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Adults On The Autism Spectrum

Autism (ASD) | Last Active: Jun 19 1:34pm | Replies (1156)

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@wisfamily

Questions!

I have a husband who has something. Yes , most wives out here are rolling eyes and saying ALL husbands have irritating qualities and things they do , habits etc.. but its more than that. He is a great guy, smart though tends to dumb himself down around others. Sometimes I just think its adult ADD but not sure.
He was socially awkward, shy etc when we met in college. Once he knows you that is better and he has improved over the years , mostly due to staying in the same environment with little changes and around the same people. He likes to find his comfy rut and stay there. I am opposite in most ways so there is a clash.

when idle he doesnt stand still, he sways or rocks a little, fidgets, misses social cues, has the attention of a gnat and memory even worse. So far no Neurological testing has revealed a specific cause like stroke, damage etc..
He is scheduled for Neuropsychological testing and eval but I am wondering if this will even be an appropriate avenue or if they will simply slap ADD on him and push him out the door.

He is 57. We have been married 30 years. The only reason it matters at this point is that with proper diagnosis maybe he can understand himself better and work on things to help whatever anxiety he has or have some personal growth and we also have one child who has gotten themselves diagnosed as an adult with ADD but we have always felt it fit a Spectrum disorder more. There just wasnt a good place to get an evaluation done when they needed it. So knowing his diagnosis could end up helping our adult child as well.

But how where are good places to explore this possibility and testing?

Who specializes in this in adults?

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Replies to "Questions! I have a husband who has something. Yes , most wives out here are rolling..."

@wisfamily Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I see you have been a member for a while.

Each person is different, whether they are on the spectrum, or not. We each have our reactions and responses to situations.

You are asking about how to explore the possibility your husband may be on the autism spectrum. I was formally diagnosed as an adult, with Aspergers Syndrome. Looking back, it has helped me make so much sense of things that happened to me and around me, and how I view the world.

From Cleveland Clinic, here is a link to talking about autism and the diagnosis in adults: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/adult-autism-diagnosis/
From the Asperger/Autism Network is this article https://www.aane.org/resources/adults/aspergerautism-spectrum-diagnosis-adults/
And lastly, from Autism Speaks is this article: https://www.autismspeaks.org/expert-opinion/getting-evaluated-autism-adult-where-go-who-see

Is your husband interested in being evaluated? Does he feel this would be of benefit to him? What might change if he does go through an evaluation and receives any kind of diagnosis?
Ginger