A Brief History of Me
Hi!
My name is Aoife (pronounced ee-FA) and I have Aspergers. I decided to set up this blog to share some of my experiences as well as my opinions on general ASD discussions. However, I thought I should start by giving you a little introduction about myself and how I came to be diagnosed.
From an early age, I'd always struggled a lot in social situations and preferred the company of adults to people my own age. My mum often suspected there was something a little different about me but due to my high intelligence (IQ of 151), nobody ever agreed with here, saying there was nothing wrong and that I was really clever. When I was 11, I started boarding school and within my first year, the head of learning support at my school said to my parents that she thought I had Aspergers and that I should be tested. At that point, my father said that he didn't believe in learning difficulties, that I didn't have Aspergers, I was not allowed to be tested and that I should not be told about this interaction. Fortunately, the staff at my school were excellent and gave me a lot of additional support and allowances to help me cope.
Fast forward to 2014 and I'd finished school and was taking a gap year before starting university. It was at that point that I decided to get myself tested for Aspergers, as I had a strong suspicion that I had it. About half a year later and after much referral and waiting, I was eventually invited up to The Maudsley in London to be tested for ASD. Unfortunately, they diagnosed me as having Atypical Autism as opposed to having Aspergers. To put it simply, I didn't tick enough boxes to have Aspergers, but I ticked too many boxes to be considered Neurotypical. Ironically, they picked up that I have trouble communicating but didn't think that that might mean that I mask a lot of my symptoms in order to fit in. Also, they were giving me tests designed for children and I was a highly intelligent 19-year-old! They actually said to my mum and I that had they gone entirely based off what my mum had told them, they would have diagnosed me with Aspergers without a shadow of a doubt, but it was what I told them that conflicted with that.
Since then I have actually had a Psychotherapist tell me that they were wrong and that I obviously have Aspergers, but I have been unsuccessful in getting a re-diagnosis.
Back in the present day and I have graduated university with a 2:1 in Illustration and am currently looking for a content writing job (let me know if you have anything). Though my Aspergers has been the cause of much difficulty in my life, I wouldn't want to be without it (although I'd happily give the dyslexia and dyspraxia a miss) as it gives me a totally unique perspective on the world and I think that's great!
My name is Aoife (pronounced ee-FA) and I have Aspergers. I decided to set up this blog to share some of my experiences as well as my opinions on general ASD discussions. However, I thought I should start by giving you a little introduction about myself and how I came to be diagnosed.
From an early age, I'd always struggled a lot in social situations and preferred the company of adults to people my own age. My mum often suspected there was something a little different about me but due to my high intelligence (IQ of 151), nobody ever agreed with here, saying there was nothing wrong and that I was really clever. When I was 11, I started boarding school and within my first year, the head of learning support at my school said to my parents that she thought I had Aspergers and that I should be tested. At that point, my father said that he didn't believe in learning difficulties, that I didn't have Aspergers, I was not allowed to be tested and that I should not be told about this interaction. Fortunately, the staff at my school were excellent and gave me a lot of additional support and allowances to help me cope.
Fast forward to 2014 and I'd finished school and was taking a gap year before starting university. It was at that point that I decided to get myself tested for Aspergers, as I had a strong suspicion that I had it. About half a year later and after much referral and waiting, I was eventually invited up to The Maudsley in London to be tested for ASD. Unfortunately, they diagnosed me as having Atypical Autism as opposed to having Aspergers. To put it simply, I didn't tick enough boxes to have Aspergers, but I ticked too many boxes to be considered Neurotypical. Ironically, they picked up that I have trouble communicating but didn't think that that might mean that I mask a lot of my symptoms in order to fit in. Also, they were giving me tests designed for children and I was a highly intelligent 19-year-old! They actually said to my mum and I that had they gone entirely based off what my mum had told them, they would have diagnosed me with Aspergers without a shadow of a doubt, but it was what I told them that conflicted with that.
Since then I have actually had a Psychotherapist tell me that they were wrong and that I obviously have Aspergers, but I have been unsuccessful in getting a re-diagnosis.
Back in the present day and I have graduated university with a 2:1 in Illustration and am currently looking for a content writing job (let me know if you have anything). Though my Aspergers has been the cause of much difficulty in my life, I wouldn't want to be without it (although I'd happily give the dyslexia and dyspraxia a miss) as it gives me a totally unique perspective on the world and I think that's great!
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