what's actually the point of diagnosis for asperger's?

Post Reply New Topic

Sorry, just for clarification:

When you say 'diagnosis', do you mean medical diagnosis?

The term 'diagnosis' is used on WP in multiple contexts, I'm confused by the context in which you are using it, and in which it can be interpreted.

Apparently it's for others on the forum to believe you actually have ASD.

Just curious, what does "acting NT" mean?

Is it simply a combination of:
- "trying to fit in" (and be like other NTs) even though it is counter to who you actually are and
- "trying to be more social" (with other NTs) even though it is counter to what you actually want

Likewise, I am a bit curious if there's such a thing as "acting ASD".

In any event, I just want to be myself. But first, that means be comfortable "in my own skin".

Regarding the question, “What’s Actually The Point Of Diagnosis For Asperger's?”. Well, after learning about Asperger’s at the age of 49, I became obsessed in understanding issues that have plagued me since I was a young child. I read numerous books/articles/studies on Aspergers. But, I didn’t stop there. I started reading books/articles on Anxiety, Depression and various Personality Disorders. I suspected Aspergers. But, I suspected other things as well (including Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, Avoidant Personality, Schizoid).

Interestingly, even after being diagnosed, I didn’t “feel” the “closure” I was seeking. As I spent the next year (well, actually a bit more than a year) wondering if the diagnosis was correct. Fortunately (for me), those doubts have since been erased (as I subsequently received informal confirmation from an independent autism researcher plus my current therapist, who is a clinical psychologist with expertise in autism).

Both.

After spending 20 years of my life without knowing the reason i couldn't fit anywhere and why i was always feeling so different from the others, when i finally got an explanation for all that and discovered that i was not alone i felt something that is barely explainable. It took me a while to be comfortable with the idea of possibly being autistic but i couldn't live with the doubt. That's why i started to search for professionals to confirm or deny the possibility.
In the end it made me such a good impact on my life that i don't regret it, even if i never get some kind of "benefit" on any activity because of it.

Disability pension, yo.

I thought of one additional thing that probably is related (at least for me). And that is “trying to navigate the work environment”.

As I progressed through adulthood, but before learning about Asperger’s, I had pretty much given up on “trying to fit in” and “trying to be more social”. I did my best to avoid those situations (which is one of the reasons I considered Avoidant Personality, as a possibility). Oh, I attended the obligatory family events (albeit reluctantly). And attending these was oftentimes painful as I was never really good at “on the fly” socializing (aka socializing without purpose). This feeling of awkwardness, led to sadness and occasional depression, serving as a reminder of how defective I was (in this regard).

Interestingly, until learning about Asperger’s, it had never occurred to me that my challenges of “trying to be more social” and “trying to fit in” (or, rather, my avoidance of those) also impacted my ability to successfully navigate the work environment. I figured that “business is business” and I just needed to do a good job, and good things would happen. It had never occurred to me why I had so many enemies at work (i.e. people oftentimes complained to my bosses, saying I was not a team player).

The self-discovery I went through after learning about Asperger’s was a huge eye opener, in this regard. The diagnosis really helped me understand my limitations and led me to change how I interface with people at work (both colleagues and superiors).

Probably, if I was diagnosed with something else, my approach would be quite different.