artifex_eximius
Member
This might end up being a little long, so thanks in advance for reading. 
First of all, I want to say that my father was officially diagnosed with Asperger's when he was in his forties. I had a revelation this summer that my brother and I might have it as well.
A little bit about me currently: I am American but am living in Montreal to get my masters in library studies. I'm 24. I'm currently single but dating. I have official diagnoses of bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and a skin picking disorder, which complicates the Asperger's diagnosis.
Reasons I think I have Asperger's:
Social issues - I've always been awkward. I often come off as blunt, rude, or disconnected. I have trouble making eye contact. I can't tell when people are joking unless it's really obvious (sarcasm is lost on me). I've learned over the years how to fake social competency, and when I'm surprised by social situations, it becomes obvious because when I'm not prepared to socialize I make lots of mistakes.
Repetition - I like to do things over and over. I often have favorite songs that I'll listen to over and over and over again.
Liking Routine - I've learned how to get out of this habit because experience taught me that being set in routines is not social acceptable. But I used to always be very strict about what time I got out of bed and went to sleep. At school, if a classmate that I usually talked to was absent, it through me for a loop and I would get very distressed.
Stimming - I'm big on hand rubbing. When I was very young, I got in trouble at school for shaking my head back and forth because it felt good, so I learned not to do that.
Overstimulation - I am easily disturbed by noises and other annoyances in my environment. I can't take too much stimulation or I have a meltdown.
Other random things: Multiple people have told me that I have a "deer in the headlights" look when they are talking to me. I frequently become overwhelmed and have very dramatic meltdowns.
The thing is, some of these traits could be attributable to my other diagnoses. So whenever I bring up the Asperger's thing with professionals, usually a therapist, I am told that I absolutely do not have it and what I'm describing it attributable to bipolar or GAD. They will not listen to me when I try to explain that my brain just works differently and the only thing I've ever encountered that explains the way I feel sometimes is Asperger's. As for laypeople's opinions, I have a friend with Asperger's who 100% believes that I'm an aspie, and when I talk to NT friends about it, they generally agree with me that it seems plausible and always have examples to share with me of how I fit the diagnostic criteria.
As for my brother, I believe he has it more severely than me. His voice is always flat. He struggles to socialize. He's blunt and rude. He has always had very intense interests: watching the same movie over and over again for example. He has also always been incredibly sensitive to physical sensations and smells. Our father died suddenly two years ago, and my brother has since given up on life and is living off of our inheritance in our aunt's basement, not working or going to school, playing World of Warcraft all day. I asked him once if he thought he had Asperger's and he said he didn't care.
I've enjoyed what I've read on these boards and am interested in other people have had experiences similar to mine in terms of Asperger's being so mild that doctors don't believe them and won't consider the diagnosis. Thanks for reading!
First of all, I want to say that my father was officially diagnosed with Asperger's when he was in his forties. I had a revelation this summer that my brother and I might have it as well.
A little bit about me currently: I am American but am living in Montreal to get my masters in library studies. I'm 24. I'm currently single but dating. I have official diagnoses of bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and a skin picking disorder, which complicates the Asperger's diagnosis.
Reasons I think I have Asperger's:
Social issues - I've always been awkward. I often come off as blunt, rude, or disconnected. I have trouble making eye contact. I can't tell when people are joking unless it's really obvious (sarcasm is lost on me). I've learned over the years how to fake social competency, and when I'm surprised by social situations, it becomes obvious because when I'm not prepared to socialize I make lots of mistakes.
Repetition - I like to do things over and over. I often have favorite songs that I'll listen to over and over and over again.
Liking Routine - I've learned how to get out of this habit because experience taught me that being set in routines is not social acceptable. But I used to always be very strict about what time I got out of bed and went to sleep. At school, if a classmate that I usually talked to was absent, it through me for a loop and I would get very distressed.
Stimming - I'm big on hand rubbing. When I was very young, I got in trouble at school for shaking my head back and forth because it felt good, so I learned not to do that.
Overstimulation - I am easily disturbed by noises and other annoyances in my environment. I can't take too much stimulation or I have a meltdown.
Other random things: Multiple people have told me that I have a "deer in the headlights" look when they are talking to me. I frequently become overwhelmed and have very dramatic meltdowns.
The thing is, some of these traits could be attributable to my other diagnoses. So whenever I bring up the Asperger's thing with professionals, usually a therapist, I am told that I absolutely do not have it and what I'm describing it attributable to bipolar or GAD. They will not listen to me when I try to explain that my brain just works differently and the only thing I've ever encountered that explains the way I feel sometimes is Asperger's. As for laypeople's opinions, I have a friend with Asperger's who 100% believes that I'm an aspie, and when I talk to NT friends about it, they generally agree with me that it seems plausible and always have examples to share with me of how I fit the diagnostic criteria.
As for my brother, I believe he has it more severely than me. His voice is always flat. He struggles to socialize. He's blunt and rude. He has always had very intense interests: watching the same movie over and over again for example. He has also always been incredibly sensitive to physical sensations and smells. Our father died suddenly two years ago, and my brother has since given up on life and is living off of our inheritance in our aunt's basement, not working or going to school, playing World of Warcraft all day. I asked him once if he thought he had Asperger's and he said he didn't care.
I've enjoyed what I've read on these boards and am interested in other people have had experiences similar to mine in terms of Asperger's being so mild that doctors don't believe them and won't consider the diagnosis. Thanks for reading!
