MD and Asperger's?

[Gina M]

I was wondering if any of you have Asperger's syndrome or if there has ever been talk of a link between Asperger's and maladaptive daydreaming.

I have not been diagnosed with AS, but am going to get evaluated for it soon. I heard a lot of girls with Asperger's have lots of fantasies/daydreams or sometimes imaginary friends. AS females are often misdiagnosed or diagnosed much later than males because they can appear more "normal."

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Officially, Asperger's doesn't exist anymore.  It was taken out of the DSM-5 because they considered it to be a nickname for some people on the spectrum.  Nowadays, they'd just say you're on the Autism Spectrum or have Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Remember, online tests aren't a real diagnosis.  You have to see a counselor to get diagnosed.  There's no real test for it anyway.  I've taken tests, but it was my therapist, who didn't run any tests, who gave me the official diagnosis after seeing me a few times.  

[The1andonlyAbber]

I probably have Asperger's. I've taken several autism tests and scored high on them. (I'm too scared to tell my family and get officially diagnosed, though.) If I do have Asperger's, it could be a reason for me having MD.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Sure, well definitely keep investigating. It's important to understand how each of our brains work.

That definitely sounds familiar. This kind of thing has been discussed on here, before, making sounds & facial expressions while daydreaming. I suspect it's really common. I definitely do it and can relate to how embarrassing it can be. I don't think I mumble much, but I catch myself about to mumble, and I'm afraid people can see. I'm certain that I make facial expressions when I daydream. I always daydream while walking. I can't help it, and at some point one of my characters always does something funny........and there's nothing more embarrassing than walking around trying hard not to snicker uncontrollably at nothing. Ugh. I feel your pain. I can't chew gum, either. I chew it so much that I suck the flavor out in 5 mins & then my stomach feels sick.

I've always had really bad problems with eye contact. It's either not enough or too much, and people really respond badly to it. If it's too much they get creeped out or think I'm flirting, which makes me uncomfortable because it's not true. If I try to avoid it, I look away too much & they tell me I'm not paying attention.........well I'm not capable of paying attention, but it's not about that. Figure out a way to explain it & just accept it. They're not better because they're "normal". At least it makes us more compassionate when we see other people who aren't "normal". I'd rather be like me & less judgmental than the average person who gives me weird looks.

Just remember it takes a lot of work living in 2 worlds at once, so don't judge yourself. If people catch you daydreaming........so be it. Everyone daydreams. They may not know how much we all do it, but they all do it too.

[Gina M]

Yeah, I didn't mean to totally tie the two together. I guess I just hadn't heard of someone with AS also having MD before. I feel like I may have both.

I love socializing and being around others, but I still need to find a little time each day for daydreams. I wouldn't trade it for the person-to-person interactions, but I find the real world to be very confusing and overstimulating at times. The daydreaming helps me make sense of it all (or sometimes it has the opposite effect!).

Lately I find myself daydreaming on walks when I think no one is looking at me, and I found myself mumbling out loud and getting stares. I'm a little worried. I need to pay more attention. I've found if I keep gum between my front teeth I'll know that my mouth was shut at those times, at least. I don't want to look crazy, so I try to create a very positive physical/fashionable appearance to offset my awkwardness. Lately I just feel like I'm starting to have blips of dissociation, though. I recently moved back in with my family, where I get no privacy and my mom is schizophrenic. Maybe being around them is making me more unusual than I tend to be. I have been tested for all sorts of things, and schizophrenia was pretty much ruled out.

Eye contact is very scary and painful unless I have a job interview (something fake or planned) or really try to make a conscious effort with someone I care about. Recently I found out that it feels really good to do this, but it's still scary. It's like writing a difficult paper and getting an A, or making a big speech that would make me nervous and getting roaring applause for it.

I misread people all the time, and having done so I start doubting my own perception so that when I did read them correctly I told myself I was wrong. It does get easier with experience. I sometimes wonder if my fantasies are counter-productive, because people can't be what I dream up in my head.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

If you look through the DSM, you'll find that distance and daydreaming are possible symptoms of a LOT of disorders. While I think it's good to do research, the problem is many people think that this condition is the first disorder they see with daydreaming as a possible symptom.......without realizing that it's a POSSIBLE symptom of any number of things. It's like a cough or a rash or any other symptom. Having a cough doesn't mean you have the flu, and being disconnected doesn't mean you have Autism Spectrum Disorder.

I think it's fine & healthy to look at comorbid conditions. That's different. I don't know what anyone has, but I know this condition itself is not Autism Spectrum Disorder, Inattentive ADD, Schizoid Personality Disorder, or any of the others that have daydreaming as a possible side effect. I've looked at it too much & it just doesn't fit. If anyone has those, I think they're separate.

It's good to brainstorm though things that may be connected, as long as we don't mistake one for the other. One day, comorbid conditions will be worth knowing. I encourage people to share their findings.

[Tila]

Although I'm hesitant to socialize, I can connect with most people with little effort. I understand unspoken rules of social conduct, which people with AS are supposedly oblivious to.
I'm very good at sniffing people out.....understanding their moods and motivations.

I just don't think I'm on the spectrum..... The quirks I have suggest ADD more than anything else.
But I'm curious as to why daydreaming would be considered an Asbergers thing..... People with AS typically have boxed-in, bordering on obsessive interests in a specific subject, like trains. Is this too general?

[Lily]

I can see the connection of some aspects of MD with asperger's but I know personally, I am def not asperger's. I am pretty familiar with the syndrome because I work in special education and have many students with asperger's. Asperger's and autism impact social pragmatics and language. Many people with asperger's do not have the skills to socialize, making them seem awkward. For me, I know how to socialize but the majority of the time, I just choose to not socialize because I like being in my fantasy world. You do bring up an interesting point to look into though.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Asperger's is now officially called Autism Spectrum disorder. I've been given the diagnosis, but to be honest it's really subjective. In fact it's so subjective that most doctors I met didn't feel comfortable giving a concrete diagnosis. Many said it was possible but they weren't certain. We're still learning a lot about MD, so it will probably be awhile before we can say for sure which conditions may be comorbid. It's always good to know what people figure out about themselves because the answers are coming directly from us. The more we figure ourselves out & pool our information, the more we can teach the world.

Also, because MD is so fairly new, chances are your doctor will not have heard of it. Hopefully you find one who's open-minded & willing to learn about a new condition. You may have to teach them about it. Feel free to send them here or to some of the other sites if they have questions. Let me know if I can help in any way.