What would/does an official diagnosis mean for you?

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Hello, my name is Jools, I'm 26 and live in London. I was diagnosed with a mild form of Aspergers a few years ago.

I'm currently working on a journalistic university project in which I'm attempting to gather as much information from the Aspergers community about what having an official diagnosis means for you.

If you could sum it up in a paragraph or two, leaving your first name/nickname/initials and where you're from, I'd be incredibly grateful. You can even PM me if you'd prefer. None of the information given to me will be published, it's literally just going towards an article for a university project.

Thank you for your time

I won't be giving out anything related to my real name because I have written some pretty personal stuff here. I am from suburban New York. My diagnoses was a huge joyous relief. It felt electric, it literally felt like a surge of energy was running through me. I feel I gained a part of my identity I never knew I had, hence my Wrong Planet name. A "second birthday" also explains it. I always know I was different my whole life and in my 20's had accepted and adjusted to it to a large degree. In the years prior to my diagnoses I had a laymens knowledge of Aspergers and that I probably had it. But with the diagnoses I realize how wide ranging it is and how it effects most parts of my life. A lot of things in my that were mysteries or I had thought about wrongly have been explained and make sense. I am less harsh on myself for certain things because I know why it is happening. But that does not mean I totally forgive my mistakes because Aspergers is not an excuse. My diagnoses was just a few months so long term effects is yet to be seen.

I also had mine recently. Don´t care about the "official" part.
To me it meant clarity, because I had so many wrong labels before. I reacted like ASPartOfMe: I felt relief, told a few people, began to let down my guards in social situations (I sometimes react a bit surprising anyway), as well as allowing myself to be a little less social. What happens later I don´t know. Sometimes I can identify with it, - sometimes not.
It takes some time to identify strengths and weaknesses from a new angle and become aware, but at least I find a coherent explanation to some things.

Nothing at this point. I don't see how a diagnosis will give me any benefit, aside from possible grants or scholarships for college. I'm already confident about it; no use doing it until later on in life when it's convenient for me to do so.

I don't have an official Dx yet, but I have had several people say that I may have AS (including a psychiatrist I saw in the airforce).

A Dx for me would be huge relief for me because I would feel validated and would have an explaination for my odd traits and social difficulties. The problem is that my anxiety is holding me back in pursuing an ASD assessment.

Having received a diagnosis this year at 27 years old, I felt relieved and excited. I have always felt separate from others, as if I were standing off to the side by myself, observing but not participating in society, with everyone else understanding and communicating with each other in ways that I can't. This was a lonely and isolated existence which made me question my worth, my abilities, and what I could possibly offer to this world. I thought that I was supposed to be "normal," but I just wasn't doing it right. Now that I know I am an Aspie, everything is so much clearer. I still feel as though I am standing separate from society, but now I know that I am not standing there alone. Even though they may be widely dispersed across the globe, and we may never actually meet or even want to, I know that there are other Aspies like me out there who are also on the outside. I feel like so many situations and difficulties throughout my life now make sense, and I no longer feel isolated or worthless. Instead, I can celebrate my strengths and abilities while knowing that I have a different, but unique, perspective to offer this world.
- Charlotte, California

To me it means an opportunity to be reborn and change your life for the better. I have quite lengthy interesting history with Autism. As a toddler I began to show many of the core symptoms ASDs. My mother being concerned, she took me to a specialist for examination. Unfortunately because this was so shortly after Asperger's Syndrome had been introduced to the DSM that I was never diagnosed. Suspicions were also raised again during primary school, when a couple of teachers suspected that I had the condition, and so they directed my mother to a child psychiatrist. But with my mum not wanting me to slapped with a label and worrying about the prospects of my future, she declined the assessment for my own benefit. I don't blame her for this and I do believe she legitimately wanted what was best for me.

Sadly this meant that I had to go throughout school without any treatment and support for my condition. Throughout my childhood I've struggled to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. I had very few friends and was typically seen as a weird loner. Because of this I've been a target for bullies. These misfortunes reached their peak when I entered secondary school and was frequently ostracized and attacked by my peers. I believe that having undiagnosed AS along with many of its idiosyncrasies, being bullied and rejected led me make some decisions throughout my adolescence. Near the end of secondary school I had few I could call friends, I was performing poorly in school and my life at home was a wreck.

However, this is where a turning point occurred. Through the use of a councilor I was directed to an adolescent unit for teenagers with social, emotional and behavioural issues. It was only through their intervention that I was finally diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome a few years ago. With it I've been able to understand why I've felt so different, why I've had great difficulty connecting with others my age and what can be done to help me. It was such a huge realization which provided a sense of relief. I received the help I needed from the interventions of family counselor. With the help of my family and specialists I visited I made great headway in improving myself as a person.

Looking back, right now I feel as though I'm an entirely different person as to how I was little over three years ago. I've been doing well in college and I've formed better relationships with my family. A diagnosis truly allowed me to change my life for the better. It's funny how a correct diagnosis and the support that it can entail has the potential to impact your life so much. I couldn't have done it without my family, teachers and the specialists intervention. I now know that I have prospects and future within society. And although I occasionally look back and wish things had gone differently, I'm now just happy to have been given the help I needed. I can finally make my way in the world unihibited!

Disability pension

Confirmation. A name to call this by. Even satisfaction that what I've suspected since I was in my 20s has been correct.

Some have said an adult diagnosis is worth nothing but getting benefits (including money).

I couldn't disagree more.

I know this is a pitifully short answer, but it's all I've got. I just want to know for sure. I hope that'll eventually happen.

I'm from the eastern part of the States.

The diagnosis has meant to me that I feel less like an isolated freak--suddenly all these things I've experienced have a context, and are a part of normal functioning for someone on the spectrum. Even the things I've never told anyone suddenly are more 'normalized'. For someone who is generally isolated, even when surrounded by others, it's meant feeling like I actually could be a part of society, and it means forgiving myself for never quite being able to be the way NT people are.

It means I have insight into my behaviors, and that my coping mechanisms can be considered more deliberately, as less a desperate attempt to manage overwhelming sensations and the pressure of social circumstances, and more just a part of who I am.

I'm more at peace with myself, and now I have something to reach for to help explain me, which makes a 'bridge' of sorts back to the world I live in.

An official diagnosis means three things to me:

1. I don't have to pretend that there is nothing different about me - I don't have to willfully choose denial.

2. I don't have to pretend that there is something different about me - I don't have to be a poseur.

3. Disability pension - I don't have to rely on the kindness of family, friends, and relatives.

Hey everyone, I'm really enjoying reading your responses and finding out more about your experiences. As far as I'm concerned, the more responses I get, the better, so please keep them coming in, you're all doing me an incredible favour!

Also, I know some of you have and it's certainly not a prerequisite, but if you could let me know your first name and whereabouts in the world you're from, it would really help. You don't need to be any more specific than the continent if you like (America, Asia, Europe, etc.) but it would really help for my article and help give it a more cultural, personal feel.

Thanks again

I don't feel comfortable giving out my real name, but I live in the US.

Anyways, I was diagnosed in 2008, right before I turned 25; I was diagnosed after a long, frustrating job search post-college that had left me feeling defeated and deflated and wondering what was wrong with me. Also, I'd spent a year chasing yet another guy who just wasn't that interested in return. I'd spent years and years "pretending to be normal," mimicking NT behavior, in order to fit in (and I can pass reasonably well; you can't tell, on the surface, that I have AS), but I always knew there was something different about me. Getting the diagnosis acted as a sort of confirmation. It also helps a bit at work--it helped me get reasonable accommodation for my sensory processing problems.

When I received my diagnosis a couple of months ago, I felt as though the puzzle pieces of my life fell finally into place. It was such a relief to know that the Social Anxiety Disorder I've been trying (and failing) to overcome all my life was not my fault and I was not a bad person for needing so much time to myself. I can now accept that I do not have to have a spouse or partner in my life. This has taken a huge weight off my shoulders. I am not abnormal, I am a perfectly normal Aspie!

I don't think having the official diagnosis has changed much in my life, other than my family accepted the diagnosis more readily than they would have if I were self diagnosed. I've been active on a couple of Asperger's Syndrome forums, and this has really helped me to feel connected to other Aspies. I have found my people!