"fake aspies" and self diagnosis. DISLIKE, sorry.

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I also know of people who believe that they have Asperger's but do not talk about and do not want a diagnosis because they believe they will not be able to join the military, own a gun, ect.

And what Willard said about getting assessed is true but the problem is most people dont know about it and they dont advertise for free services. He was obviously in a position where it was offered. The Regional Center who diagnosed my daughter tried to talk me out of assessing my son by telling me that he would not get any services, nor did they diagnose Asperger's. I got very upset and my husband called in and found out that the guy was lying to me. I was lucky to have someone to help me because If someone scares me off I go hide under a rock. My son was diagnosed and he does get services but they were cut this year (thats another story...called what the hell is wrong with California taking away assistance for adults and kids with special needs) fortunately my daughters services have not changed. Also we have gotten our insurance to pay for my son. My older son who has been through the California Prison and Jail system knows how to get services for his Bi Polar disorder and for his addiction.
Most people with children and even some adults who are at a higher income but do not have insurance are led down different paths that are very expensive. I was offered many evaluations for several thousands of dollars for my son before I found that I could just get a free eval.
Anyway, sorry I didnt go into enough detail, I have that problem with not explaining myself very well and expecting people to know what Im talking about.
Ask my husband, I drive him crazy because I start talking to him in the middle of a thought and then get mad as if he should be following along....I also do not look at AS as a "gift" but I am glad of who I am now that Im more educated and I understand myself. I spent most of my life suffering abuse and self hatred because I couldnt do what other people could and I didnt know why. I do, however, think that people should not give up on their kids and try to be more positive and work on those things that can help and stop whining about how horrible things are. It does our children no good if we just give up and say they are "gone" or they will never get married, ect.
Anyway, Im done!

I agree with you serenity.

I'm widowed, have a 13 year old "gifted" son (who I think is AS like me), private school fees to pay because the city I live in has a very violent public high school, and two part-time jobs which don't even make enough hours to equal full time work. Official diagnosis will cost me around $800 or more. I can't afford that. I was self-diagnosed, now have had it confirmed by my psychologist. I don't really see the advantage of having it officially diagnosed. There are no benefits for me if I do (that I know of)

i'm tired of these posts. it's like high school all over again.

when i first went to a psychiatrist for diagnostic assessment i was a teenager in 1991. i was (very obviously mis-)diagnosed bi-polar, and prescribed lithium and antipsychotics.

we weren't all so lucky as to have Asperger's as a diagnostic possibility when we were young. some of us have dealt with it all our lives without any explanation and on top of that been misdiagnosed, inappropriately sedated, and then entered adulthood without the skills to manage our lives. now we have the peanut gallery to contend with en route to getting the help we need.

aces.

I'll analyze the benefits when someone tells me what they are. So far the best I've been able to get is "you'll feel better knowing for sure". I feel fine knowing at a 95% certainty. Please tell me some benefits that will apply to being diagnosed at the age of 33. I'm dying to hear them and that's part of the reason I joined.

Don't tempt me. I could use a good set of knives.

I was born in 1970 they did not know what Aspergers was back then, I was diagnosed with adhd and was put into special education and speech threapy. The teachers noticed I was shy and withdrawn then all of a sudden a font of information that would not shut up then I would be quiet again not making eye contact. When the teacher got in my face I would turn away or lay my head on the desk. I would also scream when they touched my arm or chin trying to get me to look at them when they tried to get my attention. I finally got the courage to get tested before my medical insurance runs out so I contacted an autistic services group here in Buffalo to send me the address and phone numbers of places to get tested. I am hoping to get help with job coaching and anyother help they can offer. Not to mention to be able to tell elitist type people like AphexSam to shut up. People who cannot afford to get tested have enough problems to have to prove themselves to the likes of you AphexSam! You should be ashamed of yourself.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abLB7aTmnE4[/youtube]


Couldnt help myself!

I was diagnosed at seven and the EEGs were sheer Hell. I wasn't allowed to move and they had me hooked up for hours becuase they had to keep restarting the test. I coudn't contol by body and the electrodes were painful and I wasn't even allowed to hold my special stuffed animal (which could have made all the diffrence in the world if I was). I got physicaly sick from the lights not right away but I had a delayed reaction to them after they gave up and let me go home. I was also sick from stress. I had ghastly nightmares about EEGs for years after that so I suspect I developed an unconcious phobia of them. Yeah, I'm weird.

The contless shrinks and phycs I had to see couldn't be any more unsympathetic or idotic and always talked down to me and never wanted to hear my side of the story. My pedeatrition acted as if I was ret*d. When I was violent and anxious because I was sick of being bullied I was doped up on Prozac which did nothing but give me migranes. I was also told it was my fault I was being bullied. I had to be put in the hospital because I was so violent due to the bullying and had me do things such as draw patterns and ink blot tests.

I was out of my mind with anxiety because I just wanted to go home. They wouldn't even give me an estimate of when I would and that made the anxiety worse. I was nine years old and STILL sometimes have nightmares about it and am so confused when I wake up in my real bed because the dreams seem so real.

It's people's ignorance and prejudice that hurts people with AS/autism, not the condition itself. Is AS even a real "condition" such as Ashma and diabeaties or is it another way of being such as blue eyes or blonde hair. It's so annoying when people ask what it is like to have AS becuase I was never normal and therefore I can't compare AS vs normal. It's like asking me what it is like or how does it feel to have a certian eye color or how it feels to be a person. But anyway, nothing about the AS itself is harmful to me and it gives me advantages other people do not have. Self diagnosers do ruin it though because when I admit I have AS on certian forms, it opens a door to cyber bullying; but that just shows how low some people are.

Self-diagnosers don't cause cyberbullying. Cyberbullies cause cyberbullying. The "but we are only being horrible to you because of the self-diagnosers that use it as an excuse" line the bullies always trot out is their own excuse for bullying you and conveniently diverts you into seeing self-identified people as the problem rather than the bullies themselves as the problem.

So, to those of you that are against self-diagnosing, what pray tell are the people that haven't ever had an opportunity to be diagnosed, and won't ever likely get one due to financial (and possibly other) constraints supposed to do? Never speak about AS? Not look for support on any forums? What do you propose they do? What is your solution to the very real problem that not everyone has been graced with all the opportunities you have?

I am still awaiting my official report. Perhaps, you all may not even consider me officially diagnosed yet, but I was told the results of my testing was AS. I'm not anymore autistic now than I was a year ago before I was tested. Nothing changed, besides a piece of paper with someone's opinion of what my brain is wired like.

BTW, for those of you that can't afford a regular psychologist, you might check in at your local university to see if the psych dept offers evals. That's where I got mine for a tiny fraction (but a loooonggg wait) of a price.

What I meant was cyber bullies use it as an excuse to cyberbully. I'm not good at wording things but what you just said sums up what I meant.

What does that mean? Do you automatically assume that people who are self-diagnosed with AS are neuro-typical bullies in disguise?? You are very prejudiced, and without any logical argument to support your claims. And to say that we are low, implying that we are the embedded-in-the-bottom yardstick that measures how low it's possible to go... PFFT!! !

I have been studied for sensory issues, but not diagnosed with anything.

I put in my profile that I had some ASD, after reading how much of my internal environment was not unique at all.

Yes, I took online tests after learning some vocabulary.

They told me I was not even functional, but I had not reflected on what it meant to be dysfunctional, for some time.

So, in a few respects, AphexSam 's allegations don't apply to me, because I never felt particularly emotional about the ideas, so much as captivated.

Also, in the event that I am able to find peace in my surroundings, it has never resulted from my citation of trivia, much less of the medical variety.

It's either not compelling to other people, or it causes stress, such as he mentions in himself.

In person, I am most productive, physically, when I can distance myself from the emotionality of others, and, for me, an atmosphere of continuity is most peaceful.

Much "help" is unsettling to me.

I think I tolerate this format best, because I can pace my exposure to it.

By coming here, to learn about emotions, I hope for things to go more smoothly, maybe to be less noticed - not to be an object of derision.

If sentiment could only be an act for me, I might at least learn how to act in a coordinated manner, so that i may actually appear less needy.

Speaking as one self-diagnosed individual, I take no offense to your post.

If that is how you feel, I respect your opinion.

In a nutshell, I am two years into a search to figure out my behavior.
I am pursuing an official diagnosis.

I was referred to psychologists when I was in school but my mother would not hear of it, she was sure I just needed time to come into my own but at the age of 37, it's time for me to get professional help.

I mean people who do cyber bully take the accounts of those who claim to be self diagnosed and use those as excuses to cyber bully. Most cyber bullies seem to be looking for any excuse.

I understand some people are angry at me for my views but if you read what I said carefully I beleive alot of the self diagnosis is correct, I mainly only have a problem with people who pretend they're on the spectrum but for people to come in here and insult my
grammar
my knowledge of history
calling me elitist
saying I should be ashamed of myself
saying Im a bully etc
it really hurts, okay maybe my grammar isn't great and Although history is my obsession i know little of the recent history of aspergers but the rest I do not agree with at all. If i offended people so much they could have said so nicely. I value you guys so much, you probably don't know it. When I had my serious self harm issue it was people in this forum who convinced me to go to a doctor. You guys are awesome and I didn;t mean my commentsi n a hurtful way, i've already apologised if people got them miscontrused but still I;m getting insulted .