Doc insists I don't have Asperger's

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The psychiatrist I went to yesterday does not believe I have ASD of any type - she thinks I have SAD and kept talking about getting me a lightbox (!)
Of course this is starting my panic engine whirring. I really need to find out what has been wrong with me all these years, and also try to get disability - since for right now I'm unemployable. I did stand up for myself, which is unusual for me - I told her she had not asked about any of my symptoms, and that I have known all my life tjavascript:emoticon(':x')hat I'm not "normal." She did finally agree to refer me to an Autism specialist, but I really had to fight for it.
I have that experience with doctors all the time - I am very good at determining what is going with me and my children. I was right about my daughter's Type 1 Diabetes (the doctor almost let her die, because she would NOT listen to me), my son's OCD and my sleep apnea. It seems like doctors are less likely to believe patients, now that we have access to the Internet. Two psychiatrists yesterday (the first who was evaluating my daughter) completely dismissed the idea that I might have ASD - they assumed that I just went online and found a bunch of symptoms that vaguely fit me.
Any of you who self-diagnosed - did you have a lot of trouble from the doctors over getting a definitive diagnosis? I know I have ASD - I have been struggling all my life with doing normal, ordinary things, like keeping eye contact and speaking loudly and slowly enough for people to hear me. Not to mention serious problems at work, socially (have 0 friends) and in just about every other way possible.

I didn't self diagnose specifically because of the problems you're having now. I was diagnosed by a licensed clinical psychologist who's specialty is autism and Asperger's. I invoke her name whenever a medical professional doubts I'm on the spectrum.

Over the years I've learned to mask a lot of my aspie traits. I know I didn't will them to go away because I still have problems with the areas of normal back and forth to peer group talks as well as being prone to saying the wrong things in conversation. I also cannot make and maintain friends so I know I haven't shaken off the yoke of autism.

I've always wondered why this sort of thing happens. If you were right on the other things like your sleep apnea, I really don't know.
SAD is something I feel like I deal with on top of my asperger's. The winter, in my mother's opinion, is the worst for me. Good luck getting a job.

It is a "Catch-22" for AS/ASD people to get a diagnosis without serious impairment, because an ASD/AS person would not show up to the doctor seeking help for the things you mentioned of not having any friends, poor eye-contact and not speaking loud enough. ASD/AS traits would feel normal to the ASD/AS person , so why would one show up to a doctor to complain about it?

That is like an ASD/AS person saying, "Help me. I am not NT enough". It is NT people who show up to doctors to get help for not having friends. Think about that.

That is why many AS/HFA don't get diagnosed. The ones like me who do get diagnosed is because we have learning disabilities, sensory problems, or speech problems and it is obvious to diagnosis us as ASD.

Maybe someone can explain why, I haven't any idea the why. But most people tend to want to disagree, it's just something they do. So presenting a strong argument, with lots of reasons, just encourages them to argue. I know this doesn't seem fair, nor does it make sense. But it is often true.

Maybe if there is something in what the professional says you can agree with, it might help with this. Because it is really frustrating to have logic on your side, and turn out to be right, but be disbelieved along the way. And you and people you care for can be hurt when it happens.

Sorry you didn't get the diagnosis you wanted -- so try another doctor and "Better Luck Next Time".

Can you switch docs? I believe that the person who said the Internet has made doctors distrust patients more. I feel that they tend to resent anyone self-diagnosing. You may also be at a disadvantage because of your ASD.

They are also very quick to attribute just about anything they can to depression because it's easy to prescribe a popular, well-recognised treatment. And unfortunately depression is also co-morbid with a lot of more complex, hard-to-treat conditions.

I have an older mentor who is a retired psychologist who told me AFTER I had my official dx that I did not have it. I had to realize that he sees the me he thinks he knows rather than the me who is me.
My therapist of 4 yrs now did not realize it either. I was seeing him for the trauma issues. He thought the other symptoms I had that made me suspect being AS were due to the PTSD and DID. That is why I went to an expert. I knew it was more than what others realized. I took the tests on-line and constantly scored in the high AS numbers.

My official DX was done in such a way that I could not go back later and wonder about it. The expert told me what he was looking for that I had no idea he was looking for in the interview. He said there were other things he looked for that I would not have been able to fake and they are AS things. He did not tell me what they were but he is an international expert as well as a USA expert. And the 8 hour testing really proved it in statistics. That was something else I could not fake.

Bottom line is this... sometimes it is well worth the money to have an expert in their field do their thing.
It has been a life-saver for me. Literally. I was suicidal with not understanding why I was not able to be the person I saw around me. I thought the abusers and the world broke me.

Now I know that sure, they bumped me up and such. But they did not break me. The reason I see things in a different way and all that goes along with me just being me is because I came into the world this way. And that is not broken... it is just different.

i got diagnoses from an autism specialist who specializes in low functioning and high functioning autism and they still thought i didnt have it, it was confirmed after a series of IQ tests that i am on the spectrum though.

I can't tell you whether or not to get a second opinion, but I do think the light box is worth a try.

A light box is non-invasive; there are no side effects, and no dangers, besides the money you pay for it--and even then your insurance might pay. People with "winter blues"--as well as full-blown SAD--benefit from just having enough light in winter. Down at the genetic level, we're still tropical apes unused to short winter days. Some of us, autistic and neurotypical both, have brains that just tend to want to go to sleep during the winters in very northern or southern latitudes.

So--if you can afford it, try it. It can't hurt, and might help.

As for whether or not you have autism: There are several possible situations. You could have SAD, or autism, or both, or neither. If you do have autism, it will be easier to diagnose, and easier to cope with, if you aren't depressed. Treating any SAD would benefit you whether or not you had autism, and as I've said, a light box won't hurt you even if you don't have SAD.

By all means, get a second opinion if you want one. If it turns out you really are autistic, of course you want to know about it. But SAD is common, and if you happen to have it in addition to, or instead of, autism, then you shouldn't have to sit there and feel horrible every winter!

Asperger's and autism are usually diagnosed when the person is young... very young. Very few psychiatrists ever see someone who comes in and tells them that they are autistic. Plus, there is nothing a psychiatrist can really do for a 40 year old person that has autism. Plus, it sounds like you really want a dx that will get you a monthly check... probably the psychiatrist realizes this.

Asperger's and autism are usually diagnosed when the person is young... very young. Very few psychiatrists ever see someone who comes in and tells them that they are autistic. Plus, there is nothing a psychiatrist can really do for a 40 year old person that has autism. Plus, it sounds like you really want a dx that will get you a monthly check... probably the psychiatrist realizes this.[/quote]

I have had 10 jobs in 3 years - every time I messed up at one job, I would try another one. I can't tell you how humiliating it was to start jobs over and over, only to find that I couldn't do basic things. If I had been "normal," I would have been an RN by now, probably working on my BSN. My last job was as a dishwasher in an elementary school kitchen - I couldn't even handle that. I have two children that I have to support; at some point I hope to make some money from my photos. I CAN'T work with people. I need some short-term help until I can find something that uses my few talents, and that will allow me to stay to myself.
I don't plan to sit at home forever - I am obviously not "normal," and my belief is that I have ASD.

Most importantly - I need to know what the ***k is wrong with me. I've been labeled a freak and a weirdo by all my former schoolmates, co workers are creeped out by my odd behavior and inability to speak in a normal voice.
I've had BIZARRE obsessions, like writing to AND visiting death row inmates when I was 15 years old....and I couldn't shut up about capital punishment - I bombarded anyone who was unlucky enough to say two words to me.
I've had FAR worse obsessions, believe me. And bizarre behavior in every school I attended, as well as on a student exchange trip to Holland (the agency cancelled my trip after I attended orientation - I was just too strange. I managed to go, anyway; my mom arranged things privately with the family). Didn't learn a word of Dutch; they took me to Paris, and I only left the hotel room once. Stayed in my room when I was in their house, and when I was left on my own I sat inside and read.

Thanks, everyone else, for your replies. I realized the doctor did not know me, had only met with me once previously - and of course was not inside my head. My insurance may pay for a lightbox, and I did wrangle a referral to a child psychiatrist who specializes in Autism.
I just want the doctors to believe me - I know there is no magic pill that will make this go away. It's also very important for me to know just what has been going on all these years, and stop blaming my poor mom for my problems.