Zipner Report post Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) I signed in using Facebook which promptly put my full name everywhere, not good. Edited January 6, 2012 by Kathryn Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tally Report post Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) Hi, and welcome. I am an adult with Asperger's. I was diagnosed about 6 years ago now. It can be difficult to get assessed for Asperger's, so you and your wife need to be sure this is what she wants before you can push for it. Depending how long you've been thinking and learning about Asperger's, seeking assessment may be a little way off yet. There is actually very little in the way of treatment or support available to adults with Asperger's. Asperger's itself cannot be treated or cured, but people with Asperger's can learn new skills. This really relies on the person recognising what their difficulties are, and learning about techniques that can help people with Asperger's from books or others with Asperger's. If there are also mental health issues then the professionals are sometimes able to offer more appropriate treatments if they understand that someone has Asperger's, but not always. I have a book called Asperger Syndrome and Long Term Relationships by Ashley Stanford, which I would recommend for both you and your wife to read. Aside from the obvious, it talks a lot about how Asperger's can present in adults, especially those with undiagnosed and unrecognised Asperger's, who have developed coping strategies, some more helpful than others. It's a book that could help you and your wife understand your differences and find ways to communicate better with each other. I would recommend you both learn as much about Asperger's as possible for now. Remember that no one with Asperger's has every symptom and trait, so just disregard anything that doesn't seem to be relevant to your situation. Even if it turns out your wife does not have Asperger's after all, anything that helps her learn better ways to cope with her difficulties can only be a good thing. Remember that people with Asperger's have difficulty understanding how they come across to others. Your wife's perception of what her difficulties are may be very different to the ones you see. I'm sure you will explain things gently, but remember that a lot of what you see may come as a shock to her. Does your wife also suspect she may have Asperger's? Does she have much understanding of what kinds of difficulties she has? Do you know of any groups locally where your wife could meet people with Asperger's? Edited January 6, 2012 by Tally Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted January 6, 2012 Hi Zipner1 and welcome! Just to let you know: the edit notification at the end of your post still showed your original name just now - so I used the edit facility on your post to replace your name with mine. I didn't change anything else in your post! K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Special_talent123 Report post Posted January 6, 2012 the dsm 5 will be changing for diagnosing people and it will phase out the words aspergers, pdd-nos it be changed to 'autism spectrum disorders' http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=94 http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autism/all-about-diagnosis/proposed-changes-to-autism-and-as-diagnostic-criteria.aspx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RainbowsButterflies Report post Posted January 8, 2012 I can't read your original post, but just wanted to say welcome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris P Report post Posted January 8, 2012 Me too - and I've pm'd you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zipner Report post Posted January 10, 2012 Thanks everyone for your replies. Sorry for the rather tardy reply! Chris P particular thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites