Diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum.

[KenThis]

Hi all,

I've made no secret of my mental health difficulties and today I have finally found out the fundamental cause.
I have been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum.
I now have a name for the 'thing' that has been wrong and there's a huge sense of relief.
I also understand now why communicating my ideas can be so difficult, and why people think I'm blunt and argumentative.
So if I ever upset you on the forums please now understand it's not intentional.

Cheers Ken.

 

[Nice65]

I'm not sure I can even reply after your constant rudeness.

Kidding of course. All the best, and a relief to have a diagnosis. I spent many years wondering how the guys at work could meet at the gym afterwards for a workout, then go on to the pub. I felt exhausted even during the day. Suffered in the cold etc.

Eventually, my thyroid swelled up and I had chemo. Turns out the thing was hardly working at all, probably for many years, so my metabolic rate was very slow. Because it's predominantly a female condition, nobody thought to test me. Despite the chemo, it was such a relief to know what was wrong. I knew there was, but I wasn't being listened to.

Madam works in care, mainly with autistic people, I actually like the straightforward approach at times.

 

[Trencakey]

I



Madam works in care, mainly with autistic people, I actually like the straightforward approach at times.

It's got me in trouble more than once.

 

[Nice65]

It's got me in trouble more than once.

I can imagine. It needs some understanding and awareness.

 

[Nomad64]

I also understand now why communicating my ideas can be so difficult, and why people think I'm blunt and argumentative.
So if I ever upset you on the forums please now understand it's not intentional

At least you have an excuse - lots of us manage to do this without any medical reason!

More seriously, wonderful as it is, the interweb and forums are an imperfect medium for communication, particularly between people who may not know each other and may be from different cultures. Subtle nuances, cultural references etc. are easily misinterpreted or missed (emojis are a bit teenage but do help) and, whether due to restraint on the part of members or the vigilance of the mods, most of the discussions on here are (despite the inevitable tendency for things sometimes to turn into a p!ssing contest) good humoured and informative. Your posts are no blunter or more argumentative than most in here.

More seriously still, "congratulations" (if that is the right expression) on getting a diagnosis which will hopefully help making sense of things and for having the cojones for sharing. In the past, I have worked (in a non-clinical capacity) with kids on what I assume is the extreme opposite end of the broad spectrum you find yourself on.

FWIW, the soothing effect of the outdoors and Forest School activities on these extremely challenging kids was remarkable so your choice of hobby is an excellent one.

Good luck!

 

[Laurentius]

Hi all,

I've made no secret of my mental health difficulties and today I have finally found out the fundamental cause.
I have been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum.
I now have a name for the 'thing' that has been wrong and there's a huge sense of relief.
I also understand now why communicating my ideas can be so difficult, and why people think I'm blunt and argumentative.
So if I ever upset you on the forums please now understand it's not intentional.

Cheers Ken.

Congratulations, join the club, I was diagnosed back in 1999, I hope you have the chance to find out more about the positive sides of autism, we are quite a community in our own right.

 

[John Fenna]

The relief of having a diagnosis can be a relief in any problem - as I found out with a diagnosis of Clinical Depression many years ago. I found that it also gave a bench mark for working out how ill I was and how to respond to further events....

 

[boney gumbo mcgee]

Hi Ken. Well done for speaking up, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder 10 years ago, and getting a correct diagnosis was the best thing to happen for me, one of my daughters has been diagnosed as being on the Autistic spectrum and I am glad she is now getting the extra help at school. Luckily mental health awareness is much more enlightened these days. I wish you all the best. You have one of the best hobbies in the world on your side imo. Enjoy your time out in the woods.

 

[Jaeger]

Aye Up Ken,

For 'Blunt and argumentative' - I've always read of you 'to the point and will defend his view'!

Were you born Yorkshire and then moved to Cardiff then?

Seriously - you haven't come across to me any different to many other people on here.

 

[hughlle1]

I'm the opposite. I refuse to get myself diagnosed for the same issue, because having a diagnosis offers me no benefit. If it makes you happy though, then good on you. I think it partly depends on the mindset of someone with a diagnosis. Some take the diagnosis and use it as a way forward, others will take it as an excuse to keep going as they are because "I have x, nothing I can do about it".

 

[Nice65]

I'm the opposite. I refuse to get myself diagnosed for the same issue, because having a diagnosis offers me no benefit. If it makes you happy though, then good on you. I think it partly depends on the mindset of someone with a diagnosis. Some take the diagnosis and use it as a way forward, others will take it as an excuse to keep going as they are because "I have x, nothing I can do about it".

I disagree. When an individual knows inside that something isn't quite right, a diagnosis is a huge relief.

 

[hughlle1]

I disagree. When an individual knows inside that something isn't quite right, a diagnosis is a huge relief.

There is no right or wrong, tt is simply personal preference I know what is wrong with me thereabouts, and having an official diagnosis changes nothing for me. I am me, it is who I am, and a label changes nothing.

 

[mrcharly]

I disagree. When an individual knows inside that something isn't quite right, a diagnosis is a huge relief.

I'm with you on this. Once you have a diagnosis, you know where to focus effort.

 

[Nice65]

I know. I was ill for years and knew something was wrong. Whether it's autism or hypothyroid doesn't make it a label, it's what you need to know.

 

[hughlle1]

I know. I was ill for years and knew something was wrong. Whether it's autism or hypothyroid doesn't make it a label, it's what you need to know.

Why do I need to know from a doctor that I have aspergers or something even further up the spectrum? It changes nothing for me. As I've said, if it makes people feel better about things, then I've no issue with it, all the power to them. I've simply pointed out that it is not the case for me, and yet you're telling me that I'm wrong in my appraoch. Seems to work just great for me thanks

 

[Nice65]

Why do I need to know from a doctor that I have aspergers or something even further up the spectrum? It changes nothing for me. As I've said, if it makes people feel better about things, then I've no issue with it, all the power to them. I've simply pointed out that it is not the case for me, and yet you're telling me that I'm wrong in my appraoch. Seems to work just great for me thanks

No mate, I'm honestly not telling you you're wrong, who am I to judge you? Please don't think that. I just know from my own experience that finally knowing that I had a recognised medical condition was a great relief and allowed treatment.

How that applies to autism I'm not sure, but if the condition is affecting others as well as the individual a diagnosis can help everyone understand things better.

 

[TeeDee]

Hi all,

I've made no secret of my mental health difficulties and today I have finally found out the fundamental cause.
I have been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum.
I now have a name for the 'thing' that has been wrong and there's a huge sense of relief.
I also understand now why communicating my ideas can be so difficult, and why people think I'm blunt and argumentative.
So if I ever upset you on the forums please now understand it's not intentional.

Cheers Ken.

Serious question - How does one get tested?? Or can one take some sort of Online test to gauge??

 

[dave89]

"Autistic people have difficulties with interpreting both verbal and non-verbal language like gestures or tone of voice. Many have a very literal understanding of language, and think people always mean exactly what they say. They may find it difficult to use or understand"

I've found myself in similar situations while talking to the wife, its like she says one thing but actually means something else entirely. "yeah buy that rucksack its not like you've not got enough" this actually means don't buy the rucksack.

 

[Nice65]

I've found myself in similar situations while talking to the wife, its like she says one thing but actually means something else entirely. "yeah buy that rucksack its not like you've not got enough" this actually means don't buy the rucksack.

Ah, that's been happening to me as well. "Yeah, spend £750 on a MacBook Pro, I'm sure you'll use it to its potential, and two laptops are better than one". So I did.

 

[Herbalist1]

Serious question - How does one get tested?? Or can one take some sort of Online test to gauge??

There are tests available online - I did one which confirmed what my wife had told me (she's been in education all her working life and has often been able to spot autistic kids before they've had a diagnosis, indeed some children only got a diagnosis because she picked it up and was able to refer them). However any such test can only be at best an indication and not a diagnosis, still can be a useful pointer though should you want to follow it up. I suspect such tests do have a tendency to 'over predict' though.