Does this sound like Aspergers/Autism?

[Elliot]

So I believe I might be on the autism spectrum but I'm not 100% sure. When I was young I had sensory and motor delay. I was clumsy and had your typical sensory processing disorder symptoms When I had the sensory stuff it apparently was REALLY bad. I also apparently forgot words when I was like 13 months old, I heard that's like a definite symptom. I was a talkative kid somewhat but my parents tell me I was bad at conversation in kindergarten because I would be asked questions while talking to other kids and I needed more time to respond. Like I couldn't respond quickly. I'm not sure If that is an aspergers or autism symptom or just being socially anxious and shy. Cause I can remember sometimes in elementary where I was able to have conversations. And I just now remembered this while typing. I did this till like 5th grade and I'm not sure if this is a symptom, if its not it's probably my adhd which I know I have. I would always be distracted and be imagining stuff in my head, for example I'd be pretending I was in some sort of action scene(and heres the weird part) I'd always make weird sound affects. Like just sounds of guns shooting or a sword fight because I was so up there in my imagination. Then all of this, the sound affects and the sensory issues and clumsiness went away /i want to say like maybe 4th or 5th grade which is why I don't remember it that well. The only thing that stuck was my social awkwardness and by 6th grade I became socially anxious (btw I'm in 11th grade now). I was really shy and would choke up when someone who wasn't a close friend tried to talk to me. also my mom said I wasn't able to pick up facial expressions, social cues, body language, figure of speech and all that stuff until middle school. I want to disagree with that because I have some memories of picking up body language and all of that. The only thing I struggled with was rhetorical questions and barely figure of speech. So I can have conversation but I am pretty good at it now and was kind of bad at it before. Like the summer I was going into I think it was 7th or 8th grade I went to a tennis camp and a schoolmate went their as well. She had been playing for years and I just started and I was naturally good so I was put in her group. She LOVED talking to me the whole time and all I can remember was barely being able to keep the conversation going. I would stutter and not know what to say next. I was able to pick up that she eventually liked me and I could read her face and everything and she was extremely friendly but for some reason I was still extremely nervous and scared to talk. I don't know if that's a aspergers symptom or social anxiety. So yeah, what do you guys think? And I'm 16 and you could never tell I would have aspergers but when I was little you proabably could. And also as I said before I have adhd and I heard they have some similar symptoms
Edit: While you couldn't tell I have it, I am just a tad bit awkward and weird

 

[Moromillas Radec]

Not really. Sorry.

I don't know where you got "forgetting words" as a definite symptom, but it sounds like you've been fed some nonsense. I've never heard of or seen this forgetting words as a trait before. In fact, our local group has the exact opposite, a word savant of sorts, where someone has remembered a vast amount of English words, new and old. You could, for example, ask for a word matching a certain definition, and get even the obscure words that no one uses any more.

The rest of it sounds like some sort of learning disability, I don't know.

The last part is pretty standard. About 3% of guys will actually steel themselves, then go and talk to that attractive girl across the room.

 

[hazybabe]

Hiya Elliot, I don't think any of us are qualified to give a diagnosis. There are a few things you mentioned which are aspergers symptoms but they could also be general social awkwardness. Although your description actually reminded me of my friend Betty who has dispraxia. Perhaps your mum could help get you in touch with medical professionals who could figure it out with you. I mean it could just be social anxiety due to lack of confidence and your Adhd

 

[hazybabe]

Not really. Sorry.

I don't know where you got "forgetting words" as a definite symptom, but it sounds like you've been fed some nonsense. I've never heard of or seen this forgetting words as a trait before. In fact, our local group has the exact opposite, a word savant of sorts, where someone has remembered a vast amount of English words, new and old. You could, for example, ask for a word matching a certain definition, and get even the obscure words that no one uses any more.

The rest of it sounds like some sort of learning disability, I don't know.

The last part is pretty standard. About 3% of guys will actually steel themselves, then go and talk to that attractive girl across the room.

I think you were a tad harsh there. Perhaps he has a mental list of symptoms and instead of them all being arguments for aspergers /autism some of the symptoms might have just been things he noticed.
Being diagnosed at 26 there was symptoms that I didn't fit into due to having to adapt my behaviour to survive. Also humans are polar opposites of themselves, I have dyslexia and profoundly reduced information processing yet my vocabulary is in the 16th percentile.

 

[zurb]

Hi Elliot,
Welcome to AC.

You definitely have some aspieish traits, but its hard to say if you would qualify clinically from a forum post. My concern would be that in each case you indicate the symptom was a temporary thing when for an aspie/autie its life long. In fact many NTs will discount our symptoms as things they have. The difference is in duration and intensity.

If you want to find out, I recommend reading Tony Attwood's Complete Guide to Aspergers and see if it resonates with you. There are also some online tests you can do (of varying worth).

Forgetting words at 13 months? Most kids temporally lose skills as they gain new ones at that age. But the aspie bit might be that you'd learnt words well before most kids do.

A small tip - if next time you put in some paragraph breaks, you will get more replies. Many of us bork at a wall of text.

Welcome to AC, look around, and see if it makes more sense than the world around.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

Try the AQ test, you can find it online easily. It's not a definite answer to the question but it might be useful in providing you with an answer of whether it ought to be investigated by a medical professional.

 

[tree]

Elliot

Here is one place to start.
An autism spectrum screener...
Only 50 questions.
It's free.

https://psychology-tools.com/autism-spectrum-quotient/

 

[Datura]

I don't know where you got "forgetting words" as a definite symptom, but it sounds like you've been fed some nonsense.

I know that it is a common sympton of autistic regression that a child will aquire speech and then lose it in early childhood. Usually such children aquire basic phrases or single words before most of their peers. However, their language development then either plateus or is lost all together. I don't recall hearing of any cases where somebody has simply forgotten a few words though. The change is usually quite dramatic.

 

[NateSean]

Edit: While you couldn't tell I have it, I am just a tad bit awkward and weird

Welcome aboard. Good to have you on the same boat.

The main problem these days is that Asperger's has been bandied around so often that everyone thinks they're an expert on what is and is not a symptom. So you display a few oddities and quirks and then you hear the term so often that you feel like it applies to you. Or people who know you throw the term around because they read the back of a Tony Attwood book at some point.

Thirteen months is a pretty reasonable age to forget words. I know seventy year-olds that forget words, never mind someone who has been alive and fully aware of the human language for all of one year.

Are some of the other things you describe typical of Asperger's? Sure. They can just as easily be typical of an 11th grader who is a year away from stepping out into the world. Only a professional can officially diagnose you. Have you discussed this with a guidance counselor, or a teacher you're close too (if your parents aren't an option, that is)?

 

[Moromillas Radec]

I think you were a tad harsh there.

It's a bit hard to view someone saying "Not really. Sorry." as harsh, don't you think? A bit peculiar, there wasn't any harshness behind my post.

I agree with some formal accredited testing such as a Tony Attwood clinic. But, you have to keep in mind; that if this Eliot fellow gets it in his head that he's an Aspergian, only to find out (after testing) that he's not, he'll be profoundly disappointed.

You have to admit that all signs point towards a learning disability, rather than the spectrum. Especially the part about picking up facial expressions, social cues, and body language during middle school.

Also humans are polar opposites of themselves, I have dyslexia and profoundly reduced information processing yet my vocabulary is in the 16th percentile.

Yes, dyslexia, that would be my first guess as well. However it doesn't have anything to do with the spectrum.

 

[Moromillas Radec]

autistic regression

But they're talking about babies that are barely over a year old...

How do you know these babies aren't just mimicking the sounds that the parents are making? Only to grow out of mimicking sounds.

 

[hazybabe]

It's a bit hard to view someone saying "Not really. Sorry." as harsh, don't you think? A bit peculiar, there wasn't any harshness behind my post.

I agree with some formal accredited testing such as a Tony Attwood clinic. But, you have to keep in mind; that if this Eliot fellow gets it in his head that he's an Aspergian, only to find out (after testing) that he's not, he'll be profoundly disappointed.

You have to admit that all signs point towards a learning disability, rather than the spectrum. Especially the part about picking up facial expressions, social cues, and body language during middle school.



Yes, dyslexia, that would be my first guess as well. However it doesn't have anything to do with the spectrum.

I was referring to your none sense comment.

I'm aware my dyslexia has nothing to do with my aspies.

The point I was actually trying to make was I recieved a diagnosis even though I don't possess some of the documented aspie traits.

 

[Moromillas Radec]

I was referring to your none sense comment.

I'm aware my dyslexia has nothing to do with my aspies.

I don't know what you're talking about, but none of it is "harsh."

Many are deeply offended when people talk about Aspergians as "with Asperger's" or "has Asperger's" or "my Asperger's" etc. Language that paints AS as somehow being separate from the person, rather the person themselves. Should I pick at every little thing you say and call it "harsh"?

 

[hazybabe]

I don't know what you're talking about, but none of it is "harsh."

Many are deeply offended when people talk about Aspergians as "with Asperger's" or "has Asperger's" or "my Asperger's" etc. Language that paints AS as somehow being separate from the person, rather the person themselves. Should I pick at every little thing you say and call it "harsh"?

I'm sorry for saying your comment was harsh, I obviously misunderstood your comment.
You can be as offended as you like with my terminology. I have only got a diagnosis 18 months ago and with a family of nts I am unaware of terminology.