Actually…

I was looking at my post from last night, “User Stickiness,” and read the part about thinking Desmond might be a little spectrummy.

It reminded me that I have a friend, Amy, who was recently (in the last five years or so) diagnosed with Asperger’s (or high-functioning autism? I don’t remember what the equivalent is since the DSM got rid of the Asperger diagnosis).

Amy is totally convinced that I have high-functioning autism.

I don’t think so, but I can understand why she might reach that conclusion. I am socially awkward; however, I am very good at interpreting facial expressions and body language. But that might be because I’m so fascinated by body language (male body language, in particular) and have studied it since I was 13.

I’m reasonably equipped to interpret most social cues and nuances, as well.

I’ve always been highly verbal. I scored in the 98th percentile for verbal ability when I was evaluated in 2016.

Interestingly, my full scale IQ is lower than I would’ve expected. Of course I know I’m not gifted like my son, but the score I received was lower than when I’ve taken those online IQ tests.

Lots of features of my ADHD manifested in that testing, though.

I don’t have any stereotypies, at least that I’m aware of.

I do perseverate on certain things, but that’s anybody who’s really interested in something, right? It could just be a function of my anxiety.

I don’t know. I just don’t think I have autism. But I can understand why someone else would see it in me. It is a spectrum, after all. I might be just on the edge, or something.