Going to my GP on Thursday regarding a diagnosis of AS...

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I was wondering what I should say when I go?
Should I research local psychiatrists in the area who have dealt with diagnosing an ASD before?
Were you nervous when you went?
What sort of questions will they ask?
What if they disagree?

I can tell you how mine went but hopefully yours goes better. I basically went in to have my blood drawn for thyroid issues and told the nurse I also wanted to talk to my doctor about an autism spectrum disorder. Anyway, he came in and seemed only very slightly knowledgeable about the topic and generally surprised that I was pursuing an assessment since, based on his limited and stereotyped understanding of Asperger's, I didn't seem weird enough. Unfortunately, he was of very little help and could only provide a reference to a place that might be able to forward me to another place that might be able to assess me, haha (I'm assuming he I'm one of the first people to ask him about this which is shocking since he's been there for decades). What I did to finally get assessed was find psychologists in the area that specialize in therapy for Asperger's or autism, email/call them and ask where their patients are usually diagnosed or where they typically send patients that are seeking diagnosis. That ended up being hugely successful because a general Google search on the topic didn't seem to help at all.

Quoting myself from this thread: Going to a GP about a diagnosis <---that's a link you might find interesting

Well, my experience was about two months ago (in Canada). I'm normally very shy and nervous but I came right out and told my doctor without wasting his valuable time it has become apparent that I'm on the Autism spectrum, most likely with Aspergers. He asked why I felt that and I explained pretty much what I say in my WP posts. To my surprise (being a very jaded and cynical Doctor), he didn't seem to doubt me (he was mighty impressed with my arguments!) and when I asked if it's worth pursuing he put me in touch with a psychiatrist. The GP definitely wasn't an Autism expert but knew that ASDs operate on a wide spectrum and I very well could be on the mild end.

I met with a young psychiatrist who was probably younger than me and it was obvious he didn't know much about Autism as he just read the DSM IV criteria and I explained why I met them and asked me a few questions ruling out mental disorders. The only reason he did not diagnose me (I met all the criteria except one) was because in his opinion, I'm not "significantly impaired" since I have a job, car and now an apartment and even if I met the criteria there was zero benefit and many possible drawbacks to the label. I could pay hundreds of dollars to a private clinic specializing in Autism but not only would that be a waste of time and money, they informed me a parental interview is mandatory and my parents will NOT under any circumstances accept that I have anything other than 'very, very mild Aspergers' and will tailor their answers accordingly because they see me having an ASD as them failing as parents. Besides, I'm not exactly rich and that money can go to much better uses, such as being able to afford gas to drive my car.

I've mentioned before I disagree with the psychiatrist that I'm not 'impaired' because I have been chronically underemployed, have zero friends outside my GF (who shows many signs of classic Autism) and despite being well liked and never invited to any social events. I'm at the point where I'm not going to waste my precious time and money to prove something I already know. I basically learned it's nearly impossible to get diagnosed as an adult in Canada unless you are either unemployed for long periods of time or involved with the law, neither of which I will hopefully ever fall under.

One thing that I was warned about repeatedly by the psychiatrist is to never, ever share that diagnosis with anyone should I get it because the general population thinks of Aspergers using ridiculous over-the-top stereotypes and blatantly incorrect information (like Aspies are sociopaths). That's all the more reason not to waste any more time on getting that label.

Good luck

With me i just said to my GP i think i might have Autism after watching a documentary and he said ok, so i told him some things about me and then he said he would get me a appointment somewhere to be seen. A few weeks later i got a appointment at a special hospital and had 4 different trips down there in the space of about 2 months speaking to different people and on the last one i was told to bring a family member with me so i brought my mum, which was quite hard for me and at the end was told i have Asperger's and have to go back to see him a few times a year.

Before i went i made a big list of things i thought might help about me and my life.

Read GiantHockeyFan's post right after getting a call from the assessment clinic to schedule an appointment.

Slightly freaked out now. Do they require parent interview if your parents aren't even in the same country?!?? Fuuu.............

Ah, that's doable. Thanks. *calms down*