you're not a doctor, stop telling people they don't have AS.

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What I find interesting about this site is how many self-diagnosed Aspies don't plan on getting an official diagnosis. I self-diagnosed myself with OCD two years before I was officially diagnosed, and all throughout that time, I felt guilty saying that I had OCD. I knew that I had it, but I didn't want to say I did without a professional opinion. I agree that you know yourself better than any doctor; it just interests me is all.
-OddDuckNash99-

Some are quite advanced in age, making a practical diagnosis tricky, expensive and somewhat pointless. I self diagnosed and a year later had an opportunity for a free DX. I took it.

I'd like to see a blind poll of residents to see if self diagnosis has a high correlation with later official diagnosis. I bet it does.

Exactly, at 50+ years old it is almost pointless, not to mention expensive (while I have an IQ that puts me in the top 5% I work as a night janitor..not much money). My son, on the other hand (who is incredibly like both me and my grandfather) and who is 8 years old, very intelligent, has selective mutism, walks on tip-toes, spins around the living room, has serious meltdowns, can't stand to be around bright lights or loud sounds. He has only 2 interests, the weather (which he checks about every 30 minutes) and toy airplanes (which he keeps lined up; God help you if you move one) will get a professional diagnoses.

Most of the members who argue this issue are young and angry about other things, it's not something to be taken personally. It's a shame though, because for a lot of people it does cause a lot of grief to be repeatedly rejected even on WP.

Maybe you should go back to bed and get up again on the other side?

Your life sounds much like mine. I am 50+, in the top 5% and work as an office cleaner during the day. I have a son with diagnosed AS. Is your son on meds? My son had debilitating anxiety over sensory issues before meds. I've had people my whole life tell me I could do whatever I wanted. That seems to be true in theory but not in practice. I think there are many reasons for my place in life now, but the thing that describes it best for me is executive dysfunction. I have been diagnosed with inattentive ADD. I have always had a very hard time planning and executing a course of action and I have always felt like a lazy loser because of it. The negative self assessment feeds on itself and becomes self perpetuating. At my age all I can do is accept it.

It is more common to be "100% correct or 50% wrong"--that is, to self-diagnose with autism while having sub-clinical traits. People who are fully NT are very unlikely to self-diagnose; the BAP, much more so. Considering they have many of the same issues, it's not all that much of a problem when it happens.

The only problem with self-diagnosis is if you have a problem other than autism and you mistake it for autism. There's a wide range of them, and not all of them are as stable and relatively "safe" to have as autism. If you mistake a serious or progressive problem for autism, you're in trouble. Which means, bottom line, whether or not you're sure you have autism, if you have a serious problem of any sort, you need to go to a doctor.

Agreed, but what if what someone is describing is something they have experienced since very early childhood? For example a diagnosis of Schizoid Personality Disorder implies something that developed over time doesn't it? That's why they won't diagnose under 18.

It's about time this thread was made.

I usually dont mind if someone self-diagnoses unless its someone who just wants to use it as an excuse for acting like an asshat.

If it's severe, go to a doctor. If it's not, you may be schizoid, but it isn't so bad that you'd need to go to a doctor in the first place.

Aimless

No, my son is not on meds. I had hoped to avoid that but may not be able to. My own personal experience with them (from the late 60s and 70s) was; they gave you something that basically turned you into a zombie while they tried to 'figure out what is wrong'..hence my reluctance. I'm sure meds have gotten better over the past 30+ years.
Plus, my son's GP is very old school and thinks we should wait and see 'if he grows out of all this'. I think the good doctor is a moron; I never 'grew' out of anything (neither did my grandfather) ..just learned over decades how to adapt the best I could.


Callista

Yes, your percentages probably make more sense than what I had originally said.

Not going to "join a camp" here, just make a few points -

Self diagnosing can help people. A diagnosis does different things for different people, so you need to know *why* it will help before you do it. For me i had self diagnosed AS but felt guilty as others have mentioned without formally getting a diagnosis, it felt like a fake.

The line "we know ourselves better than anyone" is completely true but it's only part of the story. A doctor (a good one) knows AS and a host of other conditions better than we can ever hope to. You have half the picture, he has half the picture. It makes sense to both work to help each other understand.

The last point follows on from the above. I know myself well enough that when shown AS i know it relates to me, but what about the unknown unknowns? I hadn't considered ADHD, so i couldn't consider it. He did and now my self diagnosis (as well as his proffessional one) includes ADHD. Unless i go through every single possible issue and read up on them i can't be sure i've not missed one of these unknowns. That's what doctors are for.

I don't like the idea of all these doctors running around giving people AS...

Seriously though, I was diagnosed 3 yers after I already came to the conclusion myself. Yes, there may be a few self-diagnosed people here that don't really fit the criteria, but there are also 'official' aspies in the same position.

Getting a diagnosis where I come from is really easy; you send of a little paragraph about your childhood andthen go meet the doctor, who on talking to you (and possibly a parent) for half an hour, will decide whether you have asspergers.

Now I know all the criteria for AS, so if I had the slightest of acting skills, I could easily pass this 'test' and gain a diagnosis. At one stage, we were not sure if I met a point nand I was encouraged to think back to find something, anything that ticked the box. The thing is, if you go by slight quirks, anyone can have aspergers.

Self diagnosis is good as long as you get tested later. I found out I most definitely had aspergers and then went to get a diagnosis and was corroborated. They thought my cousin had it found out either add or adhd. So self diagnosis is a good idea as long as you get diagnosed. I recommend diagnosis. Just know what I have is help enough.

I was told by a psychologist, with knowledge of Asperger's Syndrome, that it was in my best interests to not get an official diagnosis unless it was needed and I agree with that. I don't know what its like in the US but in Australia getting a diagnosis means I have it for life and there is good and bad things associated with that, particularly in relation to jobs. So for me, even though I am still quite young, there is a reason for me to not get a diagnosis.

Likewise, if you are a doctor but not in the regular practice of working with people who do have AS, stop telling people they don't have it.