Is it possible that I have aspergers?

Nobody replied to my question on the asperger syndrome page so I am posting it here too.
I am 60 years old and am wondering if I have Aspergers. Here are some of my behaviors:

I am socially awkward; Difficulty knowing when I should talk; I can’t interrupt so will stand by the person I want to talk to until they notice me; Am often misunderstood; Can’t play string games like Cats Cradle;
Physically clumsy; Get lost all the time; Trouble with directions left, right, north, south etc; Fixated on reading and writing especially rhyme; Become so absorbed in what I’m doing that I don’t know what is going on around me; If I get interrupted when I’m reading a book I glance at the page number before I shut it and can go right back to that page to continue reading.

Able to fill in periodic table from memory as a teenager; Taught myself how to read at age four; Have trouble looking people in the eye—until my father beat it out of me and said I must be lying if I couldn’t look him in the eye—I still force myself to look people in the eye for fear they will think I’m lying;

It was painful when people touched me so I was called a touch-me-not by my birth family; I still don’t like to be touched but tolerate it; I used to walk straight and stiff…until I went to physical therapy with an injured ankle and learned how to walk better; I don’t like change; I absolutely will not wear make-up; I hate wearing dresses and pantyhose although I do when I have to;

[Richard B. Graff, PhD, BCBA-D]

Thank you for taking the time to write.  I can't tell you whether or not you might have Aspergers from a brief description--no one can.  Could some of what you described be an indicator that you may have Aspergers?  Maybe.  Are some of the things you described seen in typical people?  Absolutely!  For example, you mentioned that you look at the page number when you need to stop reading, so you can go back at a later time.  Everyone does this; it's just that some people have developed different strategies than you.  Some people use a bookmark, other's fold a corner of the page, so they can quickly go back and pick up where they felt off.

Regardless of whether or not you may have Asperegrs, I think the important thing is to develop strategies for dealing with these sorts of situations.  When my wife and I were first dating, and for the first few years we were married, she often wanted to go to parties and other social situations that involved socializing with people we didn't know well.  I absolutely dreaded those situations, as I am not really comfortable making small talk with people I barely knew (I would be the person standing in the corner not talking to anyone, while my wife happily chatted with people she had just met).  So, we developed a strategy to deal with this--she just went to some of these events without me!  It got to the point where instead of asking me if I wanted to go to a specific social event, she would just say, "Do you mind if I go by myself?".  It was a strategy that worked for both of us.

Here's another example from my own life--my wife has a terrible time with the right-left distinction. If I was driving in a car and she was trying to give me directions, she might say, "turn right", and when I did turn right, she would tell me that I went the wrong way!  Pointing towards the direction I should turn wasn't a great strategy for dealing with the situation, as I couldn't take my eyes off the road to see which direction she is pointing in!  So, to this day, if I am driving and she tells me to, "Turn right", I immediately say, "RIGHT right or LEFT right"; after she takes a few seconds to think about it, she then gives me the correct information.

The point I am trying to make is that everyone has certain situations that they have difficulty with.  Regardless of whether or not you qualify for an Aspergers diagnosis, I suggest that you should focus on developing strategies to help you better deal with these situations.  You've already done some of these.  For example, you don't like wearing dresses, so you don't--unless you REALLY have to.  This is a great strategy!  You can't play string games, so don't--there are lots of other games you can play!  Difficulty knowing when to talk in a social situation?  Develop a strategy for yourself!  Maybe you will decide that the time to talk is when there is a lull in the conversation, and no one has spoken for 3-5 seconds!  Or, find an interesting topic in the news, and when there is a lull in the conversation, you might say, "Gee, I saw in the newspaper that.....what do you think about that?"  I can't tell you what strategies to use in all these situations, but I'm guessing that you can come up with most of these yourself.  Also, when you do successfully deal with some of the more difficult situations, reward yourself!  Go out an buy that new book, or buy that treat for yourself--you deserve it!

I hope some of this is helpful.  I wish you the best of luck!

[nic374]

I replied did u have test ran as a child? Do u remember doing odd things as a child, staying away from children playing not having any social skills expect what u have picked up from other over the yrs, They used to think a child had adhd and Ocd instaed of A.S. if wasnt for my sister bring me out of my shell I would of never left my parents. Do u misuse words like for example: Some would say keep me posted I always said keep me postdated or there, and their. also do u lack emoctions like u dont know how to really love or hug or nuture people u care for? I also suffer from moderate austism along with the A.S. mixed in so I dont have the high intelligence with the A.S. it takes my mind at least 30mins to process information, maybe u have self esteem problems that have led in depression and anxiety. Be thankful if u dont have it really limits ur ability to fuction. Ur therpist can run some nuro test to see if u have it or not

[Dixie51]

I didn't have a test as a child.  Nobody knew any thing about aspergers at that time.  I did do odd things as a child though.  When I was in elementary school I always played with the younger students instead of those my age because I could never figure out how to act with kids the same age as me. That ended when I accidentally hurt a first grader and the teachers told me I couldn't play with them anymore.  

If I couldn't play with younger children, I would bury my nose in a book and ignore everything around me.  When I got older and went with my husband to visit people I always sat down and read their magazines, because I didn't know how to visit.

I don't have any problems with words as that is an area I excel in.  I have 84 college credits and a 4.0 grade point average.

My brothers and sister kept telling me to stop walking funny.  I used to fly into a rage at the drop of a hat.

[Dixie51]

I didn't have a test as a child.  Nobody knew any thing about aspergers at that time.  I did do odd things as a child though.  When I was in elementary school I always played with the younger students instead of those my age because I could never figure out how to act with kids the same age as me. That ended when I accidentally hurt a first grader and the teachers told me I couldn't play with them anymore.  

If I couldn't play with younger children, I would bury my nose in a book and ignore everything around me.  When I got older and went with my husband to visit people I always sat down and read their magazines, because I didn't know how to visit.

I don't have any problems with words as that is an area I excel in.  I have 84 college credits and a 4.0 grade point average.

My brothers and sister kept telling me to stop walking funny.  I used to fly into a rage at the drop of a hat.