Got any fellow PDDNOSers here?

I'm specifically making a thread about this because there's one aspect of it relevant to it and not Autism and Asperger's. Which is simply that it's not Autism or Asperger's. I have nothing against people with those, I do like to connect with those people as well, because I can. But...Sometimes it leaves me excluded from the Autism pool. A good example is my friend, the only offline friend I have (I love her dearly don't get me wrong she's great) seems incapable of accepting my more Autistic traits as what they are and has told me I can't be Autistic. She once outright told me I wasn't smart enough to be Autistic. Because I don't fit nicely into what she knows it looks like. She's got two cousins who are Autistic so she isn't clueless.
But yet all my life I have still had problems with these symptoms. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 23. Everyone, my close friends, mom included called me weird. Teachers thought I was disruptive, I had a really hard time learning. School was just a nightmare for me because no one knew what to do with me. I was tested to see if I could be put in the special ed class but I scored too high in everything for that. Although the results were bizarre. Because I tested above or at grade level for most, college level on some, and it just all yielded strange things. But since I couldn't be put in the special ed class they still had no idea what to do with me.
Then when I was 23 my mental health took a swan dive. And I was finally given a full psychological evaluation. And diagnosed with PDD NOS. And my therapist made sure to call it that, Atypical Autism and every other name it has. I was a bit baffle at first because I didn't know much about Autistic spectrum disorders. but after I started reading up on it so many things I did or though began to make sense. Then I started poking around online at communities for people with ASDs, following blogs and the like. It's great. Because now I can talk to people who can empathize with the same problems. And I see stuff that makes me go that is so me! And understand myself better.
I mean I assume I'm still kinda weird in some ways, but maybe that's a good thing. I mean I'm extremely sarcastic, so obviously I understand the concept. But I have a hard time recognizing when other people are being sarcastic. I spend a lot of time asking people if they're being serious or not because I can't tell so I never know for sure. Especially online. OK seriously HOW does ANYONE catch sarcasm through text?

I have PDD-NOS too. PDD-NOS is technically a form of autism but I too understand being different from those with Asperger's because of the atypical piece. Though under the new DSM you'd likely be ASD Level 1 as those with Asperger's would be. Sarcasm can be hard for me to understand sometimes too.

I'm here on behalf of my 16yr old son. Though I don't "have" it, I live it, daily.
Yes. Our son went to a school a couple of years ago whose speciality was providing a socially-safe but academically meaningful education for those at middle school/high school age with high functioning Autism. A good bit of the curriculum was eligible for University credit. In fact, there were some Master's level subjects offered there.

As our son had struggled mightily with academics since jr. school, he felt really out of place there, though the students were of a much higher caliber morally, ethically, than he would find in reg. American public schools.


Our son is so tuned in to sarcasm, irony that he thinks people are being sarcastic when they are meaning it literally.

I recall hearing (reading) once that irony and sarcasm don't translate well in txt.

To the extent that it does (and I've seen masterful displays of it on a pugilistic sports forum I belonged to for a number of years) it requires an audience witnessing the exchange to be very familiar with each other's online 'personalities', the subject matter, what a typical response would be and more than anything the person displaying the irony/sarcasm has to have a sense of timing akin to that of a stand-up comedian.

IMHO

I have Aspergers but I get questioned a lot if I tell people I have it, they simply will not believe it. I think it really has to do with people's idea of autism. I have tons of interests but I'm too lazy to do much with them. Then I cannot have Aspergers because they have one interest that they are driven to do all the time. Also one thing I get a lot is "but, but you're NICE!". I don't know even what to say to that. Did they expect a monster? I care a lot about people, I do volunteer work and the sorts, and I help people out when I can. For some reason aspies should be selfish. And I don't live up to that. And they say "but you're so social!". Eh... really? I look you in the eye on occasion not to appear rude, I can't initiate a conversation, I often drift off in my own thoughts while you talk, but still I'm social? Can't they sense I'd rather be somewhere else? I guess nodding and smiling really does the trick.

One funny thing, I was asked what my savant skill was. Um yea, like I have one.

Still, other aspies seem to recognize me, in a way I find some comfort in that.

Ah yeah I can see the problem not being conventionally socially awkward like some people seem to think you would be.

I mean in social situations I don't do anything awkward because....I don't do anything at all. I don't really know what to do so I just sit on the sidelines and say nothing. I come off more as rude than I do awkward. It's hard to tell people who don't know what it's like that I'm not trying to be rude, I literally cannot figure out what I should do.
But yeah oddly enough people who actually know something about Autism or actually have it themselves can usually recognize things in me. Like sensory issues, this isn't something you can see so sometimes it gets ignored. Stimming, particularly hand flapping, I mean that's pretty noticeable though. And boy I could tell you about my special interest *cough*DeathNote*cough* I mean there are many things I find cool, many things that if I got the opportunity to try I wouldn't mind doing so. But 9 times out of 10 I will go right back to that one thing. I kind of have a hard time getting into new things because of that. And it's also one of the reasons I don't follow trends.
I guess really the problem is I LOOK high functioning. And I'm just like pff please, you haven't seen the inside of my head.

I hadn't heard of PDD NOS before, but I looked it up and now I'm wondering if I might have it. I have a really hard time understanding sarcasm too and can be socially awkward, often saying the wrong thing. But I have a high IQ and did pretty well in school.

I think a close friend of mine has this. Afterall it is "just" an autism diagnosis where everything doesn't line up neatly, why they call it atypical autism.

My friend knows lots about categories, especially birds, plants and cars. She is really good at that stuff. She is not much for routine, but neither am I. The thing that sets her apart the most from me is that she is totally autophobic, she wants to be in social situations all the time, around the clock. While I need a lot of own time. She doesn't seem to suffer any sensory overload despite being very sensitive to everything. Well, smell is her weakness and taste, she is sensitive to that. She is well liked because she is friendly and open. Very sociable. But she also misses tons of social cues that even I can see, and I know she is not very good at being social in the long run, she just needs to be with people.

She must be on some kind of spectrum because all my friends almost, have autism or ADD/ADHD.