Concerned, getting diagnosed?

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I had my last appointment with a Psychiatrist earlier this month regarding diagnosis. He said I'm definitely on the spectrum, but that I might not completely meet the diagnostic criteria for AS to satisfy the diagnosis, so if he decides I don't meet that criteria, he will be giving me a diagnosis of PDD-NOS. Still waiting to hear back.

Mm. I'm a girl. Well, adult woman? Heh don't really feel very "woman" most times. Anyway, the diagnostic criteria he said I didn't seem as impaired in, was that I had alright eye contact and could verbally reciprocate, having a relatively normal consistency with the "to and fro" conversation. Both of these things I had to practice, and try to figure out for years. X_X It feels entirely unnatural to me, I force myself to make eye contact and it takes all of my energy to actually focus on having a "normal" conversation.

Also he said my obsessions were too normal for consideration (anime and video games). I think I'm too used to trying to appear normal to go into any real detail about it, but I think the depth of my interest in the topics may be construed as unusual.

I kind of feel like a diagnosis of PDD-NOS would at least kind of at least answers my questions about why am I so different, which is all I wanted, plus a general direction for how to kind of cope with my issues but, I don't know. I feel like AS fits, and from what I read in the differences between how it manifests in women. Would it be worth trying to get another opinion if he decides on PDD-NOS? Does it even really matter? :/

I was diagnosed as not-quite-AS myself, but definitely on the spectrum. The specialist said that women only rarely meet all the criteria for AS.

Sounds like the doc didn't take in consideration of your effort. Any doctor who has studied ASDs should know that some people can "fake it", but with effort.

Also, 10 to 15 years ago, anime and video games were considered nerdy. I didn't talk about those things much with people because of just that. Anime is still considered a bit nerdy, and too much anime can get you called a weeaboo!

What does it matter if a medical professional gives you a "label"? Unless the label can lead to services or support it is really irrelevant. You are an individual, the same person you were before you discovered you were on the spectrum. Knowing one is on the spectrum can help alleviate some stress and bring understanding but it is not necessary to pay a doctor to tell you what you already know.

This is why I hesitate to even pursue diagnosis. It would be good to know if my suspicion that I have aspergers is "real", but I am female and middle aged. I have learned to compensate and hide my weird tendencies, so that by now I do pretty well with eye contact, etc. I think I would appear quite different now than I would have in my 20's. So if a diagnosis would be based on a description of my past, wouldn't I be able to skew the results depending on what I said and how I described it? And what good would a diagnosis do me at this point in my life anyway?

It sounds like PDD-NOS is the right diagnosis for you based on the reasons your doctor mentioned, and AS would be the wrong one. Why would you want the wrong diagnosis?

I feel like I am borderline AS myself. I'd like to seek a diagnosis just so I can finally tell people "Hey, this is why I'm a spaz" But apparently it is hard to diagnose in women, especially adults.

If the doc diagnoses you with PDD isn't that still on the spectrum? It's not like a contest, winning the best disorder or whatever. If you have PDD there would still be a reason for your behavior.

It sounds like this doc isn't familiar with the complexities of diagnosing women...

Often it is observed that they do not have the issues with reciprocity because their peer group was nurturing rather than bullying.


I would not accept the PDD NOS, do some research and see if you can find someone with a lot of spectrum experience. Or better yet, read some books on apserger's in women, and have your doc read it also, if it's someone you've been working with for a while and want to stick with.

The DSM diagnostic criteria are designed to diagnose male children, not adult women, a problem leading autism experts are well aware. Unfortunately, many clinicians may not keep up with the current literature. The first psychiatrist I consulted for a diagnosis told me that "obviously" I don't have AS because I am married and have a couple of friends and gave me a ridiculous misdiagnosis. Scary! It was explained to me by a psychologist knowledgeable about adult AS assessment that these days it is psychologists who are typically the ones to diagnose the condition. Also, a full assessment usually includes neuropsych evaluation--it's a lot more exhaustive (not to mention time-consuming and expensive) than just a short interview.

How much you get out of an official diagnosis is probably quite variable, but I'm glad I found someone competent and went through the whole thing for a number of reasons. Most importantly for me, I have confirmation that I really do have AS. I read a ridiculous amount of literature about autism and was pretty ruthless in evaluating what I know about myself in a critical way before I was sure of it myself, but there's no substitute for the opinion of a competent and knowledgeable professional. The trick is actually finding someone competent and knowledgeable, especially if you are a woman.

It's also good to have an official diagnosis just for peace of mind, in my opinion. Who knows when your job will change and it might be necessary to exercise your legal rights to prevent discrimination? Better to have the diagnosis and never choose to disclose than to suddenly need it and not have it.

Also, high-functioning people who choose public disclosure help to educate the public, which makes the going easier for other people with AS/HFA. Imagine how much harder it would be for everyone if Temple Grandin never chose disclosure. Maybe it's my own "rigid morality," but when the opportunity arises to assist an animal or human in need then I feel a moral imperative to do whatever is reasonable to help them. Of course, determining what is "reasonable" is easier said than done, but it's something to think about.

I don't know... PDD-NOS sounds about right then... Lots of people say that females rarely match the criteria.. But i'm an adult female(a gender-confused female who is like a guy in some ways, but still biologically female), and i match the criteria quite easily.. So i don't really get it. In both the social category and repetitive category i match more than the minimum requirement(in my diagnostic report they listed three in the first category and two in the second, and you only need two in the first and one in the second...) And i wouldn't say i'm "mild," but i'm not an especially severe case(i mean, i cope well enough to have a part time job working with people, and i can drive and do a lot of things on my own). I also easily match the proposed criteria for "Autism Spectrum Disorder" for the DSM-V.

Did you know the APA is planning on creating the term (Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to encompass (Autism, PDD-NOS, Retts, and Aspergers)?

ARLINGTON, Va. (Feb. 10, 2010) – The American Psychiatric Association’s draft proposed
diagnostic criteria for the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM) will include new categories for learning disorders and a single diagnostic category,
“autism spectrum disorders” that will incorporate the current diagnoses of autistic disorder,
Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder (not
otherwise specified).