Robin Winter
Lover of Cheesequakes
Hi I'm Robin...I'm not good at these intro posts...
I've had suspicions for a long time that I'm on the spectrum. I took all the well known tests and scored extremely high on them (Aspie Quiz, AQ etc.). I was looking into the possibility of a professional diagnosis, but there are only 2 psychologists in my area that diagnose adults and the cost is in the thousands, which I can't begin to afford and my insurance won't cover, so I started seriously researching on my own.
I will not say I'm 100% positive, because who really can be when even the professionals get it wrong so often, but I'm relatively certain that I am autistic, Aspie (I know the DSM-V did away with that term as a separate diagnosis, but I found it a comfortable fit). I was as thorough and careful as I could be, comparing with other diagnostic lists with overlapping criteria, reading as many papers and articles as I could find on adult symptoms/behaviors and how they change and how we adapt, blogs, and the little I could find on co-occuring Aspergers/BPD (I have an official BPD diagnosis), and it really does seem to be the fit.
I believe I was not diagnosed as a child because a) I grew up in an abusive home, fear and upset were the norm, and what was noticed was brushed off as that I was shy and inattentive (all of my report cards stated that I was always day dreaming or not paying attention, and b) I was not permitted to pursue personal relationships. We were a strict "religious" household and I was not permitted to interact with anyone outside of the religion save at school, and was not permitted to participate in extracurricular activities, so any deficits in social interaction went completely unnoticed by my parents.
I guess I don't know what else to say, I'm not great at talking about myself.
I've had suspicions for a long time that I'm on the spectrum. I took all the well known tests and scored extremely high on them (Aspie Quiz, AQ etc.). I was looking into the possibility of a professional diagnosis, but there are only 2 psychologists in my area that diagnose adults and the cost is in the thousands, which I can't begin to afford and my insurance won't cover, so I started seriously researching on my own.
I will not say I'm 100% positive, because who really can be when even the professionals get it wrong so often, but I'm relatively certain that I am autistic, Aspie (I know the DSM-V did away with that term as a separate diagnosis, but I found it a comfortable fit). I was as thorough and careful as I could be, comparing with other diagnostic lists with overlapping criteria, reading as many papers and articles as I could find on adult symptoms/behaviors and how they change and how we adapt, blogs, and the little I could find on co-occuring Aspergers/BPD (I have an official BPD diagnosis), and it really does seem to be the fit.
I believe I was not diagnosed as a child because a) I grew up in an abusive home, fear and upset were the norm, and what was noticed was brushed off as that I was shy and inattentive (all of my report cards stated that I was always day dreaming or not paying attention, and b) I was not permitted to pursue personal relationships. We were a strict "religious" household and I was not permitted to interact with anyone outside of the religion save at school, and was not permitted to participate in extracurricular activities, so any deficits in social interaction went completely unnoticed by my parents.
I guess I don't know what else to say, I'm not great at talking about myself.
