Adults with Aspergers

I dont have much knowledge of this, but I will bump this thread for you.

You've started the thread yourself onmyown

My daughter has a friend who is on the spectrum we also suspect my son is. It was DD friend who suggested we have DS tested. As her friend obviously knows the signs. We are seeing GP initially after Christmas.

I was googleing last week and saw that Aspergers is a term no longer used by the professionals and that patients are simply deemed to be on the Autistic spectrum. It didn't give any explanation as to why.

I'm sure there must be support forums out there. Though I haven't looked.

www.talkaboutautism.org.uk/ forums

Try www.asperclick.co.uk . Don't know where you live but there are quite good services in the Lothian area. There is a Scottish ASD strategy which focuses on adults. In England there's also a strategy but I don't know how it's getting on. I can say more if you have specific questions

Sorry Jane that link doesn't work for me.

Try this one nina asperclick.com/

Thanks that works

I too am interested in this thread onmyown. One of my DGC has just been diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum and I am worried about how they will cope. Like all grandparents we only want for them to be happy.

Youngsters these day can get a lot of help Crafting but it doesn't stop us being worried does it?

onmyown, I am a little interested in this but given that Aspergers in adults is so little known, understood or diagnosed, I wonder if there are people like me around who might be borderline but who cope reasonably well.

There are various online tests one can do but when I've looked at these, I've thought that the socially awkward (for whatever reason) might come up as borderline autistic but not actually be so.

What was your thinking behind the posting? What did you hope the response might be and lead to?

So many young people get diagnosed with autism these days and it seems widely recognised in schools and universities with lots of help available. That's what I've seen with friend's children anyway.

anniezzz What you describe sounds like my 23 yr old DS. His problems were never picked up on at school which is why we he wants a referral now.

He's done a couple of on line tests and results say 'quiet likely'.

Perhaps many adults with aspergers were just never diagnosed as such. Not sure if that is good or bad- because, for me, labelling people is often like a Damocles' sword over their head and does not encourage people getting the best of their potential- as some will sit back and say 'can't win, can't do it, because...'

My older brother was 77 last week- and it is clear to me that he has Aspergers. He is hugely intelligent in maths and physics- was one of the first people to do a PhD Doctorate in Information technology and part of teams which invented early computer languages. He was always interested in trains, and knows all the national timetables by heart- and can do sums in his head a computer would be proud of.

But he was always 'different' and not very able to cope with social inter-action with strangers. When I first saw 'Rainman' I thought, 'Yes, it's my brother' and recently when I read 'the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime' it was so clear too.

He is a hugely successful individual, Professor at Uni- and has many friends and his nieces and nephews just adore him. I'm sure he would not have fared any better for having a label stuck on him- I'm sure. A wonderful man.

Aspergers was not identified as a diagnosis until the early 1980s. x

I would recommend reading the 'curious incident of the dog in the nighttime' - wonderful insights in Aspergers and how their mind ticks.

it's good to hear your brother lives a fulfilling life granjura and I accept your view that a 'label' wouldn't have altered his life. You say he has many friends, which suggests that the social awkwardness and anxiety that many people on the autistic spectrum experience is less of a problem for him.
My 21 year old grandson was diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum when he was 8. He is academically very bright, socially very ill at ease. The diagnosis helped in many ways. Firstly, he was no longer labelled disruptive at his primary school, where constructive strategies were put in place to help him. A statement of special educational needs followed him through primary, high and 6th form college. The main positive of that was he wasn't expected to "cope" with a playground full of noise, activity and often bullies. He was given responsibility for the library, something he loved and something that meant he wasn't to be found swaying in a corner of the playground, feeling totally overwhelmed.

He is currently being supported in his search for work. No doubt he would have been penalised had it not been for the SSEN 'label'

I'm not in favour of labelling as it's called, but diagnosis can be of great assistance to some children and adults.

Iam64

DS has only worked for a few months since leaving school (had to quit as lost his lift) we're hoping that a diagnosis will get him the same sort of support your GS is receiving. I wish him all the best.

DS is very limited with what employment he could cope with. He cannot interact with people face to face or talk on the phone. This is just one aspect.

Also at 23 he has never had any friends and certainly not a girlfriend. He spends his life in his room for him.

My brother didn't have any friends as a child or later as a young adult- he was just too different. Hated sport, loved classical music and poetry- when all the others were footbal, ski, hockey fans and rock mad. He has many friends now- but all a bit like him, on the same wave length. He can't stand chit chat and small talk- and will only cope socially with other train buffs or mathematicians, etc- who possibly share some of his Asperger traits. But of course he is much more successful in so many ways than most with autism- perhaps because of the extent and form- but I can't help think- because he was not labelled, and was expected, and therefore 'given the chance' in a way- to live a normal life, but in his own way.

He is my half-brother- and my father 'took him on' with he was about 7- but it was not always an easy relationship, as my dad just did not understand him, and my brother him (my dad loved sport and nature- so they shared very little). But dad was very good with him- just did not have anything in common. Neither did I- and yet we were always very close- despite the 14 year gap.

ninathenana - it's good to know our grandsons aren't alone in their struggles but how we wish we could do more to help them. Best wishes for your gs and I hope a diagnosis will assist. Scary times in relation to employment, disability rights etc

Thank you Iam

he is my DS not GS

That must be such a worry for you.

Nowadays, kids and young people with aspergers often become even more isolated because they have computers and computer games, etc- which seem to cut them off even more socially. And are perhpas more susceptible to being bullied or taken for 'a ride' by unscrupulous others on the net- as people with Aspergers often find it difficult to separate what is real or metaphors, sarcasm, etc.

Hope you find the help you need, for both of you

Have you read 'the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime' - it really gives you great insight of what is going on in someone mind with Aspergers.

Ah, apologies ninathenena and empathy

I'm pretty sure that my ex is somewhere on the autistic spectrum. A brilliant engineer and a throughly decent man who often used to say 'I'm always hurting your feelings and I don't understand why that is; you can't be annoyed with me because I don't 'mean' to do it'. It has led to me having a theory that it is the fact that some of mankind are on the autistic spectrum that has driven us forward as a species, although that wouldn't have worked without other people developing social skills alongside them. It's probably a silly idea of mine and of no comfort to those who's loved ones are having problems because of it.

Iam64 good to read your comments about your GS. We are just at the starting point with ours and hope he gets similar help. Ninathenana perhaps if your DS is diagnosed he may get some help with social skills or meeting people with a similar outlook on life. We want so much for them it hurts to think their life might be restricted in some way. I hope he gets some help soon.