Does diagnosis really make a difference?

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Just wondering?

I wouldn't even know how to bring it up at the doctors, I have such a history of anxiety/depression/stress that I feel they would look at my records and dismiss me as a bit of an attention seeking loon.

How have the diagnosed Aspies here ended up being diagnosed and has it improved the situation for any of you?

Thanks

My mum told me that she thought I had it. (I'm 19) For two months I just couldn't stop thinking about it and even though it made a lot of sense, I didn't want to say that I had it when I didn't have any evidence on paper, it felt like I was lying to myself or something. So my mum went to the doctor with me and asked for a referral to a psychiatrist. In the end I got my diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder leaning towards asperger's. Now that I've been told by a professional I don't feel doubtful anymore and I can embrace my autism

It got me the help I needed in school, it helped my mother understand me better, plus I can use the diagnoses in my adulthood to get help I need such as getting a job or if I were to go to college, I can use my diagnoses to get accommodations, and my husband understands me too but I wonder how different things would be if he didn't know I had it.

It was my shrink that thought I may have it and my mother didn't trust her with her opinion because she wasn't qualified and she didn't know anything about AS according to my mother. That doesn't make sense because how can someone suspect AS is someone if they don't know what it is? So my mother took me to a psychiatrist my shrink recommended and he specialized in ASDs so mom and him talked a lot and they went over my current problems and my past and my early history. I don't remember any of the testings they gave me or if I told them about my past too or not. It took them a while to diagnose me and then he finally made the decision on where to place me on the spectrum and it was AS for closest match. Then after that, things got easier for me. Things were already easier during the whole process because my mother understood me better when she learned I was on the spectrum. I think my final diagnoses was the last piece to the puzzle because she always knew I had something and was trying to understand me over the years and had to find ways to teach me and all these other labels I was getting didn't complete it because she knew there was more.

i have yet to get my official dx, i have a paper in my pocket with phone call to return to make an appointment to diagnose. The University of Utah has a reputable autism research program, which includes clinical offices. It took me a short round of email/ phone tag to get to the right person, who returned my call to my voicemail, dont recall where i was. I wrote her number on the paper that has the trail of other people i have spoken to. This little paper has strangely been my friend for several months I dont know if i have postponed setting up the appointment partially to avoid parting with the paper. Lets take it out and read it.

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Christopher Toyn 2:37
Jubel Morgan

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Megan Farley or Janet Lainhart
Megan Farley

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Left Jenny Jensen vm June 30

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Jenny Jensen
Autism Diagnostic Clinic University of Utah
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I could give you meanings of each of those items but i've surely delved deep enough into the unnecessary. i'm going to start a new post to actually answer you questions

I postulate that when i finally obtain my official diagnosis, it will provide me some comfort of closure and surety and such. So all in all, it will be a good thing. I don't think it will be a night and day transformation of any sort. As for my input for you, as I have said to others asking the same, by all means, get the closure. But beforehand realize that the dx is not the most important thing. The most important thing is how you have come to your own analysis, and how this knowledge of yourself helps you understand yourself

My parents contacted someone in the area who focused on diagnosing autism spectrum disorders because of having been told when I was younger I was probably on the spectrum. He wrote into my report that it was me wanting a diagnosis for something I suspected.

As for how its helped me, the big thing is that I can work with specialists now, but also it's gotten people to finally stop trying to force me on medication, I'm working with vocational rehab, have half price public transit tickets, and various things like that. People also say I really should be on SSI when they hear about my sensory issues, so apparently I'm likely going to be working on that from my diagnosis too.

Made a difference for me. Being able to access useful services and accommodations in places as diverse as my school, my apartment, and the local bus system has really made my life easier. The diagnosis is probably the one most important factor that is allowing me to become successfully employed.

If you have problems that are holding you back due to AS, get evaluated. Self-diagnosis might be okay for people who've muddled through for a lifetime and figured things out for themselves; but if you are still having problems, you need a professional to check and make sure you're right about the AS and to tell other professionals that yes, you really do need these little adjustments.

Yes, it makes a difference if you want accomadations for school, or you want others to (hopefully) understand you better, or you simply want to understand yourself better. Even if you end up with a diagnosis other than AS, at least you've got a starting point as far as treatment's concerned. And if you don't agree with your diagnosis or diagnoses you can always get a second opinion.

I had never heard of it until a few years ago when a friend of the kid's who has it mentioned it to me. He basically told me I had it. I thought he was talking about skiining or being from Aspen and I misheard him. He explained it, I researched it, we talked some over weeks and months, and I went to a therapist. I mainly went out of curiosity because there is really nothing to do for it, and I've learned to get along just fine really by now. I'm in my late 40's now, obviously younger then.

For me, it was more of a "Huh, well that explains a lot!" thing. I had always thought it was just me, and made myself learn to deal with some things, but there are degrees of how effected you are with it. There is no telling what my prognosis would have been if I had been diagnosed when I was a child. I'm glad I wasn't then, because my Mother was very overprotective and she would have used that not only to gain attention and sympathy for herself, but also to keep me home and where she could see me, and it would have added fuel to her "Oh Frances, you can't do that!" fire. My Mothers psychological pathology is off the charts, really.

I came here to talk to other people who are like me about certain things, and who understand things that others, my husband and family included, just shake their heads and roll their eyes about.

It really depends on what you want a diagnosis for. To explain things to yourself, if a diagnosis will help you in work or school, etc.

Frances

It helps to give me validation, something I can throw in someone's face if they question the legitimacy of AS. Tell someone you've been diagnosed by a psychologist with lots of fancy pieces of paper hanging on his wall and they shut up. But so far, my official diagnosis hasn't done jack when it comes to helping me get on SSI.

Makes a difference to doctors and pharmaceutical companies. I'm sure they are happy people are still sick and needing to be helped and diagnosed.

For me just as this one person, going for a diagnosis is some sort of personal duty, because I don't feel entitled not to. But I have to wait 15 months for the full tests, which is ridiculous . I don't think it will make any difference at all but it's a question of honour to get that objective confirmation, if that makes sense. Other people may feel totally differently in their own case and that's fine, too .

As pointed above, having an AS diagnosis will open some additional options for you. In USA, AS is an official disability and depending on the severity of the symptoms you can get help. Anything from "reasonable" accommodations at work or school to government help and even disability benefits.

If your AS is very mild and doesn't affect your life much then the diagnosis might not mean much. However, if your AS symptoms make you miserable, badly affect your ability to work, study and lead normal life then AS diagnosis may be helpful in getting the above assistance.

Even severe depression diagnosis can help with getting some assistance.

I think that a diagnosis is useful if you would like to get school or work accommodations. Even if you do not need any accommodations currently, the diagnosis is good to have in case circumstances change and you do need accommodations in the future. Even a small work accommodation, e.g. the cubicle in the corner, can make a big difference in a person's functioning.