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Possible Aspergers

NAS71969

Hi all,

I have not been assessed to see if I have Aspergers or not but I believe I may have it based on discussions with my family about my behaviours, completing online Aspergers tests (I normally score around 40, whereas 28-31 indicates Aspergers) and by reading content online from others and noticing I do similar things that they have noted.

To quickly summarise

I Love:

  • Working and collecting data
  • Working alone
  • Memorising phone numbers, bank card numbers, car number plates and dates of birth.
  • Noticing patterns in things

I find difficult:

  • Social interactions
  • Working with people -Building friendships
  • To resume something after interruption
  • Change of routine
  • Making eye contact

I noticed I:

  • Find it difficult to know when it is my turn to speak on the phone
  • Fixate on the small details rather than the whole picture and will constantly work at something until it is complete.
  • Constantly talk around people I am comfortable with about what I want to talk about, not what they want to talk about.
  • Randomly say quotes from movies or lyrics form songs and repeatedly say these quotes or lyrics out loud to people.
  • Get anxious when forced to be around large groups of people.
  • Find it hard to let go of things(for example if I shouted at on the phone by a customer in work, this will annoy me and I will keep thinking about it for many days)

I am thinking that it would be best to get assessed as to whether I have Aspergers or not, even though I don't think it will make a great deal of change in my life, I would still like to have confirmation either way.

Would any of you that have been diagnosed recommend it is the best thing to do? I currently try to mask most of the above when possible, especially in work but at times it is extremely difficult to do.

  1. Would you also think any of the following below are possible Aspergers behaviours? Not looking for a diagnosis, just to see if anyone in the community would do similar things to the below.
  • I think of a word in my head and try to use "line combinations" to write the word in the fewest line combinations as possible. e.g. I will spell out the word "Ten" with nine lines/sticks
  • When walking between destinations I will pick a random number of seconds e.g. 600 and I will count in my head to see if I can reach home before this target. If I am quicker than the target I will lower the amount of seconds as a challenge.
  • When I am tracking a package I will check/refresh the tracking information at least 100 times per day to see if the package has moved. I will also do the same if I post on a forum. I will check the page around 100 times to see if someone has left a new comment.
  • In my job (Help desk IT Analyst) I feel panic each time I have to answer a call and feel extreme relief when I finish a call. I will also have problems knowing when it is my turn to speak and will often talk over people. I will also try to talk to customers via instant messaging if possible rather than call them back.

Thanks to anyone who takes time to read this and/or reply.

  • Hi ,

    Thank you for sharing this with the community. 

    You may like to look at our information about autism spectrum disorders:
    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism

     If you were interested in finding out if you are on the autism spectrum, you would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis

     Furthermore, it is important the professional you see has experience of autism spectrum disorders. You can find details of diagnostic services on our Autism Services Directory in the Assessment and diagnosis section: http://www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx

     If you have further questions, you may like to contact our Autism Helpline team. They can provide you with information and advice about getting a diagnosis. You can call them on 0808 800 4104 (Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm.Please note that the Helpline is experiencing a high volume of calls and it may take a couple of attempts before you get through to speak to an adviser.

    I hope this helps!

    ChloeMod

  • Getting diagnosed helped me, because my life started to make sense (it's no fun being confused, it doesn't make for a great personal narrative). But I'm one of those folk who doesn't think anything applies to me unless I've been directly instructed, tested etc.

    Might help with adjustments at work - my psychologists report sits with my managers so they're all aware, and it means I can relax a bit about asking for space when things are getting a bit hectic. For example: although I have to know everything it is actually beneficial for people to know to with-hold stuff so I don't go over-processing it. 

    Takes a while on the NHS (you could go private but it can be pricey) so be clear with yourself about the reasons for doing it. Mine was that I was previously diagnosed with anxiety/depression (overlaps with autism) - I present very well so there was no reason for my GP to suspect anything else. When strategies weren't working I (and my manager at the time) became suspicious something else was going on. Diagnosis helped tremendously because I'm using different strategies and understanding much more about how my thinking differs from other people which means I've a different approach to navigating the world around me. I feel a little bit more in control of myself because I understand myself more. 

    Not always easy - but now I've got past the idea I was mis-diagnosed (more a sense of pride and denial on my part than any judgement on the capability of my assessment team) my life is now separated into pre-diagnosis and post-diagnosis. Post is better. 

  • I do a lot of these things. The lyrics one makes me smile because if someone says certain words it can be like word association solely for me and I'll sing whatever song it makes me think of or say a famous quote. 

    I also count filling the kettle. I started doing it when I had issues with water pressure and now I can't stop doing it. 

    I have always struggled with the telephone, and to be honest at times in my life I've been brave to be comfortable on the telephone and done the most embarrassing things ever like sing on someone's answer machine because they said they liked my voice once. I picked the song about Carrickfergus because the guy was Irish. Honestly, at the time I thought he was horrible for stopping speaking to me but in hindsight I was behaving obsessively. Sadly this is not an isolated incident. 

    The more I write on this forum, the stranger I think I realise I am. 

    Oh and I too focus on the smallest detail and if I don't understand it then regardless of what I know about the task I cannot move past the uncertainty. It is extremely inconvenient and causes me a lot of anxiety.