Suspect Aspergers Syndrome

[davidmcg1975]

Hi all..

 

My name is David..30 years old from London.

 

I have suspected for some years now that I may have an autistic disorder...but was unsure. I've been reading a lot lately about aspergers and I planned to go for a diagnosis. The symptoms I have are as follows...

 

1 -- Rapid body movements, especially fingers. Unsure whether this is by habit or something else. Wondered for sometime now

2 -- feel uncomfortable engaging in or starting conversation in a social environment (pubs etc) with a group of people.

3 -- Unable to maintain appropriate eye contact. Constantly staring, unblinkingly into people's eyes. Believe this makes them feel uncomfortable. Eventually have to look away. Problematic at job interviews

4 -- Unable to carry out linguistic thinking. Tendency to think visually. Have problems with organising thoughts when I try. End up getting very muddled and unable to think clearly.

5 -- Extreme emotions. Anger, frustration and anxiety. Can often be overwhelming.

6 -- Take things said to me literally which can make me seem naive or stupid

7 -- Some people...especially work colleagues regard me as somewhat odd or stupid...is a problem, especially when combined with point 5.

8 -- Very clumsy. Although this may have nothing in connection.

 

From your own experience, does this sound like aspergers or some other autistic related disorder.

 

thank you.

david

[laine]

Hi David i am not expert on AS, the best thing you could do really is ask for a referral form youre GP to see an expert in this field. I am sorry i cant help you much more. I wish you luck. And welcome to this wonderful Forum

 

Laine

[Suze]

Hi David welcome to krism, these do sound like ASD traits, I,d do some reading of the threads and posts on here see if anything seems relevant.The best start to a dx is your Gp and a referral to Camhs.

[Elanor]

Hi David, and welcome

 

Your descriptions sound like aspergers - but as you probably already know from your reading, the autistic spectrum is very wide. You could have asperger's syndrome, or you could just as easily be describing autistic traits - ie behaviours which are very similar to AS, but which taken as a whole would not be diagnosable.

 

How seriously are you affected by these behaviours that you describe? Do you feel that your well-being, mental health, emotional life, job life have been badly affected? If so, then I would really urge you to go to your GP - and indeed, if you just need to know, then you should ask your gp for a referral, probably to a psychiatrist. However, I recommend you find out some local information to see who the local specialists in autistic spectrum disorders in adults are, because there's no point going unless you see someone who is an expert in Aspergers.

 

The NAS might be able to help you.

 

Whatever you decide to do, take care.

 

Elanor

Edited December 10, 2005 by Elanor

[ceecee]

Hi David

 

Welcome to the forum.The things you have mentioned do sound like A.S. traits but your best bet if you feel you need a diagnosis depending on how much you are affected would be to go to your G.P and take it from there.Over intense eye contact or struggling to maintain eye contact can be a symptom of aspergers and i believe many people with Aspergers like you said are clumsey.But your best bet would be to read the posts here on this website which is brilliant.Take your time.There are lots of adults on this forum who either suspect or have been diagnosed with A.S.THeres a wealth of knowledge and support on here.

[Tally]

Hi David,

 

Those things could all indicate Asperger's, but could also indicate other things.

 

Regarding the eye contact, I have the opposite problem - find eye contact really hard to do. I find that watching people's mouths helps. Maybe this could help you as well.

 

The National Autistic Society may be able to offer you some advice. Here is a link to details about their telephone helpline, but the rest of the website could also be helpful to you: http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=617

 

If you want to seek a diagnosis, it would be useful to find a list of the symptoms of autism/AS and tick off the ones that you experience. It can be difficult to get a diagnosis as an adult, but it could be helpful if you are struggling with things.

[phasmid]

Welcome to the forum. You have had some excellent answers and I can't really think of anything else to add to it other than we are all here when (if) you want to talk some more. You're obviously concerned about this and how it is affecting your life. For your own piece of mind talk to someone about getting a diagnosis.

[davidmcg1975]

Hi.

 

Thank you for all your help and advice. Some really good answers there.

 

It can pose a problem in my relationship. The emotions I feel almost daily can be very overwhelming and sometimes I feel like running off. I plan to make an appointment with my doctor as soon as possible as I think it would be better to know.

 

I remember when I was 10...my school sent me to a specialist for an eeg...didn't realise at the time what it was about, but it was cause the school thought I was autistic. I can';t remember the result of it.

[ceecee]

David

 

Don't run off anywhere.Go and see your G.P if you feel thats the way forward.You have come to the right place here.You will find the people on this forum friendly, knowledgable and above all supportive.Don't give up on life.Stay strong.