Diagnosis

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Hey, I was just wondering, are there any concrete benefits of getting officially diagnosed by a doctor? I've been debating the issue for a while now and I think i already know the answer regarding the results of the diagnosis. I just don't wanna blow money on something I already know with accurate certainty.

Btw, for those of you that have been diagnosed, how much did it cost?

Some people will be by shortly to talk about how much better you'll feel knowing for sure and some nebulous unexplained "services" you may or may not qualify for. No one has adequately been able to explain it to me either. I guess look into what if any services for autistic adults are available in your area and if they might be useful to you. So far the biggest bonus I can find is not being doubted by people who might think you're faking it but appeasing bullies is the last reason to do something.

Edit: Just noticed your age. If you're going into college you MIGHT actually be able to get necessary accommodations. In that case definitely go for the diagnosis. My complaining mainly applies to the older crowd like myself.

Nebulous unexplained services? Okay, I'll explain, then.
Stuff you might be able to get help with if you're diagnosed autistic:
*Help with daily living skills, like shopping, paying bills, learning to drive or use a bus system, etc.
*Social skills classes, therapy (psychological as well as occupational therapy and speech therapy)
*Help at school, like a note-taker, a private testing room, permission to type essay tests, etc.
*Qualifying for disability income (welfare--which is significantly less than the poverty level but can probably keep you alive)
*Access to vocational rehabilitation services, which might help you get a job

Yes; it's much easier at school if you are registered as disabled. Depending on your school, you may be able to get help with communicating with professors as well as the usual help with tests and note-taking.

What do you need that you aren't getting? If the answer is "nothing", then don't worry about diagnosis. If, on the other hand, you need some service that you aren't getting, then a diagnosis could help you get it.

In my locale, there are many benefits to an official diagnosis. These include subsidies for third level studies, help and accommodations with study needs, and access to psychological and psychiatric services. For someone who is officially assessed as disabled there are many benefits including welfare and travel. Most libraries, post offices and citizens information centres provide details on services for disabled people.

There are some charity-funded services for adults with Asperger's / autism. There are legal protections for disability, including reasonable accommodation, equal consideration at hiring and promotion etc. The employment office has a permanent disability officer and access to occupational therapy and several other services.

Obviously only an official assessment of a qualifying diagnosis, a disability or psychiatric needs counts.

Cool, thanks for the info guys

Hi A3! I had a screening for Aspergers done about one month ago. It cost me the somewhat painful sum of three hundred dollars. The official diagnosis would've been an impossible fifteen hundred. The difference is that the tester says that Aspergers has affected my life greatly, as opposed to an official "You have Aspergers".

Over the last several months, the more I have read about Aspergers and the more I have been seeing myself described in the texts and here online, the more I have been certain that I have Aspergers.

So why did I spend the money?

Because at the ripe old age of forty-eight I have come to, sometimes, be aware that I am never more wrong than when I am absolutely certain that I'm right! "I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken" said Oliver Cromwell. I loathe the man, adore the sentiment, when applied to myself. And the lurid language helps me to keep the idea in my mind! I'm not too sure yet what I will do with this information, but I'm glad I had a disinterested party look in and offer confirmation and some ideas.

Need I say, I wish you luck, and I'm somewhat envious at the headstart you've been given by finding this out at your age! Forty-eight years of, unknowingly, smacking my head against a brick wall has left me a tad addled!

A diagnosis can also get you accomodations at school or work. If you inform the HR department at work of your dx and then someone tries to get you fired because of AS behaviors that don't actually prevent you from doing the work you are hired to do you have legal protection. Sometimes if you find you can't do what you were hired to do and have a medical reason the company will be a lot more likely to move you to an appropriate job instead of just firing you. The law doesn't recognize self diagnosis. That's in the USA but might apply elsewhere.