What was your diagnosis before autism?

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I'm sure that some people have abused the diagnosis this way. But to offer the other side of the story- I've worked with some kids who have had a really ruff life. Their parents were not on their side. They learned that they had to keep themselves safe. These kids, if you tell them to go left, they will automatically be pulled towards going right. If you ask them if they want ice cream, they will roll their eyes and tell you they hate ice cream. The are oppositional in a way that hurts the people around them, but also really ends up hurting themselves.

Some people see ODD as a kind of attachment disorder. Kids with it have no trust in you as an adult. They have no instinct as to when they need to follow directions for their own good. Its a hard disorder to be with as a teacher.

Your list is woofully incomplete! At least it was for my generation. You are missing minimally brain damaged and all of the learning disabilities, as well as some of the newer conditions like sensory integration disorder.

My first real diagnosis was dyscalcula. They thought I had a math learning disability. But the reality was that I had never had a math lesson because they were trying to teach it through large group lessons. And I wasn't hearing a word of it. So when I was sent to special education for math lessons, I gained 4 years of math progress in 8 months, and they had to discharge me.

Then I was diagnosed with dygraphia since my ability to spell is WAY behind my ability to read. But just to drive my teachers crazy, my reading level was highly advanced.

Then we start with the buffet of atypical diagnosis: ADD, auditory processing disorder, general anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, depression, adjustment disorder.

My parent's personal library was full of books about how learning disabled kids can have a hard time with socializing. There was one book I still remember. Its called "The social side of learning disabilities." I used to cling to that as hope that I would "grow out of this." I did not.

The medical establishment has decided that I "might" have everything under the sun. The truth is that I'm a little atypical for aspergers too. But its by far the most likely suspect, as my symptoms cannot be ritalin-ed away, and they are persistent through adulthood.

I was raised with the firm belief that I would grow out of this stuff. Somewhere around the age of 35, I came to understand that isn't true.

lol. I laugh, but my nephew is like this. I've been holding my tongue now for four years. That boy cried and carried on like you've never seen. And absolutely insisted on having everything rigidly his way. My brother and his wife will figure it out when its time. For now, because he's like me and all of cousins in that he's very verbal and quite bright, my brother remains blissfully unaware.

I should mention that I was diagnosed with Brain Injury after my autism diagnosis.

It's not the same "brain injury" that is diagnosed today due to trauma.

This particular diagnosis became "minimal brain dysfunction" soon after my diagnosis of Brain Injury. My parents were members of the New York Association for Brain-Injured Children, and I went to a "brain-injured" nursery school.

OY!

Yes, they used to believe that someday, we would discover that kids with learning differences had a huge mushy part in their neural matter. Actually, that belief holds strong in these adults who believe that autism is caused by vaccines or such. They think that kids are damaged in the head.

Its not a diagnosis, but I also lived through the Freudian thing. Remember the refrigerator mothers? Except my doctor believed that I was the way I was because I was jealous of my brother. The concept of his penis near my mother was too much for me, and I decided to retreat from the cold, cruel world in the face of its terribleness.

As the one who was diagnosed as having Oppositional Defiant Disorder, those are good points. It is not that I was just a non-conformist, I was behaving in ways that were damaging to me, and those around me. For some reason, I just had real trouble following directions that people gave me at times, but I also felt the need to antagonize others-that is hardly just being a nonconformist. I also engaged in things that I clearly knew were wrong, but did them anyways. It was a disorder because it had negative social and educational consequences.

ADHD and a slow learning disability, but later the Autism sort of added onto those two once I got diagnosed with it.

I never had any type of psychiatric/ personality disorder/ neuropsychological diagnosis prior to being diagnosed with Aspergers in 2009.
Before that, I only had physical ailments diagnosed, like asthma, eczema, allergies and eye infections.

Sorry if this has been said already...

I'm guessing you mean Bipolar Affective Disorder?
There's no such thing as Bipolar Personality Disorder as far as I know.

Zel.

Greetings. I first saw a therapist when I was 13, and said she couldn't diagnose any conditions (what?...). And then I saw a psychiatrist and said I had moderate social anxiety disorder. I do have social anxiety, and am for sure this is correct, but some of my social anxiety stems about not knowing what I'm saying is appropriate and what to say in general. Then I wanted to get extra time in school, and I couldn't get that with just a social anxiety diagnosis so we talked about generalized anxiety disorder, and was diagnosed with that. I believe I do have it. And then my pdoc said that she thought I had autism, but she couldn't diagnose it and I needed to see a specialist. So I saw a psychologist and was diagnosed with ASD - level one and a learning disability (not a specific one; memory and fine motor deficits). During this time, I also talked to my pdoc about OCD and panic disorder, and am unsure if they are on my record. I claim OCD is, but panic disorder isn't. The last pdoc I saw, my second one, I believe was unintelligent, and didn't listen to me and my concerns because they weren't severe and that I was a simple case and I shouldn't even be there. She said I had 4-5 diagnosis, I'm not sure which is true, because she made mistakes. I tried to talk to this new person about panic disorder, since I have gotten panic attacks unexpected and recurrently for the past year and it was thrown away because "everyone gets panic attacks once a month recurrently" according to her. Most people get one panic attack in their life, if even. Most of my panic attacks are social anxiety related, but have kept getting unexpected ones for some reason. I haven't gotten one in the past month, but think about the possibility of getting one. Anyways, the last person I saw was not a good person. I believe she would have only paid attention to me if I had bipolar or some psychotic disorder. I've gone off topic, sorry. But yes, I was diagnosed with stuff before ASD, but they weren't incorrect diagnosis, just co-morbid to ASD.

I only skimmed this thread, but no one else was diagnosed with NVLD? I received that diagnosis when I was a child...AS when I was in my twenties. People are sometimes skeptical I even have the latter because I'm high-functioning, so perhaps the NLVD describes me better.

I was never diagnosed with anything until 4 years ago, except by family as being a no good, rotten, lazy, sonofab!tch. Mom and Dad had no use for mental health professionals, believing in Louis B. Mayer's dictum "Anyone who sees a psychiatrist ought to have their head examined." They could have used their services, because they both came from broken, dysfunctional homes. I suspect mom was bipolar. My brothers still rub it in my face that I was conceived out of wedlock, and therefore a bastard, only because mom wanted to get away from her father, who was a mean and stupid drunk.

Since then, i was diagnosed Bipolar I, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-NOS, Asperger's, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and PTSD.

none, even once long ago i went for help when homeless and on something nasty, again, the social intaker told there was not a big enough problem to get help, iow you must first be criminal!

Interesting points, thanks a lot for both of your answers

It looks like yet another instance of the recurring point that diagnoses and labels are just reading grids (some of them more useful than other) that can be used for good ("Let's help this abused, antagonistic, self-harming person heal and find some peace and trust") or bad ("Let's declare that nonconformist person who dares disagreeing with me a madman and stuff him with meds so he doesn't bother me any more").