Do I need my parents' co-operation to get a diagnosis?

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If so I might as well not even try because there is no way they will. I could probably get hold of all my school reports from age 5 onwards, but I've read that the specialist would need to know about your life before 3 or even 2 years old.

I've heard similar..

Although I've also heard people getting diagnosed age 30 upwards, so don't lose hope!

My mums only comments about my early childhood were:

* You always tried to impress us with facts and how smart you are.

* You were VERY well behaved baby, in fact almost silent.

* You were different to your brother and sister, always left out.

My parents surprised me by agreeing to give the DR the information that they could remember but after several sessions,he said he didnt need it,had enough to say I did have it.So it may depend on the DR.
It would be better if you could ask them a few "directed" questions about your early years,but I dont think the actual age is relivent,many children have been undiagnosed until their school years because that is when the most social issues show up.Perhaps you can tell them you are considering writing a biography(not for publishing)and wonder what their impression of you was and any antidote.My mom reminded me of a B-day party she had for me when i left every body and went to be by myself.She said I used to pull my own hair out when frustrated...neither thing was in my memory,so it was interesting to get a new perspective on things.Dont mention the AS if it makes you uncomfortable(or you thing it will bias their answers because they "dont" want to believe you have it.).Just ask if there was any things from your young years they thought was unusual or interesting or odd?

Dont give up if it's important to you,you will find a way.The school records would also be helpful,I think.

I think the thing holding you back is not so much logistics, but legalities. In America a doctor would require parental consent if you're under 18. I imagine the UK wouldn't be much different.

I'm 56, my parents are both gone. They would never have agreed to it, either. I sat down and wrote out everything anybody ever told me about my childhood, even little anecdotes. That's been enough to get me through 2 prelims, I'm hoping for diagnosis this year. Good luck!

Well, my father never saw me enough, and has some odd memories. Sometimes I wonder about him.

As for my mother? She thinks no way, and is HIGHLY forgetful! In fact, I seemed to KNOW about something that happened, and my father(that was NEVER there) insisted it happened a different way. My mother recently suggested it happened the way I always knew it did even though I argued it happened as my father claimed. That was my fathers claim, not mine.

Luckily, my lack of social skills is well known by both, and school records would probably bare that out. A couple years ago, there was an alarm at her place when I visited, and I reacted in a very autistic way. ALSO, I have ALWAYS sid "my senses are skewed"! That has been consistant, or obvious enough that my mother DID admit that.

Two main criteria for judging autism.

My mother said my first words were in sentences, and she and others said I had a large vocabulary. For much of my life, I couldn't even use a third of the words I knew, because so many would just say "WHAT?".

I also had wierd(for a person under 20, and I had them almost from the time I could read) obsessions, and studied them to death.

Two main criteria for judging Aspergers.

I'm curious.... What is your biggest reason for wanting an "official" diagnoses?

Steve

Unfortunately the UK seems to be sticklers for having parental cooperation/information when doing a diagnosis. The US is not as stringent and varies from professional to professional.

Worst case scenario, call some local places who do diagnosis and ask them if it would be impossible to receive an AS diagnosis without parental involvement. If they say yes, well, then you have a better idea of where you stand.

Scrulie,

I'm sure it depends on the person who you are referred to about your possible AS. There are people in the UK who seem to manage to get a diagnosis without background from their parents. I am in a similar position to you (although my husband shows a fair understanding, bt he is sceptical about using AS as an excuse) regarding a diagnosis. My adoptive family would regard AS as an excuse and a load of rubbish, so I would get no help there; and my natural family never knew me, although this is where AS is coming from. You may need to research quite thoroughly to find out about how adults in the UK have been successfully diagnosed and what details they needed. Possibly your symptoms are sufficiently obvious that a diagnosis is easy. I do hope that your husband is able to gain an understanding of your genuine difficulties.

Yoyo

I am 30 and I only needed my own memories of my childhood to share with the clinicians. Getting information from parents would help, but was not necessary for me.

Got my diagnosis June '06

Does anybody (incl aunts & uncles) remember -

Where you a quiet baby?

How old were you when you learned to sit up? talk? crawl? walk? eat? potty-trained?

How old were you when you got into a play school or kindergarten or Grade 1?

As a very small child, you were known in the extended family as the one who _?_

What's the first dream you remember and how old were you?

Stuff like that, I think it might help. Good luck!

Thanks!

This is an interesting thread. I want a dx. for validation too, but not for my husband. He knows I'm different and never argues that I could be on the Spectrum I want it for myself. My life has been so confusing and hard. Also, I have trouble holding jobs, and want the additional label to assure I can keep getting Disability. If anything happens to hub, I still have two young kids that I could never support without help. I've lost jobs from janitor to McDonald's to bagger at a grocery store (I couldn't visualize how to pack the bags and did it too slow and awkwardly) to file clerk. I've been fired enough to earn a spot in "Guinness." For higher level jobs, I do fine until I have to multitask. Then it's a chat with the boss and a good-bye.