Asperger's

[antonina]

Is there anyone on here with Asperger's? I would like to know what the relationship between Asperger's and social anxiety disorder is? I would like to know how one would differentiate between these two disorders. I also think there is probably overlap. Asperger's causes people to fail in social situations. It would be important to know if it is just anxiety or if this is caused by neurological differences. For example, I don't find the average things humorous, I get overstimulated easily, and I like being alone. However, I do want more social connections too. I also could be a Highly Sensitive Person according to Elaine Aron. The main thing is even positive experiences in social situations seem to drain me and I long to be alone afterwards. I wonder if it is worthwhile to try to pinpoint what the exact problem is. I have Kaiser insurance and they don't want to do anything but offer more and more antidepressants. They also have exposure therapy classes, however if I go ahead and do the exercises and fail at them because I am very unique (Asperger's or HSP), then I think it would be important to find out what the problem is. I am also really sick of having to fit in. I think our society needs to have more acceptance of neurological diversity (sas, depression, bipolar, adhd, nld, asperger's, etc...
Why can't people be more accepting of people who are different? As long as you are not hurting anyone, why can't it be acceptable to be different? I don't think some of these therapists understand how painful this whole process is. Anyway, I am trying to find out more about Asperger's and HSP.

[yakubu]

Originally Posted by antonina

Is there anyone on here with Asperger's? I would like to know what the relationship between Asperger's and social anxiety disorder is? I would like to know how one would differentiate between these two disorders. I also think there is probably overlap. Asperger's causes people to fail in social situations. It would be important to know if it is just anxiety or if this is caused by neurological differences. For example, I don't find the average things humorous, I get overstimulated easily, and I like being alone. However, I do want more social connections too. I also could be a Highly Sensitive Person according to Elaine Aron. The main thing is even positive experiences in social situations seem to drain me and I long to be alone afterwards. I wonder if it is worthwhile to try to pinpoint what the exact problem is. I have Kaiser insurance and they don't want to do anything but offer more and more antidepressants. They also have exposure therapy classes, however if I go ahead and do the exercises and fail at them because I am very unique (Asperger's or HSP), then I think it would be important to find out what the problem is. I am also really sick of having to fit in. I think our society needs to have more acceptance of neurological diversity (sas, depression, bipolar, adhd, nld, asperger's, etc...
Why can't people be more accepting of people who are different? As long as you are not hurting anyone, why can't it be acceptable to be different? I don't think some of these therapists understand how painful this whole process is. Anyway, I am trying to find out more about Asperger's and HSP.

i think asperges is more of a learning difficulties thing. these people actaully have problems comunicating

social phobic dont have problems with actually being ABLE to communicate, they just find it extremely hard cos they feel so anxious.

ive been in situations before were i found it so hard to communicate that i thought i had aspergers but ive just come to the conclusion that its the anxiety

[copper]

Originally Posted by yakubu

i think asperges is more of a learning difficulties thing. these people actaully have problems comunicating

social phobic dont have problems with actually being ABLE to communicate, they just find it extremely hard cos they feel so anxious.

ive been in situations before were i found it so hard to communicate that i thought i had aspergers but ive just come to the conclusion that its the anxiety

They also can't recognize the different facial expressions, and they tend to have narrow interests. I deal with a couple of clients that have Aspergers at work. I have one that has interests in bears and church. He will only talk about those things constantly. He also gets these obsessions that really cause him lots of anxiety.

[antonina]

What about very mild forms of asperger's? I have heard that the musicians Gary Numan, Ladyhawk, and the lead singer of the Vines have Asperger's. They obviously don't have these tendencies. Apparently they have mild forms of it. Obviously I don't have the severe form, but I can be obsessive about some things. For example, I am really into fantasy and science fiction. If I like an author I try to get every book by that author. I can get obsessive about things.

I just wonder because sometimes I make these social faux paus like I forget to introduce people or I talk too long. I may say things at the wrong time.

However, I do have empathy and people have told me that I am very kind. I just am wondering what is causing it though. I wonder why I do such stupid things sometimes. I mean I wonder if it is worth being evaluated just to know for sure.

[Zephyr]

Originally Posted by antonina

I would like to know what the relationship between Asperger's and social anxiety disorder is? I would like to know how one would differentiate between these two disorders. I also think there is probably overlap. Asperger's causes people to fail in social situations. It would be important to know if it is just anxiety or if this is caused by neurological differences.

I would also like to know. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if there are any ways to test it. I wish I knew if it's just social anxiety with me or there's some other issue in addition to it underneath.

[MissMay1977]

I don't know but books about that are right next to the books about bipolar at the library lol

[Lirael]

I saw this documentary on PBS about this guy that had it. It freaked me out a little that I could relate to him. It is hard to know what behaviors might be a consequence of SA (and the general anxiety which i have a huge amount of) or if the SA is possibly a a consequence of aspergers.

[nightwalker]

Asperger's is a kind of autism..

Coincidentally, my chem teacher was talking about them today.

[kpiper0101]

Asperger's is similar to high-functioning autism, which my son has. I have a social anxiety disorder, which is completely different, though when my son was first diagnosed, and I began reading up on autism, I have to admit I fit quite a lot of the criteria myself! My son's adopted so there's no genetics at play here. My son has been slow to pick up on social cues and nonverbal communication, that kind of thing, which makes him a little behind socially. There's so much communication that goes on that is unspoken, and people expect others to pick up on it all. He may not pick up on others' disapproving looks for instance, and I, on the other hand, would be overly sensitive to that. He didn't speak until he was four and that was with early intervention supports. As a kid (and an adult for that matter :O) , I wouldn't speak at school, but it was out of terror, my son was actually unable to speak, I chose not to. Social anxiety, at least for me, is more of an irrational fear of being judged by others that can lead to absolute panic in what would be every day circumstances for most people. It's not rational even to me, but feels absolutely beyond my control. My son actually does better than me socially in some respects. It's like he's lacking a bit of awareness as to what others may be thinking and this may cause him problems socially, and I'm sort of the opposite, hypervigilant and overly concerned about what others may be thinking, which causes me problems socially.

[kev]

You could have aspergers. It occurs on a spectrum so don't compare yourself to extreme examples that you might find on tv and in magazines. My parents and my therapist think I have it but I don't like the label so I don't use it. It's a personal choice whether you identify yourself as having AS or not.

The fact is it is not a disorder, it's a difference in development and how you perceive the world. Because people aren't always tolerant of differences, it can lead to secondary problems like depression and anger. It usually occurs with anxiety in social situations, and sometimes other disorders like adhd or ocd. So while aspergers isn't disabling in itself, it often occurs with other problems that are disabling, especially when the wrong medications are being used or the wrong approach to therapy is being used (because the therapist assumes the patient is just like any other person).

You can't always pick people with autism out of a crowd (you don't have to be a "freak"). Sometimes the symptoms are subtle especially at the high functioning end.

[beautibelle]

Extremely mild forms of Asperger's mimic social anxiety disorder but the causes are completely different. In general, people with Asperger's have an impared ability to pick up other people's feelings and to see things from other people's views. So sometimes people with Aspergers come off as uncaring, sarcastic or too blunt in social situations. People with social phobia often come off that way too but the cause is due more to a lack of practice with social situations. While with Aspergers, it's due to a neurological cause.

[thisisfraser]

I've often wondered the same thing too. Mostly because of the very intense level of focus I am capable of and the SA that comes with being around people.

I think a lot of why I misunderstand things or miss subtlety is because a) I'm male and males are far from subtle creatures and b) my brain is so stuck in anxiety mode that things don't always click. I find once I'm able to relax myself in social situations I rarely miss out on anything. I sometimes need a firm direct answer from people but only when my SA is kicking in.

I do know a guy who has Asperger's and for the few things I have in common with him there are plenty of things I don't have in common with him. Like the fact that I don't show up to a party wearing a costume when it's not halloween.

The idea of mild autism could be true and I'm curious to know if you're right.

[copper]

Originally Posted by beautibelle

Extremely mild forms of Asperger's mimic social anxiety disorder but the causes are completely different. In general, people with Asperger's have an impared ability to pick up other people's feelings and to see things from other people's views. So sometimes people with Aspergers come off as uncaring, sarcastic or too blunt in social situations. People with social phobia often come off that way too but the cause is due more to a lack of practice with social situations. While with Aspergers, it's due to a neurological cause.

I deal with a client in one of the group homes I deal with that is very sarcastic. Sometimes when you say something to him he will give you this dirty look. We had to switch team leaders of the house because the team leader when he came didn't like him, and he picked up on it. You had to hear the kind of things he called her.

[dontcare]

Someone posted an Asperger's test on the board, I got a high score and it shook me up a little. But Dr. Richards (of audio series fame) explains the difference:
http://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/asperger.html
So I'm pretty sure I have only SAD. If I do have Asperger's, it's probably too minor to really matter, not even worth looking into.

[Taboo710]

I'm so glad I found this thread. I thought I was the only one who wondered about this. I used to be convinced that I had Asperger's until my therapist told me that I didn't. I had crippling social anxiety which sometimes made me act socially inept. When you're so preoccupied with making sure you don't get read the wrong way or making sure you don't read others the wrong way, sometimes you do those exact things. Sometimes when you're so scared people are going to think you're awkward or weird, you act awkward and weird. Let me ask you a question. You said you don't think the average things are funny. Are there any jokes or movies that you do find humorous? Highly intelligent people sometimes have dry unconventional senses of humor.

[Little Willow]

I have SA and Asberger's. The biggest difference would be that I don't recognize facial expressions or other people's feelings. I don't understand if someone's joking or being serious. I also can't make eye contact unless know the person extremely well (like my mother). Sometimes when I was little I wouldn't understand that other people had feelings. That sounds weird, but I just didn't get that other people felt things that were different than what I felt. It's difficult to live with, but I can function relatively normally. The other defining characteristic of Asberger's is physical awkwardness. I have practically no hand/eye coordination, and I've broken my wrist three times and sprained my knee twice. I also trip over my own feet every day and I walk into walls. I don't think of myself as having autism. I try and think of it as more of a personality trait.

[Taboo710]

Originally Posted by Little Willow

I have SA and Asberger's. The biggest difference would be that I don't recognize facial expressions or other people's feelings. I don't understand if someone's joking or being serious. I also can't make eye contact unless know the person extremely well (like my mother). Sometimes when I was little I wouldn't understand that other people had feelings. That sounds weird, but I just didn't get that other people felt things that were different than what I felt. It's difficult to live with, but I can function relatively normally. The other defining characteristic of Asberger's is physical awkwardness. I have practically no hand/eye coordination, and I've broken my wrist three times and sprained my knee twice. I also trip over my own feet every day and I walk into walls. I don't think of myself as having autism. I try and think of it as more of a personality trait.

so when you say you don't recognize facial expressions what do you mean? Do you get the basic ones like happy, sad and angry? or like, when you're watching a tv show can you tell when one character is jealous of another, or if they're nervous? sorry if im being too nosy im just curious to know more.

[antonina]

Originally Posted by Taboo710

I'm so glad I found this thread. I thought I was the only one who wondered about this. I used to be convinced that I had Asperger's until my therapist told me that I didn't. I had crippling social anxiety which sometimes made me act socially inept. When you're so preoccupied with making sure you don't get read the wrong way or making sure you don't read others the wrong way, sometimes you do those exact things. Sometimes when you're so scared people are going to think you're awkward or weird, you act awkward and weird. Let me ask you a question. You said you don't think the average things are funny. Are there any jokes or movies that you do find humorous? Highly intelligent people sometimes have dry unconventional senses of humor.

I do find some things funny. I thought the Saturday night live impersonations of politicians were funny. Although this is visual versus just verbal jokes. In certain social situations where people are being very witty or making jokes I often don't get it. I think this makes people think I have no sense of humor or uncomfortable around me. I may get it later. It's possible I have some kind of language processing disorder. I also think I talk too long and wear out my welcome some times. I think maybe I'm obsessive compulsive. I see people looking at the clock and realize I better wrap it up. So there is some awareness but I don't know sometimes I'm just too obsessed. I also used to have a hard time in pe with baseball I never could seem to catch the ball. I have a lazy eye so I don't know if it was due to this. In basketball I was actually really good. So I don't know what the deal is.

When my father was young they thought he had autism way back then. He also is very obsessive compulsive and good with mechanical things. He excelled in his academic classes but often would have trouble relating to the people on the job. He also has obsessive interests and can tell you anything about plants. He also is oblivious to the feelings of others. You have to come out and tell him things directly several times before it registers. He also will sometimes talk to himself out loud. I think he probably really has it. So it is a concern to me that I may have some milder form of it and that that is what is wrecking havoc in my life. Either that or it was traumatic growing up with my father because he was so much in his own world. I really would like to figure out how to cope with these issues. Maybe I need to go to a support group for adult children of the mentally ill. My parents both have serious psychological issues and it really traumatized me and left me with a feeling of shame. I really think this is a big part of the social anxiety. I don't know how to overcome the shame. I always feel like a freak and that I have a lot to hide.

[Hot Chocolate]

I don't know man, but when I went to this particular aspergers forum and read some of the posts there...I feel that I could relate better there than here.

They touch deeply on problems like communications with other people, why people react this way, speech problems, laughing inappropriately, obsessions, stimming...I don't know why but I actually understood where they are coming from.

I went to this psychiatrist and he diagnosed me as having SA and some personality disorder. I told him that I've got childhood asthma and was in and out of the hospital often and I remembered that before or after this, I was always so painfully shy and was often throwing huge tantrums in public.

But I don't know if I should get an official diagnose though.

[darkangel33]

I have a 15 year old son who has aspergers and social anxiety (along with mood disorder). I know with him it took a while to get a diagnosis, I would go to his doctors when he was little and try to explain things but they thought I was a nut... Then I switched his doc at age 11 and went in the first appointment completely ready sound "like a nut" and I explained the same things to him as I had to the other doc and he told me, I noticed it right away, no one ever said anything before. I wanted to cry. One thing that is an "asperger" quality is being very literal. My husband would tell my son to take his shoes upstairs and he would, and he would set them right on top of the stairs (not in his room where they were supposto be). Once when he was about 4 I said it was raining cats and dogs outside, he actually went to the window and looked. I strongly believe that the two diagnosis overlap in a big way. My son is 15 and just going to school is painful, he wont go out of the house unless I am with him. I have my own issues with anxiety so, I guess we just help each other cope in a way.