Adult 2E

[Lawyer&Mom]

I've known almost forever that I'm gifted. (Formal testing age 5.) Turns out I'm autistic too. (Age 37.)

 

I've got decades of experience being my quirky self, so it's strange to realize that other women like Cynthia Kim and Liane Holliday Wiley have nearly the same constellation of quirks as I do. It feels invasive. What is *my* story doing in their autobiographies?

 

My daughter 3.5 has a neuropsych appointment beginning of June. I'm getting anxious already. I'm not sure why, she's my mini-me, the diagnosis feels like a pretty forgone conclusion. Plus she can't sustain eye-contact. So, yeah.

 

How did I figure it out? Last month I accidentally overheard my mom tell her friend at a dinner party that I'm autistic. Did a deep dive into the literature, turns out she's right. Still haven't talked to her about it. That will be fun.

 

I probably will seek a formal diagnosis for myself. Getting the kid tested just seemed a little more urgent for the moment...

 

So please share your 2E stories, and your awkward mom stories and your brilliant kid stories. It's pretty stressful over here.

[Pawz4me]

Wow. So did your mom/parents have you formally diagnosed as a child but never told you? Or is that her own diagnosis?

 

DS18 wasn't formally diagnosed until last year. He got lots of speech and occupational therapy as a toddler/preschooler but no one would ever quite commit to the big diagnosis when he was young even though I was positive he was on the spectrum. That was in the early 1990's when the thinking about what autism looks like was just beginning to change. I'm guessing his areas of giftedness enabled him to compensate enough that he fooled the professionals we saw. His anxiety eventually led us to a great psychiatrist who said "I'm positive he's on the spectrum" w/o me ever mentioning it. That led to testing. Some of his test scores place him in the PG or at least EG range (depending on whose definition is being used) but some are low average/borderline. His official diagnoses are ASD-1, NVLD and GAD. With some medication for the anxiety he mostly does just fine. He has friends. He'd prefer to text with them than meet in person but he DOES have friends! :lol: He can advocate for himself effectively, is a very good driver, is finishing up his two year AS degree and heading off to a four year university in the fall.

 

I'm positive if we had him tested DH would qualify for a NVLD diagnosis, and perhaps even be on the spectrum. Or at least kiss it. He does just fine, too. :)

Edited April 26, 2017 by Pawz4me

[luuknam]

My parents are convinced I'm on the spectrum - my younger brother was diagnosed when he was a teenager, but I didn't cause trouble at school as much, and Asperger's was new back then (well, not really new, but it was newly in the DSM), so, there's that. And of course my oldest is on the spectrum. 

 

I'm not sure how easy it would be for you to get diagnosed. It's likely going to cost $$$$, and the autism specialist is going to want to talk to your parents about what you were like when you were little - there's a reason I don't have an official diagnosis. It's not like there's any tangible benefit - it's not like I'd automatically qualify for disability (or at all, for that matter - my brother is on disability in NL, but, things are different there). 

[Lawyer&Mom]

This was my mom's own diagnosis. No one was disgnosing gifted girls with Aspergers in the 1980s... She had previously shared her diagnosis of my dad with me. She failed to mention she had also diagnosed me! (My mom loves to make medical pronouncements, and I love to poke holes in them. This time, I think she's right.)

 

Yes any diagnosis of me would cost major money. But there is an adult autism clinic in my city and people who will do adult diagnosis. More than a diagnosis, I really want neuropsych testing. I think my IQ masked some learning issues, and I want to know what they are. For my own self concept, if nothing else.

[Steppenwolf]

Davidson Gifted forums have some posts on 'adult 2e'. E. g., "2e/ADHD adult resources" (use 'site:giftedissues.davidsongifted.org/BB adult 2e' to find more).

[maize]

This was my mom's own diagnosis. No one was disgnosing gifted girls with Aspergers in the 1980s... She had previously shared her diagnosis of my dad with me. She failed to mention she had also diagnosed me! (My mom loves to make medical pronouncements, and I love to poke holes in them. This time, I think she's right.)

 

Yes any diagnosis of me would cost major money. But there is an adult autism clinic in my city and people who will do adult diagnosis. More than a diagnosis, I really want neuropsych testing. I think my IQ masked some learning issues, and I want to know what they are. For my own self concept, if nothing else.

I did neuropsych testing for myself last year after having all the kids tested. I was curious and we had already met our insurance deductibles for the year. It did turn up some 2E issues, including the fact that I am still a terrible speller and very likely dyslexic (was a late reader and bad speller as a kid, but not aware that my independent spelling skills still put me in the bottom 10th percentile or so; I've been a voracious reader since age 9 but apparently really use spell check as a crutch for spelling).

 

Had ADHD confirmed which I had self diagnosed with years ago and had already seen diagnosed in four of my kids.

[IsabelC]

I was a 2E kid, so I guess I'm a 2E adult ;)