Hello!

[Ironhide]

Well hello there! Just thought i would post a few notes as i have been reading these forums for a little while now after some interesting thoughts ive been having.

 

I come from a family of 3. My dad is an accountant, and my mum has always been a solitary soul, but much into "weirdy" stuff like herbs and birds, witchcraft and stuff like that. I have 2 older sisters, 1 a year older than me, the other much older and with hubby and a child.

I am 29 and have had alot of problems growing up, as has my sister (year older). Recently i was having a discussion with my older married sister regarding my younger sister (i know it sounds confusing now but bear with me).

My married sister seems to think my younger sister has some autistic traits. So i looked it up on the web - and shes not autistic.

BUT!

She does seem to fit the catagory for Aspergers to a T! She is at the moment under a Pyschologist anyway for depression but after mentioning it she seems to be getting better help.

 

My problem is this.

 

I myself appear to check alot of the boxes for Asperger like behaviour - and after doing both the aspie tests i could find (including the Wired one) i scored very highly - theres one that compares neurotypical behavior V autistic behaviour and my partner scores highly on neuro and me on autistic.

 

Ive been through life with alot of problems here and there but nothing ever gets me down - well, i had a bought of serious depression a while back resulting in me leaving my ex wife and son and i am now in a new relationship - and i feel guilty to say i dont think about my son much.

 

I enjoy lots of different interests, but i have waaay too much stuff on each interest. Actually, i say lots of interests its more like 4 but theres lots of variety in them.

 

I consider myself smarter than most people i know, but not in the areas that most people think - i can safely say that i dont really follow modern fashions and trends, and when people talk about things they are interested in i tend to "zone out" and get bored really easily. Infact unless somone talks about something im interested in i zone out really easily.

 

I could go on with a list but im told im boring and monotonous enough as it is and as this is a first post i dont want anyone falling asleep on a first impression so heres my questions:

 

1) i went to my GP and asked to be referred to a specialist to see if i can be diagnosed or something. She said we all have autistic traits and that its normal to think the way i do. She also said that as i recognised things my sister does as rude that i probably dont have AS - as i wouldnt think the things she does are rude. Well actually i dont think they are rude at all i see them as perfectly logical given the circumstances but i have learnt over the years that some people dont like you doing certain behaviour so i dont do it.

Does this sound familiar?

 

2) My GP said that i probably learned this behaviour from my parents/sister. I find it unlikely - my sister who we think has AS is a year older than i am. She struggled in school and was kept back a year so that me and her where doing work similiar to each other so we could help each other.

Can i learn to be AS ?

 

3) If i do get referred to a specialist, and i DO have AS, i am concerned that they will not find anything out of the norm - ive also read alot of peoples stories on here about how they have struggled to get GPS to understand theyre childrens conditions - if thats the case, how does a young chap go about finding out! Specially in a little Suffolk backwater town of the UK :/

 

THank you for taking the time to read this, and for any help!

 

[something_different]

hiya and welcome

[Kathryn]

Hi Ironhide

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

It sounds as though your GP doesn't know all that much about AS. Whether you have it or not is a different matter, but I would think it's worth going back and pursuing a referral if that's what you want. Do you feel a diagnosis will help you? If you've been able to discuss it with your older sister, what does she think? If she's supportive would it help if she went along with you to another appointment with the GP, to give her perspective and to back you up? Just an idea.

 

There are several adults on this forum who have gone or are going through the process and can advise, so stick around, and also read through some of the relevant topics in Beyond Adolescence. It appears there are many different routes to diagnosis, depending on where you are, and I don't think anyone has found it easy.

 

The NAS might be able to help advise you of local support and how to go about getting a referral in your area. Here's a link to their page on adult diagnosis - apologies if you've already seen it.

 

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1045&a=3341

 

K x

[Tally]

Hi Ironhide, and welcome to the forum.

 

AS can present in many different ways, and it sounds as if you have more social awareness than your sister, and can identify where she is going wrong. You have developed social skills through logic, rather than innately like non-autistic people tend to. Autistic/AS people CAN learn social skills this way and learn new skills throughout their entire lives.

 

Sometimes young children pick up autistic behaviours like flapping and spinning from their autistic siblings. But these are not the types of behaviour you have. The symptoms you describe include the ways you think in social situations. You cannot develop AS because of things which happen to you - it is a lifelong condition, but there are some psychological problems which can look a lot like AS. This is why you can't be sure without a thorough assessment with an experienced professional.

 

It can be very difficult to get assessed for AS on the NHS. I am an adult with AS and I had no option to go private. It has been very difficult to get a diagnosis, and it has not led to any formal support. I have found that I have picked up hints and tips from researching AS and speaking to other autistic adults. You do not need a formal diagnosis to do this. It's possible you don't even meet the diagnostic criteria, but if you have some autistic traits then strategies intended for autistic people could be helpful.

[pearl]

Welcome Ironhide