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underwater
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18 Nov 2017, 1:18 am

I think it's worth doing. I'm not sure how easy it would be for you to be a therapist to NT's, but there is definitely a need for autistic psychologists helping autistic people. You would probably be able to get a lot of work with autistic adults in the beginning, and it might lead to opportunities like writing books or appearing at conferences - depending on how easy that is for you.

Recently, I spent some time talking to two psychologists, one who is very knowlegdeable about autism, and one who has a very limited and stereotyped knowlegde. The knowledgeable one really helped me, whereas the other one managed to really scare me. Understanding is really crucial.

I see one big problem, and that is that we sometimes have a hard time understanding that others have different experiences from ourselves. I think hanging out on WP and doing the work that you do is really valuable. Just life experience will be valuable, trying different things.

It might take some time to establish yourself. Actually, why don't you contact those autistic psychologists in Australia and Denmark and ask them about their experiences? You can always use snail mail to their offices, and they might be interested in connecting with others - I suspect that 'autistic psychologists' is a pretty small club.


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bunnyb
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18 Nov 2017, 7:05 pm

I think an autistic psychologist would be a relief to meet. I have had dealings with several NT psychologists who claim expertise with autism. One told me I can't have autism because I'm married with children :? . Another said I seemed to really care about other people and animals which isn't what is expected from people with autism :evil: . She also had never heard of synaesthesia :roll: . I had to explain it to her and I'm thinking to myself 'this woman knows jack sh*t. Why am I paying for this'. Both of these psychologists promote themselves as specializing in autism and doing diagnosis.
I think psychologists should have to do some sort of post grad diploma or something before they can advertise themselves as autism specialists especially if they want to diagnose. The ignorance of these two was astonishing.
The only one I have met who I have any respect for, spent a few years working with Tony Attwood. She was amazing. She understood. Finding someone who understands makes a world of difference. I think a psychologist with autism would be fantastic. :D
I do think a lot of psychologists are attracted to autism because they see it as an easy way to make money. Diagnosis is expensive yet it only takes them a few hours.


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EverythingAndNothing
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18 Nov 2017, 10:10 pm

I worked with a therapist who had Aspergers but she was specialized in treating eating disorders. I got on with her extremely well, better than I ever had with anyone really, but everyone else found her aloof and unapproachable.

This was actually part of my decision to not go into Psychology. I imagine that she would have been incredibly well-received if she had specialized in ASD, but I personally wanted to work with other disorders and she made me realize I might not be a good fit. I'm very passionate and knowledgeable about the subject, but I don't think I would be received well by NTs.

Obviously everyone has different skills, though, and if you think you can do it then I wouldn't let anyone stop you. I definitely do think that those with ASD would excel in working with others with ASD. It made a huge difference for me to work with someone who thought like me.



League_Girl
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18 Nov 2017, 10:15 pm

EverythingAndNothing wrote:
I worked with a therapist who had Aspergers but she was specialized in treating eating disorders. I got on with her extremely well, better than I ever had with anyone really, but everyone else found her aloof and unapproachable.

This was actually part of my decision to not go into Psychology. I imagine that she would have been incredibly well-received if she had specialized in ASD, but I personally wanted to work with other disorders and she made me realize I might not be a good fit. I'm very passionate and knowledgeable about the subject, but I don't think I would be received well by NTs.

Obviously everyone has different skills, though, and if you think you can do it then I wouldn't let anyone stop you. I definitely do think that those with ASD would excel in working with others with ASD. It made a huge difference for me to work with someone who thought like me.


How did she stay in business?


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EverythingAndNothing
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18 Nov 2017, 10:19 pm

League_Girl wrote:
How did she stay in business?


She didn't. When I started with her, she'd only been in it for about two years and she lost her position at the facility a few months after I left. I was disappointed because I actually wanted to work with her outpatient but she moved on to a different field. Definitely made me realize it might not work out for me either since I was so much like her =/



starcats
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18 Nov 2017, 10:34 pm

SaveFerris wrote:
Currently , I would actively seek a physcologist if I knew they were autistic.


Yes, me too. I frequently wonder how differently autism would be defined if it were autistic psychologists doing the diagnosing. I would also think that being autistic would make you a great psychologist to everyone. You're not supposed to be a star socialite to clients, you can listen objectively and give honest feedback. I never go to psychologists because I usually find them so fake.



Lay26la1990
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18 Nov 2017, 11:23 pm

bunnyb wrote:
I think an autistic psychologist would be a relief to meet. I have had dealings with several NT psychologists who claim expertise with autism. One told me I can't have autism because I'm married with children :? . Another said I seemed to really care about other people and animals which isn't what is expected from people with autism :evil: . She also had never heard of synaesthesia :roll: . I had to explain it to her and I'm thinking to myself 'this woman knows jack sh*t. Why am I paying for this'. Both of these psychologists promote themselves as specializing in autism and doing diagnosis.
I think psychologists should have to do some sort of post grad diploma or something before they can advertise themselves as autism specialists especially if they want to diagnose. The ignorance of these two was astonishing.
The only one I have met who I have any respect for, spent a few years working with Tony Attwood. She was amazing. She understood. Finding someone who understands makes a world of difference. I think a psychologist with autism would be fantastic. :D
I do think a lot of psychologists are attracted to autism because they see it as an easy way to make money. Diagnosis is expensive yet it only takes them a few hours.



I had several similar problems.Ive been told I don't look autistic enough. I've also been told that I wasn't autistic because I'm married, because I dressed well (which only do if I leave the house) or that I've had friends in the past. I agree with you we need more autistic psychologist.

I used to believe that all NT psychologist were incompetent in helping someone on the spectrum but I meet this NT psychology professor who was just amazing. He was excellently versused in commication and he picked up on my differences he was so helpful. I never told him I had autism but I am pretty sure that he figured it out. So not all NT are completely cluelessness.



Lay26la1990
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18 Nov 2017, 11:45 pm

EverythingAndNothing wrote:
League_Girl wrote:
How did she stay in business?


She didn't. When I started with her, she'd only been in it for about two years and she lost her position at the facility a few months after I left. I was disappointed because I actually wanted to work with her outpatient but she moved on to a different field. Definitely made me realize it might not work out for me either since I was so much like her =/

Wow, that's hard to hear. I can only imagine the difficulties and judgement due to her social style. That's sounds a little discouraging but I also know that that's part of the reality of working around people.

I've volunteer in programs where I'd mentor young girls. I loved my role. I can't say I was welcomed by NT fellow workers I think people thought that I was a little eccentric. The second thing I hated was that I'd get a lot the of grunt work because of the lack of respect id get back from other volunteers. I know I was good at what I did and I was well versed in understanding these girls they liked me but I wasn't ready for the judgements I received from the other volunteers .



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19 Nov 2017, 12:53 am

EverythingAndNothing wrote:
League_Girl wrote:
How did she stay in business?


She didn't. When I started with her, she'd only been in it for about two years and she lost her position at the facility a few months after I left. I was disappointed because I actually wanted to work with her outpatient but she moved on to a different field. Definitely made me realize it might not work out for me either since I was so much like her =/


How did you find that out?


it must suck to go to school for something only to find out it was a waste because that career wasn't suited for you so it's back to school again.


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underwater
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19 Nov 2017, 4:39 am

bunnyb wrote:
I think an autistic psychologist would be a relief to meet. I have had dealings with several NT psychologists who claim expertise with autism. One told me I can't have autism because I'm married with children :? . Another said I seemed to really care about other people and animals which isn't what is expected from people with autism :evil: . She also had never heard of synaesthesia :roll: . I had to explain it to her and I'm thinking to myself 'this woman knows jack sh*t. Why am I paying for this'. Both of these psychologists promote themselves as specializing in autism and doing diagnosis.
I think psychologists should have to do some sort of post grad diploma or something before they can advertise themselves as autism specialists especially if they want to diagnose. The ignorance of these two was astonishing.
The only one I have met who I have any respect for, spent a few years working with Tony Attwood. She was amazing. She understood. Finding someone who understands makes a world of difference. I think a psychologist with autism would be fantastic. :D
I do think a lot of psychologists are attracted to autism because they see it as an easy way to make money. Diagnosis is expensive yet it only takes them a few hours.


These psychologists who said all this silly stuff, were they doing diagnosis or therapy with you? I realized after my own assessment that the assessor intentionally presented some autism myths as true to me, just to see my reaction.

I think few people are able to go as deeply into a subject as us, so there will often be a situation where we are more knowlegdeable about our own condition than the therapist. A person who understands autism will understand and respect that, and will also be aware that the spectrum is huge, and be accepting of 'deviations from the norm', whatever that is in autism. I was told that these diagnoses are social constructs, without any medical evidence for it, and I agree. Perhaps in the future there will be more reliable medical evidence, but as things stand, what we have are real living, breathing people, who fit these diagnoses to a varying degree.

You and I are both married with children, and because of that we are confusing. Insisting that we can't be autistic because of that is idiotic, it simplifies human existence to the point where the diagnosis becomes meaningless. I suspect that the traits that make it easier for us to have relationships are the same ones that make us difficult to diagnose - yet the way I build relationships is extremely different from how NTs do it, all my energy goes into that big furnace that is relationships with other people, and yet it frequently fails spectacularly. Meanwhile, executive functioning suffers.


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I sometimes leave conversations and return after a long time. I am sorry about it, but I need a lot of time to think about it when I am not sure how I feel.