Should my diagnosis be dropped?

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I was diagnosed with aspergers when I was in 4th grade, and that diagnosis has been upheld by at least three different therapists over the following ten years. Looking back however, I was a much different person than I am now and there are some additional things to consider:

1) A psychologist's diagnosis is based on the information you give him/her, so if you allow your mother to speak for you instead of speaking for yourself, you may not receive an accurate diagnosis.

2) I love going out and having fun at social and networking events, something I did NOT to do a few years ago.

3) I can read body language very well. In fact, so well that I laugh when I see someone's body language in response to something. Maybe I can't pick up on very subtle cues that women like to give off, but most guys have that problem anyways.

4) I don't think I have ever experienced what's called "sensory overload", which from what I understand is, for example, someone having a seizure after being exposed to flashing lights. I do find loud noises and foul smells to be irritating, but I don't act unusual or go ape when I experiences those senses (i.e. I don't run out of the room when the smell of bacon permeates through the vents.)

5) I'm a pretty decent communicator according to my Toastmasters group.

6) When I take these AQ tests and whatnot, I score very low on the aspie scale (like around 25 out of 100).

However, there are some traits I have that could be aspie-like:

1) I get irritated with things like bad traffic, slow computers (or computers that don't like to work), people who are slow and stupid, etc.

2) A lot of times I have trouble focusing, especially when it comes to reading a book. I get easily distracted and want to watch YouTube videos for example, or go and type on here. That might be more of an ADD thing, which I was never formally diagnosed with.

3) I don't feel comfortable being around people who laugh really loud and obnoxiously unless I'm drunk.

4) I get really tense and nervous especially around women I'm attracted to, and when I try to talk sometimes I stutter and have pauses in my speech.

So, what do you think?

The problem is, the majority of us here are not trained professionals. I would also venture to guess that none of us have ever even met you, so it is very difficult for us to say one way or another. However, the professionals who confirmed the diagnosis have and so, logically, I would have to defer to their judgement. Remember that while higher functioning forms of autism have disabilities, they usually are things that can be compensated for if you also have a high enough IQ to have intellect to spare. It sounds to me like your autistic traits are fairly mild and so it may have been easy for you to adapt around them. There is also the possibility that you never had it to begin with and instead would have been better served with an ADHD diagnosis. However, this is purely speculative. There is a reason why diagnosing mild cases of autistic spectrum disorders can be difficult for even a trained professional. Doing so based upon one forum posting from someone looking to lose their diagnosis and thus possibly not giving a complete picture is almost impossible.

All that outofplace said, and I would ask:

What would it mean to those around you if the diagnosis was dropped?

What would it mean to you if it was dropped?

It has its medical/psychological value(s), and then there is self-perception and that of others.

I don't think the sensory stuff is true for every single person on the spectrum. Could you get a second opinion?

^ Agree.
If they are the only things that you think possibly mean you are an aspie, then I must be one too. I'm not, as far as I'm concerned I'm NT. So, is that denial? or are there many different types of NT? We are not all the same, although many think we are.
I think you are the best person to judge. If you don't feel impaired, significantly or otherwise, I would think you are not autistic/aspie.

When I was a kid, I had a lot of AS traits...and they were fairly obvious from what I understand (I was never diagnosed). Than as I approached my teen years, I got my act together in a lot of ways (I learned to mimic) and made a lot of friends and was suddenly immersed in a very healthy environment for about 5-6 years. During this time, I believe that my traits weren't manifesting as much. I felt normal, I acted normal, I truly did not experience social anxiety any longer, I was even a manager and than a secretary (on the phone constantly) at one point. I enjoyed going to night clubs and dancing and crowds...and than I got married and move to a remote location and became very isolated, very quickly. It's now two years later and my symptoms are far worse than they've ever been.

I guess my point is that, if you're anything like me, your symptoms might go into "remission" when you're in a good environment, and you could truly be feeling completely normal (which is great!)...but what would happen if you were removed from this environment ? Would the traits come back in full force like mine did?

Either way, I think that your post speaks volumes about the importance of being in a happy/healthy environment. It made me feel hopeful that I won't be feeling this yucky for the rest of my life

Rather than giving us behaviours, why don't you tell us a little about yourself and your life.. Are you working, in school, in a relationship, living at home? These points give us more information and are far more relevant to a continued adult diagnosis than your perceived social abilities.

Jason.