RAD or Autism?

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I'm wondering if any one else has had trouble with different diagnosis,about nine years ago my therapist told me that I might have HFA,I was as ignorant about the facts as most people but the more I looked into the symptoms the more I thought yes,this is me.Once thing confuses me as I had no speech delay,I was more like a parrot.If you taught me any song I could remember it,word for word.That therapist quit and now I have a new one,I like him but he thinks I have RAD,I looked up the diagnosis and while some fits ,a lot is not me,I have no fascination for blood and gore or setting fires,lying or stealing.I have sensory issues and there is no mention of this with RAD.Another name for RAD is Ted Bundy disease,(Dexter has it).Not only did this possible diagnosis depress me it also makes me doubt myself.Am I going to wake up some day and say"Hey,I feel like killing someone!".The very thought is freaking me out.
So has any one else got this diagnosis?Is it common to mix up the two?I dont really have the option to see another therapist as I'm on Medicaid and this is the closest one.It would be a very long drive to see another.I would just like to know what is going on with me so I could develop ways to deal with my problems better.I guess I just want a definite answer and maybe that's not possible.
I also saw no mention of digestion problems with RAD and I have severe IBS at times.

Does he mean "reactive attachment disorder"?

Um...wouldn't that have come out when you were a kid? And wouldn't you have been extremely violent towards anyone who tried to get close to you?

I really think you should seek a second opinion. This...person...sounds like he needs some additional training and education. How anyone (especially a mental-health professional) could confuse the two, I do not understand.

Yup,that's the name for it.I'm almost 50 so I was a child in the dark ages of childhood psychiatry ,I did have severe temper tantrums,kicking holes in the wall and throwing things but I didn't attack people or animals.I beleive what I had were meltdowns,I only acted this way when really stressed.That usually was brought on by clothing I couldn't wear or the prospect of having to leave the house.I never did like sitting in other people's laps,don't like hugs at all.I liked to spin,I stim with my hair.I twist it ,I've done this all my life.Amd I loved to take my toys apart.I think your right,I should try to get a second opinion.

What you described does NOT sound like RAD, AT ALL. It sounds exactly like symptoms of autism.

Do not go back to that so-called therapist. He has no idea what he's talking about.

Before finding a second opinion, I suggest that you take an online autism/Asperger's assessment. Here are the two I took:

http://www.piepalace.ca/blog/asperger-test-aq-test/

http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

The results will at least be a starting point for discussion and a correct diagnosis.

Good luck. Let us know how things go. Take care.

RAD comes from where a child was given no love as an infant so they didn't learn to bond so they grow up to be a sociopath. They hurt and harm people and animals and have no empathy and remorse. There is treatment for it but it's very very expensive and many people cannot handle having a child with it. They are so dangerous. Parents have even had to give up their adoption rights for their RAD child and give them to someone who has experience with it and knows how to deal with it. Can a child outgrow RAD, yes. But it takes treatment for it.

I think it's insulting to say you have it if you are no way a sociopath and you were given love as an infant and not even neglected.

sounds like your doctor might still believe in refridgerator mother austism stuff, maybe?

also, I had no idea that thing existed and I definitely see how I could fit the bill in lots of ways, although I've always found the idea of a "wolfpack" to be reasonably comfortable

since I hate authoritarian personalities though, and like to see patterns and details, the military and gangs are bad for me, because my behaviours are generally "thinking about things that those below the leader should not think about"

this makes me heavily an outcast in many regards


autism probably emulates some features of it, and I would guess that attachment to a primary caregiver comes across in weak atypical manners, and this would lead to confusion for some people, and the autistic child may not know how to attach to others in a large way

basically an autistic kid can still be attached to their parents but they won't pay attention to them because they're not as interesting as all the new people, but if they got threatened (and recognized it, this is important) they'd run to their parents pretty quick

Thank you everyone who has responded,I really appreciate it!I've took some of the autism tests on line and they always put me on the spectrum.I'm totally o.k. with that,it seems familiar and,well,comfortable.Like,well,that's ME.Nothing wrong at all with that.And reading other people's posts on their experiences has made me not feel so alone in how I feel and perceive things.I feel like I have more in common with the folks here than most people I have known all my life.Thank you all again.

You are welcome, and I am glad that you know you are among friends here.

In my experience, the one who knows you the best is yourself. "Experts" still can't read your mind.