A question for the older aged adults.

I'm curious to know how many others over 50 found out on their own that they're aspies? I can't be the only person who has spent half a century trying to figure out what the reason was for being so unpopular and not being able to get hired for a decent job in spite of graduating college with high grades and being above average in physical attractiveness.

I'd also like to know how many other aspies over the age of 40 bother to look for other aspies close in age for making friendships.

Hi. I'm 43 and only figured it out within the last year. I've been going to a psychiatrist for years for other issues (ADD, OCD) but I only found out about the AS through an article I read online. I haven't really been looking for other aspies close in age for making friendships mainly because, despite my age, I have a small child at home and I'm not able to get out and do things a lot. It might be nice for the future, though. My main emphasis right now is posting messages in forums online to hopefully help younger people with AS learn from what I went through.

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this,but I have some questions. I have been reading a lot about AS lately and I can relate to many of the symptoms. I am 27 years old though, and I was wondering if anyone would like to share how old you were when you were diagnosed and how you were diagnosed. It may seem strange but it would be a relief to me to know that there is a reason for the way that I am. I would appreciate any advice you can give me. Thanks.

I was 26 when I found out about AS, and 26.5yrs old when I was diagnosed. I'm 34.5yrs old now.

I initially went to a doctor to see about diagnosis, and I'd previously seen several psychiatrists and psychologists (between the 2 I've seen around 20 so far), and the doctor flat out refused in front of my dad and I to refer/send me to a psychologist for diagnosis. So my dad contacted the Autistic society here in the UK and they referred him to 1 or 2 private psychologists, which of course we had to pay to see, and he diagnosed me after 2 or 3 visits plus a specialised IQ test and some questions about family history and my background info.

The irony is I was sent to a psychologist at age 3 for behavioural issues, so if the medical profession had known about AS back then, I would have been diagnosed 23yrs earlier.

Before and shortly after I was diagnosed, I was somewhat apprehensive about whether I had AS or not, as it seemed only 1 in 300-500 people had it (I suspect the real figure is really 1 in 200). After meeting and talking to others with AS online (I've talked to over 200 with AS I think).

I realised there's no doubt I'm quite typical for someone with AS if not even one of those affected most severely. I found that odd at first, but according to my observations those who seem most blatantly AS often seem to function better. Or perhaps it's not so much they function better, but have been in a more supportive environment for a long time.

The following are side issues you may wish to consider for "explaining the way you are" (whether you have AS or not):

* You may be more spiritual: According to my observations 66% of those with AS have some ability that may be considered psychic - personally I have vivid dreams, and would not count this as one, but I am a very spiritual person. As for those who are spiritual but do not have AS, they do seem to be slightly set apart from the rest of the population (my sister is one such person). They can also seem more AS-like.

* You may suffer from trauma. Many with AS are totally consumed and overwhelmed by life, especially those over the age of 24, even if they functioned quite well before that point. Being forced to function in environments that are intolerable, especially for long periods, can lead to mental breakdown, extreme depression, or stress overload. People without AS can experience this, but having AS doesn't help, especially if there are no supports or functioning mechanisms in place, and the person is left to deal with things on their own.

* You may have seizures. I once read that 30% of those with autism (and probably a similar amount with AS) have seizures. I've talked to many with seizures online, and the ones I've talked to who said they were diagnosed with AS actually appeared "autistic" (as in HFA as opposed to AS) to me. It seems that having seizures to make people with AS more autistic, and those without autism/AS to appear AS-like.
** Some with AS, or undiagnosed people may have "small-seizures", where the person is staring into space and "Blanks out" for a few seconds. I knew someone with AS who had this issue, and they had many issues relating to having AS.

Oh, and I also know someone in real life who's 33, and she has *autism* (high functioning), and didn't know until a few years ago that she had it. She's verbal, but not as much as someone with AS. I've found that the medical profession is actively avoiding the diagnosis of people with AS except when it seems absolutely necessary. Suicide attempts of course not making any difference to them caring whether someone is diagnosed or not (I have done these in the past, and I'm still not even diagnosed with the depression I've had 21.5yrs!).

I'm 39, and I think I have AS. I'm looking into finding a clinical psychologist to make a diagnosis. I am completely overwhelmed by... well... everything. Life in general. The world outside my own skull. I've always been weird, alien, extremely intelligent but really ineffective at life and baffled by social dynamics.

It is very tempting for me to go on about my personal life in minute detail right now, and I am deliberately stopping myself from posting the extremely long and convoluted rant that is burbling around in my head. I just spent the last hour engaged in a brisk bout of pacing and compulsive finger wiggling whilst indulging in a verbose inner monologue on Asperger's and why I think it explains so much about me.

I'm so excited to have found a label for the way I am, I'll be disappointed if I'm told otherwise by a professional. I've been looking for a long time... ever since I was a child and realized that the mother ship wasn't coming to get me after all. I had dismissed parapsychology as bunk by the time I was eight, so that's 31 years of looking for a better answer.

I'll be posting to these boards looking for advice and commiseration, but I better get my self-censuring abilities back online before I do so.

Lolz... I guess I'm just saying hello for now; although, I could use some help finding a professional in my area who is knowledgeable and willing.

I felt the same way before I was diagnosed, not knowing too much about AS at the time. Probably the best way to be sure yourself that you have it is by finding others with AS who are similar or very similar to yourself. In your case that will typically be moms of AS children who may or may not be diagnosed. I can only remember 1 dad of an AS child online, not counting another who actually had autism.

Failing the above, there are probably online tests you can take to give yourself a rough idea of how likely it is. Although this test below uses weird stereotypical questions, it seems to work:
http://www.piepalace....
It was originally found here, except it won't calculate your score for you:
http://www.wired.com/...

Personally I scored 33 or the test and my 2nd best ever online friend (who was diagnosed with AS 4 or 5yrs after I met her) scored 34. My dad, sister, and a guy I know doing a phd at university (non-AS quiet people with very high IQ's) got between 23 and 25 points. I figure if you score 32 or more (or perhaps even 30+) it's probably likely you have AS, as every "geek" or genius (without AS) I've tested has scored under 26, and 90%+ of those with AS I've known scored 33 or over. Some of the moms of kids with autism I met scored 30+, and one guy (supposedly with autism) I met scored 25.

I also wouldn't consider "higher than 33" necessarily meaning more functioning, but I'm guessing it may indicate more sensitivites. Personally I'm more messed up for life than probably 90%+ of aspies I meet, so my low score by AS standards isn't an indication of how well I function or how much having AS has affects me. I knew some people who scored 48-50, and I envied how well they were getting on in life....I did know they had AS or HFA though.

I took exactly the same test at a different website.

http://www.okcupid.co...'s-syndrome-test

I scored a 38. I don't know what that means. I'm currently trying to get an appointment with a neuropsychologist.

Thank you for the input.