Where's the best place to get diagnosed?

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i feel like this is a question asked pretty often here but I'm wondering where I would go to get a diagnosis of some kind. Is there some kind of general test i could take that could tell me what's going on if there is anything?

Psychiatrists and clinical psychologists are those who diagnose adults mostly.

Look through the phone book and just speak to their secretaries if you can use the phone and ask if they have any experience with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and the manifestation of adults with it*. Get a guardian to call otherwise.

*In my experience, adults aren't any different to children with it; the symptoms may manifest a little differently due to development and learnt behaviour, but it's still easy enough to see. You can't learn emotional inflection in your voice in a social context, for example.

Here is an AS test that's reasonably accurate insofar as the current diagnostic criteria in the US goes.

Go to a university hospital. They tend to be more forward-thinking and up-to-date in modern medical research. You would also get a much higher quality of care. I don't suggest bothering with any of the dime-a-dozen psychiatrists out there: a lot of them still don't know what Asperger Syndrome actually is, much less how to accurately identify it.

I guess if you're looking for a specific place, I'd say some of the best places in the world to get diagnosed are University of Washington Autism Center (in Washington State) or Tony Attwood's Minds and Hearts clinic in Australia. But, in general, a good place to get diagnosed could be a hospital with a psychologist or psychiatrist (or both if you choose). I hear it's better to hear multiple peoples' opinions, as psychologists and psychiatrists are more familiar with different sides psychology. I've heard that psychologists are more focused on psychological treatments like Cognitive Behavior Therapy whereas psychiatrists are more focused on the neurological side with medicines and such. Or, just in general, it's good to get more than one opinion just to see different viewpoints. Other good places could be a college or university clinic near you if one exists. Some universities research autistic spectrum disorders or treatments, and may be very useful as they could be more centered on autistic spectrum disorders than, say, a hospital. You may even be able to walk into a psychologist's office if they have a private practice to receive an opinion. I'm unsure as to how much it would cost, but I'm sure it wouldn't be all that much. I think it would be good to get pointed into the right direction. If you (or someone else) have Asperger's, you may want to find support groups around you that other aspies go to, or better help yourself or others in ways that you didn't know of before. They too may be able to point you in the right direction. Maybe if you visited a support group they would know where to get diagnosed that's close to you. Anyways, hope this helps.

TEACCH in Chapel Hill. Best research facility in the US.

For a formal diagnosis, you would need to go to see someone like a psychologist with a specialism in Autistic Spectrum Disorders. There are advantages and disadvantages relating to getting a formal diagnosis. If you search and read previous threads, people will explain the pros and cons.

There are some online tests, but these are not formal diagnostic tools, at most they can give a general indication as to whether you might be on the spectrum.

The actual diagnostic criteria are in something called the DSM IV (and there's another standard as well, but I forget what it is, might be ICD or something). If you Google for DSM IV Asperger's Syndrome, you should find the actual diagnostic criteria. You don't have to tick *all* the boxes. And as an adult, it's possible that some of the criteria, if you'd visited a psychologist as a child you might have 'ticked' those boxes, but as you've got older, you've adapted and your skills have improved, because in some ways it's not a disability, but a developmental delay, so you might have skills and abilities now as an adult, that you didn't have as a child. If that's the case, that doesn't mean you're not autistic, or that you've been cured, it just means that you've developed, but more slowly than NTs (NeuroTypical ='normal' people).

What's the best online test i could take to give me an idea if I should get further consolation?

oh yea, ty very much for the replies so far, much appreciated!

Anyone familiar with the following?

UC Davis MIND Institute

http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/

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Pros, cons, other?

Experiences?

How much is helpful (practical) and how much is public relations/advertising/only academic research/using customers as expendable guinea pigs/fund raising?

Yeah, makes a big difference how long ago they were certified and what they specialize in. My psychiatrist is an old man, and he refused to listen to my AS case because he said it was overdiagnosed.

My therapist was trained as a developmental (child) psychologist and even goes to Asperger's conferences. He thinks I have AS.

The two don't agree however and I will probably remained undiagnosed because of that.