Suffering From Aspergers/social Anxiety About Tomorrow.

Tomorrow I meet with a Tinder match and I have Aspergers, how should I behave and what should I do?

First off if you haven't told her you are behind the eightball. As the saying goes you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Never surprise a first date with something important. Let her know your situation and how it presents itself. That way she will have an idea what to expect.

How is social anxiety different from Autism or Asperger's?

“A disorder that makes it hard to socialise” is not an accurate definition for autism.While true to an extent, it is not a defining factor of autism.Autism is a developmental disorder, which causes the wiring in an individual's brain wiring to be very disticnt to that of a Neurotypical’s. A symptom most prominent in autism is hypersensitivity.Our differently-wired brains don't posses a natural filter for information like Neurotypicals do. So the feeling of sand between one’s toes, or the snot-like texture of tomatoes, or a variety of other things you might not even think about, are extraordinarily hard to endure.And let me specify the following: it's not that we don't have a filter at all. We just don't have an adaptable filter. Our “bar” always remains in the same place, adapting only over years and years of normalization for a certain stimulus. It is unlike that of Neurotypicals’, as most have the benefit of a quickly adaptable filter.The higher the tolerance the filter has, the higher functioning one can be deemed.Another prominent symptom, is elevated levels of stimming. You know, that thing where you flap your hands? Hur hur hur.I'm kidding, of course. Stimming is a set of simple stimulie patterns that cancel out the excess information we generally receive. Neurotypicals are also known to do this to a lesser, less notable extent, such as tapping their fingers, or rubbing their thumbs against their index finger.Flapping one’s hands is definitely a common thing amongst autists though.At any rate, I see that you'd find it a negative thing to “suffer” from autism (English is limited in wording, so “suffering” is a very close approximation of what I'm attempting to get across). Well, allow me to assure you, that if you've made it this far without being completely miserable, you're probably fine. Unless you're around 12-14 years of age. Then to you I'd say: just power through. Life’s a bitch for most people.Anywho, g’day. And thanks for the request. Or, A2A is what they're calling it? Correct me if I'm mistaken.-InK

Are Asperger and Social Anxiety Disorder mutually exclusive?

They aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, anxiety disorders are often co-morbid with ASD, for the obvious reasons. So is depression, again for the obvious reason.A thing to know about ASD diagnoses: the condition itself is relatively rare (~1% of the US population). Rare conditions are not going to be the thing a diagnostician goes to first to try and type symptoms, and most diagnosticians are not going to have much experience diagnosing ASD conditions, since they are so rare. If you believe you have an ASD condition, find someone with experience diagnosing them and let them run tests on you.I've had most of the DSM thrown at me by psychiatrists and psychologists at one point in time or another. It took someone who specialized in diagnosing ASD conditions to give me the diagnosis, and it was because she specialized and could ask the right questions.

How do I deal with social anxiety and introversion?

Destiny…Since I am not qualified as a Counselor to deal with Social Anxiety which needs specialised attention I will limit my answer to the Introversion part of your question…The explanation of Introversion -Extraversion is thus…It is the comfort and need of the individual with Sensory Stimuus..both quality and quantity… ie. Light, Sound, Touch, Smell and TasteExtraversion is the need of the individual for more sensory stimulus… this leads to seeking out such stimulus resulting in behaviours like talking, partying, connecting, networking, meeting, cold calling, bright loud spaces etc…And we therefore label Extroverted behaviour as egocentric, brash, loud, etc..Introverted behaviours prefer lesser stimulus therefore the behaviour appears to be to be a-social (not anti but reduced social contact) therefore preference to be alone, seeking spaces and environments with lesser light/sound/smell…And we label Introverted behaviours as loners, society shunners,This choice is linked to Biology of the Individual!Realise and understand your preferences and alingn your life style to be comfortable with these preferences to create a low stress existence.You may want to use the CANOE+ report on CB5 to get a deep understanding of your preferences on 5 + 25 trait scales.Hope this helpsCheers!

Is social anxiety commonly a comorbid disorder in people with Asperger's syndrome?

Thank you for the A2A. I was diagnosed as Aspie last year, at 57.Yes, social anxiety is ONE OF many comorbid issues related to the spectrum. However, many social anxieties are not apparent on the outside (as seen by others). Many manifest in areas of ‘routine’ issues one might not necessarily associate with the anxiety, such as a reluctance to speak on the telephone (or call others), or the inability to enjoy doing things alone.Of course, there are far more people with social anxieties (which are often masked under GAD until they become more specific and/or troublesome) who are not on the spectrum.There is a spectrum of functionality within the ASD spectrum, as there are Aspies on all ends of their own spectrums, as well. I’m extremely social and extroverted, but deal with internal (mental) anxieties about dealing with people, conversations, responsibilities that I battle with AFTER some interactions, but outwardly many (most) people wouldn’t see me as “stereotypical,” until I tried to ask a question.My questions, although intrinsic to my understanding or insight into a situation, often don’t “make sense” (even to me) when I try to ask them. That causes me to have to “collect my thoughts” before continuing, even when in the middle of an active discussion. I have to figure out how to “word” my query in a way that makes sense to both of us (me and the person I’m asking) … and will elicit a reply that I can understand in context to what I asked.It’s all part of the anxiety thing.