I searched prior to creating this thread, but I could not find any relevant information. I'm just wondering if anyone has Asperger's or is more familiar with the topic than I am, and if you're willing to discuss the disorder.
Let me give you a little background about myself. I am in my early 20s, and I have a brother who is in the early stages of elementary school. He was diagnosed with Asperger's around a year ago. When I was younger, I showed similar behaviors to him (from what I've been told), but they never "officially" diagnosed me with any sort of behavioral disorder. I currently have a girlfriend whom I've known for quite some time. We have been dating for about three months now, and she was recently helping my parents out by babysitting my little brother. After she came home, she kept saying how simliar we were in our personalities (she is unaware he has autism). She kept referencing specific things he would do that were very simliar to my own (I agreed with everything she said).
I do not have very many close friends. I only have three "true" friends that I am willing to spend time with (my girlfriend, and two other guys). I have other people who I would say are my "friends", but I would not find myself hanging out with them or do anything together. I also come across as very egotistical and selfish, but only due to how I talk and sometimes behave. I do not have any traits that would make me selfish other than my tone of voice and how I communicate sometimes. I'm also a very organized, picky person when it comes to routines and situations. I get extremely uncomfortable if I have to meet people for the first time or talk to someone I don't know. I have a difficult time looking directly in people's eyes during conversation.
Also, if something happens that disrupts my routine or what I have planned, I get extremely upset and distraught. I will give a recent example: The other day, my girlfriend and I went bowling. We left her care at a parking lot near where she works, and I took her back to her apartment. The next morning as I was getting ready for work and almost leaving, she reminded me about her car and needed me to drive her to it. I immediately snapped at her and lashed out, but I did not intend to. She got really upset and I apologized after it happened, but it felt like it was something I could not control.
I also get "stuck" on things and become fairly obsessive. I will listen to the same song on repeat for hours a day for weeks at a time, or continuously do a specific activity until something else comes up. I've been recently bowling quite frequently, to the point that I would bowl around 50 games a week. I've been bowling 3-4 times a week for over five months now, and it's not uncommon for me to do something like this about a particular activity. I'm also obsessed with reading random articles on Wikipedia in my free time, and I can generally retain most of what I read. That is another reason why people always think I'm "conceited", because I always have some input on any topic.
I'm also extremely logical and can memorize numbers instantly. I work in sales (which surprisingly doesn't bother me) and I can memorize the price of every single item we sell along with the SKU and even UPCs.
If I do something to upset my girlfriend and she gets mad or upset, after she becomes disgruntled I have to ask her what is wrong as I honestly have no idea. She gets really mad at me, as if I don't care or wasn't paying attention, but it's extremely difficult for me to read emotions like that.
After reading various articles regarding Asperger's syndrome, I'm beginning to come to the conclusion I may have a mild form. I'm fully functioning otherwise, and my strange behaviors generally don't affect my daily life. I have a higher IQ and I am successful in work and school. I took an online "test" and scored a 37. The average person scores a 16, and 80% of Asperger's patients scored above a 32.
Is anyone familiar with the disability and can give some helpful insight?
Thanks!
Let me give you a little background about myself. I am in my early 20s, and I have a brother who is in the early stages of elementary school. He was diagnosed with Asperger's around a year ago. When I was younger, I showed similar behaviors to him (from what I've been told), but they never "officially" diagnosed me with any sort of behavioral disorder. I currently have a girlfriend whom I've known for quite some time. We have been dating for about three months now, and she was recently helping my parents out by babysitting my little brother. After she came home, she kept saying how simliar we were in our personalities (she is unaware he has autism). She kept referencing specific things he would do that were very simliar to my own (I agreed with everything she said).
I do not have very many close friends. I only have three "true" friends that I am willing to spend time with (my girlfriend, and two other guys). I have other people who I would say are my "friends", but I would not find myself hanging out with them or do anything together. I also come across as very egotistical and selfish, but only due to how I talk and sometimes behave. I do not have any traits that would make me selfish other than my tone of voice and how I communicate sometimes. I'm also a very organized, picky person when it comes to routines and situations. I get extremely uncomfortable if I have to meet people for the first time or talk to someone I don't know. I have a difficult time looking directly in people's eyes during conversation.
Also, if something happens that disrupts my routine or what I have planned, I get extremely upset and distraught. I will give a recent example: The other day, my girlfriend and I went bowling. We left her care at a parking lot near where she works, and I took her back to her apartment. The next morning as I was getting ready for work and almost leaving, she reminded me about her car and needed me to drive her to it. I immediately snapped at her and lashed out, but I did not intend to. She got really upset and I apologized after it happened, but it felt like it was something I could not control.
I also get "stuck" on things and become fairly obsessive. I will listen to the same song on repeat for hours a day for weeks at a time, or continuously do a specific activity until something else comes up. I've been recently bowling quite frequently, to the point that I would bowl around 50 games a week. I've been bowling 3-4 times a week for over five months now, and it's not uncommon for me to do something like this about a particular activity. I'm also obsessed with reading random articles on Wikipedia in my free time, and I can generally retain most of what I read. That is another reason why people always think I'm "conceited", because I always have some input on any topic.
I'm also extremely logical and can memorize numbers instantly. I work in sales (which surprisingly doesn't bother me) and I can memorize the price of every single item we sell along with the SKU and even UPCs.
If I do something to upset my girlfriend and she gets mad or upset, after she becomes disgruntled I have to ask her what is wrong as I honestly have no idea. She gets really mad at me, as if I don't care or wasn't paying attention, but it's extremely difficult for me to read emotions like that.
After reading various articles regarding Asperger's syndrome, I'm beginning to come to the conclusion I may have a mild form. I'm fully functioning otherwise, and my strange behaviors generally don't affect my daily life. I have a higher IQ and I am successful in work and school. I took an online "test" and scored a 37. The average person scores a 16, and 80% of Asperger's patients scored above a 32.
Is anyone familiar with the disability and can give some helpful insight?
Thanks!