"Self diagnosis" trends...source of ridicule

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It really depends on who/where you go. A proper diagnosis of AS can be done in a few ways. Over an intensive set of days, or a less intensive set of weeks or months. As you are obviously of the age where you can coherently express your thoughts and feelings, then it will take alot less time. Honesty is the most important thing. If cost is a factor, I recommend trying to find a free solution, and they do exist. You do not need to pay for a report or get anything in writing, don't be fooled into that. The only reason to pursue a diagnosis (without thinking of all the help it gives the medical community) is for your own self-assurance and comfort. It is always best to be sure of what is going on inside so when things get out of hand, you can develop effective coping strategies. It may be beneficial in the future as well with benefits and job seeking.

I doubt it. my daughter is naturally social and spends lots of face-time with friends. my son who is currently dx'd NLD but who fits AS better prefers socializing in small chunks because of sensory overload, but can spend hours on his computer playing with his online cohort.

the internet gives me access to people and ideas that were beyond my reach as a young person. it's not going to change my dx.

IMO if the internet leads to any particular brain dysfunctions, it will probably be ADHD because attention span is being trained out of everyone, and ODD (eventually antisocial personality disorder) because online rpg games are addicting and lead to defiance because kids prefer the intrigue and violence of their online lives than the daily grind of parents and school.

if you live in the US it can't legally be used against you. your medical information is private. if you are able to get services because of difficulties caused by AS, then you have the option of allowing your information to be shared between certain agencies or to remain within the agency you're working with.

was the dx you got in school done by a school psychologist? if it was then I think that would count more as a formal dx.

bhetti wrote:

I don't disagree but I think TV has already done quite a bit of damage.

I don't consider others making false self diagnosis as degrading my 'status' of having AS because I'd already stood out as abnormal amongst my friends prior to my autism becoming commonly known, hence so they belived me.

So rather than me claiming to have AS and then trying to convince others of all the difficulties I face, people saw the difficulties I faced and then sort of went "ah, that explains a lot" when I mention AS.

[quote="ShogunSalute"] I am working on better coping strategies

ShogunSalute,

I think I understand your social responsibility agenda; admirable and one of the traits of AS.

You dont actually advance that agenda in here (as I see it) as we dont make professional or medical policy.

A more productive use of your time here might be to share some of the better coping strategies that you are working with.

There maybe some crackpot AS groupies here, but others, diagnosed or not, may benefit from what you have to offer......perhaps


Have a good day

your description of a "proper" dx and reasons for getting one are good, but I think you're making this overly simplistic. there are additional reasons for pursuing an "official" dx, and it's not easy to find free solutions. qualified professionals aren't a stone's throw from everyone who needs their services, either.

I was dx'd by my therapist after I insisted that AS should be looked at since I found out it runs in my family, and she was surprised to confirm I'm on the spectrum, but she can't officially dx. she sent me to my shrink, who confirm the dx, so I guess I'm officially dx'd but he said he's not qualified to determine where on the spectrum I am or what special needs I have, so he referred me to a neuropsychologist who I'll be seeing next month. it took a month to find her and she's scheduled 10 weeks out, so it was quite a wait.

I have many reasons for pursuing the dx beyond self-assurance and comfort. I haven't been able to hold down a job for years, and I would like to reboot my career. it's nice to have the dx so I can get disability while I'm trying to get back on my feet, and it's nice to be in the high priority pool of the state voc rehab list so I can get some help getting into an appropriate vocation. for that I'll need the assessments, although now that I'm in the pool they'll provide some of them. other reasons for needing an official dx with a full assessment include needing the state to step in and protect me from abuse from my ex. instead of him making me look like a passive-aggressive b***h in court, we'll finally be at a point where my lawyer can show that he's a bully who deliberately abuses his disabled ex-wife.

so please don't use language like "the only reason". that may be the typical scenario, but there are going to be other reasons to go after an official dx and full assessments and it's going to vary from individual to individual.

I actually came here after this place was bought to my attention by a few of the people I work with (who are on the spectrum) who said alot of what was said here seemed 'wrong'. So I checked it out on the advice of my superiors. It has really opened my eyes to the size of the battle we're really fighting, I had no intention of getting into any of this, but I couldn't help myself. I thought people would find the information I'm privileged enough to have beneficial, but they find it offensive. Ah well.

If you think you might have it then yeah I don't care if you self DX or not. But I have noticed also that there is a trend of self DXes especially on art sites like deviantart. Too many. AS has become the new ADHD with self DXes but not just self, professional DXes in kids too, there has been many many more kids with AS than before. It's no wonder people make fun of it on the internet.
I'd love there to be a biological test someday used to diagnose autism and AS and not just phycologist's opinions, then this will be settled once and for all.
I don't want to sound all "ner ner I'm oficially diagnosed so I'm better!" but I can't wait for this trend to pass.

TV has probably done way more damage, and is more accessible to poor kids, too. TV has has changed so drastically in the last decade, even the shows that used to cater to a more intelligent viewer base have dumbed down so they're presenting a fraction of the information in a repetitive manner so people don't have to think.

I'm self diagnosed with Asperger's Sydnrome. Even so, I can understand some of the bitter feeling against people who are self diagnosed. With all the press AS gets, there are going to be a few people who read the entry on AS on Wikipedia, and decide to jump on the bandwagon. That's not the case with everyone who is self diagnosed.
In my case, I knew that the diagnoses I was given as a child (ADHD Inattenntive Type and Dyspraxia) did not come close to explaining everything about me) To cite just a few examples, they did not explain my significant social difficulties, my tendency to obsess on various topics, or unusual habits and sensitivities.
As I mentioned in my introductory post, I was recognized as having some learning challenges as a child. However, I was coping reasonably well academically, with a *lot* of support from my mother. The fact that I was not coping *at all* socially became increasinly irrelevant as I got older. In 1993, when I was on the verge of making the transition to junior high for seventh grade, it was decided that it was too much paperwork to continue to provide me with support servives when I was not significantly strugling academically, so I was declassified, and my Individualized Education Plan was thrown away. This was a year before AS was added to the DSM. I'm convinced that if I was born ten years later, I *would* be diagnosed.
I still knew that I was very different from my peers. My peers realized it, too, and tormented me accordingly. I didn't know exactly why I was contually ridiculed and marginalized, and I wanted some answers. It was only after *years* or reading and soul searching that I concluded that I aolmost definitely have AS.
I could pursue a formal diagnosis, but I don't see the point in investing all that time and money to confirm what I already know.
I've already rambled on way too long, and I'm going to stop before I kill this thread.

I've noticed this. Discovery and Animal Planet both used to be quite a bit better, but now they're more reality TV than education. (Personally, I consider Mythbusters and American Choppers as a big part of the decline.)

Has anyone else noticed how Discovery has become about blowing stuff up, while Animal Planet's become a giant Soap-Opera?

what's the battle, out of curiosity? the reason I'm asking is that every group's "the battle" is different. for some it's a battle of being accepted regardless of differences, for others it's a battle of autistic vs. neurotypical where they feel like NTs want to stamp them out of existence (Autism Speaks, for instance). you arrive from a unique world where you work with autistics as a profession.

if the battle is getting people to stop self-diagnosing, then to achieve a true win it has to be possible for everyone to get a professional diagnosis, and that is not possible.

(edited for bad grammars.)

The 'battle' to have Aspergers officially recognised as a medical condition and fully accepted as part of the Autism spectrum (which at the moment it isn't) and to fight off all the stigmas that have developed over the past 10+ years through this mass diagnosis of the condition by both qualified and unqualified people. We are trying to create more awareness and understanding by refining the generalisations that plague Aspergers. One of the main focuses is finding links between the more severe types of Autism and Aspergers. There is alot of genetic testing involved which is spawning interesting results. I guess we are trying to give people with AS the 'ramps' that are provided for people in wheelchairs. But to do this, we need to prove ourselves, to prove ourselves we need this condition to be no longer seen as a sham and a big joke, which it is.

outlier wrote:

I'm curious too and as far as I have seen (maybe I'm wrong) you have never been clear on this.

The process of diagnosis you outline is initiated by the person initially self diagnosing and then seeking a sub-specialty professional. That's more the situation for adults, children have a path of people assessing them. Adults have to start the process and are therefore part of it. After 10 years of psychiatrists where I would talk about my main interest most of the time I expect them to consider the possibility. They did not. These professionals you are placing faith in are EPIC FAILURES wrt to Asperger's Syndrome. I reject the idea that the medical profession should have dominion over Asperger's Syndrome.