Aspergers or not?

[SirensPoison]

Sorry for posting alot, i feel like im burdening you all..

My grandma watched a program about a gentleman suffering from aspergers and saying all his problems etc, and she said it's alot like what i'm suffering with/ act, whatever you like to call it. I've looked at the symptoms on the internet but i do not understand some of them. I'm getting a doctors appointment but they are hard to come by. Just wondered if people could dumb it down for me or give opinions or something? Thanks

[Hidden]

Hello

I watched the program to

I think it can be a thin line between how anxiety makes us behave and see things etc which sometimes mirror's traits of people with Autism

However they pick it up in children nowadays so much more than they used to which is good as they hopefully can start giving them the support they need where as years ago this was not the case

If you feel you could be in the spectrum of maybe having Autism even though you are an adult you can still be tested for it

Normally you would have to be referred by your Doctor and then go on a waiting list to be seen which if you are in the UK can be up to 2 years in which you may have to wait but even though I am not sure once you reach adulthood how much support you could get if you were diagnosed it would maybe help you to understand yourself a little bit more

You could watch the program if you have BBC i player it is on there to download or you could read up about Autism and see how much you personally relate and if you do then ask your Doctor if you can go on the list to be assessed , jot down all the reasons why you feel you could be in the spectrum as they will ask for these and it is important you can tell them so they hopefully would agree to a referral

Good Luck and if you do follow this up let us know how you get on

Take Care x

[MAS_Nurse]

Hello Sirenspoison, the BBC programme you refer to was by and about Chris Packham a naturalist, who was only diagnosed with Asperger's as an adult when he was 40years old. As lulu-1 has said it will be downloadable from BBC iplayer, and yes you can be diagnosed as an adult. I think if you listen to him, you will find the benefits of diagnosis, that it helped make sense of why he had felt and thought differently to others all his life. Yes this is picked up more quickly nowadays as children, but better late than never. If you live in the UK here is a link to the National Autistic Society site, with a lot of useful information about the autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), diagnosis for adults and children: autism.org.uk/about/what-is... You will need to get a referral from your GP, but there is help out there. Hope this helps.

Keep in touch.

Best wishes.

[RoboMark]

There is a ton of information about Asperger's out there, but if you are unsure about the condition then the short explanation is that people with Asperger's have problems reading social signals and cues from others, which makes social interaction difficult. People with Asperger's often find it difficult to maintain eye contact, an essential part of social communication. I have always felt as if there is a wall between me and the rest of society, and if there are only 2 other people in a room with me I can guarantee that after a few minutes they will always end up talking to each other with me standing there like an idiot. Does any of this sound familiar? If you find it difficult to fit in socially then you may well have Asperger's.

Asperger's in itself is not a crippling condition, and many people with it go on to lead successful lives, not least because Asperger's is associated with average higher intelligence than in the 'neuro-typical' population. However, it can also lead to social phobias, anxiety problems, compulsive behaviours, low self-esteem and very poor decision making because we tend to get fixated on things. This is why a diagnosis at a reasonably early age is so important, because by understanding why some things are difficult you can develop proper coping strategies and not just fall into the trap of thinking the world is against you or that you are a failure. Which is what I did.

There is also a statistically higher incidence of heart problems in people with Asperger's (again, something which I can attest to) so that's another good reason to get a diagnosis.

My advice to anyone who thinks they may have Asperger's: if you do have the condition, look for things that you can do in life and concentrate on your strengths. Be yourself. People with Asperger's are focused and can work on a task with great dedication far beyond the point where a 'normal' person would get bored rigid and go down the pub. I would also strongly recommend that you get a good education, because social skills play a large part in getting a job and if you lack those then decent credentials are essential.

I hope this is helpful.

[Sarah1111111 Ambassador]

autism.org.uk/about/diagnos... this website gives you info about benefits/ process of diagnosis as an adult

docs.autismresearchcentre.c... - this is a link to a screening questionnaire might be useful to complete and take with you to your gp so they can include it in the referral for assessment