My diagnosis

[mickal555]

I have never told anyone this, but since everyone live away and can't cause me grief...
See
I'm in a major deppresion about the whole thing now (never been this sad)

[Candy]

Asperger's Syndrome

I have never heard of this before.

Just a month ago, my boss said either I was very shy or just awkward in social situations. She didn't understand my behavior sometimes.

This is just one of many examples. Here's a sample.

I thought I was agoraphobia or something, because I would rather stay at home alone than socialize with others.

My grandmother recently told me, that I never approach others to converse. Unless, someone approaches me, I just amuse myself. Grandma said she noticed this many years ago.

My mother said, as a child, I never got dirty. I never cried. It was like I was a doll. I brought her a bag full of butterflies once. I don't remember this, but can you imagine how long catching butterflies would have taken?

Wow, I am really starting to wonder. I may just find a doctor and get a diagnosis.

Oh no...not another one!!!

It makes all those hours spent behind the curtains watching for the first snowflake seem suddenly worthwhile... 8-[ 8-[ 8-[

I think I'll join that forum Mikal...thanks for the link!!!

[kucharek]

If I look at the list of symptoms, I could checkmark many of them for me. But I guess, I'm just a guy who likes privacy and doesn't need a lot of people around him to be happy.

Don't let yourself feel downed with such diagnosis, Mickal. All people are different and some are a little bit more different than other people. But that's the thing that makes life & people interesting. Of course, it's more difficult when you're young and just develop your own personality. On one side, one want's to be unique, on the other side, one wants to easy mingle with the crowd. But I guess from your postings here that you're intelligent and already mature enough to make your way.

All the best,

Harald

[cyswxman]

Oh no, I looked at the list, and checked all 10!

My mother said, as a child, I never got dirty. I never cried. It was like I was a doll. I brought her a bag full of butterflies once. I don't remember this, but can you imagine how long catching butterflies would have taken?

My mother told me that I never cried, and when their friends came over, I was so quiet that they remarked that they didn't even know I existed.

[Joe The Dude]

Ah yes, the English Teacher Strikes Back.

I am amazed at how closely this mirrors my experience with ‘Public School’ English teachers.
Being on the Honor Roll mattered not to them.
Having passed an aptitude test that showed I had a College Reading Level in the 5’th grade blew their minds.
They were all determined to find something wrong with me. O_o
Over the years, they persisted in trying to label me with a wide variety of conflicting mental disorders.
I can’t tell you the amount of money that was wasted on private psychologists who, within 3 visits, said I absolutely did not have the ’New Syndrome of the Month’.

It grew exceedingly stranger as the years in public school went on.
All of my English teachers were bent on singling me out for reasons I have yet to understand.
Perhaps my green eyes had some kind of spellbinding effect on them… (joking)

Thanks (?) to friends and classmates, I learned early on to not always raise my hand at every question in about the 3’rd grade.
I never acted up in class, always had the answer when questioned, and I was almost always questioned.

I never ran for or wanted to participate in the student council, the debate team, school news paper, creative writing courses, band, football, basketball, or volunteered for any other school related extra curricular activities.
As I told them time and time again when pressed to do so was that I have no ill will towards those who like to participate in those activities, but the activities themselves don’t appeal to me.

STUDENT COUNCIL
The student council had no real power (I understood why and agreed with the reasoning).
I didn’t see the point in being part of it as I had no desire to be a politician.
Besides, the students involved in it at my school were exceedingly self-centered and had a blood-is-pure-caffeine, in-your-face attitude.

THE DEBATE TEAM
As for the debate team, I’ve always believed that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I neither want to impose my own beliefs on others or want them to force theirs on me. Yes, I know it has more nuances than that ideally, but from the 5 school debates I watched, it always boiled down to semantics. -_-
Just like the Student Council, the students involved in it at my school were exceedingly self-centered and had a blood-is-pure-caffeine, in-your-face attitude.

SCHOOL NEWS PAPER
Have you read one? Sorry, bad joke.
Seriously though, journalism just doesn’t appeal to me.
Just like the Student Council and the Debate Team, the students involved in it at my school were exceedingly self-centered and had a blood-is-pure-caffeine, in-your-face attitude.

CREATIVE WRITING
The many stories I read about teachers stealing concepts and ideas from student‘s creative writing papers curbed my joining the creative writing course, as did my negative experiences with my English Teachers.
And yet again, the students involved in it at my school were exceedingly self-centered and had a blood-is-pure-caffeine, in-your-face attitude.
I simply told them I had no interest in it.
Of course, it was a lie designed to keep from offending them.
Truth be told, I had no problems writing creatively, and I continue to do so in my free time.
I’ve even put some RPGs I made up on the web at www.stinkythecat.com .

BAND
The first time I took band, they stuck me with a trumpet.
It was exceedingly painful to play and It wasn’t until my lip split one day that they finally allowed me to stop playing it.
When I went to the doctor for the split lip, he said I didn’t have the right mouth shape to play that instrument!
This was in the 6’th grade.
My parents had him write that down and sat down with the principal to talk about it.
Apparently my incident was the final straw that lost the incompetent band teacher his job.
Since the school did not offer piano lessons, something I was indeed interested in, I was exempt from band for that year.

SPORTS
Hmm…
Showering with other students at school.
Nope, not going to do it.
Not every kid should be expected to have no issues with that.
Besides, I was on a baseball team sponsored by the local businesses.
The kids on the football and basketball teams, some of which were even friends from my baseball team, didn’t give me any flack about my feelings.
Even they didn’t understand the coach’s’ insistence that absolutely no one should have any problems showering together….

The story of my bouts with public school English Teacher gets even stranger.
One time I was absent from school for an extended period with the mumps.
About two weeks into it my mother was summoned to the school for a parent teacher conference with my 9’th grade English teacher.
Apparently, I had an evil twin attending class in my place using curse words and being extremely disruptive…

Before I had the mumps episode, the same teacher gave me an F on a report I had spent a week meticulously preparing.
My parents went with me to the principal to question my grade, and sure enough, after review by the other English teachers, not only did I get an A, I inadvertently qualified for submission in this contest they had going on where the winner would get extra credits and get to read it to the whole school.
Since I came in third I got the extra credits but didn’t have to read it at the assembly.

After the mumps episode, My folks took me down to the local community college for the GED test.
First try, I aced it, and thus ended the roller coaster ride of public school.

It seems to me that the English Teachers I had in public school were the ones with the mental disorders.
Whenever I, always with respect, declined to peruse things they suggested that was not part of the curriculum, they couldn’t cope with it.

From what I’ve read about these broad, inaccurate statements from teachers about your friends and the way they think you cope and deal with situations, I agree it’s totally bunk.
The way I understand it, your personal life is none of their business unless you volunteer to make it their business.

Your best bet may well be enrolling in a Private School, as your odds of dealing with a crackpot are greatly diminished.

If you are curious, I am 28 years old.

[Joe The Dude]

Oh no, I looked at the list, and checked all 10!
My mother told me that I never cried, and when their friends came over, I was so quiet that they remarked that they didn't even know I existed.

My folks have told me I was always well behaved as a child, and I only cried when a situation warranted it; ie: physical injury, or cranky from lack of sleep or hunger (as an infant).

When they had guests over, I didn't interfere, but that may be attributed to having fun in my room playing with my Legos and such.


Edit: Apparently, "Legos" is not a word in my spellchecker...

[Joe The Dude]

After re-reading my long post I'd like to add that if you or your parents are truly concerned about this syndrome, by all means, seek out a licensed professional for an evaluation.

[Tranquility]

When I was <3 years old I was extremely quiet and liked to play alone, ate very little, etc., my parents had a psychiatrist over who said I had depression because I didn't have anyone to play with, and that I needed a brother. So they had one. I still hate social events though, and prefer to be alone. I hate being in a crowd. For some reason I become extremely self-conscious. Which is why I prefer hobbies that don't require someone else, such as reading or browsing the net or playing games.

[The Supreme Canuck]

Joe The Dude:

That's almost exactly me. Except I didn't have those horrible teachers. Oh, and I cried a lot as a baby.

The only extra-curricular activity I'm currently involved in is the school yearbook, and only because I'm in charge.

School council? A joke. No power, full of bubbly, idealistic, "let's do something fun for the school," annoying people.

Don't have a debate team, don't have a school newspaper...

In fact, most extra-curricular activities at my school are sports-related. I'm convinced that the majority of the yearly budget goes to sports and gym. Whatever happened to schools teaching you things? I'm there to learn, not to run in circles for an hour. Needless to say, I'm not on any teams.

Thankfully, band isn't mandatory, either.

Speaking of music, people always seem to think I'm insane for disliking popular music. Hip-hop? Hard rock? Pop? Rap? No thanks! I can't stand it! Then when I tell them I generally only like classical music, it's like I have leprosy.

I swear, these people... it'd just be nice to exist in a place where the knee-jerk reaction isn't criticism or ridicule.

Ah well. I'll never have to go back come June.

[beskeptical]

Ask your parents to get you a second opinion. Ask them if they really think a single evaluation years ago was definitive. My guess is without a physical test like DNA evaluation or a particular blood test, any single opinion would have a very wide margin of error.

My neighbor's grandchild has the syndrome. She knows a lot about it. She tells me persons with it are very intelligent.

We all have different things in our genetics or other biological life influences to deal with. I come from a long genetic line of depressed persons on my dad's side. All of the relatives I know of on his side including him became alcoholics. But with this knowledge, I have more tools to deal with the disease. I know what I'm at risk for so I don't drink. I recognized my unusual depression symptoms and have been on successful drug treatment for years.

So knowing about any diagnosis, should it turn out to be true and it may not be, doesn't change who you are. It just gives you more insight with which to live your life happily and successfully.

[Candy]

From the first link.

We've probably all read the stories about famous people who possibly had Asperger's Syndrome, but were undiagnosed. The names mentioned range from Albert Einstein to Thomas Jefferson. These people lived or became adults before the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome or high functioning autism even existed, so no one can tell for sure if they had this condition or not, but they shared common characteristics with adults who have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome today.

I don't think this sounds like a bad thing to have. It's like an elite club. 8)

Here's another website.

They usually have a circumscribed area of interest which usually leaves no space for more age appropriate, common interests. Some examples are cars, trains, French Literature, door knobs, hinges, cappucino, meteorology, astronomy or history.

[Candy]

Oh no, I looked at the list, and checked all 10!

My mother said, as a child, I never got dirty. I never cried. It was like I was a doll. I brought her a bag full of butterflies once. I don't remember this, but can you imagine how long catching butterflies would have taken?

My mother told me that I never cried, and when their friends came over, I was so quiet that they remarked that they didn't even know I existed.

I was always told what nice manners I had "for speaking only when spoken to". :-?

[Gullible Jones]

I was diagnosed with that... More often referred to as "Asperger's Disorder", but as far as I'm concerned, it's the guys obsessed with categorizing these things who have the disorder. :roll:

(Yes, I've been through Medication Hell too... Some psychiatrists don't get "If it ain't broken, don't fix it".)

Edit: Mickal... It really is not a big deal. Technically, I would say "Asperger's Syndrome" is more a way of categorizing a relatively socially inept personality type than an actual disorder... Not sure about the organic causes of it, but it seems to me that trying to "fix" people who have it is a waste of time at best, and tyrannical at worst.

[cyswxman]

Here's another website.

They usually have a circumscribed area of interest which usually leaves no space for more age appropriate, common interests. Some examples are cars, trains, French Literature, door knobs, hinges, cappucino, meteorology, astronomy or history.

(emphasis mine) AHHHHH!!!

[Gullible Jones]

Hmm... Is it just me, or is it the case that "Asperger's Syndrome" = "geekiness"?

[Candy]

Here's another website.

They usually have a circumscribed area of interest which usually leaves no space for more age appropriate, common interests. Some examples are cars, trains, French Literature, door knobs, hinges, cappucino, meteorology, astronomy or history.

(emphasis mine) AHHHHH!!!

We may have to change the forum's name to Bad Asperger's Bulletin Board - the true BABB. :wink:

[Gullible Jones]

LOL!

My situation seems to be almost exactly like Joe the Dude's... Except that I like sports, I just don't like the idiots that populate Phys-Ed classes. :roll:

The biggest problem with "Asperger's syndrome" "mild autism", "geekiness", or whatever the heck you want to call it - at least in my experience - seems to be other peoples' reactions. Jerks, be they "normal" or "Aspergerish", will hate you the moment they see you. Throughout my time in school, I've been insulted, attacked (I mean "physically attacked", as in "strangled, punched, kicked, and thrown bodily over large distances with no provocation whatsoever), teased, and generally looked down upon. And I've seen this happen to other kids, dozens of them.

You know what? It's always the ones at the recieving end of things, the "geeks", the "nerds", the ones who other people think have "issues", who are my friends.

[Candy]

The biggest problem with "Asperger's syndrome" "mild autism", "geekiness", or whatever the heck you want to call it - at least in my experience - seems to be other peoples' reactions. Jerks, be they "normal" or "Aspergerish", will hate you the moment they see you. Throughout my time in school, I've been insulted, attacked (I mean "physically attacked", as in "strangled, punched, kicked, and thrown bodily over large distances with no provocation whatsoever), teased, and generally looked down upon. And I've seen this happen to other kids, dozens of them.

You know what? It's always the ones at the recieving end of things, the "geeks", the "nerds", the ones who other people think have "issues", who are my friends.

Wait until you get into the real world. I’ve often wondered why some people just take an instant dislike to me. I’ve never done anything to warrant such behavior (in my eyes). I am starting to wonder if it is because of my ‘lack’ of social skills. Apparently, in a ‘normal’ world, people like to communicate.

Well, I don’t initiate the conversation. For example, when people ask me how I am doing. I say, great. I don’t follow with another question, therefore, avoiding a conversation. I just don’t find exchanging pleasantries interesting. For this, I am often thought of as snobbish or cold.

Ask about my work, school, or hobbies, and then I can talk for hours. I guess it’s just a compatibility issue. I've gotten this far by being myself. I'm not going to change what makes me happy just to fit in to what I deem as a dysfunctional society.

[mickal555]

Here's another website.

They usually have a circumscribed area of interest which usually leaves no space for more age appropriate, common interests. Some examples are cars, trains, French Literature, door knobs, hinges, cappucino, meteorology, astronomy or history.

(emphasis mine) AHHHHH!!!

My comp died so I can't reply to every message but I don't know why astonomy and meterology are is the same catagree as being interested in doorknobs?

[Candy]

I don't understand the door knobs/henges, either.

Adults with Asperger's Syndrome often go undiagnosed

Asperger's affects each person uniquely, Attwood said. It is composed of an array of qualities, in varying degrees. At the workshop, Attwood mapped out the characteristics, problems, and recommend strategies.

A profile of abilities common to Asperger's includes:

• Codes of social conduct: "They are mind-myopic," Attwood said. "They can't know what other people are thinking or feeling. They are not badly brought up, or trying to upset you. They are just unaware of the social script. It is as if they were from another culture, and unaware of our norms."

• Empathy: "When we look at empathy, it's very complicated. In a relationship with a partner, that is crucial--knowing when you need emotional support," Attwood said. Those with Asperger's may have trouble understanding a partner's feelings, and vise versa.

• Friendship skills: "They may find it hard to meet peers on an equal level, be uninterested in friendship, or rely on their spouse for advice on office politics and teamwork," he said.

• Characterization of people: They "may see others in black and white, as either likable or not, or be poor judges of character and get taken advantage of. The spouse must take his or her care-taking role seriously," he said.

• Art of conversation: Neurotypical people look for patterns when communicating verbally to find the general meaning, he said, but "Asperger's people create their own pattern or, if they cannot, remember the whole message and may miss what is important."

Attwood noted that Asperger's may also be characterized by a strong desire for perfection, a special interest or talent, a fondness for routine, poor coordination, high cognitive skills, low organizational skills, and uneven processing of sensory input--being more or less sensitive than most.

:-k

[Gullible Jones]

My God... I hate it when "normal" people typify us as unfeeling, uncaring freaks!

Codes of social conduct: "They are mind-myopic," Attwood said. "They can't know what other people are thinking or feeling. They are not badly brought up, or trying to upset you. They are just unaware of the social script. It is as if they were from another culture, and unaware of our norms."

True, at least partially. Some more socially apt "Aspergerish" individuals seem to understand social phenomena, but dislike social games; others (I think I'm one of these) are more or less "socially disabled".

Empathy: "When we look at empathy, it's very complicated. In a relationship with a partner, that is crucial--knowing when you need emotional support," Attwood said. Those with Asperger's may have trouble understanding a partner's feelings, and vise versa.

This is unmittigated **.

Friendship skills: "They may find it hard to meet peers on an equal level, be uninterested in friendship, or rely on their spouse for advice on office politics and teamwork," he said.

Depends on the person. Most "Aspergerish" people I know find it pretty easy to make friends with others like them, people who share their interests, or just people who are kind to them in general. I would say that the biggest barrier to forming friendships is the sheer hostility of other individuals.

Characterization of people: They "may see others in black and white, as either likable or not, or be poor judges of character and get taken advantage of. The spouse must take his or her care-taking role seriously," he said.

More **. The only correct part of this - and only partially correct - involves being "taken advantage of", since people with Asperger's syndrome tend to be more or less socially inept.

Art of conversation: Neurotypical people look for patterns when communicating verbally to find the general meaning, he said, but "Asperger's people create their own pattern or, if they cannot, remember the whole message and may miss what is important."

Bull.

Some "Aspergerish" people run off at the mouth and ignore cues that tell them the other party is bored or uninterested, but so do plenty of "normal" people, so I'm not sure if that can be classified as a symptom.

Attwood noted that Asperger's may also be characterized by a strong desire for perfection

May be the case.

a special interest or talent

Almost always the case. May not always be a single interest.

a fondness for routine

This seems to be assumed for almost everyone who isn't categorized as "neurotypical", Asperger's Syndrome or not. Not sure if it applies to people with other "disorders" (e.g. ADD/ADHD), but I frankly have never seen it with "Aspergerish" sorts.

poor coordination

Absolute **.

high cognitive skills

Often true, but not universally true.

low organizational skills

Varies from person to person.

and uneven processing of sensory input--being more or less sensitive than most.

Never heard of it, never seen any evidence that it is the case.

[Brady Yoon]

I find social situations confusing.

Usually no, but sometimes, when I'm at a wild party with all this crazy stuff going on, I get really nervous. But when I'm with my family or people I know well and like, I can talk for hours on end.

I find it hard to make small talk.

Lol, definitely no. I am pretty much talking all the time. My parents always say I talk about useless stuff, and so do my friends.

I did not enjoy imaginative story-writing at school.

Somewhere in the middle. I enjoy it, but I'm not very good at it.

I am good at picking up details and facts.

Definitely. I can read something once and I usually remember most of it.

I find it hard to work out what other people are thinking and feeling.

I can usually tell what people are thinking and emotional stuff.

I can focus on certain things for very long periods.

No, I am a little hyperactive and can't sit down for more than an hour unless it's something fun.

People often say I was rude even when this was not intended.

Yeah, I have the feeling that people think I'm weird or rude sometimes.

I have unusually strong, narrow interests.

Some things yes, such as astronomy, science, and certain books, but other things no. I also enjoy playing sports, video games, and I am overall a social person.

I do certain things in an inflexible, repetitive way.

Definitely no. I hate routines. I didn't see the point of making your bed or cleaning your room (it's gonna get messy anyway). Now i do.

I have always had difficulty making friends.

Not making friends, but keeping them. They would always drift away from me after a while.

I guess I don't have Asperger's Syndrome, but I am shy in certain social situations.

[Brady Yoon]

Student council-I think it's really stupid. The council is just snobby and made up of popular people who don't care about the student body. Just trying to get some college credit. I think the student council is just a ploy to show that the students have some power in the school's decisions. That's ****.

Debate team-I think it's very useful. Opinions are very important and I think understanding other's opinions and evaluating yours are a way to learn more about the world, and how your beliefs may be biased. I am planning to join my school's team.

School newspaper-It's a good thing, but yes, they are also full of snobbish people with very little skill in writing.

Creative writing-Very important. Arts and science must progress together.

Band-I was in it in middle school, but now I am very annoyed at it. Youpay $500 a year and you waste all that time... It's fun, but a waste of resources and time.

Sports-I love sports.

[Gullible Jones]

As I mentioned before... "Asperger's syndrome" differs from person to person to enough of an extent that I do not think it can be seriously classified as a single organic disorder.

Edit: Whoops... Social ineptness kicking in here... I only read the second 1/3 of your post.

Yep, I doubt that any (sane) psychiatrist would classify you as having Asperger's syndrome.

(Creative writing? I daresay I'd like it... If it were creative. Generally, the "creative writing" assignments I've been given are something like "write this about this specific scenario using this specific thing I've taught you", i.e. not very creative. )

[um3k]

There's nothing wrong with having aspergers. I've got it.

[beskeptical]

There is an awful lot of describing here about this syndrome that has way too much room for interpretation. It has correlations to reading one's horoscope. You can read yourself in or out of the description. I thought it might be useful to post the actual psychiatric definition/description. It has a bit less room for subjective interpretation.

Diagnostic Criteria For 299.80 Asperger's Disorder

A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

1. marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction
2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
3. a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity

B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
3. stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
4. persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning

D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood

F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia

I think it is important to note the adjectives: marked, failure, lack of, preoccupation, inflexible, significant impairment, etc., etc.

I don't see many of those words in the descriptions in this thread. I also don't see those traits necessarily in Gullible, kucharek, Brady, nor Mickal, though clearly I have little to observe other than posts.

We all have personality traits that aren't perfect. I don't think that means we have a disorder. After reading the diagnostic criteria, I feel even stronger that whoever assessed Mickal was not able to make a definitive diagnosis. I would strongly advise you to share this post with your parents Mickal. They may have accepted some poorly skilled psychologist's conclusions and believed all this time you had a syndrome you may not have.

On the other hand, since we can't measure or test something physical, and don't know enough about this syndrome, there may be many very mild cases that have the causative factors but don't really meet the diagnostic criteria. In other words, a person could have it and not be seriously affected. In such a case, does it even matter?

[Gullible Jones]

BTW... Medline says that Asperger's disorder is synonimous with PDD. This is not the case, as anyone who knows someone with PDD would know.

A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

I've met supposedly "Aspergerish" kids who display none of the following. (Well, unless you count #4, because I have no freaking idea what that is. #-o )

1. marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction

Again, varies from person to person, and may or may not be so obvious. Also varies with the person you're socailizing with and the subject of a conversation!

2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level

We make friends with those who we want to. If someone acts in an offensive or openly hostile manner, or just displays a lack of interest in me, then I will probably not try to befriend them; the same is probably the case with "normal" individuals.

3. a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)

**, plain and simple. Not a single "Aspergerish" person I know of has displayed this "symptom" regularly.

4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity

Umm... "social or emotional reciprocity"? Sorry folks, but I don't think I'm fit to comment on something unless I know what the heck it means. ops: D'oh...

B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

Broad categorization for completely different things, ain't it? Having an interest in, say, the workings of automobiles is very different from prepetually wringing your hands... :roll:

1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus

i.e. "being very, very skilled or interested in one or more things". Plenty of "normal" people are like this. Oh sure, there is the occasional case where a person knows everything to know about deep-fat fryers or something, but doesn't everyone have a few quirks?

2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals

Never seen it.

3. stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)

Again, never seen it.

4. persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

Would be nice if that was a bit more specific... What objects? Objects the person is interested in? Random objects? Imagined objects?

C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning

People hate you on first sight, and who does everyone blame? Yep, that's right - you. How bloody typical.

D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

Generally the case, although I have known a few "Aspergerish" kids who didn't start talking at all until 3 or 4 years. I'm guessing that that is unrelated.

E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood

Generally the case, except for people who, for some reason or another, just aren't very good at taking care of themselves.

F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia

Somehow, I doubt that schizophrenia and Asperger's syndrome are mutually incompatible.

[beskeptical]

Gullible, I'm not sure who diagnosed you nor how certain you are of your diagnosis, so don't assume my comments here are meaningful in your case. But if you take a person with a psychiatric diagnosis and try to change the diagnostic criteria to fit the person, you really aren't correct. The criteria are established because at this point in psychiatric medicine, we don't have better ways of determining if a person really has an impairment. If the description doesn't fit you, maybe you have been incorrectly diagnosed.

BTW... Medline says that Asperger's disorder is synonymous with PDD. This is not the case, as anyone who knows someone with PDD would know.

Sometimes disorders overlap or a person can have more than one disorder. PDD is addressed in criteria F below.

Medline is a source for research citations. Are you sure you aren't talking about some other site?

A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

I've met supposedly "Aspergerish" kids who display none of the following. (Well, unless you count #4, because I have no freaking idea what that is. #-o )

An example of #4 would be a kid who doesn't smile when smiled at on a very consistent basis. If you have met kids who don't meet these criteria, you are not necessarily a trained observer, or perhaps you are not seeing enough of them to observe the behavior, or they do not have the syndrome.

1. marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction

Again, varies from person to person, and may or may not be so obvious. Also varies with the person you're socializing with and the subject of a conversation!

'Marked impairment' is a subjective assessment, however, it wouldn't have to be zero ability or occurrences. In addition, one only needs 2 of the 4 criteria. That allows for varying degrees of severity in the syndrome.

2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level.

We make friends with those who we want to. If someone acts in an offensive or openly hostile manner, or just displays a lack of interest in me, then I will probably not try to befriend them; the same is probably the case with "normal" individuals.

Again, you are trying to fit the diagnosis to the person, instead of the person to the diagnosis.

3. a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)

**, plain and simple. Not a single "Aspergerish" person I know of has displayed this "symptom" regularly.

So how do you know they are "Aspergerish"? The person must fit the criteria to be diagnosed with Asperger's. It isn't the criteria that are incorrect, Gullible. The criteria are the syndrome.

4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity

Umm... "social or emotional reciprocity"? Sorry folks, but I don't think I'm fit to comment on something unless I know what the heck it means. ops: D'oh...

see above

B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

Broad categorization for completely different things, ain't it? Having an interest in, say, the workings of automobiles is very different from perpetually wringing your hands... :roll:

Psychiatrists have PhDs, psychologists have **, MS or PhDs. Their education includes extensive work with these diagnostic criteria. Psychiatric definitions of these terms and observational skills are included. The diagnosing skills and objectivity vary considerably from practitioner to practitioner just as the skills of medical providers differ.

At the same time, there is a certain range which allows consistent diagnoses between practitioners. Some diagnoses are very clear such as schizophrenia. Others are less so.

The bottom line is a practitioner with a good reputation, or similar opinions from multiple practitioners is more likely to mean an accurate psychiatric diagnosis has been made. There are a lot of bad diagnoses made in milder psychiatric disorders.

1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus

i.e. "being very, very skilled or interested in one or more things". Plenty of "normal" people are like this. Oh sure, there is the occasional case where a person knows everything to know about deep-fat fryers or something, but doesn't everyone have a few quirks?

Abnormal can range from barely to obviously. When behavior must be judged, there is no magic indicator that says this crosses the line. In fact, we have a lot of people diagnosed with "borderline personality disorder". That should tell you the range of behaviors goes from not ill to ill on a continuum. Again, there is no magic marker that says you crossed the line if you are near the middle.

2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals

Never seen it.

see above comments

3. stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)

Again, never seen it.

see above comments

4. persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

Would be nice if that was a bit more specific... What objects? Objects the person is interested in? Random objects? Imagined objects?

Again, it is one's medical education that gives a person the skill to interpret this criteria and make the appropriate observations to detect it.

C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning

People hate you on first sight, and who does everyone blame? Yep, that's right - you. How bloody typical.

Perhaps you need a little self esteem boosting, Gullible. I like you.

D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

Generally the case, although I have known a few "Aspergerish" kids who didn't start talking at all until 3 or 4 years. I'm guessing that that is unrelated.

Words at age two and phrases at age 3 is well within normal limits. What they are saying here is delayed language is not part of the syndrome. It doesn't mean a person with the syndrome does or does not have language delay, only that language delay gives you no evidence of Asperger's one way or the other.

E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood.

Generally the case, except for people who, for some reason or another, just aren't very good at taking care of themselves.

see comment for D.

F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia

Somehow, I doubt that schizophrenia and Asperger's syndrome are mutually incompatible.

I believe what they mean here is these criteria are a subset of PDD and schizophrenia criteria. If you looked at the diagnostic criteria for the other disorders, these would be included.

For example, say a person has symptoms A & B. Symptoms A&B are present in disease X. The person has disease X.

But disease Y has symptoms A,B & C. If the person has symptoms A,B & C in this case, they would have disease Y. You would not use the presence of symptoms A & B to say they had both diseases. Having symptom C indicates Y is a more accurate diagnosis than X & Y together.

The criteria were developed based on most of the available data about these diseases and disorders at the time and are updated as needed. The purpose was to start putting mental illness in more objective light. Not all of these diseases present themselves in neat little packets. The diagnostic criteria are useful to determine the best course of treatment or for identifying disorders that may have the same underlying causes so research can begin to understand and treat what is going on. The criteria are not merely to 'label' a disorder.

*side note: calling mental disorders illnesses, diseases or other negative names is a problem because we make it that way, but it is incorrect. One does not have the same stigma concerning all diagnoses. A diagnosis of diabetes probably wouldn't have elicited the same reaction as Michal had in hearing he might have Asperger's. There should be no difference. What ever it is it doesn't make you a different person. So you have a malfunction in your brain or your pancreas, what's the difference? Maybe the brain malfunction makes you better in some ways and causes minor problems in other ways. Maybe the malfunction is completely compensable. Maybe it isn't. It really doesn't change you, the person. You have the same value as anyone else, diseased or perfect. Besides, very few of us are perfect.

[mickal555]

Hmm... Is it just me, or is it the case that "Asperger's Syndrome" = "geekiness"?

I dunno I'm not really a geeky person and I enjoy sport....
BTW
I used to grt bullied but no were near as much as GJ

Empathy: "When we look at empathy, it's very complicated. In a relationship with a partner, that is crucial--knowing when you need emotional support," Attwood said. Those with Asperger's may have trouble understanding a partner's feelings, and vise versa.

I know I don't have trouble with empathy I've taken IQ test for IQ I get 120 and for EQ tests I get 130 bigest strength being empathy and knowing what other people are thinking or feeling.

Codes of social conduct: "They are mind-myopic," Attwood said. "They can't know what other people are thinking or feeling. They are not badly brought up, or trying to upset you. They are just unaware of the social script. It is as if they were from another culture, and unaware of our norms."

I don't like this attwood guy he way the one who got me so upset after watching his lecture on vidio (metioned in my previouse post) going on about how we don't wear deodreint. He has AS ya'know.

and uneven processing of sensory input--being more or less sensitive than most.

yeah I've heard of this I don't dislpay it, though, but many parents and adults with AS report that they start to stim(flapping of hands rocking etc..) when they go out and they have sencery overloads.

Edit: Whoops... Social ineptness kicking in here... I only read the second 1/3 of your post.

Yep, I doubt that any (sane) psychiatrist would classify you as having Asperger's syndrome.

I dunno, I mean I can get upset somtimes (not at school) but the main thing is that they assesed me at the worst year of my life.. I mean it was a blur (i'd cry all the time) I kept doing this until I said STOP no more support if I have support I don't look after myself I colapse into a dependent dead mess.