High Functioning Autism Symptoms that have affected me
Speech delay
Delay in learning to speak properly as a child resulting in regular visits to a speech therapist till the age of 9. To this day I find speech very hard work.
Social imagination / Theory of mind
Inability to understand people’s intent, what they really mean when they are talking to me.This makes me feel very un-confident around people and as a result I tend to assume they are angry with me and I get angry and defensive very quickly.
Social anxiety
I have always preferred to be alone as being in social settings with most people brings up all sorts of anxiety, wondering if I am “getting it right”
Auditory processing
Auditory processing difficulties. Along with my inability to “read” people I also have great difficulty in processing what they are saying to me and only really take in a small amount of information.
Regulating emotions
Extremely underdeveloped ability to regulate emotions. My emotions are on the edge the whole time waiting to erupt. This often happens through the frustration of not being able to make myself understood through my speech difficulties but also if someone is for example standing to close to me on the bus or talking to loudly when I’m on the train. I will find another seat or even move to another carriage. Not seeing the whole picture / Weak central coherence.Feeling very insecure in the world because I tend to see to see things in small details and I don’t get a sense of how everything fits together.
Planning and organizational difficulties
Planning things and organizing my time is extremely difficult for lots of reasons. Not seeing the “whole picture” makes ithard to plan ahead. I can’t really form a mental picture of what I’m supposed to do.
Co Morbid Conditions
Severe social anxiety, OCD and chronic depression.
Difficulty with Sleeping
Mostly as a baby / child, I would have great difficulty getting to sleep resulting in intervention from child psychologists
Stomach/Abdominal problems (Possibly Gastroenteritis)
As a child I would have constant bouts of severe stomach pain resulting in numerous observational stays in hospital
Sensory problems
With sudden loud noises and very quiet sounds that are in the background. People sitting or standing to close to me on the bus or train for example especially if they bump into me or have any physical contact.
Very sensitive to itchy fabrics and tight clothing.
Let me know if you can relate to these symptoms and how differ from yours
Steve
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Greetings ✌ My 17 year old son is going through the assessment process and phase of diagnosis for suspected HFA/Aspergers. Adam started to display certain characteristics and traits of Autistic tendencies from quite early, but as his sister, at the time, was registered with the NAGC, I incorrectly assumed his behaviour could be due to high intelligence overshadowing his cognitive and childlike traits making things difficult for him. However, as a result of all this, I have become aware that I too tick all the boxes! But at the ripe age of 45 years old, can see little point of an assessment in my own right! But I can identify with the majority of issues faced by Autism. My brother has Autism, but he also has a degenerative genetic disorder, so it very much appears to be floating around our ‘gene pool’ rather than organic or environmentally caused. I love words, words are my forte, written rather than spoken as I prefer to blend in rather than give any form of public display of interaction! Does anybody else here go extremely insular at times and disengage from both people, and to a certain degree, society at times?
Really pleased to have discovered this site
My behaviour in two memories I have from when I was around nine-months-old is strongly suggestive of Autism; and I haven’t formed social attachments, even with my cousins. In school I had no friends; I threw tantrums into my teens; and I kept my interests strictly personal as a child. I sometimes bang on about something without the slightest clue that my listener is getting bored; and I never played at house as a child unless roped into it by others, upon which I would become a passive participant. I have a lifelong love of facts that has generated a great knowledge of UK copyright law and some knowledge of other IP laws; I hold my fingers in unusual positions even today; and when a child, I loved to play with toy garages by releasing a car at the top of a ramp over and over.
The above information is what got me diagnosed with Autistic Disorder by Digby Tantam, who said it surprised him that I had ever been diagnosed as an Aspie based on my history.
I should also mention I recognize every other characteristic to certain extents. When I was at the clinic for a diagnosis (something was wrong, I just didn’t know what yet) I also had a polysomnograph taken. Sleep has been an issue forever. Turns out I do have sleep cycle problems, insufficient REM sleep, high sleep latency and a heightened arousal pattern. All these have been tied to ASD in recent year.
Hi Nils
I agree with what you are saying about sleep. I have always struggled with sleep also. Many people on the spectrum also struggle with sleep and end up being really tired the next day.
Steve
I got a broad Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. Took about a month of in-house residence with social, psychological and psychiatric observations and tests. They were pretty sure.
I don’t know if Asperger’s and HFA were even given as a diagnosis in Belgium or whether services these days prefer the broader spectrum.
My mom died 20 years ago so I don’t know about speech delays. I don’t think I had them, and I certainly never went to see any professionals about it. I’ve always been very verbal and cerebral anyways.
Another often heard charateristic of Asperger’s v HFA is the need to interact socially, at least to a point. I do have that. I love being on my own, but I also like learning from other people.
The biggest hindrance is the smalltalk involved and the subsequent desire people get to do things together. Something I have no interest in. They also never seem to want to talk about the subjects I like, at least not for hours.
I guess I’d be happiest living inside a radio talkshow, but no strings attached afterwards.
Hi Nils
I think that with the new DSMV diagnosis criteria, it will all just be autistic spectrum disorder for people getting a new diagnosis. Generally for all autistic people, any therapy is person centred, and directed toward an individuals need whether AS or HFA.
Steve
No speech delay here. My family seems to speak early and with a great understanding of ‘big’ words at a young age. However, with speech impediments, such as not being able to enunciate certain sounds. (like ‘s’ or ‘th’). Speech therapy has eliminated those problems.
My parents passed on when I was quite young, so I am not sure about myself really.
So does that fall more into Asperger’s or Autism? I think I read or heard somewhere that speech delays plays a big part in diagnosing/differentiating between them. Maybe on one of your videos?
I dislike excess noise, and cannot talk to someone well with a tv or something on. I need quiet to process information most of the time.
Sensory overload is common for me. Sometimes I actually feel sick when overwhelmed by sight and sound.
Events have to be planned far in advance for me, so my energy can be conserved.
I hate it when people just show up at my home, as I have had no time to plan for them. The planning isn’t so much external environment, as it is my internal.
I don’t like to talk on the phone. And my cell has actually had complete months where no minutes were used.
I love working alone. When other people are around it is distracting and confusing to me.
My relative whom I suspect as having Asperger’s or HFA is very talented with art, dance, music, writing. She is very sensitive to sound and texture. She loves to stay at home rather than be out doing stuff all the time. She can become very absorbed in the things that interest her, but unfortunately to the degree of neglecting the things she needs to do.
She is the one I am most concerned with. She has such wonderful talents and I hate to see those go to waste because she can’t fulfill the other academics required of her.
There ya’ go. I don’t talk often, but when I do……:D, well, there’s a tendency to babble.
Hi
No problem. I babble all the time, often until someone tells me to be quiet!
Sometimes I get in to a one sided conversation with someone about cameras, or my new follow focus, and I just go on and on….!
The speech delay thing that I had, meant that my diagnosis was high functioning autism as opposed to Aspergers. But it’s all a part of the autistic spectrum anyway.
The sensory problems you have described, are symptoms I often come across in my other job as tutor at the National autistic society in London.
I can suggest a couple of things. You may already do these but: Try to have a quiet “sensory” space, with soft lights/music in your house if possible, that you can go to when feeling stressed.
It really helps me to listen to relaxing music on my headphones when I’m in noisy public places, or travelling around London (London is a really noisy, stressful place, and not built for autistic people!)
Also, some of the people I work with, wear sunglasses to deal with horrible lights and other visual over stimuli.
It’s not always easy to overcome these problems. But really try to experiment.
You may come up with some practical new ways of overcoming the sensory issues.
I hope this helps.
Speak soon
Steve