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Autism/Eh, do i have autism.(14 years old)
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Question
I was referred over the internet by someone who does have it while playing a game amazingly long story.I would never of guessed i would have had autism (high-functioning) Although my social skills are lacking i'm very good in learning i've never failed a grade and passed 8th grade with all the hard-core classes.(and yes going on to 9th)(I also have a scholarship already Mark Twain reading one worth 5,000 dollars )I do have friends and manage to get along fine but every so often i will say something odd and i'm thinking .. why in the heck did i say that. I do not have much gross motor skills ect. i'm on the basketball team but i'm not the best player ,:) although better then some. I'm far to lazy to get a doc's opionion about it. It does not really seem to hurt me badly in my skills. But i'm not sure after reading so many things about Autism how to really tell if i have it they seem to vary greatly. And last, I do seem to show interest in somewhat certain things, mostly computer games. Never so much as objects although i once would twiddle a pencil all the time.(couple years ago)
Thanks.
Hi,
as I already said in the disclaimer of my profile - I cannot give you a diagnosis. From what you write it's quite impossible to tell anyway. You may be simply a gifted but shy young man, or a zillion of other things. However, if you say you don't feel that the way you are "hurts you badly in your skills", it's quite unlikely that you have autism/Asperger's Syndrome. Even normal people show sometimes some traits that can be seen in autistic/Asperger people, but if it doesn't impair their academic/social/daily living etc. skills, it's generally not seen as a sign that they may have autism/Asperger.
Um...there has been a book about "shadow syndromes" (which I haven't read, but I read *about* that book), which are like the very mild "cousins" of real disorders - so mild that people would never get diagnosed, but they still share some traits with people who do have these disorders. This may be an interesting read for you.
Here's a link to the book on amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Syndromes-Mental-Disorders-Sabotage/dp/0553379593/r...
But if you want to be sure, you have to go and see an expert. Or at least buy a good book (I'd choose one of the books by Tony Attwood.
I strongly recommend this one: Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals
(here's a link to this book on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Aspergers-Syndrome-Guide-Parents-Professionals/dp/18530257...
), read it yourself, and if you're still convinced you may have autism/Asperger's, make your Parents read it, and let *them* judge if it fits you. And if that's the case, go and see a specialist. That's all I can say for now.
Good luck,
c.
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Answers by Expert:
Celtica
Expertise
*DISCLAIMER*
Please note I am not a healthcare professional or a doctor.
I cannot provide a diagnosis or give any medical advice.
Therefore I cannot answer questions like "is my child autistic ?" other than by telling you to go and see a specialist
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Please be aware that if you are in the US it will usually take at least 24 hours until I can answer your question, as I'm in Europe and don't have access to my email during the day.
I also cannot answer questions concerning the US educational or law system (other than by looking up things on google, but that's probably not the expertise you need), as I'm not in the US.
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Please also be aware that I'm a person with autism. My answers may sometimes be very blunt and direct and I may tell you things you won't like to hear. Diplomacy is certainly not among my talents. I'm never being rude on purpose, and I always try not to hurt or offend people, but it has happened before and may happen again. It's NEVER on purpose. I just want to help.
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What I *can* do for you is gather information on any aspect of autism
and therapy of autism you're interested in and give you my personal oppinion about it (if you want to hear it) or, if it applies, tell you about my personal experience. I can answer all questions about what life is like for an autistic person.
I can also answer questions asked in German or French (but will have to answer in English to questions asked in French as my French is a bit rusty).
Ich beantworte gerne auch Fragen auf Deutsch.
Vous pouvez poser des questions en Francais, si cela ne vous dérange pas que je responds en anglais.
Experience
As I'm not doing well right now and am not in the shape of answering questions well - I recieved a few low ratings lately - I'll take a break from AllExperts for the next few weeks/until I'm doing better
I am an adult diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome/High Functioning Autism and ADD.
In the past years I have also read a lot about autism and its comorbid conditions and related subjects (as I am experiencing symptoms of most of these or know others who do) , so I have accumulated a lot of layman knowledge in this area
(AD(H)D, Tourette's Syndrome, OCD, sleep disorders, allergies, sensory integration dysfunction, learning difficulties, left/right-brain, giftedness, Irlen Syndrome, prism glasses, executive dysfunction (aka. "inertia"), "special" diets).
Education/Credentials
None in the field of autism, apart from being autistic myself !
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