OK, so I'm about 95% certain that I have Asperger's, and the remaining 5% is because nobody remembers if my speech was delayed. (by age 53, delayed speech is the only difference between Asperger's and High Functioning Autism.)
The next question is whether to seek an official diagnosis or not.
In favor of an official diagnosis:
* Stand up and be counted.
* should I need accommodation, an official diagnosis would legally require that accommodations be made.
Against seeking an official diagnosis:
* It's expensive
* It might cause future problems with medical insurance.
* Finding someone qualified, or even able, let alone willing, to diagnose a _53_year_old_ _woman_ who has been able to hold a job for up to 10 years straight will be a problem unto itself.
* Most "experts" require childhood history from the parents - to prove that the traits have been present since birth. While it does make sense since Autism is neurological, it does pose quite a problem for those who were not diagnosed while young. Both my folks are dead, and being the eldest child, there is nobody left alive that remembers my childhood with any clarity. My only sibling is four and a half years younger -- even his earliest recollections will be too late.
* There are no programs for senior Aspies. "Modern" science barely even acknowledges that we exists at all.
* there is no prescription medication for Asperger's -- should I find need something for one of the symptoms, like depression, insomnia, anxiety, or focusing on something outside my current special interests, I can get the prescription for that particular symptom far more easily.
* Given the state of "modern" medicine, and my basic opinion thereof, having an expert agree with me will not make me any more certain, nor will the expert disagreeing with me make me any less certain.
Bottom line: Why bother? There's lots of downside and no usable upside -- If any accommodations are needed and my boss isn't accommodating, then I need to practice frugality and my job hunting skills anyway -- If they want me gone, they'll find a way. Any prescription medication that I may find I need would be for symptoms that can easily be diagnosed individually.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Discovery
Of the three young ladies who I claim as my nieces, the one I've always had the most in common with is my bestest friend's little girl. We both love computers, critters and books, and we both had all kinds of trouble with school, in spite of being smart and getting excellent grades. When she graduated from High School, she had a myriad of social challenges and phobias that were very similar to what I fought when I was her age.
I was a bit stunned when I heard she had been diagnosed with Autism, and that it was so definite that she qualified for disability on the first try.
It took me a while to realize and face the full significance for me personally:
My niece is diagnosed with Autism
She and I are very much alike -- When I was her age, I wasn't doing much better than she is now.
. . . .could it be that I too am on the spectrum? I finally wondered.
I started reading everything I could find on Autism and Asperger's. The more I read, the more the past 50+ years began to make sense. I found a list of Aspie traits as it manifests in girls [http://help4aspergers.com/pb/wp_a58d4f6a/wp_a58d4f6a.html] Although there are a few traits listed that I don't share, they are very few indeed.
Reading through the DSM-IV and DSM-V criteria [http://www.help4aspergers.com/pb/wp_b79de52e/wp_b79de52e.html], I'd still qualify, even after all these years. When I was younger, it would have been an open and shut case, as the HFA was for my niece.
Finally, in an effort to definitively confirm/refute/refine my suspicions, I took a few highly recommended online tests: [http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt113459.html]
1. Autistic/BAP
You scored 109 aloof, 94 rigid and 85 pragmatic
You scored above the cutoff on all three scales. Clearly, you are either autistic or on the broader autistic phenotype. You probably are not very social, and when you do interact with others, you come off as strange or rude without meaning to. You probably also like things to be familiar and predictable and don't like changes, especially unexpected ones.
2. AQ Score: 42 ( >32 indicates possible AS or HFA)
3. EQ: 18
SQ: 82
Extreme Systemizing (possible AS or HFA)
4. HSP: 18 ( >14 = Highly Sensitive Person and possible AS or HFA)
(5. is an Emotional Intelligence test that requires payment for the full results)
6. Reading the mind in the eyes' test (Baron-Cohen et al.)
28 (normal: 22-30)
7. Face Recognition: 59% (normal: 65% or higher)
8. Aspie Quiz
Your Aspie score: 142 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 64 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie
Of the 7 tests I have results for, the only one I tested normal on was "Reading the mind in the eyes"
Houston, we've found the problem. I'm an Aspie!
(the main dividing line between Asperger's and High Functioning Autism is delayed communication, especially speech. As far as I know, I started talking on time. In fact, I was reading at 4 years old.)
I was a bit stunned when I heard she had been diagnosed with Autism, and that it was so definite that she qualified for disability on the first try.
It took me a while to realize and face the full significance for me personally:
My niece is diagnosed with Autism
She and I are very much alike -- When I was her age, I wasn't doing much better than she is now.
. . . .could it be that I too am on the spectrum? I finally wondered.
I started reading everything I could find on Autism and Asperger's. The more I read, the more the past 50+ years began to make sense. I found a list of Aspie traits as it manifests in girls [http://help4aspergers.com/pb/wp_a58d4f6a/wp_a58d4f6a.html] Although there are a few traits listed that I don't share, they are very few indeed.
Reading through the DSM-IV and DSM-V criteria [http://www.help4aspergers.com/pb/wp_b79de52e/wp_b79de52e.html], I'd still qualify, even after all these years. When I was younger, it would have been an open and shut case, as the HFA was for my niece.
Finally, in an effort to definitively confirm/refute/refine my suspicions, I took a few highly recommended online tests: [http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt113459.html]
1. Autistic/BAP
You scored 109 aloof, 94 rigid and 85 pragmatic
You scored above the cutoff on all three scales. Clearly, you are either autistic or on the broader autistic phenotype. You probably are not very social, and when you do interact with others, you come off as strange or rude without meaning to. You probably also like things to be familiar and predictable and don't like changes, especially unexpected ones.
2. AQ Score: 42 ( >32 indicates possible AS or HFA)
3. EQ: 18
SQ: 82
Extreme Systemizing (possible AS or HFA)
4. HSP: 18 ( >14 = Highly Sensitive Person and possible AS or HFA)
(5. is an Emotional Intelligence test that requires payment for the full results)
6. Reading the mind in the eyes' test (Baron-Cohen et al.)
28 (normal: 22-30)
7. Face Recognition: 59% (normal: 65% or higher)
8. Aspie Quiz
Your Aspie score: 142 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 64 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie
Of the 7 tests I have results for, the only one I tested normal on was "Reading the mind in the eyes"
Houston, we've found the problem. I'm an Aspie!
(the main dividing line between Asperger's and High Functioning Autism is delayed communication, especially speech. As far as I know, I started talking on time. In fact, I was reading at 4 years old.)
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