Anyone wonder if they too have ASD?I was extremely shy and never made eye contact with people as a child and remember getting in trouble while in elementary school for it. As an adult I still think I have issues with eye contact. People have described me as sneaky because of it. Up until I was about 6 years old, I used to "knit" with my fingers, and it took me a long time to break that behavior. I also play with my ears/earrings alot My husband and MIL use puns all the time and sometimes I just don't get them and need them to be explained. I also need some jokes explained to me. I constantly cut people off in conversations and sometimes say things that are completely random and jump from one topic to another. I learned to read by the time I was three, when I was in kindergarten I already could read and comprehend chapter books (Aspergers??) I hate change, little changes really bother me. Facebook, babycenter, furniture arrangements, tv schedules, daylight savings time I have selective listening and what I call a staring problem. Someone could be talking to me, or doing something and sometimes I just stare. I echo things I hear in my sleep I am probably just over analyzing things, but what does everyone else out there think? If you think you may have ASD, why? I do most of the things you describe. I also did "headbanging" as a child (which, I guess is common with many asd babies). I can look at a pattern, in my head and put it together--I had to take a placement test in High School for electronics, and I passed that part of it, 100%. I look at license plates and can remember them, as well as phone numbers, account numbers, social security numbers of my husband and kids, and even credit card numbers. Yet, sometimes, I can't remember my kids names..lol I have a theory that, many of us possess asd traits. I would guess even more have Aspie traits, since it is so high functioning and can go unnoticed. I am almost positive my husband is aspie, although he would never go and get evaluated. This is why I always say, there is no such word as NORMAL. Am I asd? I don't know==I think, to a degree, many of us share those traits, or have at least one symptom--I just think, with so many environmental changes and all the damage we have done to it on this earth, it is coming up as more symptomatic than it ever did before. Just my 2 cents. I wonder if I am and I know dh is an aspie, found out before dd was dx that he was an aspie but took some reading to connect that link with autism. I was always shy as a kid but as an adult did come out of my shell, everyone does like me and I get comments, :you are the nicest person: which I wish I was more assertive. I cry if a stranger yells at me and am truly scared and very sensitive. I have a great memory for things like numbers, I remember all sorts of numbers, always good at math. I do not like looking people in the eyes.....never have. Love to stare off, did this a lot as a kid, huge day dreamer, it actually does feel good to stare...relaxing, in 7th grade I got teased for being a stoner just because I would stare off a lot but somehow I did fine in school. I asked for help if I didn't hear or understand and really enjoyed doing school work, always did. Loved school except the social part so I really hated school, hated recess, hated socializing. Loved hanging out with my friends after school at each other's house but not at school. Do like to sway or rock back in forth when standing and talking.. Don't get some jokes. You know, dd flaps her arms, well I did it several times the last several months to see what it felt like and it felt really good. I will hear someone but not respond, I just keep thinking....really only do this to family. :) i repeat myself and I know it, I just didn't forget I all ready said it but you never know, maybe the person didn't hear me right or maybe it was something that was really important to me. So dh and I probably both aspies.. I did take the pdd questionairre on us too although it is aimed at kids. DH is in mild pdd range, I'm in no pdd range, dd 1 is in mod to severe pdd range, and dd2 had the lowest score of all of us, no pdd.No, I was just doppy. ..did not read until I was taught in 1st grade, very social, too social ( that was my prob and my grades reflected it)...my dh well, that could be the link..he is brilliant, speaks 4 languages, Ph.D, very academic and less social then myself I see a lot of my ds in me. I also have a high pain tolerance, I'm sensory seeking (love his weighted blanket-so relaxing), tend to stare into space, my mom said as a kid playdates would complain that I would just suddenly withdraw and stop interacting, I tend to have special interest and a had time talking about other things.... At the same time I always had an easy time making and maintaining friendships, I have been successful in jobs, have a successful 19year relationship, parent 3 kids and feel mostly happy and balanced. Whatever traits I share with my ds, they have not impaired my life. I think in order to qualify for a diagnosis there has to be a significant impairment on someones life caused by those traits. So yes my ds comes by his traits honestly but I don't think I'd qualify for a diagnosis. yes i have wondered, and my husband has said many times he thinks he is on the spectrum. I also rocked as a child, i played with my fingers in front of my face alot probably through grade school, i have relationship issues. my husband has major communication issues and major social issues, he often will make me listen to lyrics to songs if he is trying to tell me something. We never fight really, we sometimes get annoyed with eachother but a few weeks ago we were tring to have a conversation about my daughter which is a sore spot in our relationship, he stopped me and made me listen to "walk a mile in my shoes" by Joe south lol. anyway, i think that signs of autism can overlap with other disorders especially in adulthood, depression is a big one, I think if someone suffers with lifelong depression or bouts of it they can appear to be somewhere on the spectrum. I am sure DH had undx ASD. He didn't talk until he was 3-4, has severe social anxiety, was obsessed with TV all through childhood. I began reading at age 3 to my parents amazement, didn't speak until age 2.5-3, and have always had problems socially interacting. I see some definite overlapping. I totally think I have ASD. When I was a child I rocked in my crib so hardevery night that I put marks in the wall. I read every book in my elementary school library so the librarian made me a section called "Heidi Recommends". I used to spend hours lining up all of my paper dolls with all of their clothes on top of them but don't recall ever doing pretend play with them. I always scored off the charts on aptitude/IQ tests but yet I barely made it through high school and college. I have severe anxiety. I never learned how to ride a bicycle. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 23. I can easily spend all day in my PJ's without taking a shower (yuck). I didn't have a boyfriend until I was 21. I have no friendships to speak of. I still catch myself rocking from time to time. I have horrible eye contact and sometimes flush when I am talking to someone or I get sort of paralyzed and my mouth starts to twitch. I avoid phone calls like the plague. I never seem to fit in anywhere I go and often make inappropriate comments. I have ZERO sense of humor and very little empathy although those Hallmark commercials sure can get a tear out of me. Sounds fun to be me huh? Let me put it this way...I was diagnosed ADHD as a kid and I think they missed the bigger picture. [QUOTE=camusa]Let me put it this way...I was diagnosed ADHD as a kid and I think they missed the bigger picture.[/QUOTE] ... and I think a LOT of people leave it at that. Cam I am reading "Understanding Girls with ADHD" and I truly think MANY of of the girls described are actually PDd-NOS. Of course, they may very well have ADHD, as well ... but I do think there is often a bigger picture. I am so old, I am pre-ADHD diagnoses! So no surprise they overlooked ME. My only problem was, I was highly verbal, and everyone thought "intelligence" was uniform, if I was good at one thing I should be good at EVERYTHING. Well .... guess I showed them! A guy that is a core member at our group home (a resident) is autistic. If he hadn't told me, I wouldnt know. He is very sociable, active in politics, advocates for people with disabilities and has gone to Washington, DC to lobby for the issue. He has witt--good sense of humor and gets along with almost everyone he meets. I used to think autism, all ends of the spectrum was anti-social. He disproved my theory. Now, I yack..a lot (if you can't tell already). I can go out and meet the table next to me at a restaurant, and carry on conversations with total strangers. Yet, I moved to Kansas and am looking into cave properties in Tibet..go figure. Anyway, I wanted to share about him--he gives me a lot of inspiration as to how my kids can be when they get older. A guy that is a core member at our group home (a resident) is autistic. If he hadn't told me, I wouldnt know. He is very sociable, active in politics, advocates for people with disabilities and has gone to Washington, DC to lobby for the issue. He has witt--good sense of humor and gets along with almost everyone he meets. I used to think autism, all ends of the spectrum was anti-social. He disproved my theory. Now, I yack..a lot (if you can't tell already). I can go out and meet the table next to me at a restaurant, and carry on conversations with total strangers. Yet, I moved to Kansas and am looking into cave properties in Tibet..go figure. Anyway, I wanted to share about him--he gives me a lot of inspiration as to how my kids can be when they get older. [/QUOTE]I don't know if I'd say I had/have ASD, but I was extremely shy/bashful as a child. I spoke at a normal age, but my mom and grandparents always would say that as a baby and toddler, I'd be completely content to just sit by myself and play. My shyness has gotten better to hide - mostly due to being in customer service, retail, and hotel deskjobs - you have to talk to people all day long. I'm still super shy at heart though - and usually feel out of place or on the sidelines at social things. Oh, and I've been told I stare offg at some unknown point a lot by my DH. I think my DH would make the spectrum for sure though - he has a lot of communication issues, and little stimm things he is always doing. Plus, he always says that he used to do the stuff our son does (which is part of why he thinks DJ is fine). I would feel better if I knew because then I would have some explanation about why two of my daughters are on the spectrum. But since it doesn't really inhibit me, I find it's more trouble than it's worth. I'd feel weird asking a psychologist to diagnose me. diagnose AS - because I was bright academically overall, and because I came from a background that could explain my behaviour problems somewhat (poor, single parent family, my mother was/is a bipolar alcoholic), I was never diagnosed with anything. I was reading by age 3, and was (still am) hardcore hyperlexic. LOVED letters (still do). I was very articulate, and my family called me "the little professor". Brutal sensory issues from infancy - had to be tightly wrapped, have always needed pressure, have always been overly sensitive to touch, texture, etc. My mom just said I was "allergic" to various fabrics and perfumes - in reality I just can't stand them. There's a picture of me, as an infant, sitting on grass throwing a colossal tantrum - the family thought it was funny - I've never been able to stand the feeling of grass - ick! I was resistant to change and would meltdown over changes in routine, or things (like toys) being out of their proper spot. I toe walked exclusively until I was 9 (still toe walk often), headbanged until I was 7. Socially, I struggled tremendously (and still do!). I was always talking out of turn in school, and always saying the wrong thing. I was immensely unpopular, because I came accross as antagonizing people. When I did have friends, I messed it up. I'd do really inappropriate things, then be all surprised when the friend stopped being a friend. For example, in Grade 6, I had a friend from the neighborhood over after school, and suggested we play a game where she lay on the couch, and I repeatedly drop a heavy book (encyclopedia) above her face, catching it at the last second, and she would try not to flinch. I did this until she wasn't flinching - then I intentionally didn't catch the book on the next drop, so that it landed on her face. I was totally surprised by the fact that she didn't want to be friends after that (go figure, lol). This type of thing was really characteristic of me growing up. I've always been perseverative/obsessive, and my play as a child was really weird. I had a TA in school until grade 4 for behaviour, and help with more abstract math concepts. I had to use manipulatives in math until grade 6! As an adult, my issues are much more mild, but still there. I have problems with auditory and visual processing. I get stuck on topics and ideas. I've managed to curb most of my stims, but still have a couple subtle ones, and when I'm stressed or anxious some less-subtle ones creep out (like hand flapping - how embarassing!  ). I still have hard
core sensory issues, and structure our house, life, and my wardrobe around them as much as possible. I am terribly disorganized, and have a hard time organizing myself without a really concrete system. Socially, I still struggle with non-verbals. While I've learned to read others, I'm terrible at knowing what I"m putting out there. My eye contact, body- language, and tone of voice are wrong. I come off as snotty or "know-it- all", when I don't mean to. In fact, while this has always caused a bit of trouble initially at new jobs, schools, etc., it just, for the first time, cost me a job. Yesterday I had a meeting with my boss, who said if she received one more complaint, she'd fire me - so I quit 
Now the really funny thing? Donny's not mine biologically. We always joke he could be though, we've got the same quirks, and the same health issues (allergies, asthma, sensitive skin, and gi problems). I know that, with my issues and family history (lots of bipolar, OCD, etc. in my family background) that there's a high chance if DH and I ever have a child it will fall on the spectrum. However, I also know that it's not always a bad place to be, and that we will love and be able to parent any child that comes our way  I dont know if I would say i have an asd, I did take one of the many asd tests online and it said i have asd traits. I was/still am very VERY shy and antisocial as a kid/now. I had a hard time making friends because i would rather have been invisible instead and bad anxiety. The only time i remember being aggresive at making a friend was in 4th grade there was a girl who had some disease and lived in the hosp and finally got to our class, she was so shy and insecure she always ran away from class so somehow (me offering her werthers candies) we became friends. Of coruse that didnt last long since one day she stopped coming to school :( When i did have a friend id ignore thier phone calls or pretend i was sick so my mom wouldnt push them on me (which she was ALWAYS doing ugh!) Finally I made a best friend at 14 and we are both alike, and I eventually married her brother :) Of course now me and her are not close anymore because she lived with us for a short period and that didnt go too well. Now i have no friends and even tho i want friends i am perfectly happy (most of the time). I even have trouble bonding/being close with my own family i always ignore theier call and call them when i absolutely have to, i get anxiety just thinking about talking on the phone or interacting with someone. I have bad eye contact, it gives me the heebie jeebies. Ive been described as having darty eye contact, i must look pretty stupid but i cant help it! I dont think i have attention issues at all but I do zone out when we are around lots of people and ive been called spacey because usualy the person talking to me has to repeat or snap me out of it, i get kind of offended cuz im not spacey in general. I cant keep a conversation going with esp people i dont know, their lucky if i even say hi or respond anything back, usually i go around ignoring people because the anxiety of even waving back kills me. I think peope must think i m a total snob. Or even when talking on the phone i never know when to interject and start talking etc. I AM very curiuos and am a researcher. I would spend ALL day (more before my son) researching cryptozoology esp. O ranything that would interest me. I think id be a good researcher. I think i have alot of empathy, i cry veeery easily. My mom wouldnt even spank me as a kid like my siblings because all she had to do was look at me and id start bawling my eyeballs out. I dont think i ever had a speech delay or repetitive speech at all, not like my son has repetitive speech. But then i dont interact with people, but i wasnt repetitive with my mom them/or my family now. I hate the feeling of water on my skin like the shower for example. Even nowdays i have to literally force myself to take showers (i do dont worry!) but i hate it and if i can get away with skipping once in awhile i do I have tics tho i know they arnt directly asd related, i have something where i have to squish my shouldrs to my neck or blink my eyes hard or alot or stretch my face out or bend my neck and shoulder to gether towards the left side. As a kid i had a throat tic but havnt had it in ages. I also probably have some ocd tend. like i go thru horrible phases where i have to touch everything i pass by a certain number of times.I dont think i have any stims tho i do bite my cheecks till they look like hamburger and bleed, recently my dentist has scolded me about that! Me and my sister do it, its pretty bad but i do it without thinking and i bounce my leg up and down often but i dont think theyd be stims. I get upset with change of routine, like daylight savigns messed me up bigtime, i hate it! Also other little things bother me but i CAN overcome them but i always have a horrible icky feeling or i get alttle grumpy but nothing major. So thats me, i think i DO have asd traits but not all the impairments to dx. My husband on the other hand HAS EVERYTHING you need to dx! He is still has MAJOR problems, he depends on me sooooo much, it wears me out. I need to get him dxed in therapy or something because it not a good thing. He was dxed with bipolar and adhd as a child and now so i think there is alot more going on with him. O also i have difficulty with transitions, only as in if im doing something i HAVE to finish it. Maybe thats morelike ocd tho. That is a bad problem for me. Im also a perfectionist with what im donig, ever since i was a kid. My room was the only neat one in the house (except now my house is always a mess lol) I also find and seek out patterns in everything. Oh I think leg-bouncing is a DEFINITE stim! think 7th grade geometry ... it was the only thing that kept me awake! Funny -- my cheeks are also like hamburger ... do you wear an appliance at night for it? I HATED mine but they do help. Donny's Mom -- YOU and me BOTH -- I think I am an Aspie who adopted an Autie. And ... it HELPS! I can "tune in" to her, really well, and she knows it! Foxl, we are so alike! I never knew anyone besides my sis who chewed on thier cheeks to the extent we did lol It even grosses me out esp when i crunch thru a vein but i cant stop thats how i know its not normal Another thing i thought of is I am ALWAYS bumping into things, i look like an abused women. Often i see gigantic bruises and i dont even remember bumping into something, im thinking i bruise very easily as well tho, but im always walking directly into doorways, stubbing my toes etc. like things are no teven there. I def. see them but it doesnt register and i keep on walking! Ive always been teased for this and often people ask me in disbelief why i did that? I also have trouble judging distance of cars when im driving, NOT good!
OH YEAH, Nikki, me and the BRUISES! I run into walls ... and doorframes ... ALL THE TIME. I had TEN YEARS of ballet lessons, two of which were daily classes in college -- and I would get out of class and fall down the stairs or bash into a desk! On the appliances, dentists can make custom ones, I have a clear one that fits my lower teeth and could probably wear it unnoticed during days. But there are cheaper ones sold in drugstores that adjsut to fit, now. They are newer so I have not tried them but my friend sleeps with one and says it helps a lot. I agree with Kelly about we all seem to have different autistic traits- for example I love numbers= Love them, its hard to explain but that they make me feel safe. I love them so much that when I was in labor having my babies, they were my focal points, numbers... I picked the number 38 in my head, when a contraction got to the worse point where I thought I would lose it, I would just think of numbers, and slowly start picturing/counting them in my head- I knew by the time I got to 38 the contraction would be over. I do this anytime I'm really stressed I completely internalize and think about numbers. To calm down I will balance our checkbook or do our taxes, make a budget anything with numbers. On the other hand I get puns/jokes etc, I'm extremely sarcastic in person- but I leg-bounce, I have bad eye contact (I have to focus on making eye contact during a conversation- it makes me feel uncomfortable), and would much rather read then talk to people.My DH hates crowds to the point where he has panic attacks, and doesn't "feel" emotion or empathy very well. He fakes it most of the time. He won't go to a funeral/wedding because he can't "fake" being sad/overjoyed for that long and he doesn't want other people to think he is being disrespectful. He is dx as OCD, but most of his OCD traits I can see in our son as ASD traits. My father on the other hand has an IQ well over 180, and runs his own business- yet he didn't finish high school. When he isn't working he stays at home most of the time, and hates change- we all tease him that is why he runs his own business so he is in control and things can't change on him. My mother on the other hand has depression, OCD, and for a number of years could barely leave the house. So I can completely agree that my son has a decent amount of family traits. I learned to read very early and love books. As a kid, I could block out the whole world with the right book...and I often did. I loved to write and could use words like an adult early on. However, my handwriting screamed out for OT and I was assigned to a remedial handwriting teacher. (This was so long ago that no one consulted my mom, let alone held a meeting about it.) I was pretty obsessive about my coin collection.Although I had friends, I always had the feeling that other kids had been let in on some fundamental social secret that I was not informed of. I could look at any word, phrase or sentence and tell you how many letters were in it, a strange and useless talent. I also had petit mal seizures as a child. It wouldn't surprise me to be diagnosed with Asperger's. I'm with 143hayden and foxl on the clumsiness and bruises! My dh gets worried - I look like a battered wife. I've been clumsy my whole life, always walking into things, banging myself on things, and don't notice. I don't chew my cheeks, but often bite my cheek, lip, or tongue as an accident - ouch! I can't stand if I've got a skin imperfection (scab, peeling sunburn, just a blemish or bump, whatever) and pick compulsively. I don't grind my teeth, but click them together constantly and clench my jaw when I'm stressed - I've got a night guard I'm supposed to wear, but I can't sleep with it in, because it feels "wrong" *sigh* lol. My biggest stim, which I forget about all the time because it's so habitual is this little repetitive movement I do with my thumb that makes it click - drives my dh mental 
I also miss jokes all the time. [QUOTE=toodycat]I learned to read very early and love books. As a kid, I could block out the whole world with the right book...and I often did. I loved to write and could use words like an adult early on. However, my handwriting screamed out for OT and I was assigned to a remedial handwriting teacher. (This was so long ago that no one consulted my mom, let alone held a meeting about it.) I was pretty obsessive about my coin collection.Although I had friends, I always had the feeling that other kids had been let in on some fundamental social secret that I was not informed of. I could look at any word, phrase or sentence and tell you how many letters were in it, a strange and useless talent. I also had petit mal seizures as a child. It wouldn't surprise me to be diagnosed with Asperger's. [/QUOTE] I taught myself to read at 4 and read AT THE DINNER TABLE. My Mom had to kick me outside to get me to quit reading. Handwriting absolutely sucks ... it is a joke at work, now, but not too funny when it was my only D. I resented my mother's "Failure" to teach me social skills ... until I began to read about Asperger's. Understanding has helped me forgive so many people from my past! Foxl, You were a graceful klutz? Annaquin, I SO wish i was good with number, i cant stand (and dont understand) math and hate balancing the checkbook Toodycat, that is EXACTLY how i felt! I felt like i missed some sort of class that told me when and what to do when interacting with people. It really affected me and often id say something dumb, or do something at the wrong time or not know what to do with myself and be secluded and i felt retarded in a sense always thinking in my head that somethings wrong with me. As im older it has led to some bouts of depression and self injury where id cut myself. Hey maybe i should add self injurous behav. to my list? I think that was diff tho. Donnys mom, thats funny, my hubby actually gets angry when he sees me walk into a completely visible object because he doesnt want people thinking im a battered wife and then my explanation are 'I walked into the door or table etc' lol But its all true! I dont think i always miss jokes but i do miss them often but i think im prob. average in that dept. I do have this thing where i have to stretch my hands/fingers out and twist my hand upward and out but it is more like ocd, like i HAVE to do it and it come and goes. Also ive read that ocd ISNT affected by stress but i noticed that i have alot of problems when im stressed? Also when i was younger i had a bad eye tick and i remember my auntie being concerned about it (of course my parents never thought anything was abnormal, EVER), thankfully i can control that to an extent. People always tell me i look like a chronic drug user or something how i chew on my cheeks, im sooo not but its embarrasing. Foxl, I wish i could read early. I actually remember having to be pulled outta class and tutored in reading for awhile (in kindy?) but once i learned I was above average and reading chapter books before my peers etc. but prob not that advance. I know how adults make little kids feel like they are superhuman for doing things that were actually normal lol I was upset at my parents too, except I was HOMESCHOOLED at 6th grade because I was having behavioral prob. (which were small, like talking when not supposed, not listening and playing pranks on the teacher), I started to feel more social then i ever did in my life in 6th grade even tho i was getting into trouble, i had 3 friends! The most ever!
[QUOTE=b9st8]ASD is evolutionary change and we tend to attract each other and make offspring (definition of species) When the change is perfected in a few hudred years, we will rule the world.[/QUOTE] Ha! Maybe so I wonder a lot about DH and I both. We both talked on time and met all the other milestones, but we're both fairly socially awkward. Moreso as a kid, but even now, I often feel in social situations like everyone else is speaking in code and forgot to give me the secret decoder ring. We're both classic nerds too and tend to get obsessed with weird topics. DH actually has an ADD diagnosis, and I can definitely see its relationship with ASD. It's not diagnosed, but I know that I have sensory integration disorder and always have. Add it all up, and yeah, I'd bet that these days DH and I might both be diagnosed with AS. It gives me a lot of hope for DS though. He's really just us intensified, so if we can help him dial it down a little, he'll be fine. I have ADD and loads of trouble with eye contact and social anxiety. I think they're all related to ADD and just hard life experiences. I definitely had SPD as a child though, to this day I still crave deep pressure and a little but of pain sometimes too...just like my autistic son. I definitely was NOT a typical kid at all. My dad also has a lot of mental issues. My husband is 100% typical...he's just allergic to housework :) as am I :) :)I know the thread totally dead already but I just read that the incident of autism is a big percentage higher if the child was born premature and I was born 3 months premature! Interesting~! Tho IF i did have a asd it would prob be PDD NOS since i dont think i turley fit in any asd category or more like some social disorder. I should go interview my mommy I also have sensory stuff. I like the feel of certain things, can't sleep in pants cuz Ifeel like my legs are being strangled. I have a ton of food issues too. If I'm alone or just with my family I will literally wipe all sauces off my food. I have wrapped bbqed chicken breasts in paper towel to get the sauce off. Now whatever we make my dad makes one with only a little sauce. I won't eat sandwiches, because I hate the way bread tastes when its mixed with stuff. I'll eat the components of salad, but not al together. One of my male coworkers told me he thinks I'll marry an aspie. I go to school with a bunch of engineers and used to watch the guy I was hooking up with rock while he did his homework. Funny thing is I am just like my mom. Literally, just like her. and she's kinda awesome. Roneydaponey---I know what you mean. I finally was able to wear pajamas only a few years ago. I also hate stiff denim or sheets that aren't soft. I, too, hate sandwiches, especially those with condiments. (My husband and I both can't stand mayonnaise.) I eat salad now, but it took me a while and when I first started, I didn't use dressing. I also can read something and find it again in the book by visually recalling where the words were on the page. This comes in handy what with my being an English teacher. I am definitely accident prone. In fact, my uncle called me "Alice Patricia" when I was little. DH claims to have ADD, although no one was diagnosing it back when he was in school. Both of us have a sense of humor that not everyone gets and I fear we have imparted it to our son who, last night, was teaching himself to remeber the Hindu word for "warrior" (Kshatriya)for a test by singing the 80s Scandal song "The Warrior", substitutinng Kshatriya and then subreferencing the Family Guy episode in which Stewie dances to that song with his Ipod. We were dying with laughter, but worry about how this goes over in a suburban high school. "I also can read something and find it again in the book by visually recalling where the words were on the page." This is me!!!!! I can totally do that. I try to memorize things like that.. I hate stiff sheets too! My little brother wouldn't wear anything but hanna anderson when he was little. My mom and I knit and we walk around the stores like rubbing yarn on our faces because we know if its not soft we won't wear it "I also can read something and find it again in the book by visually recalling where the words were on the page." Thats me too, what is this called? [QUOTE=roneydapony]"I also can read something and find it again in the book by visually recalling where the words were on the page." Me too - on both counts! I've always had a really strong visual memory, almost to the point of being photographic. Forget auditory instructions though; I can rarely follow them (I travel with lots of maps!). I have the weirdest things memorized and can't seem to get them out of my head, especially numbers. My family never uses a phone book - they just ask me! I have the sensory thing too. I've never been able to sleep in pants, have to use knit sheets, and have to sleep under a blanket or I just don't sleep. I can't wear anything with embroidery on it because it hurts my skin; I stick to mostly cotton knits and soft denim. Another funny aspieish thing I did as a kid and still do, to some extent, is obsess on a topic; I just don't have the time to indulge that habit much now. When I was barely 5, I got obsessed with learning to speak Italian and made my mother take me to the library for Italian books. To this day, I can still remember a lot of what I learned. I did the same thing sometime in junior high with Russian and taught myself to read Cyrillic. Um, yeah, the more I think about this, the more I'd love to get myself tested! Well maybe i DONT have that because i def dont have a photographic memory but i always remember where i am on a page by just remembering where the last word i read was on the page so maybe its diff. But it does explain it as a spectrum interestingly. Heres an interesting link: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1693 My husband i feel would most def be dxed as on the spectrum if he saw an autism specialist. He is already dxed with bipolar and adhd ever since he was s small kid. He has SO many symptoms and is still VERY symptomatic where it does interfer daily. As a kid he got all kinds of tests from doctor and schooling because everyone thought he was having absense seizures because he wouldnt respond appropriately and was in sp ed, was homeschooled sporadically thruout but dropped outa school in 9th grade. As a kid he went to therapy sessions for his aggresiveness and bad adhd but he spent the whole sessions staring at the ceiling fan so they withdrew him. When i met him his hygiene was so bad he looked like a hobo and would wear the same clothes EVERYDAY! I actualy had to teach him hygiene (???!)He lived with his dad (he was mid 20s) who is bipolar. He obsesses over topics and will talk repeatedly about a subject (air conditioners or vw's) and will talk even tho no one is even listening to him, has a low frustration tolerance, paces the house while hugging himself tightly as not to let the wind hit his nipples (?! dont ask lol), is such a picky eater and will eat only pizza or fastfood burgers, is always wiping sauce off his food, turning fans off, tugging at his shirts or hugging himself tightly to not be so bothered, anxiety attacks, paranoia andthinks everyone hates him, is staring at him, doing things that are mean to him etc. Has outburst and tantrums STILL and gets into trouble with his job which recently has come up once again, spacey and will zone out ALL the time, not listen when being spoken to even if your 1 foot away and raise ur voice we have to nudge him sometimes, forget or dosnt hear directions etc., rough with transitions, when we moved to a diff state would pace my dads house and literally have meltdowns and freak out, has meltdowns where he is literally out of it on the floor (tho ive only seen it twice but trust me it was not nt for age), is content to be alone, hates being disturbed when into something or when people pop over like his uncle but is veeery socially motivated but it ends up screwing him up becuae he says inappropriate things and seem to not have empathy and people alway end up not likig him which he obsessed over and looses sleep over, and then the whole anger and tantrum issues he does to people, doesnt show emotion appropriatly wont be happy or sad or rather doesnt always show it and is confused when people get upset with him, doesnt get jokes at all, doesnt like to be touched or cuddled but likes cuddlign on his terms only obviously that causes issues somethimes So im certain hed get dxed! "I also can read something and find it again in the book by visually recalling where the words were on the page." Thats me too, what is this called? [/QUOTE] eidetic memory Janie- omg verbal instructions. the bane of my existence. I can't remember ANYTHING if it's verbal. I have to write everything down. I too can't sleep without a blanket, even if its just a sheet. and Driving new places makes me really anxious because of the whole directions thing. I simply cannot do verbal driving directionsI can whip out totally random information, and I kind of perseverate on certain topics, like autism, sign language, and when I was in 6th grade I was part of Pony Club and went to Kentucky to be part of a thing called nationals, and what I did was basically horse jeopardy. Lol. I had the highest score in my region and we came in 2nd place out of like 300 teams. Oh obsessions... Totally agree with this. MY sisters son, Anthony (dx Autism). My sister and I are 2 of 4 kids. Our older brother, def is on the spectrum. His nickname growing up was Daze. Always in a fog. Very smart, did very quirky things like jump around his room for a long time when he got home from school. Twitches his fingers to date...but is married, 3 kids and an attorney. Our other brother most def has severe ADD. Cant focus...etc...has his own business married with two kids...I rock my head back and forth to date, I have ADD and have been tested for it etc...My Sister has nothing,,,and her kid was the one who got it GOOD! LOL!!!!!..WE LOVE HIM TO DEATH!!!!!!!!! I dont think I have ASD, but am pretty sure I have OCD, which of course is related...Looks like I started a pretty popular thread! How could I forget about my food issues! I don't eat egg in the egg form but will eat it as part of breading or in baked goods. I have other texture issues with food as well. I won't eat cold cut ham but will eat a baked ham only if it isn't precut. If it is precut its too smooth. If I am eating a sandwich like one of those 6 foot heroes with different meats wothout realizing there was ham in it, I can distinguish the ham from everthing else even with my toungue. I can't eat custard or flan because I don't like the texture. I won't eat anything that feels slimy. If gravy gets cold and becomes gelatinous, I won't eat it. I think Evian bottled water is too smooth. I can remember phone numbers that I haven't used in over 10 years. Sometimes I visualize a phone numbers location on the key pad and remember numbers that way. I have always wanted the phone # 1346795, look it up on the key pad and you'll see why. I feel like I have a hypersensitive sense of smell. I mentioned my issues with eye contact, but I just watched my wedding video recently and never once looked at my husband the entire ceremony. My eyes were darting all over the place, but I never once looked him in the eyes. I am sure I'll think of more. [QUOTE=CrystalNAndrew] EGGS ... x[QUOTE=foxl]... and of course, if we asked the kids we grew up with ... we are just WHACKNUTS and making this all up! Heh, I don't know. Most of them would probably agree with me! I actually remember other kids asking me to please not start on another lecture about whatever I was into that day. I was such a little professor that lecturing was my main mode of communication for a long time. That may explain why I became a professor. Hmmmmmm . . . isis mommy- I can't argue face ot face either. I used to make my ex boyfriend go online and argue with me using AIM. that way I could see everything and process it. he'd go "you've asked me that already' and I'd honestly not remember what he said.I still have terrible handwriting, and actually get a computer at school for exam time. its awesome. It was really interesting to read all of these responses. Between dh and I, we couldn't scrounge up a single ASD trait if we tried. Looking at the diagnostic criteria, neither one of us could check a single box for ourselves. However, I have come to think that my birth father is an Aspie. I always thought he was just a bit quirky and eccentric. And we only see each other a few times per year since I live in IL and he is in CA. I always thought he was somewhat quirky and eccentric. However, as I've become closer to his wife and she's opened up a bit about how he behaves when he's not around me, it just screams AS. So, I think the ASD is definitely in the family, just not in either of us. [QUOTE=Janie][QUOTE=foxl]... and of course, if we asked the kids we grew up with ... we are just WHACKNUTS and making this all up! Heh, I don't know. Most of them would probably agree with me! I actually remember other kids asking me to please not start on another lecture about whatever I was into that day. I was such a little professor that lecturing was my main mode of communication for a long time. That may explain why I became a professor. Hmmmmmm . . . [/QUOTE] But, that was part of my point! We were weird enough to ostracize ... and now we are trying to make EXCUSES for our weirdness??? Sheesh. The nerve of us. I have never thought that I had it ,(but I do have terrible eye contact),and avoid crowds. DH would be close to the spectrum,if not on it. My oldest son who had spina bifida ,also was an Undiagnosed(Undeniable) aspie, and surly would have been dx now. My 2end son 25 has Adult ADHD. I can see traits in my family tree,and dh's as well. Linda |
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I love rubbing m feet together or on our bed sheets and hate the feeling of dry skin (but dont we all?) It gives me heebie jeebies and deep shudders.
Concerning eye contact, i have to really concentrate on the person and focus when looking at them but it never lasts im always glancing this way and that i feel embarrased like they might think im on drugs, or guilty or something!