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-   -   isit possible to have 'touch' of asperges..or is diagnosis always the same criteria? (

madly 06-12-2006 05:49 AM

Hi everyone..i am new..first day ..first post..

Can anyone tell me is it possible to a have little asperges..or do you have to be diagnosed as the full thing where the criteria is the same for all people that are diagnosed with it?

i know that there is an autistic spectrum etc... but someone i know with a son with asperges tells me he himself has a 'touch' of this..

And is it heriditary?

any information would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks M x

pingu06 06-12-2006 06:53 AM

Re: isit possible to have 'touch' of asperges..or is diagnosis always the same criteria?
I think there are a lot of people who have AS traits but have not got all the criteria to get a diagnosis.I know i have certain traits and as far as being hereditary I think the latest thinking is that ther is probably a hereditary pre-disposition to it.In my family my Aunt was diagnosed schizophrenic but in hind sight had LOADS of traits,my dad had OCD and other problems,my niece who is 15 has bi-polar and my son has Autism so there is a strong link and the disorsers foten cross over.

Liz Cook 06-12-2006 07:12 AM

until recently asperger's was considered to be on the spectrum and i am sure it will be again:) the medical community is always changing its minds about everything and for as much as they know about one subject there is usually twice as much they dont know about the same thing:) as far as having a touch of aspergers... sure:) that is the same for every illness, disorder, condition, etc... some people get things worse than others:) but yeah there are certain things they look for that in the right circumstances can actually keep you from getting a diagnosis. for example my son is in the severe range for autism. he never talked, is hugely delayed in most mental/social areas... but because he liked to cuddle and showed affection towards his parents then our doctor was hesitant to have him evaluated.

here is the "official" word on what causes autism spectrum disorder (aspergers included) "it is caused by a combination of genetic and enviromental factors" so basically they have no clue.:) there are some distinct genes that doctors have decided have tributed to autism but they are common in most people they just dont always get "switched on", or so i have been told. so if that follows then yes there is a genetic factor but the theory is that it usually takes an enviromental factor to switch those genes on. basically i just say its all hog wash and love my kid no matter how he is... and we have also gone ahead and had another child so i am not too worried about the genetic bit too much:D

9CatMom 06-13-2006 08:14 AM

I have been thinking about this a lot. I think there is a group of people with Asperger's who have the traits without significant impairment. I have come to the conclusion that Roger Bannister might be one of these. He had some of the traits of Asperger's without significant impairment in functioning. His major problem, as I saw it, was extreme shyness, a problem that also marked my early life.

Ymerej 06-17-2006 10:11 PM

As I've learned more about Autism I've been coming to the conclusion that I may be on the spectrum myself. It would explain ALOT about my childhood and much of what I have been identifying seems to fit nicely into Aspergers. :) Or perhaps I've always been crazy.

The problem that I'm finding is that Autism/Aspergers is diagnosed more inline with how it impares the person. And if they function realitivly well in sociaty they seem to not concider it to be the "Disorder". At least that is what I am reading into the stuff I've been looking at. If I can hold a job, and keep a relationship (The first can be exhausting at times, not even sure how the second started) Does that mean that I'm "normal". Or does this compleate anylise of the whole thing prove something is up with me.

In anycase I have been thinking of late that the data that is being collected my be incompleate becouse that are not concidering people that could have a more functional form of the condition. And I see no evedence that anyone is really looking into the fact that so meny "normal" people seem to have Autistic traits.

Then again... Perhaps I'm just crazy...

If there are any spelling errors in this please disreguard them, I was diagnosed with dyslexia as a kid, and while I will look for a spell checker before I post this, if I've miss spelled something I can look it over a dozen times and never realize that I have. Numbers on the other hand I'm good at. :) Humm... Lots of silliness but no spell checker.

jeffreys mom 06-18-2006 01:49 AM

The diagnosis of PDD/NOS would possibly cover what you are speaking of. My son has traits of Aspergers however has the language delays that typically go along with Autism. That diagnosis is on the spectrum and can present in many different ways as it is different in every child.

Basically PDD/NOS is when the child presents with enough symptoms of a disorder however not enough of the symptoms for a specific diagnosis which is where the spectrum comes in to play. Good Luck

9CatMom 06-18-2006 09:36 AM


Your post is very eloquent. Don't worry about a few spelling errors. Your message is readily understandable to me. So much of what you describe also describes me. Sometimes I think of myself as normal, even intelligent, because I have attained high educational achievement (four college degrees with a decent grade average in the 3.1-3.5 range) and do well in my job at the library. I was welcomed back after a one-week vacation. They said that I was missed and that I did great work. Never before in any environment was I able to put together competence with likeability. I always felt, growing up that, while I did well in school, and got high marks academically, I was never well liked. Conversely, there were people who, as I moved toward college graduation, said I was a good person, but doubted I had the confidence to perform a job to my best ability. To put the two elements together was a major turning point in my life.

Taking inventory of my own strengths and weaknesses have led to read a lot about famous people I suspect have ASDs. Probably the greatest example for me has been runner/physician Roger Bannister. The struggles he detailed growing up were a lot like my own. Like me, he always felt a giant step out of synch with other kids, although he got along well with adults. He overcame all his difficulties to become an overall success in life, becoming a physician, having been married for over 50 years, and developing close friendships. If he does have AS, he is a much better role model for me than some of the other famous people lately suspected of having it, usually actors and musicians, who could never be considered models of anything and would not make me rush to seek a diagnosis.

Sometimes I think I may be creating false hope for myself by reading Roger Bannister's biography, but better false hope than false despair. I am in no way close to Roger Bannister's level of achievement, nor could I realistically, at 41, hope to attain it, but I am still growing and breaking my own barriers in life.

elmhar 06-18-2006 11:59 AM

Hi Madly,

Aspergers is generally considered a "less severe" form of autism than some types, however any form of autism, incl. Aspie, can be found in various shades of severity. So, you can have people who are dxd Aspie who have a more severe form of it than others with the same dx.

My own son has a dx of PDD-NOS, but is really just "a toe over the line" into that dx.

It was difficult to get a definitive dx for our son, so for many yrs. we used the "touch autistic" explanation ourselves. I fully understand other folks who do that.

Hope that explanation helps. Best wishes.
