"High Functioning" Asperger's- Treatment options?

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Hello,

I recently joined the website about a month ago, and I have made a few posts, but I didn't want to contribute so much to the forum until I knew for sure I had Asperger's. I officially became diagnosed with Asperger's about 2 weeks ago by a Psychiatrist who is an Autism specialist. I have had several appointments with him over the past weeks, and I am very confused by his diagnosis and what he thinks, because lately he seems to be flip-flopping on the whole diagnosis.

He diagnosed me after having a 1.5 hour interview with me, and after talking to my mother on the phone for an hour. After giving me the diagnosis, he gave me some questionnaire tests for my AQ and EQ. For both tests, I scored outside the textbook range for Asperger's (23 on AQ and 35 on EQ, I think) Then, in my second meeting, when we discussed the results, he seemed to almost question his first decision, but not enough to officially change the diagnosis. He told me that if I had gone to other doctors, they might not have diagnosed me because I am so high functioning, other doctors might not see it.

I then asked him about treatment options. I asked if a group therapy session wold be beneficial, and he said that he didn't think it would help me, because, in his words, "You are not impaired enough for that kind of thing. Other people in the group might not be able to relate to you, and vice versa." I then asked about behavioral therapy and working with a behavioral "coach" to help me with my social difficulties, but he claimed that those types of people don't exist for adults, only for children.

I am really unsure of what to do at this point. I know that I have problems, and that I need help. I exhibit many of the classic signs of Asperger's. I have very poor social abilities, I have a lack of fine motor coordination, (gross motor skills are good) I have a very hard time multitasking, and trouble looking people in the eye. However, I don't really have many "special" interests, I can read people's faces relatively well, and I enjoy reading fiction (especially sci-fi.) I also find that I am able to put myself in other people's shoes easily, and can imagine and predict how people will react relatively well. In addition, I don't have meltdowns, I rarely lose my temper at all, and I don't really have any ticks or "stims," that I do. I know that my condition has affected me negatively in life, with jobs and relationships. I want to get help so that I can turn my life around and try to improve myself as much as I can. The only problem is that there doesn't seem to be help available. Is there anything I can do?

There's no treatment. I have also been told there's no social skills training. I am undergoing something relating to social skills - however, it's a bit more complex than poor social skills.

Bath in hot mineral baths
Drink quality mineral water
Breath quality air
Air and water are primary considerations

my treatments are focused on reducing and managing anxiety, I'm on a benzodiazepine and an SSRI and I'm in cognitive-behavioral-therapy where I've being encouraged to practice mindfulness meditation. my original diagnoses were major depression and social anxiety, but the root cause was aspergers.

in the long term, since I'm still in college (could have graduated in 2009 had I stuck with one program and done the 4-year straight through thing, but I had trouble dealing with depression and anxiety and just locked myself in my room all the time) we're trying to get me on a career path where technical skills are paramount and dealing with people can focus on fixing things for them and being helpful, which reduces my social anxiety since it gives me something to focus on other than small talk, and is well paid. I was already leaning towards computer science but I'm now doing an online BS in IT/Networking. basically it's not a competitive job area since it's in huge demand, it doesn't require a lot of social stress, and sometimes some computer-based work can be done from home (which would be so beyond amazing for me.)

so:

1) anxiety management through medication and meditation
2) career training
3) counseling to help the people I have to be around (parents) understand how to help me and for me to deal with various things as they come up

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just being aware of what sets you off is so huge, too. I worked for years at a hotel, mostly on the graveyard shift, where I got paid to sit behind an old marble counter reading a book next to an antique vase full of peacock feathers, while classical music played quietly, the lights were dim, and I dealt with very few people. I was great at it. same thing with every person I interacted with, I could be sincere and creative with people (we weren't a chain and we were hired for being genuinely welcoming and capable of caring about people ranging from drag queens and male strippers to cancer patients to recent Muslim immigrants, the hotel's whole selling point was that it wasn't hospitality-in-a-can, and as the making-people-happy process was streamlined and a slightly quirky desk clerk was actually refreshing compared to the uniformed thing other high-end hotels have going on. most people in hotels want only a few things, all of which I could easily give them, so I had no trouble and actually the excuse for talking to strangers improved my social skills tremendously.)

that work was more complex, harder, and better paid than retail at walgreens. that said, I had a suicidal breakdown after two days in the Walgreens' fluorescent lights, animatronic santa-baby displays, constant stream of people, and lots of cheap ugly harsh textures, sounds, and required methods of social interaction (like asking every single person if they wanted a candy bar using the same stock phrase, which drove me f*****g insane, probably because I've spent years trying NOT to sound like my conversations with people are rote-repetitions of phrases I've learned to use at certain times).

NTs focus on things like difficulty and how far of a drive it is to work and prestige of the job and how much you'll be paid, I'm in the process of learning that the sensory elements of the place are just as important as anything else, and that the difference between a position where people will talk to you enough you don't need to guess what they're feeling (hotel patrons are surprisingly open about how their day has been, how their room is, and so on) and where you just scoot people through and are still trying to interpret the facial expression of the last customer when you're helping the next one is A REALLY BIG DEAL.

Search "asperger life coach" on Google and you will find scores of them. Your doctor is incorrect that they don't coach adults with AS.

My best results, like one of the above posters, have come through anti-anxiety medication (benzos) and cognitive behavioral therapy, a thought process modification program that can help you change the way you react to things. Your doc is probably right about the group therapy thing, if you're very high functioning those don't tend to be terribly helpful, but definitely look for a CBT practitioner or a general counselor with AS experience. Also, the thing to remember when dealing with doctors and seeking treatment is that although there is no treatment for AS per se, many of the symptoms of AS, such as social anxiety and focus issues, do have treatments, and a piecemeal approach to treating those issues can be very effective.

I would say if CBT doesn't work, then OT is also a good option, too. In OT (because I studied this), there is a new emerging area of practice called lifestyle redesign. It is very similar to life coaching, but with more OT emphasis than say life coaching. It's considered as outpatient mental health.