (I mean, I kicked ex out after 13 years of marriage for a very good reason...).

[Corcaigh]

I have a few traits and my husband has definitively traits of AS (had a difficult childhood too). Even though I think we are all a bit AS in our families I definitively had no surprises when my son was diagnosed

 

Martina

Edited March 7, 2007 by Corcaigh

[MichelleW]

I don't quite fit into any of the categories. I don't believe either myself or my ex partner are ASD, however I believe my brother may have asd traits and my mother believes my father's half brother was ASD. J is 6 and is diagnosed as moderate autistic and not aspergers as he had delayed speech and language. My youngest is 2.25 and does not appear to be showing all the ASD signs J did, but he does have no speech and a few autistic traits which could be considered NT for a 2 year old! I believe that ASD is genetic but I'm just a carrier!

[Gerrard]

Hello......I received an official dx Sept 2006, at the age of 42. I felt my life had ground to a complete halt, mostly of my choosing. Didn't see the point of attempting anything new for the fear of making the same mistakes all over again. It's funny, but no matter how many times I made the same wrong decisions, or mistakes, in life, I could never remember having made them when I was faced with similar situations. It wasn't till I was almost 40 I figured that it was me perhaps repeating these mistakes in certain areas of my life. Relationships, work, study...I gave all of them up, as it just seemed easier. The dx has helped. I've applied for a post grad course and want to be out and about again. Generally more positive since dx.

 

Gerry

[rach04]

i believe i have some traits but it does run in my family- My brother adhd,Dyslexia suspected asd, my dad the same , my cousin father side adhd asd Dyspraxia, my 2nd cousin adhd, my grandad suspected adhd asd dyslexia my uncle dyslexia (suspected) and i belive that ds1s dad had aspergers not that he would ever listen to me lol. Me but that could be that im a big mouth and dont think before speaking and getting frazzled about nothing oooooo all i want is order im everything has a time and that time is now. I have everything in a timetable in my head even a day out to the park sets me in a panic i get twitchy

[tracey]

my daughter will be 16 this year dx asd at 13

deffinately takes after me sooo many of my ways

Tracey

[lynyona]

My son is 21 next month was dx at 18. My mum is convinced that my uncle on my dads side is OCD

 

 

 

 

 

 

lynn

[Frangipani]

My son is on the Spectrum, my ex is on the spectrum.

Edited April 30, 2007 by Frangipani

[Shnoing]

When our son was dx'ed, both of us realized that we most probably are on the spectrum. Unfortunately, I couldn't vote "Are you parent(s) of a child/children on the spectrum who does not see any genetic precedents" in addition to "Are you and adult who believes yourself AND your partner may be on the spectrum?"

[SarahSH]

Just seen this rather late in the day but yes I think 'spectrummy mummy' definitely fits. In someways. More obvious since re-marriage to non-spectrum type person, who behaves in seriously weird way - rushes to answer phone etc instead of ignoring it like a normal person. Happy to chat in street rather than hurry home looking the other way, that kind of thing.

 

Ex and father of my children: yes I would say AS undiagnosed, all the familiar traits. preferred not to speak.

 

Son 1: No. 200 numbers on his mobile phone, which he NEVER turns off. need I say more?

 

Daughter: sparkly AS undiagnosed - room looks like aladdin's cave if aladdin went to primark and bought every brightly coloured thing he could find and sprinkled them all very thickly on floor and every surface, mixed in with drawings, jewellery and oh yes maths coursework.

 

Son 2: yes. Chip off the old blockhead, but significantly more cuddly.

 

3 stepchildren: No, they take after their father & birth mother in seeming to want to see people and join in with things

 

So that's us... kind of looks like there might be a genetic link in our family...

 

Sarah

[Laz]

Im diagnosed asperger.

 

When I got diagnosed it began a wave of relations that got diagnosed as well. My 2 younger brothers have both been assessed my middle brother most certainly has AS. My youngest was assessed but because he has type 1 diabetes (that comes with enough medical discrimination in the work place as it is) Prof Howlin felt it wasnt a good idea to give him another label and having two older brothers with AS he wasnt going to be in the dark should he ever feels he needs one. (Also I think it was a shock to my mother who realised that implied she had abit of aspergers on her jewish father)

 

When I was diagnosed they looked at my fathers side along with my grandfather (fathers side) and they had the stereotypical job (Engineers, tool makers) and said there was a clear line of were the aspergers came from in the family. So my diagnosis also explained alot of unanswered questions about my father and grandfathers life history and their experiances, though sadly my grandfather passed away literally a year or two later.

 

Quite alot of my relations on my fathers side have been diagnosed asperger and autistic. Recently one of my distant french relatives was diagnosed aspergers and it was interesting to find out about how support in Normandy works in primary education over there. Seems theres alot more money for direct support, which is interesting.

 

I think last time i counted theres about 9 people in my family with AS/ASD diagnosis which is quite shocking really. Definatly a strong genetic trait on my fathers side and to a lesser extent my mothers jewish ancestory.

[TuX]

am in twenties,did not know what to choose on the list for vote.

originally wrongly diagnosed as somewhere else on spectrum,ADHD and multiple learning difficulties[adhd and multiple LD diagnosis have not changed],am have kanners autism [mf],ADHD,multiple learning difficulties,dyspraxia-am speech therapist who is part of the social services learning disability team who am have seen for a long time,has written a book about am,level of autism,understanding etc and each difficulty and trait but he does not have authority to make labels a official thing.

am have been considering going to see a private autism specialist,to get the label updated,as it would help with getting better support and less ignorance from staff.

am live in a council run residential home for adults with complex needs and learning disabilities.

am have a cat called fluffybum who lives with am but he has to live outside the house because they don't allow him in,when they are out,am take him up to am bedroom and he lies down and purrs and gets stroked,am own support staff know about it and so do some other staff but they have not told am to stop,am took over parenting him as the old lady who used to do that moved homes,he has always lived in the hedge.

Edited August 18, 2007 by TuX