Question for the self-diagnosed.

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Haven't read past page 1 yet so not sure if this is already answered, but no, outside of the NHS is EXTREMELY expensive, as it's private care, and it will go on your record still.

Oh and if your GP isn't listening to you, ask to see another doctor. You don't have to see your GP when you visit the doctors.

A doctor who was amazing and actually listened to me, wasn't actually my doctor, and she referred me to the local mental health team for getting diagnosed with BPD, because my GP wasn't actually listening to me when I was crying in the doctors office every time, getting sick of being sent away with anti-depressants every week that weren't working, because I wasn't depressed, I was more than that (obviously now with the diagnosis of BPD)

I have reason to believe getting diagnosed might result in losing custody of my children. I consider that a good enough 'excuse'.

In answer to the OP, I fit the criteria (both the new and the old), score well into the aspie range on all the tests available to me, and relate very much to the experiences of people with AS I've read about online and in a number of biographies. It works as an explanation for the unanswered questions I have about myself and the experiences I've had in life. As for other conditions, I fit some of the criteria, but not all (although I have certainly gone through periods of depression in my life and was diagnosed with it).

Anyway, as much as I dislike looking like a poser, I'm just going to have to trust my own self-analysis for now. A diagnosis would probably not mean that any help or support would be made available to me, so it would be a matter of jeopardizing my kids' well-being to impress a bunch of strangers on the internet (to whom I could just as easily lie, if I didn't hate lying) - not a very responsible thing to do. I'd also like to point out that generally a psychologist asks questions about one's life and experiences and then weighs that against the criteria, which is not really any different from what I'm doing myself. I've been to psychologists before and gotten exactly the diagnosis I expected. It's not anything terribly complicated or mysterious.

I have a pretty good excuse, I don't want to lose my job. It would be a pretty big deal. I do governemnt work under a security clearance. A diagnosis like that would bring into question my reliability and chances are it would be revoked. If that happened, I would lose my job. They can't fire me for having AS, but they CAN and would fire me for not being able to maintain my security clearance, regardless of the reason.

Also, what would it get me? Will a label arrive in the mail that says "HFA" or "Aspergers" on it that I have to affix to my forehead? I've made it this far. I'm quite happy with who I am and at 34 I have long since stopped ever trying to fit in (beyond not creeping people out, I still work on eye contact and just being socially appropriate at work) or having allusions of ever changing. I let my freak flag fly and to be totally honest, I like it.

Anyway, how do I know? I guess I can't ever be 100% sure, I'll admit that, but everything "Fits".

When I hit retirement age or sufficient wealth to retire the rest of my life, I'll risk it. For now, I still have to work, and may want med insurance when I'm between jobs, or if I resort to contract jobs. Until then, there is still too much prejudice around for me to risk it.

I took online tests. Every single test directed me to AS. However, basing self diagnose on adult symptoms is not very reliable in my opinion. In adulthood, any human mind becomes too complex to solve. So I decided to ask about my childhood to my family. According to their answers, in my childhood:

- I tend to spin objects (especially toy wheels) and watch. Washing machine was a wonderland to me.
- I learnt how to read at 3 and how to write at 4.
- I had no speech problems, except being too formal.
- I had no close friends.
- Memorizing country flags and astronomy was my hobby.
- I was very stubborn.
- I had difficulties on riding a bike and shoe tying.

I think it is pretty clear. However, I will get professional help. Official diagnose is essential to put an end to ''the question''.

This.


This.


And this.

Certain people should understand that getting an official diagnosis may carry significant risks.


Would that be sufficient to satisfy all those who are annoyed/offended by people who self-diagnosed?

In my case, a few years ago, I was googling "wrong planet", because I felt like that's where I am, and found this website. I saw that it's an autism community, told to myself "nah, can't be" and left. Months later, someone sent me the AQ test and I scored high. I started researching, did a few more tests and they all lead to the same result. Then I talked about it with my mother and she told me that my brother was unofficially diagnosed as mildly autistic by a psychologist when he was a about 10 years old and then was going to therapy for several years. Now my brother's son is officially diagnosed as mildly autistic, because my brother's NT wife pushed for an official diagnosis.

Now, the difference between being officially diagnosed or not in my family's case is this:
- My brother and I have studied at normal schools, we both have been seen as odd, weird, quirky etc. Eventually, we have successfully finished schools, got university education (both in Computer Science) and now live almost "normal" lives as adults.
- OTOH, my brother's son, with an official diagnosis, is being pushed into a "special" school. There is really no good reason for him not to attend a regular school, except for the NT wife and the psychologist's opinions. I don't know how it is in UK or the US, but in the country where they live, "special" schools come with big stigma. If their poor son ends up there, his whole future could be destroyed.

So this is how I see it: Assuming that you are an adult making your own decisions, the only good reason to get an official diagnosis is if you need help/assistance. Nothing else. If you are self-diagnosed, but can cope, do not get an official diagnosis.

That's true for all of us, I think. Even an official diagnosis is just the best guess of a psychologist, based on a profile that's constantly changing as we find out more about different disorders and how the human mind works in general.

In my case, I probably also have mild social anxiety, but I'm definitely not depressed and I don't think I have OCPD (although admittedly I don't know much about the latter). I'm sort of with you, though, in that I swing between 'this fits me so well, I must have AS' and 'I am not like ____ at all, clearly I'm just a weird NT'. Many of the symptoms fit me, even if maybe they're not 'bad' enough for an official diagnosis. I've yet to come across anything else where that's the case.

I don't understand why people get diagnosed. Unless they're trying to access some form of government care.

1. it's expensive
2. it's time consuming, time that could be better spent on special interests
3. it invokes social stigma
4. it involves regular social contact with a therapist where you have to talk about yourself for long periods of time
5. the only benefit is information that you can find with thorough research anyways. And if, as is commonly understood, AS maifests itself differently with each person, the information required by each person will be different.

so why did you get diagnosed or why are you waiting to get diagnosed?

Well, that wasn't my point. I was posting it as a legitimate question since I do not know how it works in the UK. I am self-diagnosed too and I find the people who get upset by that fact rather irritating. I have considered/am considering an official diagnosis just because of curiosity and because it may play in to my lifetime of issues with anxiety, depression and depersonalization, not because I want to satisfy someone on the internet who might accuse me of faking it.

Last edited by outofplace on 23 Jul 2012, 12:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

Was asked if i had AS by someone I knew who knew quite a bit about psychology. She said I had several aspie traits. This was confirmed by a close friend of 6 years who is an OT and used to do behavioral therapy with autistic kids. She said she thought for years that I might be on the spectrum.

Did research for several weeks including reading posts here and doing all of the online tests I could find. I scored in the range for ASD on all of them. The biggest thing that made me think I do have AS was being able to relate so well to the experiences and personality traits of the posters on this site. After saying "That's just like me!" more times than I can remember when reading this site after a few days, I became convinced that I almost definitely have AS.

I have done the online tests, I also score poorly on the facial expression/mind's eye ones and have some experience of face blindness and sensory symptoms to do with noise. I have a good memory of my childhood and also take into account anecdotal things family have said:

Spending breaks alone at school - having little interest in friends
Being a quiet as baby and as child
Being serious and studious as a child
I never knew how to 'mix' with other children - this was repeatedly said by parent/teachers from nursery onwards
Preferring to play alone
Not understanding the 'joke' - my sister to this day still buys me surreal birthday cards and always asks if I 'get it' this time

I did seek support 5 years ago and now carry a diagnosis of ? schizophrenia which I believe is a misdiagnosis. I rule out schizophrenia because don't experience psychosis, most of what was seen as delusional at the time was me monologuing about conspiracy theories (a special interest) which I would spend most of my time studying and my 'creative writing' which consisted of lists of corporations, freemasonic logos, random bits of information, etc. I also felt very uncomfortable and confused at asseessment and tended to answer every question positively even if it didn't really apply to me, not so much lying but telling them what they wanted to hear. The psych said he wasn't sure I was psychotic as I came to see him of my own volition and had too much insight but still gave me antipsychotics! From having this experience I won't be rushing back to see a psychiatrist any time soon. However I also base self-diagnosis from the observations the psychiatrist/support worker made about my lack of eye contact, flat affect, stimming, preference for sameness and routine in contacts, preference for solitary interests and studying.

I may one day go back for diagnosis but don't believe it would help me much and I don't hold the mental health/psychology system in much esteem. In my experience there are sometimes demand characteristics involved, if you see a specialist with interest in X, chances are they may see whatever you have in terms of X rather than anything else.

Thanks for all the answers! I can very often relate to things I read here on WP and in a way I've sort of started to identify with Asperger's because of that. I'm scared of being wrong though.

I get very obsessed with things. So I'm very obsessed with finding out "what's going on with me." I've for example written a 14 pages long document/list (font size 10) of my traits and behaviours. People who read it are very surprised and impressed by the amount of detail and thought I've put into it. I think a lot of the things in that list point towards AS (even a psychologist I know thinks so). Not all of it, but a lot. My parents don't believe me though and the thing that makes me doubt AS the most is my childhood. I've been asking my parents about my childhood and this is what they've said about me:

- I said my first word when I was 6 months old. I knew the whole alphabet when I was 2 years and I could read when I was 3,5 years old.
- I started walking when I was 1,5 years old.
- I didn't learn how to swim until I was 11-12 years old.
- I was terrified of water and flying insects. Insects made me cry hysterically.
- Besides crying when afraid I didn't throw any tantrums.
- I always bottled up my feelings and never showed them to anyone (still do that).
- I played quite well with kids until I was about 10 years old.
- I didn't want to play with the kids outside who I didn't know well.
- I didn't want to play outside in general.
- I preferred reading, drawing and building with my Lego (I refused to share my Lego by the way).
- My mother says I've always been "old for my age" and "wise beyond my years."
- I had good eye contact as a child (first time I heard my eye contact wasn't that good was when I was around 10 years old).
- I've never been athletic at all.
- I constantly got lower grades than I "deserved" because I didn't talk in school.
- I was obsessed with knights and ice-hockey.
- Because of being socially awkward/"stiff", because of being rubbish at football and because I loved learning things I was bullied from when I was 11 years old until I was 16 years old.
- I was a very cautious and observant child.
- I never broke the rules and I was like a policeman at home, always busting my siblings when they did something wrong.
- I used to rock from side to side a lot, even in my sleep.

So those are things my parents mentioned. I remember a few other things as well:

- My dad had to teach me how to hug people.
- I used to sit and sort my collections for hours and hours, over and over again.
- I had stuffed animals on my bed and I had to put them back on the exact same places every morning when I made my bed.

Perhaps you can help me; are those "normal" NT behaviours for a child?

I have no official diagnosis but I've known for a long time that my whole family is on the spectrum - my son is the only one with official diagnosis and his autism is so clear he is no longer considered AS in spite of meeting the criteria for AS rather than Kanner's autism. His support team at university can't believe he wasn't diagnosed till 9 and that assessment at 5 missed it completely.

I am a specialist in ASCs and work in the field. When my boss introduced me to the team she did so with a comment about me being AS which came as a bit of a shock to some of my colleagues but they all accepted it without question - my boss is extremely experienced and does non-clinical assessments using the Disco and DSMIV criteria to inform the diagnostic process so she's pretty accurate.

It would actually benefit both me in my professional field and my company for me to have official diagnosis (working in this field is probably one of the only places any diagnosis is actually an asset in the job market) and one day I will follow it through but right now I have to be careful - have already been through child protection and nearly ended up in prison because I suggested my daughter had IBS and dyspraxia and might be on the spectrum and 6 years on we're back in the system because she has a list of diagnoses and additional issues as long as your arm - generalised anxiety, social anxiety, synaesthesia, developmental coordination disorder, dyslexia, irritable bowel syndrome, gender dysphoria, pain amplification syndrome, hypermobility, and so many sensory issues even most ASC people would be amazed - and they still aren't looking at an ASC. Last CAMHs (child and adolescent mental health services - the diagnostic service for developmental disorders in the UK) appointment this week and I know they are only interested in the gender issues this time so no hope of a referral for AS assessment, even her anxiety, resulting in serious self-harm, doesn't seem to interest them. So next week it's back to the doctor and she is going to ask for a direct referral herself (I can't).

Once we get my daughter sorted out, then, maybe, I will consider looking for diagnosis myself.

In terms of getting a diagnosis in the UK there are 2 main routes for adults - simply ask your GP for a referral for ASC assessment - if they know anything they will listen, if they don't you might have to either convince them or try another GP, it's a bit hit and miss whether your GP has any understanding and as you probably present as a mostly competent adult (as most of us do) someone who isn't familiar with ASCs may not take you seriously. Not all areas have their own services so you may be referred out of area which will have to be cleared for funding so that can slow things down a bit but there are more areas getting their own services since the adult autism guidance came in.
The second route is via mental health, the majority of adults being referred for diagnosis come through mental health services - they present with anxiety or depression but a good psychologist will look for the root cause and if they understand ASCs will pick it up and refer on. Again it is a bit hit and miss as to whether or not you get someone who is able to recognise, or even just suspect, that there is more to the problems than usual but there's a better chance of it than with a GP. Often the GP will refer to mental health first anyway.

Private diagnosis can cost well over £1000 - much more expensive than in the states - and is no more reliable plus it will always go on the medical record anyway. It can be a quicker route but if you have already got to adulthood on your own the wait through the NHS isn't really that long, especially if you are in crisis and get priority referrals. Also, some of the best practitioners, especially on the female side of things, are only accessible through the NHS and don't take private referrals. If you know who you want to see, as I do, then you can ask for a direct referral to them through your GP - most private practitioners also work for the NHS so you get to see them for free.

i cant afford a diagnosis right now and work for minimum wage. i will, however, get a diagnosis soon as i save enough money, might take quite a while, though.
i know i'm an aspie because i pace back and forth and flap my fingers or wave a sock or handkerchief in the air, been doing it since i was six.
i have a lousy sense of smell and very sharp sense of taste. i've never made a single friend in my life or been in a relationship.
i did two aspie tests online and they said i'm very likely an aspie.
nts may show some traits, sometimes, but i've never heard of an nt flapping their fingers. that's a dead giveaway sign of autism.

Well I don't know for sure. But family and friends are starting to think we are (my mom and I).

I have scored high (or low depending on the criteria) on several tests.

And looking at this page, I can safely answer yes to at least half of the questions, maybe to some, and no to very few of them (mostly the childhood ones).
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_sign ... s_Syndrome

As for getting a formal diagnoses. We recently lost our health insurance, and who knows if the new plan will cover things like that.

Well, for me, I've always known that there was something "different" about me, and I've been searching for a word to describe this for a long, long time. It really became obvious that it was more than just me being "weird" when I had a baby a year ago. I wasn't coping well with this, and lots of people tried to explain it away by saying that I just had postpartum depression, even though it was obvious that I didn't. In retrospect I can see that having my son brought:

- Many interruptions (I had lots of "melt downs" and broke lots of things this year)
- Excessive crying and noise (I was walking around with hearing protection on before learning about AS)
- My husband had to come home from work more than once because I shut-down (didn't know why I did)
- My routine went down the tubes (I was working before) and I HATED this
- Less time to focus on my special interests
- I had trouble "bonding" with my baby (he refuses to be held so he might have it too)
- I started taking many bubble baths to calm down simply because I noticed that the next day usually went better that way

I found AS when trying to figure out my husband actually. While doing research, I took the AQ test for fun and it told me that I have it. This wasn't terribly shocking to me, but I thought it was some kind of a fluke and blew it off for 6 months or so. About a week ago, my husband had a very "Aspie" moment, so it got me researching it again, and I found the Aspie Quiz, and took that and it told me I had it...so I started doing some research and asking questions here on WP...and well, I guess it pretty much explained everything that I had ever wondered about myself. I think that the real confirmation has been that I started applying some techniques that I read about when I feel a "melt-down" coming on, and they're really helping. Last night I successfully avoided a melt down, probably for the first time ever. So, not only does AS explain my problems, but learning about it is already helping me to cope with them.

I am interested in being diagnosed though, and I already spoke with my therapist about this. She though I was wrong about it, until she had me list my traits, than all of a sudden she became interested in testing me. I don't get the impression that she knows much about this (or that many people do for that matter), so I'm probably going to find a specialist. I'm sick of feeling like I can't control my anxiety and behavior...and now that I have a "word" for this...I can get some help. My husband is getting tested too.