STEPHEN FRY

Shucks darn it I'm boringly average at 16. I'm going to lose all credibility as a madwoman at this rate... time to cut the lawn as my mother did with a pair of scissors in a nightie to restore my status!

I've got one friend that scored 6 which is sub-average! She has a daughter with dyspraxia. I had thought, being creative I'd score higher comfortably above average, hence the things to work on! LOL!

Frankly, I think everyone is, if not odd baffling in some way or another. Still sulking about my score... just about everyone I know is getting an interesting score either a lot higher than average or a lot lower. Of course that's why you get the average.

I suppose I ought to be pleased to be in the middle as I've fought with extremes all my life havnig been surrounded by them and learning to repeat what I saw but the thought of being average and stable seems rather dull.

gadgetgirl said:
I've done a couple of these tests and definitely fall into the "probably autistic" category (I think I got 37 on this one). It seems a bit pointless to get a proper diagnosis though, if I'd been diagnosed with something at school it might have been helpful as that's when I struggled the most. On the other hand if I'd been labeled I might never have gotten as far as I have.

Very true. Pigeonholing can screw you over and never gives the full picture. It's why I loathe the concept and word 'disability'. It suggests non-functioning. I don't know of anyone who isn't non-functioning in one way or another. I'm crap at sewing among other things! Strangely I prefer concentrating on the things I can do. Would that others would do the same, but sadly we live in a world that likes picking faults, criticising and looking down on others.

Sick, sick world.

My son definitely has ADHD and it has affected his ability to contain himself in situations where he really shouldn't jump about and shout out spontaneously through pure happiness and elation...yes, even at 21 years old. However, it was recognized that he was borderline Aspergers but not formally diagnosed. It was felt that he should go out into the world and just be himself without a label. He just likes to do what he likes to do and he's very good at these things. He's very sporty...we're talking trampoline, gymnastics and dance. However, academically we hit a solid brick wall with him. He's sociable to the max and now coaches young gymnasts. In some respects it would have been easier if he'd been diagnosed because he could have got statemented at school and received extra help but, as already mentioned, it is a label that stays forever. I taught him to read myself with Janet and John books and worked alongside his teachers to support his schoolwork. I'm sure a lot of us here will know what it's like to feel trapped in a diagnosis. Oddly enough, nobody worried a single jot about my behaviour and moodiness until I was diagnosed with manic depression. It was only then that they decided I had, in fact, been a complete and utter burden since they could remember and would continue to be so for the rest of my life. It's amazing how a diagnosis can totally change a person's view of you. Still...luckily not everybody is like that.

i scored 18. would not have been surprised if it had been higher as i have a son who has autism & have been known to be a little of a moody/feisty/compulsive one in my day...ah so maybe i have mellowed!? we are who we are & will forever be...more or less...for life i should think. i have kept a journal since i was 8 & though i have matured in my views the core remains the same...be it emotionally or socially. i still have too much to say for my own good as my 'dear' mother used to say...but now i don't get too worked up over whether or not someone 'gets me' or my POV...either they they will or they won't...& if they don't i'm pretty sure i wouldn't 'get them' either or want to. like attracts like far more i believe when it comes to interpersonal interaction. i don't necessarliy mean we have to be the same type of personality or even like the same things/have same interests etc but the core (of values/of sympathies/of ethics) has to be the same to 'click'. ('core' not a word i'm aware of using often...yet i've used it twice in this little ramble...) otherwise we'd just get annoyed by the person in front of us. as for my adorable, creative & yes feisty little handful that is my son Finn...i could see immediately the areas were he would have had difficulties in answering the questions or rather of understanding the questions...the social aspects of interaction of course, facial language & communication as a whole really. my son is verbal very much so...in his own imitable way. i myself was diagnosed with manic depression (when the term was still used) i have had two periods of what i would call really bad depression when meds was required for a period of a few months. i fully embrace my up & down-ness...i am far more creative in an 'up' phase of course but then when i am feeling down i am probably far more introspective & sensitive to both my own needs & those of others around me. having a son who needs me 24/7 certainly forced me to take stock & to reign my own moods in...no time for wallowing with an autistic child!! he has taught me that i am a far more patient person than i ever thought possible & i am in constant awe of his indomitable spirit.

@ Vegangeekgirl

i hope you get the answers you are looking for. but of course no matter what the diagnosis....you will be the same person after it.

i can relate (sort of) to what you said about life seeming easier for others...i always wondered why other ppl around me didn't seem as affected by things as i was. why weren't they plunged into dark thoughts sometimes or overwhelmed with/by emotions etc. it took me many many yrs to realise the why of it...other ppl don't necessarily think as i do. so stands to reason they won't feel things as i do.

take care

ps i wanted a diagnosis for my son too. its a way forward. i have a bit of a bugbear about the term ASD, which is basically an umbrella term. i consider it a lazy diagnosis. my son was diagnosed with autism.

congrats on everything you have achieved Michelleh! joining a group/yoga & salsa (something i have always wanted to do :)) & now about to move into your own home too!? the CBT has helped you no doubt but its is you that has had the will to follow things through. all this & your mother's death to deal with too? i hope you have a lovely xmas in your new home & (very early) best wishes for the new year to come.