Austism spectrum

[Tengu]

Ill let you into a secret.

Its possible to have a happy and productive life without pursuing relationships.

 

[Laurentius]

Ill let you into a secret.

Its possible to have a happy and productive life without pursuing relationships.

Then again, I was listening to the dramatisation of Jude the Obscure on Radio four recently and replaying a few less fortunate relationships of my own.

 

[Spirit fish]

I have recently been diagnosed by my GP, after seeing typical symptoms on the NHS website, as being on the Autism spectrum. I have, according to my research what I believe to be what used to been known as Asperger's. I have to wait around 18 months for any sort of assessment due to long waiting lists.
The diagnosis makes so much sense about how I have been and felt all of my life. Unfortunately it has cost me two marriages and it's looking like a third is also going to end.
Has anyone else been diagnosed? It would be interesting to hear your experiences?

I'm aspergers mate send me a message if you wanna chat it's a very personal hell for me but it's not all bad far from it some people think we lack empathy but we don't we find it harder to express but we're very thoughtfull empathetic people inside

 

[Spirit fish]

Sorry for the essay! It's an area I'm kind of passionate and annoyed at the lack of services so I go on a bit too much.

ASD was on a BBC documentary bac few years ago. They assessed a random set of volunteers and found the ASD to be higher. Plus the research it was based on showed that ASD has super powers as much as lowered function. People who go through the day but just want to get home, have a shower or but bath and be alone. Well that's often am ASD based crisis where everyday life has overwhelmed you.

With ASD some have heightened abilities. For example some can hear electricity!! Others can find utility pipes like they've got an extra sense. Then there's the ability to hyper focus. There's a Canadian tech company who has expanded from Canada to be a global player in debugging code. Their success is due in no small part to employing mostly people with ASD and other disorders. Apparently people with ASD who are still functional often have great abilities to concentrate and focus on line after like of code. They can keep going longer without breaks and have fewer missed errors or mistakes. As in something like 90% accuracy compared to 60% fit neurotypicals (NTs).

I for one would love to hear back from you after your referral. It that's not too personal and private. You have been open in here and people are supportive I think. I think how you get on could give me the kick up the 'arris I need to act myself. It's not good someone with two degrees is approaching 50 on not much more than minimum wage. That's where my problems got me. Issues like these really affects you deep into your life and what matters. Good luck in your journey and don't ever give up like I did!!

I can hear electricity depending on building and Bats echolocation squeaks that's uncanny I'm aspergers

 

[Spirit fish]

Ill let you into a secret.

Its possible to have a happy and productive life without pursuing relationships.

well said

Yep, professionally diagnosed, not with Aspergers but was termed HFA (high functioning autism) by a specialist back in 2010 as the result of a higher education programme, for that is another route to diagnosis for universities are keen to discover and aid. To say yes there are some distinct positives in being diagnosed in that it can aid one's self forgiveness for a self perceived life's failure, but there are some dangers to the diagnosis I've found ;

a) In a new found interest in the subject of autism, one might take to learning more about it, to perhaps seek to connect with others out on the web, to in discussion of experiences through a need to fit in, potentially take on things that aren't really yours to take, to if you can recognise them erode coping mechanism you have through your life developed.

b) Be very careful who you tell for there are a lot of bullies out there, intentional and not, for any can take to the web, to find the popular picture, the stereotype to there apply their understanding of that popular picture to you , to even when they can't see what they have read seek to deny your experience and difficulty and in some cases even use the knowledge as a tool of oppression through telling you, you do not know what you're thinking because you have a ' cognitive disorder '

c) It's true, there is no help for late diagnosed adult autism on the NHS, for one to just be expected to suck it up and cope with what could be ailing through the understanding, to be diagnosed as an adult one has clearly coped to get that far to not be in need of aid and besides to offer treatment to adults would erode the belief that adulthood cures childhood autism for invariably diagnosed children lose their support at the age of eighteen, to in my mind be in a worse position than the late diagnosed that may have been forced to develop coping strategies to navigate living and working.

Though in my case a diagnosis of autism enabled a lot of understanding and self forgiveness, it wasn't the end of it, for what came two years later was a diagnosis of an intersex condition of which just happens to feature a well known comorbidity with high functioning autism. For that condition to at least have a medical treatment paradigm of which I do have to say from experience does knock the edges off the autism. The only problem with the direction I took in that paradigm is that it has rendered me more or less a public enemy for my appearance. An experience I find autism actually aids with in that I am already well schooled in the art of societal camouflage and the avoidance of situations likely to cause difficulty.

Im.aspie very personal he'll my hobbies and lifting weights keep me sane

 

[Paul_B]

Well this thread got me thinking. After reading and contributing I started googling. I found out that the county I've just left but my gp surgery is still half in has a couple of centres for diagnosis of what I suspect I've got (ADHD). I found a GP surgery that specialises in adult ADHD diagnosis. So I emailed them directly asking if they take on patients from outside their own area, plus a few other Qs. No reply but at least if I go back to my gp I have a place he/she can send me. My failure in getting diagnosed came down to the gp not finding a place too send me to.

So this thread got he thinking and finding own route to a diagnosis. I just need to make that big step to make a doctor's appointment. Covid obviously means there's an issue there but I'll be doing it sooner or later.

BTW not ASD but I think there's a similarity in getting diagnosed as an adult with both so I feel justified in joining this discussion. Besides I could easily have ASD myself. I'm not normal with people or thought patterns. Being bullied was a way of life at school for me despite being the height of a kid 3 years older. Gentle giant who just didn't get everything but would get some things very well. If ASD doesn't stop you absolutely reading people sometimes but completely not getting them most of the time then I could have it too. Quite common for ADGD and ASD to be comorbidities.

Interesting to see this thread resurrected.

 

[Wayland]

I have for many years thought that I am wired differently to most people, quite possibly relatively high on the spectrum.

Personally I have always embraced those differences and made them work for me.

That does not mean that I don't find certain situations stressful but it does mean I try to engineer my life in a way that minimises those situations.

I've never sought a diagnoses because I am not sure how such a diagnoses would alter the way I run my life and I am somewhat adverse to change and disruption.

I believe that my work and craft actually benefit from an attention to detail which probably arises directly from the way I am wired so I look upon it as an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

Not sure if any of that is useful but just offering a slightly different perspective.

 

[Paul_B]

There's a very successful software debugging company from Canada iirc. It's successful in part because it actively recruits from people with ASD, in some cases where it has a big impact on their abilities in what's called normal life. They are however better able to concentrate on pages and pages of code looking for the bugs, much longer and with fewer missed occurrences than neuro typical people.

In another company I know about there was an enlightened recruitment policy where they actively recruited people with learning disabilities, ASD and other problems for leading a "normal" life. One guy taken on as a cleaner had really quite severe problems and couldn't talk to people. One day he was cleaning around the area control engineers worked on the software for their turbine engine test centre. He became fascinated by what they were doing so one engineer tried to explain what he was doing.

The end result of that initial approach by the engineer was that the guy with learning difficulties ended up becoming one of their most talented control software progammers. He got fully trained up and earned a good income too. Other benefits included improvements in his social abilities. Still had big issues but he talked to people and was able to work in teams.

We all have issues which prevent us winning the champions league with LFC or gaining the Nobel prize for medicine or just being able to carry out "normal" small talk. But the converse is true in that we all have characteristics that mean we can do things well. The main issue is being able to get the most out of people. In some ways diagnosis could be the start of achieving that, or not. People learn to cope but do they learn to achieve what they are truly capable of?

 

[Wayland]

{ Posted in wrong place. }

 

[Tengu]

Ill have to make one now I have learned to splice rope.

 

[Laurentius]

I have for many years thought that I am wired differently to most people, quite possibly relatively high on the spectrum.

Personally I have always embraced those differences and made them work for me.

That does not mean that I don't find certain situations stressful but it does mean I try to engineer my life in a way that minimises those situations.

I've never sought a diagnoses because I am not sure how such a diagnoses would alter the way I run my life and I am somewhat adverse to change and disruption.

I believe that my work and craft actually benefit from an attention to detail which probably arises directly from the way I am wired so I look upon it as an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

Not sure if any of that is useful but just offering a slightly different perspective.

Well since I have been on this forum I have been impressed by your craft. When I was younger, long before I was diagnosed, I read all about the life and works of William Morris as he was a man after my heart. I remember meeting one of his biographers in Sheffield, who described him as possibly having Tourretes so that makes him neurodivergent brethren. FWIW no less than Sacha Baron Cohen's cousin has suggested I have Tourretes as well as Autism. I have often decribed myself as Autistic before the took the R out that is to say Artistic, get it?

 

[Wayland]

I take for granted many of my craft skills. They just seem to come naturally to me.

One thing they all have in common though is my attention to detail and I think that is definitely part of my wiring.

 

[Kadushu]

I don't fit most of the criteria for ASD but I do prefer being alone and generally avoiding people. Maybe it's just Auld Scrote Disorder in my case.

 

[Silverclaws2]

An observation concerning ' neuro-diversity ' neuro-diversity being the affected's preferred term, we can appear to others as somewhat eccentric and yeah ' not normal' to also have no problems in enjoying our own company, oft preferring it.

 

[Paul_B]

Are you talking about bushcrafters or those with ASD?

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

@swotty so did you look at the NHS website, think "I'm like that" then phone up to book an appointment with your GP and then convey your thoughts to them?

Do you think you're mild enough to have not been picked up by the system or are you part of the older lot who were just diagnosed as "naughty boys"?

..if you don't mind me asking.

 

[swotty]

Yes , saw the lost in the NHS website, thought blimey, that's me contacted my GP who agreed and has referred me.

I'm 53 and don't seem to think things like this were picked up upon when I was at school. Wasn't really one of the naughty kids, just didn't really fit in and was a bit different!

Sent from Somerset using magic

 

[gibson 175]

I have recently been diagnosed by my GP, after seeing typical symptoms on the NHS website, as being on the Autism spectrum. I have, according to my research what I believe to be what used to been known as Asperger's. I have to wait around 18 months for any sort of assessment due to long waiting lists.
The diagnosis makes so much sense about how I have been and felt all of my life. Unfortunately it has cost me two marriages and it's looking like a third is also going to end.
Has anyone else been diagnosed? It would be interesting to hear your experiences?

not myself,but through family and work-then when you talk to people generally it is amazing how prevalent such things are. Are you aware that there are support services out there-NHS,social services,charities etc( although probably less these days)

 

[Paul_B]

There's possibly more for when you're diagnosed than services for getting a diagnosis.