All right, I'll try to describe Ken as best I can.
1. Ken knows everything about cars and about video games. It's all he talks about. Even if we're talking about something else, he'll interrupt with some random fact about his car or a game he wants. OMG it drives me crazy some days.
2. Ken is not good at socializing. Since he's 25, he's developed the skills he needs through trial and error. In kindergarten, he made friends with other kids by hitting them with his lunch box.
3. When he's talking about stuff, he has no inkling if you care or not. He'll just keep on talking even if you're not paying any attention at all. And he really doesn't care if you care either. He just has to share his vast knowledge anyways. Otherwise, he feels like he might explode inside.
4. He has to make lists and charts all the time. I guess it helps him organize his thoughts or something. He always needs a pen and a stack of 3X5 notecards on him at all times so that he can make his lists. He compares video games and lists car parts he wants, etc. He'll make the same list/chart in triplicate (or more) Sometimes, I just throw them out. They're all over the house, in his pants pockets, in his coat, etc.
5. He's very logical in thinking. He thinks very literally and often uses physics references when talking about some things. He rarely notices sarcasm and has only really noticed since he's been with me so long and I tend to be a very sarcastic person, especially when I'm mad or frustrated.
6. He does not have a monotone voice per say, but he cannot carry a tune to save his life. He does have some inflection, though I really can't say if that's something that's developed over a long period of time or not.
7. More about socializing... He doesn't do well in large groups at all. He has a large extended family and didn't even know most of their names for a long time. He never thought it necessary to learn their names. He rarely makes any comments in a group setting unless it's something specific that he knows or has an opinion about (for instance, politics, religion, or the aforementioned topics) He used to be really bad when we were first dating. We were visiting my sister. There were maybe 5 or 6 of us there and he sat and played his Gameboy the whole time. My dad was NOT impressed, but I just tried to explain that he didn't do well in groups.
8. He's very picky about what he eats. He hates things with too many tastes to them (like casserole) He says it's like eating garbage. He also hates eggs b/c they smell and he hates a lot of things b/c of their textures (like kidney beans and cottage cheese)
9. Ken is forever rubbing his nose. It drives me nuts b/c sometimes it really does look like he's picking it, just w/o shoving a finger up it. It can be so embarrassing sometimes.
10. Ken loves routine and familiarity. He has no desire to ever move away from this area. He loves his milk route job b/c it's a perfect schedule of where he needs to go and which roads to take. He's flexible enough that small changes don't bother him (when they would for sure bother Freddy), but he loves it when there's a schedule. We often plan out our evenings ahead of time, even if it's just watching a movie.
And some things that Kenny never did that Freddy does, thus the different diagnosis:
1. Kenny never had speech difficulties like Freddy. Freddy has so many different issues. His secondary diagnosis after ASD was a communication disorder. Ken always spoke normally. And instead of never speaking to anyone, Ken speaks to EVERYONE.
2. Kenny never had real stims. Freddy flaps his hands and jumps when he's excited. He also loves to rub stuff on his face. Like on his nose and mouth. (OT, one time some kids were laughing at him in the grocery store b/c he had a plastic produce bag on his face. I almost turned around and yelled at them, but it was before I had any sort of dx. Oh man, I was SO PO'd.)
Those are the 2 big differences. Now Ken says that he can remember doing some things that are similar to how Freddy acts. For instance, he remembers walking along a wall, leaning against it at the same time. But it's not entirely the same.
Sorry this is so long. I hope you find it helpful. Feel free to PM me if you have more specific questions. Ken is off and on about getting himself dx'd some time in the future. I really hope he does it. Obviously, there's not much to do for him especially since he's 25. He says that he just learned over time the right ways to act and the right things to say. Poor kid. His mom and dad got him eval'd way back when and they told his parents he had ADD. IDK what kind of help there is for Asperger kids nowadays, but his parents (especially his mom) never understood him and still don't. She also maintains that Freddy is NOTHING like Kenny. D-E-N-I-A-L... But that's another post for another day.
