How many self-diagnosed Aspies actually have it?

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Do people really forget most of their life that commonly, maybe that is why mental health professionals always have a rather amazed reaction when I talk about my past in detail and can remember lots of specifics. But then again maybe I'm just crazy and have no idea how my life has gone, maybe all my memories are false.......there is no way of knowing I suppose.

I have not forgotten a lot of things from my childhood, but my mother certainly has. I guess all that alcohol finally destroyed the majority of her working brain cells. To make an accurate diagnosis, they weigh quite a bit on early childhood development.

I am always surprised by people who don't remember much from their earlier years. My husband is one of those oddballs who said he really couldn't remember much about his childhood.

This is one of the reasons I advocate the "sub-clinical" category for the autism spectrum. These are cases which don't cause significant impairment but are still a factor in the personality. Perhaps the diagnosis was lost in childhood (some children with mild AS will "grow out of it"). Perhaps the symptoms are there but just not strong enough to cause trouble by themselves. However, combined with other things or in the larger scope of psychological treatment, subclinical ASDs should be noted on a person's record. Even though by themselves they do not need treatment, they are a major factor in a person's life.

I am of the opinion that if a self-diagnosis is incorrect, the most likely alternative is sub-clinical ASD plus some sort of life stress or another psychological disorder. The person is in distress, sees ASD symptoms, and figures that ASD is the explanation. They're not too far off the truth but it's important not to assume that because you have an ASD you can't possibly have any other problems. Most people with ASDs have at least one comorbid.

I have read that the majority of people who self-identify as having AS actually don't. I don't know where I read that, but I am sure many people who think they have it don't.

Actually, I received written reports that state my diagnosis, my symptoms and further information on my person/behaviour. A few things that might be relevant to other psychiatrists or to GPs, therapists, (special ed) teachers and that are required for trying to apply for a pass for severely handicapped (well, old people whose ability to walk slowly falters also get these so "severely handicapped" has multiple meanings) or for an ASD therapy (not usually supported by insurances companies here) or even to apply for... what do they call it in the US or the UK when people require care officially?

Trying to get any of that by just proving that a person has, for example, "F84.0" or "299.00" usually doesn't work because the code doesn't prove that a person needs a certain "something". The reasoning behind that, besides reducing costs, I guess, is that one person with an ASD might have fewer, more or completely different needs than another person with the same spectrum diagnosis has.

Also, having that report means that in Germany, you don't necessarily need to undergo a possibly expensive of time-consuming testing again at a new mental health professional's place.

The report is mostly made up of a description on your current and, if such reliable information was available during testing, past autistic symptoms. The report should make note of ways you try to adapt or fail to adapt with consideration of the circumstances you live(d) in, whether or not you have co-morbid disorder and what other differential diagnoses such as schizophrenia were ruled out when you got tested for the ASD.

Anyway, that's how it's done where I live but it might be quite different elsewhere.

Even here, the more lazy diagnosticians get away with ridiculously short reports that don't tell much. Some diagnosticians also try to withhold them but that has never happened to me.

Yeah, it's not a Diploma but it is a piece of paper. One with really sensitive information.

Without a good source, you could have read that anywhere--some random person's opinion, no research involved. I think it'd be smart of you to try to find out where you heard that so you can decide properly whether or not to believe it.

Callista- I am looking right now!

I'm intrigued about this - is this a generational thing ? because noone I have met ( and they are mostly above 30 these days - ever has self-diagnosed with it... )

Also I would really like to see where you got this particular info from - was it in a journal?
Because otherwise it does read as anecdotal?

Well, there is a German diagnostician who is apparently well-known and who outright criticises neurodiversity, says that adults self-diagnose hastily and based only on Internet tests and that autism isn't a way of being and that it's psychiatric and not biological.

But he also wrote that parents of children around age 1-2 despair/are devastated and try to get help because "nothing's the way it should be" and that this is because the children don't react to attempts to communicate with them, don't desire physical closeness and don't do activities together with their parents.

Trying to illustrate the severity of a disorder by the degree of despair of a child's parents rubs me the wrong way.

And what, pray tell, does THAT have to do with self-diagnosis?

What you've written would apply to someone who is pretending to have an ASD, not to someone who is genuinely convinced that they have one - even if they're wrong.

I've noticed this too. I was led to believe that some children for no reason just develop a bit slower than children their age. I read somewhere that someone had listed their childs symptoms and I am not an expert in any way; but some of those symptoms could be the sign of anything. In fact, one of the symptoms was hypersensitivity to light. I mentioned to my consultant that I have issues with bright lights and was told that some people have this issue; but there's nothing medically wrong with them.

I wonder how much of some of the issues their child has, is just a personality thing? I mean, you have some people who don't like hugs, etc. But does that mean there's something wrong? Of course it doesn't. I can understand the parent being worried if for example, by the age of two, their child isn't talking, and there's no obvious reason (such as a hearing impairment) for this.

mikassyna, when i was a child, AS was not as well known as it is now, there was no established support system and no resources that i knew of. autism was known, but it was connected to that "rain man" movie and all the baggage that contained. my childhood was before the internet age, so connecting to groups and finding information was much more difficult. i was just dismissed as simply being a strange nerdy recluse, but i could still generally function in the school system so there was no big reason to do anything. in fact i excelled in the school system. so being reclusive and nerdy was no problem to anyone. my parents were not concerned. in fact my dad teased me. what a guy! and my mom just bought me books because it made me happy.

i was basically totally alone in dealing with this condition. so thats why i took an independent self-made approach to deal with it. that was a couple of decades ago, and still today i have a strong sense of independence and lone wolf mentality in dealing with this condition, which i now know the name of. i am wondering if my strong desire to handle this issue by myself is itself not a part of AS?



AshConverse, i really like the clear and concise way you presented that. it is all very valid and excellent advice for people dealing with AS today. if i had known that decades ago, i may have taken a different approach than what i did.

if i ever get an official diagnosis, it would be just to get a second opinion to be thorough. but i am already quite convinced by the first opinion, my opinion.

I have also noticed online that parents seem to freak out and think autism if their child isn't do what other kids are doing or if they do certain things and to me it's all normal. I think they're freaking out for no reason and parents need to accept their kids and stop comparing them to others and worrying about autism. If it's that obvious, get them tested but if they seem normal and no one has ever showed concerns nor doctors leave it be.

Dude I am also facing the same problem so decided to have a proper check-up.