How subjective is the testing for AS?

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I finally got in to my "pre-appointment" yesterday (for insurance clearance), sat in a creepy room for a while and talked to a doctor. When he brought in the person doing the testing, she looked at my paper and seemed to determine that I'm not on the spectrum because I'm married and have a job.

So...for people who have been through this process, how objective is the testing process? Am I wasting my time going back, if she's already determined that I'm NT based on my marriage?

If she thinks that, she doesn't know the first thing about Asperger Syndrome or High Functioning Autism. I would request someone who has experience dealing with adults on the spectrum and not just children - AS can present very differently in grownups than it does in kids.

I've been married three times and managed a spotty career for 30 years before I was ever diagnosed. There are many WP members who have been (or are currently) married and have jobs. Keeping a job for very long can be a different story, but we're certainly not a bunch of basement dwellers dependent on our parents for survival, that's a ridiculous stereotype.

AS is neurological and evaluation should be based as much , if not more, on tests involving neurological processing more than observed social abilities. Evaluating observed social skills not only is extremely subjective and not at all scientific, autism is a DISability, not an INability. Even someone with autism can learn some social skills and coping mechanisms over the course of a lifetime, which will mask some of the handicaps a bit. Hell, that's what Behavioral Therapy is all about.

Ummmmmmm...This person does not seem very professional if she based her assessment on that. As far as I know, some people on the spectrum are married and have jobs.

Maybe you could see her again to find out if she looks past the marriage and job to hear what you have to say about possibly having AS. If she continues to base everything on marriage and job, then you should ditch her and see a different person. Is she an ASD specialist or a general psychologist who knows nothing about ASD?

According to the DSM, AS requires " clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning"; define when an impairment becomes "clinically significant" is indeed very subjective, and someone could argue that being capable to to hold a job and to marry is a good "line of division" between clinically and subclinically impairment.

I guess this might be the case. But, even when everything seems to be Ok at the time being, the same neurological difference might easily turn out to be clinical in a matter of days or weeks, if it goes awry.

Yes, it only takes a little push for everything to go awry. Diagnosing the neurology is important to give the person coping mechanisms and a different perspective to prevent things from going awry.

Maybe I got written off as having AS because I give good eye contact as well as I've been married 4 years, & had my last job for 6. She basically said I couldn't possibly have AS because of those 3 things....even though I have a long list of symptoms. IDK....keep an open mind, but start looking for another opinion. Also as someone else said, find someone who understands adults on the spectrum. The person who tested me is used to testing children & teens. Obviously, an adult will present differently.

When I was diagnosed, I was evaluated under the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-G) and many of the tests I didn't know were such until I read it in the report afterwards.

Having a job is not holding a job and being unable to keep a job is a clinical impairment and a serious lack of survival skills.

To make even a preliminary assessment based only on those things is shortsighted and unprofessional.

Willard, now I feel validated. Thank you.

I have a friend who is professionally diagnosed with Aspergers and is also married with two children. Perhaps you don't want to waste your money on that person, since they obviously don't know what they are talking about anyway. Many people on the spectrum don't get married (some by choice, others not) but many also do. A professional should be aware of this.

Yeah...I've thought about asking her that if people with AS are not supposed to marry, how are there still people with AS? Then again, she probably thinks it's caused by environmental factors.

I might try to get some documentation in order before I go back. For example, I thought about getting a checklist of symptoms and asking my wife to fill it out, etc. One problem is that the preliminary questions they asked me weren't specific enough...hopefully that will change with a formal assessment.