I think I may have Asperger's

Parents Forum
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Because a person with true Aspergers would have issues that are much more extreme then a personality type. </p>

<p>It seems that with most the symptoms listed with the original post, your response was along the lines of, kind of, but maybe not. You make eye contact some of the time, but not as much as you think you should; you don’t get some kinds of jokes, but you are very quick to get others; you only can catch a ball 70% of the time, etc. I think with true Asperger’s, a person’s response would be more along the lines of “yes, finally an explanation for the things I have struggled with for years!” </p>

<p>Some of your responses weren’t really Aspergers like at all. For example, you wrote, “*I notice a lot of things about the person, but I usually have no empathy. I am almost heartless…” I have some adult friends with Aspergers, and I would never describe them that way. The Aspergers adults who I know can be oblivious – they don’t notice clues such as tone or body language – but they are very much concerned and almost fearful of doing anything to hurt the feelings of others. As their friend I get a little frustrated that they are always apologizing and saying things like, “I didn’t offend you, did I?” or “Is it ok if I said that?” Maybe that’s just the particular people I know - and maybe that’s their way of compensating as adults after having made a lot of mistakes as teens – so I wouldn’t say that my observation among a handful of friends is universal. But the point is that the Asperger’s trait you listed is that they “appear” to lack empathy, not that they in fact do lack empathy. I just think that they don’t read social clues in the same way, and they don’t know what to do or say when there is a situation requiring empathy – but I think on the inside they care very deeply. </p>

<p>Let me ask you this: what prompts you to want a diagnosis? Do you feel that you are really struggling with some things in your life? or were you just curious?</p>

<p>By the way, if you want a book that’s a good, fun read – try “The Psychopath Test” by Jon Ronson. It has nothing whatsoever to do with autism, but it is a fun romp through the world of psychiatry, the pitfalls of trying to come up with a valid checklist for purposes of diagnosis, all written by a guy who is the neurotic, ruminating type who ends up spending half his time figuring out how to slot everyone around him into the diagnosis, and the other half of the time agonizing over which of the traits on the test apply to himself.</p>

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<p>Re post #19… if we are talking about “scientifically based” diagnostic criteria, could you please point me to the science behind the current DSM IV definition of Asperger’s? Because I have read a whole lot of the research literature, and haven’t actually run across that yet, so maybe you can enlighten me. I keep reading all sorts of studies about genetics or brain scans, but haven’t yet found the scientific basis of figuring out which set of symptoms actually correspond to which diagnosis. A lot of case studies, of course… but not much in the way of quantitative data.</p>

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<p>[Discovering</a> Autism: Unraveling an epidemic - latimes.com](<a href=“http://www.latimes.com/news/local/autism/la-me-autism-day-one-html,0,1218038.htmlstory]Discovering”>Autism boom: an epidemic of disease or of discovery?)</p>

<p>"Dr. Nancy Niparko, a child neurologist in Beverly Hills, said that whether she identifies a child as autistic can come down to whether she believes it will do any good.</p>

<p>“If it’s going to improve the possibility of getting services that will be helpful, I will give the label,” she said.</p>

<p>“I don’t work for labels. Labels work for me.”</p>

<p>For Rima Regas, the search for the right label spanned several years and several states.</p>

<p>Her 13-year-old daughter, Leah, comes across as highly articulate and intelligent, slightly robotic in her interactions and very dependent on her mother, who home-schooled her from second grade until enrolling her in community college this year.</p>

<p>As her father changed jobs and the family moved, Leah accumulated diagnoses, including a speech delay, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, sensory issues and Asperger’s disorder.</p>

<p>Her mother, however, came to believe that Leah had full-fledged “autistic disorder,” the most severe diagnosis on the spectrum and a prerequisite for state developmental services.</p>

<p>“We wanted a diagnosis of autism,” Regas said. “We knew she needed help.”</p>

<p>She eventually found two psychologists who diagnosed autistic disorder. Experts at the Westside Regional Center in Culver City, however, challenged that conclusion. The case went before a state administrative law judge, who ruled that Leah had Asperger’s disorder, a form of autism too mild to qualify for state services.</p>

<p>Two years later, the regional center serving Orange County, where the family now lives, reviewed Leah’s records and concluded that she had autistic disorder after all.</p>

<p>Throughout her quest for help, Regas found allies online. “I’d learn from the other parents — how they got their kids diagnosed, who they saw,” she said."</p>

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<p>Clearly, if you have insight into your social deficits, a diagnosis will not add anything to your functioning. Work with your counseling center on social skills training.</p>

<p>In the mean time, you may appreciate reading about the lessons learned and written about in “Look Me in the Eyes” a story about growing up with Asperger’s by John Elder Robison (Augusten Burroughs - “Running with Scissors”, brother).</p>

<p>It is a very insightful easy read.</p>