Just got an official diagnosis of Aspergers

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I had a 4 hour assessment and was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome.

How open are you about it? I am a 22 year old female who has flew under the radar all my life due to coping strategies. I know if I were to tell people their reaction would probably be "No way you don't seem like you have Aspergers".

There is a lot of stereotypes and Aspergers in females is not as well known.

Do you tell people about your diagnosis?

I'm not officially diagnosed. I had a very autistic early childhood. I'm careful whom I relate that to. I don't disclose anything to my employer.

No I'm not.

Probably too open.

First of all, congratulations on taking action and doing something about whatever problems you've been having related to aspergers. I was diagnosed last summer after three assessments and three appointments, and I remember how much anxiety I had over the outcome leading up. The positive confirmation felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.. "It wasn't that I was "bad" or defective after all." It wasn't all our faults. The challenges won't be going anywhere, but approaching them will be much less confusing now. For now, live it up, soak in the good feeling, be happy that you're not alone.

To your question, I told my immediate family, they are open minded and rational people, it seemed like a no-brainier. From time to time they attempt to scale the severity of my problems, and are a bit off, which can be a bit annoying; but they're human, nobody knows you like you. That being said, I definitely think telling them was worth it. Big picture: I would think as your social/family network as layers of a circle: family at the center, close friends outside of that circle, moderate friends outside of that circle...think of who to tell in those terms first. If there's an urge to "wave the aspergers flag", I would hold off until this emotional post-diagnosis state of yours dies down, then afterwards, selectively consider which of your closest friends you want to tell; basically, posting your diagnosis on FB would be excessive IMO.

A warning from someone who deals with this himself, try to avoid viewing yourself or the validity of your diagnosis in a different light (positive or negative) based on how other people view aspergers or the perceived likelihood that you have it. For example, if I tell a co-worker about my aspergers, and he tells me "oh my gosh, I had no idea, it's very admirable that you're doing what you're doing here in spite of your handicaps": my tendency would be to feel like I was on top of the world and that I was amazing. Let's say I tell a close friend and he says "Dude you know that's a fake disease, social disorder? Give me a break! You seem fine to me." My tendency would be to feel like an excuse making loser who discovered he had achieved less in a level playing field. The key, with disclosure, is to stay grounded in your belief in who you are; you know your life experiences and how you deal with things every day much better than anyone; the opposite of being grounded would be being swayed by the wind and letting the thoughts of others dictate how you feel. Your therapist/psychologist's opinion and your own are enough.

I wasn't diagnosed until I was 49, have been coaching and counselling others ever since, just published an autobiography of my life of autism and asperger syndrome on Amazon kindle and it has shot into #1 slot of the their global bestseller list in my genre/niche

I'm the same as you - learned early how to cloak it to avoid getting seriously murdered - so neuroplasticity has made me nearly normal and no-one - not even the psychiatrist that diagnosed it can tell from the outside I have it - he had to use hypno-regression-therapy to travel back into my infancy, childhood and teens, when the symptoms were most pronounced

He found I had been diagnosed with childhood autism at around five and a half and autistic psychopathy at around fifteen and a half

I totally know how you feel and I wonder as well about whether I should tell people or not. In a way it still feels as if it is not real, that I am faking it or got diagnosis so that I could reason my way out of my problems, if that makes sense.

And the problem is that I have to tell certain people. It's horrible. I hate the whole deal so much. Seems like no one understands and I don't understand it as well. Because at a first glance, I am just like everyone else. Except that I am really really not

I'm curious where you live, as in what country, and if in the U.S., what area.

The idea of a four hour evaluation leading to a diagnosis is so different from some of the stories we've heard. Some have had to have multiple visits with someone before they were diagnosed.

I'm still filling out the paperwork for mine, so still have no idea what's coming. (And yeah, for those that remember, I did get the paperwork at least two weeks ago. Yes, I'm being slow in finishing it. It's complicated...especially the part that asks how my mother's pregnancy went.)

I also think four hours seems very short. Of course the symptoms could have been so obvious that it was a no-brainer.

As for me, I think I spent four hours just doing the WAIS intelligence tests. In addition to that I had interviews with a bunch of psychologists over a period of almost a year as well as a medical examination; my parents also had to do an interview. I think I totalled it to about 35 hours of tests, interviews, medicals. From my understanding it is done like this everywhere in Scandinavia. Only those who pay out of pocket (around US$5,000) for a private investigation can get it over with in a day, but many insurance companies and support programmes will not accept such diagnoses.

THIRTY FIVE HOURS?!?!?!

You just scared the pants off me.

Now I'm gonna be worried all night!

That "test" (that turned out to apparently be an intelligence test by a guy who wasn't qualified to diagnose autism) I took last year was bad enough.

Ooooooooooooohhh....

I might have been an unusual case, I am not sure. Been re-doing the math to give a better idea:

First I saw my GP and discussed certain problems and he called me back for two more mettings and after our final meeting he said that based on my story and my paediatric record he wants to have me tested for Asperger syndrome and he referred to a first-in-line specialist. This person is a 'screener' who basically tests you for a whole bunch of potential conditions. I suppose the reasoning is that what appears as ASD can be ADD in combination with e.g. OCD, or it can be a schizoid personality disorder. Anyway, I saw this person for a total of eight hours (4 x 2 hr sessions). Two sessions were spent doing tests (attention tests I believe); the other two were spent doing interviews. She referred me onward to a specialist neuropsychiatry team to be investigated specifically for Asperger syndrome. She even told me that she was convinced that I would get the diagnosis but that she cannot forward directly to a psychiatrist for a diagnosis when it comes to adult patients (apparently the process is less tedious for minors).

I think the reason why they are so uptight about ASD diagnoses here is that a diagnosis can entitle you to certain assistance, which, of course, is expensive. ADD/ADHD diagnoses are stamped on anyone who wants them it seems, but they do not come with the same entitlement as an autism diagnosis here.

Anyway, so back to the process. At this point I was at 11 hours already. In the ASD evaluation process I saw four psychologists and two psychiatrists, my parents also met with one of the psychologists for a discussion about my childhood years and review of my paediatric record, and to finish it all off they pulled together a conference meeting with the whole panel of shrinks and me where they reviewed their findings and explained the diagnosis. I ended up getting a secondary diagnosis as well, which might have been a reason for my particular investigation taking so long to complete, I am not sure. I think I had about ten or eleven meetings in total with these people, plus the two hour meeting my parents had. The WAIS testing took forever. I think they might have snuck some other testing in there as well. And as for the medical examination, one of my psychiatrists was doing her residency and she was so particular and slow. That might also be a reason why it took longer than normal.

I am pleased that I got through the process in about six months. When I began the process I spoke to someone I know who is familiar with the system and he told me it is not unusual for some adults to have to wait over a year from when they begin the investigation until it concludes.

Looking back at that time, I am grateful that I underwent such a thorough investigation. I feel like I have a 'legitimate' diagnosis in the sense that the process did not assume that I had ASD. It was almost like the assumption was that I did not and that I they had to eliminate all other possibilities before they could establish a diagnosis. At the panel conference at the end of the process I was told that my paediatric record and my parents' interview tipped the scale for them. Apparently my record showed a pattern which is very common in children with Asperger syndrome, and there were also some other formal records from my school days that they had me dig up and submit which also followed a pattern common to people with AS.

Lastly, I found the process quite interesting. The hardest part was going over some of my school years and talk about how I was bullied. The WAIS test was fun, although I got so annoyed at myself for messing up on the verbal part. I love logic puzzles though and I also really enjoyed the memory test, mainly because I really struggle with my short term memory so I have had to train myself throughout my school years and it was nice to revisit those methods.

I know this was too much information so I will end here. Good luck!

Good reminder, thanks!

I was conditionally diagnosed in Houston after a two hour interview, by a doctor who specializes in Autism. She recommended that I do all the testing (going on 5/9, if I can afford it. Don't know how much my insurance is going to pay. She said it would take about 4 hours.) to see how affected I am, and also as a formality in case I need any assistance/aid. Her words were that she was "confident" that I was on the spectrum, as well as having ADHD, Social Anxiety and Panic Disorder.

I have told a few people, mostly on a "need-to-know" basis. But for the most part, I just keep it to myself, and occasionally say something like "I'm just weird like that sometimes" when someone questions an Aspie-like behavior.

I had mine done with Tania Marshall an expert on females with Aspergers Syndrome. I live in USA and she lives in Australia so it was over skype .It was 2 separate sessions, 2 hours each, which equals 4 hours total. I had to write an autobiography before my first session which I submitted as well as answer a formal assessment together. She also talked to my mom.

She is a very nice lady I went to her because she is an expert on females on the spectrum

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