My therapist and Asperger's and eating

[LewisLegion]

So, I thought I had enough of life-changing crazyness this year, but it seems 2012 had one last surprise in store for me.

Following a recent argument with a roommate, I was discussing the issue with my girlfriend, who was just diagnosed with Asperger's earlier this year. As I was talking with her, she told me that she may just be projecting, but a lot of what she had noticed in interacting with me and what I was describing about the argument, that it sounded like I had Asperger's as well.

Long story short, my therapist also brought it up and we did some tests and it turns out that yes indeed, it seems like I have Asperger's. She said, actually, "I am positive you have it," but then went on to say that I did not need to see a specialist nor did I need to tell my two roommates that I had it, as it was 'irrelevant' and would not change the therapy.

I tried to get her to clarify why I would not tell the two people that I had to live with an interact with on a daily basis WHY I was behaving the way I was, but she just kept saying it was 'irrelevant' and that I should just ask them several times a day how they were feeling and tell them how I was feeling.

Yeah, ridiculous.

So I promptly went home and told them. They were actually quite relieved and supportive, as this explained a lot of what was going on. They were both baffled as well as to why the therapist thought I shouldn't let them know.

Anyway, on to the 'eating' portion of my post. Last night as we finished dinner C pointed at my plate and said, 'you might want to research and find out if that's part of the Asperger's thing'. She had noted that I always did one of two things while eating...I either inhaled the food so fast she was sure I wasn't even tasting it, or else I left the exact same amount, about two spoonfuls, on my plate after every single meal, whether I took a large portion or a small one.

I read that some Aspies don't like their food to touch and are quite picky about what they eat...I don't mind if my food touches and for the most part I'm not horribly picky (I have a handful of foods I don't like but other than that I really don't care).

Anyone here familiar with Asperger's or know if this is a sign, or is it just a personal 'quirk'? I have no reason for why I do this, I just do.

[TheHuckster]

I'm not sure. I don't know where I fall into the Aspergers spectrum, but I probably have a few very mild symptoms of it.

I don't totally freak out entirely if food is touching, but I do tend to avoid it if possible. Especially if it's sauces. I like gravy on potatoes, but I don't like it on my broccoli so I'll do what I can to keep the gravy from flowing to it. I do recall being a bit more picky about food touching growing up, to the point where I'd yell at my mom over it, but I grew out of that in adulthood and now I simply tolerate it, even if I prefer it not.

As for picky food choices, again, I used to be a somewhat picky eater, but now I'm much more open to foods, and will eat what I used to think was gross, like scollops, lobster, and asparagus. In fact, I'll even order that food often now.

I'm positive merely being picky about food isn't strictly an Aspergers thing. A lot of people I know who don't have Aspergers have their likes and dislikes about food, and some have more dislikes than likes. I think that has a lot more to do with your upbringing. If you grow up in a household that either hardly switches meals up or has horrible cooking, you're probably going to grow up at least thinking you don't like certain foods.

[HYHYBT]

The "don't like food to touch" thing is a question I couldn't even answer about myself without more specifics. Some foods are fine, or even improved, by touching each other, while others should stay apart.

[Hyena Dandy]

I read that some Aspies don't like their food to touch and are quite picky about what they eat...I don't mind if my food touches and for the most part I'm not horribly picky (I have a handful of foods I don't like but other than that I really don't care).

I'm a picky eater. I've known some who can eat anything without complaint. It's not a sign, it's just something true of some.

[telecom_goddess]

I have my suspicions about having Asperger's and tried to get diagnosed but was told it's nearly impossible to diagnose someone who isn't a child So basically I was told I might have it or not but it was impossible to determine. Yet I hear about adults getting diagnosed all the time. This was a center that specialized in autism as well. Not sure what to do at this point.

However in regards to food I HATE having certain foods touch each other. And I always get told "it all ends up in your stomach anyway" which just pisses me off. That doesn't mean I want to eat them all mixed up dammit. And I like a lot of different food but only like it certain ways, so it has to be made "right".

I need to figure out how to get diagnosed properly.

[NorthernZel]

I have my suspicions about having Asperger's and tried to get diagnosed but was told it's nearly impossible to diagnose someone who isn't a child

Hm, that sounds weird. As i have heard (after my son was diagnosed with Autism at an early age), Asperger's is normally diagnosed if it is detected after or around school age (before that the diagnosis is Infantile Autism (or is it called PDD-NOS in the US?)).

However, I can understand that a proper diagnosis can be hard to define in adulthood, since one may have been able to cope and/or change one's autistic symptoms in a way that it no longer totally fits into the Autistic Triad diagnosing method.

But still, it's called the Autistic Spectrum because it's HUGE. So, while it may be impossible to pin a specific diagnosis to it, one can still have a sort of Autism Spectrum Disorder - which, IIRC, will be the common diagnosis name for all Autism disorders after 2015. So one may think of looking for assistance with dealing with the specific symptoms instead.

Regarding the eating thing... sorry but I don't have anything. My son is even LESS picky than we adults are, he once had an issue against hard boiled eggs (he didn't like the texture) but he seems to have grown away from that.

[HYHYBT]

If "it all ends up in your stomach" were a sound response to someone's wanting foods separate, the people making that statement wouldn't object to eating their own vomit. After all, you're just putting it back where it belongs

It's NOT a logical thing. "That's gross!" rarely is, but so long as you're not using it as an excuse to tell other people what to do, it should fall within the bounds of acceptable personal taste.

[TheHuckster]

If "it all ends up in your stomach" were a sound response to someone's wanting foods separate, the people making that statement wouldn't object to eating their own vomit. After all, you're just putting it back where it belongs

I used to tell them if they really stood by that statement, they'll be willing to take each course of dinner, salad/soup, entre, and dessert, put it in a blender, and drink the contents.

[telecom_goddess]

If "it all ends up in your stomach" were a sound response to someone's wanting foods separate, the people making that statement wouldn't object to eating their own vomit. After all, you're just putting it back where it belongs

That's funny.......I like the one about blending it all too haha.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I do have weird food habits, come to think of it; I have a specific order in which food must be laid out with meat at the top, potatoes to the left and veg to the right. With pasta, the sauce and pasta must be served separately not mixed up together. Oh yeah, and I eat mashed and new potatoes with mustard, but that's normal, right? XD

[Nekojin]

... what's a "new" potato?

[LewisLegion]

If "it all ends up in your stomach" were a sound response to someone's wanting foods separate, the people making that statement wouldn't object to eating their own vomit. After all, you're just putting it back where it belongs

It's NOT a logical thing. "That's gross!" rarely is, but so long as you're not using it as an excuse to tell other people what to do, it should fall within the bounds of acceptable personal taste.

I don't think that's quite it. I have said the 'it all ends up in the same place' thing myself, but thinking about it, what I really mean is 'you're going to taste it all mixed up anyway'. I mean, if I'm eating a meal with steak and asparagus and potatoes, it's not like I brush my teeth or rinse my mouth out after each bite. Even if I take a drink of a beverage between each bite, it doesn't really completely abolish the taste. So I'm still gonna taste part of my piece of steak when I eat a forkful of potatoes, and taste gravy when I eat a forkful of asparagus, because tiny remnants of my previous bites are still in my mouth, even after I've swallowed.

Bile is already in your stomach, and you don't taste it at all unless you vomit, so likening it to eating your own vomit is not on target, nor is the idea of 'blending it all together' and then eating it. Blending it together makes an entirely different taste...I may eat a forkful of steak and when I've chewed through and swallowed half of it, wash the rest down with a gulp of milk...I can taste both at the same time when I do this, but it is NOT the same thing to say that I could then put steak and milk in a blender and drink the results. It's not quite exactly the same thing.

Personally, I don't care if my food touches.

[AdminAssistant]

... what's a "new" potato?

A baby potato, the little tiny ones you see in the grocery store next to the red ones.

[Andara Bledin]

I used to be incredibly twitchy about my food touching when it wasn't supposed to. The gravy was supposed to touch the turkey and mashed potatoes, but it better not get near the corn. That is, until I was ready to dump the corn into the mashed potatoes and eat them together. Then, and only then, it was allowed.

It's also worth noting that I walk funny. That is, when I walk, I take odd steps to avoid stepping on lines or cracks. And if it's unavoidable, I make sure that both my left and right foot step on the same amount each. Same with light and shadow. Same with different pavement types. I'm nowhere near the level of Nicholson's character in As Good As It Gets, but before that, I didn't even know it was a thing. I also do it to a much, much lesser degree when I drive.

^-.-^

[TheHuckster]

I used to be incredibly twitchy about my food touching when it wasn't supposed to. The gravy was supposed to touch the turkey and mashed potatoes, but it better not get near the corn. That is, until I was ready to dump the corn into the mashed potatoes and eat them together. Then, and only then, it was allowed.

It's also worth noting that I walk funny. That is, when I walk, I take odd steps to avoid stepping on lines or cracks. And if it's unavoidable, I make sure that both my left and right foot step on the same amount each. Same with light and shadow. Same with different pavement types. I'm nowhere near the level of Nicholson's character in As Good As It Gets, but before that, I didn't even know it was a thing. I also do it to a much, much lesser degree when I drive.

I kinda do the same thing when I walk, but I don't consider myself neurotic about it. To me it's no different than any other useless habit people have at least one of, whether it's twirling their hair, whistling while they work, or talking to themselves.

As for the driving part, at least avoiding big cracks and the like helps keep your alignment in check.