Adult diagnosis and ASD stereotypes

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I've suspected for a month or so that I have AS and finally talked to a psychiatrist at my school. After briefly going over the diagnostic criteria, he dismissed any symptoms as social anxiety. I'm not too good at articulating myself to people I don't know under any perceived pressure, and didn't really have anything useful to say.

I think if I were waving my arms around and displaying the stereotypical external symptoms he would have been sure of a diagnosis. Not at one time did he ask me anything that was really pertinent to an AS diagnosis!! ! How does one get diagnosed in the US without health insurance and spending money on psychiatrists? Is this even worth pursuing? I thought that it would help me in case of legal issues and permission to take tests in a quiet place at school, but it might not be worth it.

I can fake eye contact by looking at peoples foreheads. I use gestures when I talk because I've learned that normal people do that. Does this erase my AS?

aspie quiz: 178/200, AQ: 44
I think it's pretty unlikely for someone to score so high on these and only have 'autistic traits' ?

I've always felt different for some reason. AS is the only diagnosis I've encountered that makes any sense whatsoever, and it's shocking how much it does.

Anyone else have experience with something similar?

I was diagnosed as an adult and the questions you should ask yourself if...

1. You have always had trouble making and keeping friends... and the few friends you have had, you often felt uncomfortable around and had to fake it to get along.
2. Friends and family have often commented that you "act strange," walk and/or talk funny, or they misunderstand you frequently.
3. You have usually (or very often) taken comments literally when they were meant as jokes, sarcasm, or idioms.
4. You have always felt a sense of loneliness and separateness in a group.
5. You can focus very intensely on topics that interest you when you speak, but your mind drifts when others speak on other topics.
6. You have always startled easily or became stressed by larged groups and/or... you have frequent insomnia due to worry or too many thoughts... and/or you have suffered from panic attacks or general anxiety, even in safe environments.
7. You feel most at ease working alone or just spending time alone.

If these apply... then you are probably on the Spectrum.

In addition to what the above poster says, being chronically overwhelmed is a major symptom for AS (but also othe rneuro disorders liek ADD) in adults. This can manifest itself as depression or chornic fatigue, but is commonly not recognized asn an AS/ADD symptom. I do not know if you can get a diagnosis where you live since I don't live in the U.S. Why is it that you want to tak tests in a quiet place? Can you write down the specific difficulties that cause you to need this accommodation, and see a professional about those to get written proof of your need for accommodations?

I've had experience with a psychiatrist putting everything down to social anxiety, and I think this is very common. As I mention in this thread, it is important to see someone who specialises in ASD. Experiences are likely to be disappointing if you see someone who specialises in depression and anxiety, which is the majority of psychs. I don't know how things work in the US, but here in Australia I just had to pay the money for an official assessment by an ASD specialist, then sit on the waiting list for a while. Was well worth it.

I agree with this, you need to find someone who specializes in ASD, specifically adults and aspergers (unfortunately even so called "experts" on autism won't always recognize the symptoms of AS in adults if they specialize in children). College psychiatrists tend to be trained in dealing with anxiety and most are only familiar with very "classic" textbook symptoms of AS that are not necessarily obvious in adults.

Unfortunately you probably won't be able to get a diagnosis without spending money, especially without insurance. There are some facilities that don't turn people away and offer scholarships based on income- my university had a program like this but it turned out to be entirely useless and a waste of time because the services and psychologists were AWFUL and I ended up having to go to another facility anyway. I'd recommend looking into autism centers in your area that offer adult AS assessments, call them and ask what they charge and see what options they offer for students/low income individuals. If they just want to interview you for an hour or so the cost probably won't be too bad so it might be worth it if it can help you get services and/or accommodations.

Man, if I had those questions when I first started out, I would have been even more sure. Gosh, those fit the bill.

That's like the story of my life.

For the OP- what you have to remember is that one psychiatrist and one opinion is only as good as that opinion. You know yourself, and ASD is something that a lot of people discover about themselves. So, I would say that you should probably go to someone outside of your school that has experience with people with Asperger's.
Honestly, a lot of school psychiatrists aren't that great. They're trained to look for serious issues that affect the whole school, and bypass things that don't reach a level of severity in their minds. That's not a good base to start with.

As far as I've deduced, the ASD stereotypes are actually more evident when you're older (even if they're less worst than when you were a child).

I couldn't be bothered explaining why, but it's there when you think about it.

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I think I'm going to try to find a specialist and see if they'll talk to me briefly over the phone or email, and go from there. I hope its not going to cost a bunch of money. I suppose a diagnosis may not be so important, I really need some plan of action!

Thanks for sharing this!



Thanks, I'll look into this. In my area I doubt there is anyone, but there are probably tons of places to go in the Bay Area.



I've found that my unusual speech patterns got less severe when I was about 18, and now I'm just a bit monotone. I walk much more normal, and only notice stims if I'm really stressed out or bored. My interests have become more diverse. I can't really think of any stereotypical behaviors that are more severe or more evident than they were before.