Looking at life with new glasses.

[holytroll71]

Yes, I am new here. Yes, I am new to the ASD world, as a member anyway. My 19 y/o daughter was just diagnosed with ASD. I read that ASD has been linked to genetics. It has been suggested before that I maybe autistic too. That would certainly explain a lot of my social and mental health issues over the past 50+ years. But I have not taken steps to get diagnosed. It is not the cost because that isn't a factor. It is more of the fear of not having it when it certainly appears like i do. Also, how do I approach this with my provider? This is where the real issue comes into play. I was a smart kid. I went on the be in honors and college prep classes. I graduated highschool with honors. I was a successful Marine. I married and have 3 grown kids. I have a successful job. How can I be autistic?

I know that there is more to autism than the stereo types. I am struggling with why I didn't see it in my child and why, after years of mental illness, has mental health professionals NOT seen the signs of autism in me? That seems so unlikely that i doubt I am on the spectrum. Though, like a few other threads I have read here, not knowing will likely be the thirn in my side. So, as my favorite Doctor always said, allonzy!

 

[VictorR]

Welcome!

I was anxious going into my assessment and waiting for the results since after having read a lot and waiting several years, I was fairly certain that I was on the spectrum, but at the same time I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I was an imposter, and what if I just had a set of traits that just happened in combination to mimic being on the spectrum?

Getting the diagnosis ended up being a relief, and giving me the confidence to reach out to and join communities like this one, and I'm very glad for that.

For many adults, having a child get a diagnosis is often the starting point for their own journey, and so you're very far from alone in that regard. Keep in mind that even now, many medical and psychological professionals are not very familiar with it, especially if they completed their education more than 10-15 years ago.

 

[Crossbreed]

Hello & welcome.
Is a "holy troll" like a "holy-roller...?"

Also, how do I approach this with my provider?

If you are in the USA, see...
https://autlanders.blogspot.com/2019/07/finding-support-resources-in-usa.html

I was a smart kid. I went on the be in honors and college prep classes. I graduated highschool with honors.

ASD1 is more common in gifteds than it is in non-gifteds. Even if not gifted, we are very focused.

...and why, after years of mental illness, has mental health professionals NOT seen the signs of autism in me?

ASD1 is not a mental illness. It is a neurological difference like being left-handed is a neurological difference.* (There are still a lot of incompetent psychologists who do not recognize ASD1.)
https://autlanders.blogspot.com/2019/07/autism-subtypes.html*Intellectual giftedness is a neurological difference, too.

 

[Nitro]

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Welcome @holytroll71,

Genetics information based upon the Autism Genome Project:

On the topic of male vs female autism, and why you or anyone else might not have recognized your autism: Gender differences in autism - YouTube

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

*Intellectual giftedness is a neurological difference, too.

Welcome. I was not diagnosed until age 60 when life changes brought PTSD from old relational trauma to the forefront. One can be successful, as I was, using my talents for making correlations and using applied statistics that my autism allowed me to pursue with intense focus. I still am socially awkward but my understanding has allowed me to substantially overcome triggers.

 

[Richelle-H]

You can do all the things you have done and accomplished and still have Autism. I too did very well in school up until I had had enough and left college to pursue other forms of education (i.e. life). I had a successful career and now retired, married for the better part of four decades, no children by mutual agreement.

How were you as a child, for that is when it usually becomes apparent. Were you ever called strange, weird or unusual growing up. If you do not remember and one or both of your parents are still alive and can recall, they might have information that would help in your diagnosis.

It was suggested by someone in my early forties that I might have Asperger's. I made an appointment with my HMO, brought it up with my doctor, was referred to the mental health department, and soon had my diagnosis. I was not looking for any answers or explanations by then, for I never gave a thought about how I was different from everyone around me, I rather reveled in being different as I liked the idea of being someone from outer space or a different dimension.

In short, there is absolutely no reason you cannot have a successful life with ASD1. The social friction both inside and outside a marriage can weigh on one heavily at times, but everyone deals with some of that. Those of us on the spectrum amplify that out of proportion at times. It is what it is and can be improved but never cured. I can still have an occasional meltdown where I will go dead silent for long periods of time and stew in my own mental turmoil for long periods of time. Not as much now as back in my prime, but it still happens.

Knowing yourself is always a source of power that you can draw upon when needed. You should never be afraid or reluctant to find out more about yourself, so make an appointment with your primary care physician and bring it up and flat out ask for a referral. Your daughters diagnosis may offer an easier path to your own. Why let worry about not getting the confirmation you seek, keep you from actually finding out and a single opinion should not stop you from seeking another. When I got my original diagnosis, I was seeking a refill on my anxiety medication and the mental health worker I had the appointment with (a woman by the way) had the nerve to ignore the clinical record and tell me to my face that I was not autistic. As others have pointed out, proper training does not exist across the board in the mental health profession.

Good luck and welcome to the forums.

 

[Shamar]

Yes, I am new here. Yes, I am new to the ASD world, as a member anyway. My 19 y/o daughter was just diagnosed with ASD. I read that ASD has been linked to genetics. It has been suggested before that I maybe autistic too. That would certainly explain a lot of my social and mental health issues over the past 50+ years. But I have not taken steps to get diagnosed. It is not the cost because that isn't a factor. It is more of the fear of not having it when it certainly appears like i do. Also, how do I approach this with my provider? This is where the real issue comes into play. I was a smart kid. I went on the be in honors and college prep classes. I graduated highschool with honors. I was a successful Marine. I married and have 3 grown kids. I have a successful job. How can I be autistic?

I know that there is more to autism than the stereo types. I am struggling with why I didn't see it in my child and why, after years of mental illness, has mental health professionals NOT seen the signs of autism in me? That seems so unlikely that i doubt I am on the spectrum. Though, like a few other threads I have read here, not knowing will likely be the thirn in my side. So, as my favorite Doctor always said, allonzy!

Being diagnosed with autism (or not) won't change who you are. It will, however, give you insight into who you are, and probably give you lots of answers about things you questioned in the past. I would suggest taking The Aspie Quiz and RAADS tests. The results will let you know if seeking an evaluation is worthwhile.

Autism is not yes-no, have it or don't have it. There is a gradual gradation from perfectly normal to severe. This is on of the reasons it is called a spectrum. And there are different balances within it. For example, I have a high intellectual/cognitive capability, yet am severely handicapped socially. Others have good social abilities, but have other problems, such as cognition. I was diagnosed at age 60, after a lifetime of knowing iI was different, but not how, and unable to get answers from "professionals."

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Thier is no line just two overlapping distributions. The trick is finding which distribution do you belong in Gender is the same no definitive line as humans we like lines, nature does not care.

 

[Thinx]

Hi and welcome. I think for plenty here, the career or work is not so much of a problem as the interpersonal interactions and social relating. One way of helping you self diagnose is, if you have felt puzzled by that social side of things, as to why/how it seems not to work out for you, despite your best efforts. What's different about me? What am I missing that others seem to see and do so effortlessly? I call it the Bermuda triangle effect. It's hard to be aware of an absence of something. But we have strengths too.

But generally it is not acknowledged that people may be socially different, other than that they should just work on their social skills. However my experience has been, no amount of personal development and knowledge in that area changed my lack of ability to interact in unstructured social situations comfortably. I am best when I am with someone else, like a blind person may have a guide dog. Within the structure of a work environment I can be fine though. Odd. But accepted and functional.

 

[Judge]

I stumbled onto my own autism almost by accident in seeing a tv program that focused on a man with "Asperger's Syndrome". A neurological condition that I had never even heard of before. And at the age of 55 I was able to get past my own sense of denial and realize who and what I am.

Welcome to Autism Forums....

 

[holytroll71]

ASD1 is not a mental illness. It is a neurological difference like being left-handed is a neurological difference.* (There are still a lot of incompetent psychologists who do not recognize ASD1.)































































































































































































































































https://autlanders.blogspot.com/2019/07/autism-subtypes.html






























































































































































































































































*Intellectual giftedness is a neurological difference, too.































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Hello & welcome.































































Is a "holy troll" like a "holy-roller...?"































































































































If you are in the USA, see...































































https://autlanders.blogspot.com/2019/07/finding-support-resources-in-usa.html






























































































































ASD1 is more common in gifteds than it is in non-gifteds. Even if not gifted, we are very focused.































































































































ASD1 is not a mental illness. It is a neurological difference like being left-handed is a neurolog difference.* (There are still a lot of incompetent psychologists who do not recognize ASD1.)































































https://aLol, holytroll is a nickna...






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[holytroll71]

Hello & welcome.

Is a "holy troll" like a "holy-roller...?"



If you are in the USA, see...

https://autlanders.blogspot.com/2019/07/finding-support-resources-in-usa.html


ASD1 is more common in gifteds than it is in non-gifteds. Even if not gifted, we are very focused.



ASD1 is not a mental illness. It is a neurological difference like being left-handed is a neurological difference.* (There are still a lot of incompetent psychologists who do not recognize ASD1.)

https://autlanders.blogspot.com/2019/07/autism-subtypes.html
*Intellectual giftedness is a neurological difference, too.


Holytroll was a nickname of sorts. When I was in the Marine Corps, fellow Marines took to likening me to a troll. They also teased about my Christian faith, hence holytroll. I claimed it later as a way of accepting myself and not letting their teasing affect me. Ironically, the nickname probably was referring to my awkward weirdness I had socially.

 

[Crossbreed]

ASD1 is a "disorder" in its exceptionality, but it is not a defect. The intellectually gifted who do not have autism exhibit many similar traits (but without the social impairment).

Any severe cognitive deficits et al. are add-ons, from secondary conditions that are a part of ASD2 & 3. It is those secondary conditions that have exploded unexpectedly ca. 1979.

ASD1 (without complications) appears to be a genetic basis for being geeky/nerdy/eccentric, but we are otherwise able to care for our own affairs, as adults.

If autism were likened to eyesight,

• ASD1 ⧦ color blindness,
• ASD2 ⧦ legal blindness &
• ASD3 ⧦ total blindness.

Therapists who push the pathology model seek to cure autism in all of its forms.
Those who recognize ASD1's neuro-divergence press for its improved management. The severe co-morbids of ASD2 & 3 are treated as independent issues.