How and when did you get diagnosed with Asperger’s

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I’m curious as to how and when people got diagnosed with Asperger’s. Was there a stage of denial? Does having the diagnosis help with coping skills and strategies? I’m asking because my sister is in her mid-50s and is oblivious to her life-long struggle.

What do you mean when you say that your sister is: "oblivious to her life-long struggle"?

I was never diagnosed with Asperger's.

I was first diagnosed with autism in about 1964, at age 3.

I was diagnosed at ten, when I was having daily meltdowns and a lot of issues. My mom took a business psychology class and learned about autism, it sounded a lot like me so she took me to a psychiatrist to get diagnosed. Things were far from perfect, but having a diagnosis helped me get the help and therapies I needed.

How: Comprehensive assessment which took over 12 hours, and I supplied 188 pages of developmental history.
By whom: A PhD neuropsychologist who specialises in adult female autism.
When: April 2018.
What: Autism equivalent to Level 2.

Never "Asperger's" I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder - Level 2 after a few days of diagnostic testing. I was 31, and was seen by a psychiatrist after a mental health crisis.

Last edited by DanielW on 20 Feb 2019, 2:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder - Without Intellectual Impairment Level 1
Last month
PhD Psychologist specializing in assessing and diagnosing adults with autism
The Autism Society in my state
Isabella has me beat by a mile: I provided an 18 page narrative to accompany all the other diagnostic documents.

Last edited by Magna on 20 Feb 2019, 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I think I got diagnised at 11 years old. At first I had Aspergers and they changed my diagnosis to Mild Autism.

...Yes, but I'm a show-off and obsessive writer. lol

Congratulations again, Magna! I'm so happy for you!

^

Also ... regarding the title of this thread, Aspergers is no longer a diagnosis.

[quote="Arganger"]I was diagnosed at ten, when I was having daily meltdowns and a lot of issues. My mom took a business psychology class and learned about autism, it sounded a lot like me so she took me to a psychiatrist to get diagnosed. Things were far from perfect, but having a diagnosis helped me

You mention difficult to diagnose health problems. I'm sorry to hear that. My sister had major, difficult to diagnose health problems for much of her adult life.

Yes, but the website uses the term repeatedly or a variation like Aspie. I find autism spectrum too vague, as it includes exceptionally smart people, and those with profound developmental disabilities. Neural atypical includes the broad spectrum too. I've worked with extremely low functioning people on the spectrum. They can be super cool, but this is not the part of the spectrum that concerns me now. I'm just trying to figure out if there is a way to help my sister and stop her current descent into alienating the entire family.

I've been confused by this too. DSM is for "Mental Disorders". Then there's the ICD for "International Classification of Disease". I wonder if Psychiatrists use or still use ICD diagnostic codes whereas Psychologists use DSM diagnostic codes. Wiki says ICD still has an Asperger's diagnosis, but is it still ever used or is it just "on the books" but obsolete?

That is really a different question altogether. A diagnosis isn't going to help your sister. Treating the symptoms/issues she is having right now might. Are there comorbid issues that need addressing?

I really can't answer that. It's a good question because many parts of the world still use ICD. I was told not to be assessed by a psychiatrist because they are specialists in mental illness, whereas autism is not considered mental illness. It is a developmental disability or behavioural cluster which should ideally be assessed by psychologists or neuropsychologists.

I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule.

Larksparrow: If your sister is an adult it is her job to be doing this research and seeking her own diagnosis. If the family feels alienated by her autism, they need to seek their own educational counselling to inform their lack of understanding.