Is there a way to get undiagnosed?

Post Reply New Topic

Hm, well, I'd like to join some groups for teens with AS that require a diagnosis to get in.
I think that the diagnosis will also help me understand myself better and to thus come to better terms with myself.
My counsellor also says that if I get a diagnosis, if I happen to struggle at the university I would get more support. But it doesn't mean that I'm just going to let myself surrender as a result. I am still myself, and I'm going to work hard because my standards are high and I don't like to be treated as someone with special needs.
At our school, autistics are not put into special ed if they're doing fine at school. I know a guy with PDD-NOS, leaning toward LFA, and he works hard and gets stellar marks even with the crappy school education system. So I'm not willing to use AS as an excuse.


So, is there a way to get diagnosis but not to reveal it to the government/jobs/etc in the future?

Last edited by MathGirl on 19 May 2009, 10:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.

As a related thought, what if you had been diagnosed as a kid but had essentially adapted okay as an adult? Does that mean you no longer have AS, at least to the point of it being a disorder?

Once you are diagnosed you have it but it's more obvious at certain times. Most people diagnosed with AS have specific problems in specific areas and they have to be protectionist about themselves to keep their stress low and so to want to be around people.

imagine you chose this option, wouldn't you have the time machine by now? yeah, but i guess you first need to decide to go for it. or not, because you could give it to yourself before you actually decided it.

I kind of appreciate where the OP's coming from.
I tried to get my records removed too.

Perhaps if people had been more positive and understanding, explaining to me clearly what was going on and why, I'd have a different attitude.

That's until they ask: "Why didn't you say what was wrong?"
When you genuinely can't cope?

Or you're having social difficulties and these hamper a project, or there could be safety issues.


So what is the point of being diagnosed or assessed if no-one knows about it?

How can people help if they don't know?

This is baffling.
Why go to all the trouble of having an assessment if nothing productive seems to come of it and no accommodations can be made.



Oh it can.

It can hurt other people's opinion of you.


This is the most bizarre kind of diagnosis and assessment I've ever come across.

Not only is there no objective medical test for it, but as a result of being assessed, people treat you as though you're really not worth their while. They treat you as if you're deficient in some way, even if you can do lots of other things.

In my experience, they don't tell you about exactly what's going on and what you've been assessed for or what AS actually is.

So in the end, all you end up with is a load of confusion, negativity, ostracism and discrimination on top of all the social difficulties you already have.

I don't honestly understand what the aim of this exercise is, to lower a person's self esteem to such a point that they just accept the assessment without question?

Or confuse a person with lack productive, concrete information?

What is going on?
Is this supposed to be help and if it is, what is the aim of this help exactly?

Why set up people for ostracism if it just exacerbates the original problem and does more harm than good?

I've never really understood this in spite of asking.
This has never been properly explained to me before.

Do you have to disclose your diagnosis in your country? If I chose, I could pretty much leave my diagnosis buried in my past and just not tell anyone. In fact, for a few years (apart from the very occasional forced visit to the psychiatrist/psychologist by my parents) I did pretty much that. I've never found it's hindered me - it's not like the Nazi gold star they made the Jews wear, if you chose you could ignore it and never speak of it again (of course, at your age your parents/teachers will prevent this).

You've just got to be firm with your parents and teachers and say; right now I don't want or need special help or special attention. They'll get it... eventually.

There are different severities of AS and if you're mild (like me) you probably only need help on and off at different times in your life.

I got my diagnosis a few years ago, and there's been some good and bad things from it (I live in australia and attend a small private school, by the way, so the whole bullying thing isn't as applicable to me):

The good:
>there's strategies in place at school to help deal with my problems: I can use an MP3 player if the room is too noisy, I use a laptop instead of writing, etc
>It's really helped me understand myself: What I like, what I don't like, what can trigger certain things with me, etc. Knowing exactly what the problem is has really helped my mindset.
> It's let those who know about it (I don't really keep it a secret, but this may change in the future) understand what's going on (i.e. I'm not just a 'freak'), so they're a bit more understanding and tolerant

The bad:
>Each year I have to send off a medical report to our equivalent of the DMV to say I'm 'medically fit to drive'. I expect this will occur throughout my life.

The advice I got from my psychiatrist (AFTER I got my learners permit ) is to only throw the label of AS out there if you have to. Just to ask yourself "do I have to mention it?" sure, on legal documents yes, but otherwise not to bring it up unless absolutely necessary.

Does this apply to all of Australia?? Just wondering as I have not gone for a diagnosis yet and trying to find out all the negatives of getting a diagnosis. That would be a HUGE negative...

One reason to NOT have an official diagnosis is the fact that being autistic disqualifies you for insurance in many places. I have a diagnosis of "autistic disorder," and it prevents me from getting health insurance. Because I have worked in the past, I'm also deemed not eligible for any government benefits whatsoever.

I know that my last psychiatrist said he didn't recommend me driving, but I'm sure he said that there were was no legal reasons why I wouldn't be allowed to go for my license; just that he did not recommend it until I was at least in my mid-twenties. I've never heard of any laws that prevent someone with an AS diagnosis from doing anything in Australia.

I sincerely hope I am not mistaken (because that would suck).

really? i worked at six flags safari, and six flags fright fest before I started getting SSI, even though both those places knew i was disabled. I also get medicare for health insurance. I'm glad I was diagnosed though because it does open more possibilities to get help in the future, i will need assistant living if i didnt have a bf i would def be in a group home, but now ill prob need to be in a assistant living situation where my house is monitored or soemthing, will need a case manager to take me places also especially when my sole care giver-my mother passes away, right now im permanently disabled under her. The only down side to having the autism diagnosis is itll prob be verrry hard for me to even buy a new car, or if i ever become pregnant(thatll be the day lol, i want it so badly but i really dont know if ill ever be able to handle it) i'm sure ill have many professionals doubting i can be anything other then autistic, and not seen as able to do anything else besides be autistic.

Sure you can have it undiagnosed by improving your social habilities and taking some antidepresants to then make a new evaluation.

Good luck winning the lottery but don't forget "the house never loose"

Well, it depends. Here in the U.S., if you work for a large enough company, the population pool of your employer doesn't usually consider the individual health of its employers. If, however, you are small, you may get flagged with what's called a pre-existing condition. Then, if you go somewhere else small, it's possible you may be denied insurance because of it.

In the US they are fixing to computerize health records.

The label isn't you. What you do is.

Anyway, if you want to get a label "removed", you need to go for another assessment from a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, and have them write down that you don't have it. This will say that you were "misdiagnosed" when you got your label.

You're only 14, however, so I'd personally wait and see until you've at least hit 18 to see if you have the disorder or not to any significant extent before "removing" it. I was pretty capable of handling everything a common 14 year old kid was at the time, but not now as a 27 year old man and what's expected of the same age.

But the laws of PHI will still apply. So unless you're a conspiracy theorist, you still have complete control over who gets your records.