Got results back.....really confused :(

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Ok well I went in for an assessment on May 12th and they told me it would take less than month to get results back and that I would be called in so they can explain the results. Well more than a month went by so I emailed them and asked what happened. They emailed me back and said that it was finished on June 6th but they had forgot to call me or even send the results. They also are not going to make an appointment for me to explain the results. So im left here confused. Anyways they diagnosed me with Anxiety Disorder NOS. I am so confused because the results and their description does not fit ADNOS. Im really lost and confused now because I have never related to anything before so much as I have to the AS description as far as the criteria, characteristics and general symptoms and now after these results I don't know what is wrong with me and I feel lost and worse now :/ They also left out all of the hypo and hypersensitivities I told them as well as the intense interests. I dont understand. Please read below and help me out and do you think I should get a second opinion or not?....

These are the tests they gave me: Aren't there specific tests for testing Aspegers? Does anyone know if any of those below test for that?
● Behavioral Observations
● Clinical Interview with Patient
● Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5), Abbreviated Battery
● Test of Memory and Learning –Second Edition (TOMAL)
● Suicide Probability Scale (SPS)
● The Forer Structured Sentence Completion Test- Women (FSSCT)
● Trauma Attachment Belief Scale (TABS)
● Problem Experiences Checklist
● Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)-
● Stroop Color and Word Test
● Neuropsychological Impairment Scale, Self-Report Form (NIS)
· Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III)
Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.)

Here are the parts that "explain" diagnosis:
Patient is a 23 year-old female with a history of interpersonal difficulties (negative peer relationships/interactions, difficulties with social and emotional reciprocity with others, not feeling developmentally equal to peers, feelings of inferiority), academic challenges(memory), and inflexibility with regard to maintaining routines.

-Patient’s endorsements indicated that Patient’s anxiety symptoms fell within the Moderate Anxiety range

-Patient’s performance on the Word and Color-Word tasks fell within the normal range and her score on the Color (T-score = 33) task fell below average indicating overall impairment in neuropsychological functioning.

Behavioral Observations
Patient exhibited appropriate dress, good hygiene, and fluent speech and language. Patient’s eye contact was low to moderate and her mood was lethargic with a blunted affect. Patient exhibited observable signs of awkwardness as she interacted with the examiners.

[b]A subsequent clinical interview that included “social-communicative probes” was held with the Patient to further assess the qualitative degree of impairment. A variety of topics and depth of interpersonal understanding were evaluated including: emotional states, types of interpersonal relationships, 4-elements of reciprocal conversation, conversational pauses, gesture use, and empathic responding. Although the Patient does have social skills deficits they are not considered severe enough for a developmental disability because they appear to stem from a lack of implicit social learning and heightened anxiety in social situations. With skills training, it is expected that the Patient will be able to learn the social skills necessary to expand her social network. [/b]


Patient exhibited a marked discrepancy between Nonverbal Fluid Reasoning and Verbal Knowledge indicating less well developed nonverbal fluid reasoning skills.

Patient’s response profile revealed a marked discrepancy between the Verbal Memory subtests and the Nonverbal Memory subtests, suggesting Patient’s verbal memory may be less well developed than her nonverbal memory abilities.

Patient’s T-score of on both the Memory (MEM) and Cognitive Efficiency (COG) subscales are suggestive of difficulties in memory and cognitive functioning (e.g., slowed reasoning, fatigue, mental efficiency). Patient’s elevated Learning-Verbal and Academic Skills scores indicate difficulty with learning and expressive speech and deficits in executing typical daily activities (e.g. making change) respectively.
Areas of Functional Impairment
Patient displays clinical impairment in the areas of interpersonal interaction (e.g. making friends, effectively communicating, lack of participation in age-appropriate activities/interactions), academics (e.g., grades, memory), and significant rigidity when it comes to daily routines.

Last edited by starry123 on 01 Jul 2011, 11:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Well they did do a lot of tests, but I don't believe any of those are ASD specific.

There are tests specifically for autistic spectrum disorders. I'm not sure why they didn't do one if that's what you were going in for.

When I went in to the first clinic for an assessment, the psychologist talked to me before giving me the results. She said that I had autistic traits but also co-morbid anxiety. What we then had to do was figure out which came first, the anxiety or the autistic traits. That is where the close look at your early childhood developmental history comes in. If the autistic traits came first, then I had autism with co-morbid anxiety. If the anxiety came first, I had anxiety that happened to manifest some autistic-like traits. In my case, I had autistic traits since I was a baby so it was easy to narrow down for me.

When you went in for your assessment, did you discuss your early development? That would have been necessary for a proper autism assessment. What my other psychologist has said: "it is not so much about what you are like today; it is far more important to see what you were like as an infant and toddler." This is because mild autism can be covered up in adulthood. Likewise, a person without autism can manifest autistic-like traits without actually having autism. What was your early development like? If it was not consistent with someone on the spectrum, regardless of how you act today, this could be why you received the anxiety diagnosis. Anxiety can create characteristics in some people than might be similar to some also experienced by some individuals on the spectrum. If you strongly believe your early development is related to autism, then I would discuss this with the diagnostician and see why they do not feel those experiences are related to autism.

Also, one thing you did not bold in your explanation:

Although the Patient does have social skills deficits they are [not?] considered severe enough for a developmental disability because they appear to stem from a lack of implicit social learning and heightened anxiety in social situations. With skills training, it is expected that the Patient will be able to learn the social skills necessary to expand her social network.

This is the explanation they gave of why your lack of social skills are not linked, in their observations, to autism. From their interactions with you, they felt that anxiety is what hampers them (regardless of my diagnosis of co-morbid anxiety, which I do not feel is really all that strong anyway, anxiety does not hold my social relationships back). They believed you will be able to overcome some of this at some point with therapy. I am not saying this is true or not.....I will just point back to early childhood development again....

Sounds like they got it wrong. Test results don't define you. According to the "professionals" I have social anxiety disorder, but really I couldn't be a more perfect fit for asperger's. I personally don't see the point in a second opinion, unless you need accommodations for a job or something that won't be covered with this anxiety diagnosis. My mom's the one who's pushing me to get a diagnosis now, but I'm not sure why, other than because I want a service dog, which she won't ever let me have, and she thinks she can use that as a bargaining chip to satisfy her need to have everything labeled.

oops yea they put "not," I dont know how that happened when I copied and pasted it a few times on an email also. I fixed it and bolded it also. Also, yes I do fit some of the criteria when I was young. They include these:
-marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
-failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level(Starting after elementary school it was really noticeable. Before then I had a few friends but never really related to them and at the moment I only have one friend and its not going well because of the way I am)
-a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people(Never did the same things or was interested in what they did)
-lack of social or emotional reciprocity(Yep and still happening now)
-apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals(yes, very stuck to routine and rituals when i was younger)
- encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus(yep but its a lot more now than when i was younger)

I guess I did not appear to have clinical impairments in any of these. I have a hard time explaining what I am feeling or showing how I feel so I guess it appeared that way. I dont know.

Yes I agree they don't define me but I guess it's confusing for me because I thought I maybe could have had an answer to the way I have always been. Im not sure how to explain what I am feeling right now. My mom thought that I fit the criteria also but now that these results came back she says I need to stop looking for answers. She doesn't have these problems so she doesn't understand anyways :/ The other thing that confuses me is that they didn't give me any specific tests for AS either.

It says that you're awkward, though fluent verbally, and it appears to be the result of your anxiety regarding social situations, as opposed to something inborn, and is therefore fixable with appropriate therapies.

OP, I have a mother who considers my constant "searching for answers" to my numerous (and quite observably-real) physiological problems to be hypochondriasis- you ultimately have to decide that (the combination of) your own intuition and professional medical advice is more important than her telling you, essentially, to pretend your struggles/problems don't exist and therefore not address them. If you best-understand yourself through the descriptions of Autism, you don't need a piece of paper to cash in on the value of that "lens". And you should also keep in mind that therapies to reduce your anxieties, whether they be straightforward or secondary, resultant of Autism, will help, regardless. The vast majority of the same techniques apply, and I think would be of benefit, if your anxiety is causing problems you wish to address.

Last edited by ValentineWiggin on 02 Jul 2011, 12:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

Yes I know my anxiety comes from not knowing what to say or how to react in a situation. When I was younger my few friends came from playing and not much communicating with them. I have always felt behind my peers socially and emotionally so yes anxiety eventually kicked in.

starry, you sound just like me....

When I was 18, I saw a psychiatrist for mental/social problems of an unspecified source. At the time I had never heard of the Autism Spectrum or Anxiety Disorders. I had very little basis for understanding what was wrong with me. After two 20 minute sessions, I walked out of the office with a diagnosis of "Generalized Anxiety Disorder" and "Social Phobia" and a prescription for an SSRI.

What I've since learned is that while I do indeed suffer from pervasive irrational anxiety, certainly worthy of a disorder classification, I haven't experienced it my entire life and my issues stem from a deeper underlying cause. That is where Asperger's Syndrome comes in. I've realized, like so many others here, that AS explains the social awkwardness and mental/emotional/physical disconnects that can create neuroses like Anxiety Disorders.

It seems like that is probably what has happened to you. Your case sounds so similar to mine.
A simple equation:
(AS) + (years of social/emotional awkwardness and frustration) = Anxiety Disorder.
and now you've got both.

or, put more eloquently:


If possible, get a second opinion. I don't think this diagnosis tells your whole story.

^ Astute point- the two disorders are by no means exclusive-
being diagnosed as having one, and even accurately-so, does *not* mean you don't also have the other.

OP, I have a mother who considers my constant "searching for answers" to my numerous (and quite observably-real) physiological problems to be hypochondriasis- you ultimately have to decide that (the combination of) your own intuition and professional medical advice is more important than her telling you, essentially, to pretend your struggles/problems don't exist and therefore not address them. If you best-understand yourself through the descriptions of Autism, you don't need a piece of paper to cash in on the value of that "lens". And you should also keep in mind that therapies to reduce your anxieties, whether they be straightforward or secondary, resultant of Autism, will help, regardless. The vast majority of the same techniques apply, and I think would be of benefit, if your anxiety is causing problems you wish to address.[/quote]

Yep my mom is kind of like that too. I developed anorexia when I was 17 and she blames everything on that. She doesn't think or remember about how all these feeling and problems were there yearsss before my ED. It gets frustrating talking about anything like this with her. I am going to get therapy. Even though I have seen many therapists for my ED nothing has helped for the many other problems besides the ED.

Ironic, considering anorexia specifically and restrictive disorders generally have a very high statistical correlation with Autism.

I, too, have struggled with it.

Yea wow you do sound like me. See.. I have never been able to relate to others as I have here. It makes me feel less lost. This diagnosis just confuses me so I have been just out of it today..it sucks. My mom has just been yelling at me today saying that I need to stop finding answers and just change and that I was relying on a diagnosis when I wasn't and she even thought the whole way through that I would be diagnosed with AS. It seems she is totally ignoring what I am trying to say what I feel now. Im lost.

Yes, I read about that on here a while back. I showed my mom also and she was not surprised about how they could correlate but now all of a sudden she is saying that my problems are caused by my ED. She didnt know I had these feelings before my ED and I I wish I was able to communicate my feelings better when I was younger...she would have known but I never said anything because I didn't know what to say even though my behaviors and life showed it. Are you doing better with your ED these days?

Trying to be-
I'm attempting to learn to cook healthful, low-calorie meals
as a bit of an internal "compromise" between
coming to terms with bad bad health problems I have due to various nutritional deficiencies
and
my absolute terror at gaining back weight.