I am curious what you guys think. My voices claim I am on the autistic spectrum, but I have my doubts. I didn’t really have the classic symptoms as a kid, but I feel like from being schizo I have an inside look on what it is like to have high functioning autism in some respect.
high functioning autism does NOT give you voices.I am on that spectrum, was born that way. Many people with high functioning autism do not have voices inntheir heads. I do, but that is because I have had voices my entire life and have had early onset psychosis ever since I could remember.
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I realize that, but schizophrenia in my experience can morph your mindset to think in different ways, and at certain points I felt like there was a correlation.
For instance, when becoming psychotic in my teens, I experienced severe sensory/neurological disturbances and confusion about social situations. I was not always like that, but luckily that has diminished a great deal in my twenties. I believe it was a part of the psychosis, but at the same time I think it had correlations with autism.
I don’t think you can really make a comparison between sz and high functioning autism as being the same thing…most people I knew who had high functioning autism seemed totally normal, except maybe a little socially awkward. In fact the only thing in common I see between the two is social skill issues.
And I’ve actually known/been friends with a lot of autistic kids (aspergers generally) over the course of my life, now that I think about it. Huh.
One of the four shrinks I have been to said that I seen a little bit autistic perhaps. He points out that my behaviors are either autistic or psychopathic, but not completely psychopathic. He thinks that my productive actions are beyond normal and into autistic. For example, the way I study is a bit autistic. I focus hard as ■■■■ and then don’t stop, I don’t eat meals when I am really working and I just take smoke breaks. I have been referred to as “all or nothing” by friends and family. My parents tell me that things are not “do or die” yet I disagree and I either give 100% of my focus or I don’t even bother at all. For example, I am like that about psych classes and my thesis- I go at a rather fast pace and I take my studying extremely seriously. I either make an A or I don’t even show up. I either study and know material as well as I possibly can or I just ■■■■■■■■ the class. I haven’t bullshitted a class since I was unmediciated. I sort of ■■■■■■■■ music appreciation because I think the class is stupid. I have an A- in it right now. I have a B in world civ part 2 because I studied for the first exam while chatting with a friend at a coffee shop in the library. That’s not studying that’s bullshitting. I have As in my other classes because I actually sit there and focus without any distractions.
Same goes for lifting weights. I either make my own program and follow it perfectly and get really pissed if I fail the last set or I don’t even go to the gym. I went to the gym and worked shoulders today, it was intense. I do very short but very intense volume training workouts designed for off season powerlifters. I am now eternally an off season lifter. I’m retired and just do it for my exercise, not to earn a rank. I made my own program when I was a powerlifter and got kicked off the team for it, that and they didn’t like me. They called me faggot and ■■■■■■■■■■■■ and talked ■■■■ and then when I said something salient back like “you’re fat and not too bright” I got kicked off, the official reason because I was doing my own program. It was ■■■■■■■■, they just didn’t like a short bisexual atheist schizophrenic outperforming them.
My brother’s son - my nephew has mild autism - Asperger’s.
The kid is a ■■■■■■■ Genius - He excels in science and technology -
He just got accepted to a prestigious High School for gifted students.
I am very proud of him
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I work with kids with severe autism, and there are certain correlations. The obsession with routine and some swimming behaviors can be seen in both. Then there’s the really big thing I have in common with my students: the system treats us the same. Neither disease affects intelligence, but workers and aides sometimes forget that. I’ve actually found that my personal experience in mental hospitals has helped me relate to the kids better, because I’ve had behavior techniques used on me, and I know what works and what just makes you feel like you’re being patronized or demeaned. I no longer use most of the methods I was taught.
I wonder sometimes
A pdoc once briefly used the word ‘autistic’ when describing me. I should have got him to expand on that but never did. I am of an age where aspergers didn’t exist as a disorder and neither did non verbal learning disorder. It is of course impossible to be diagnosed with something that doesn’t exist.
There are probably thousands of people who would have been seen to be aspergic/n(v)ld if they had been born a decade or two later but who never got assessed. These are people who have lived with the symptoms all their lives without the help and support afforded to later generations.
My own assessment is that I fit non verbal learning disorder better but have some aspergic traits.
Here is a table re N(V)LD and aspergers.
Both these disorders can result in psychiatric symptoms and if diagnosed with a severe mental illness then the addition of either aspergers or n(v)ld can make things considerably more complicated/worse especially if not recognised and supported…