what's actually the point of diagnosis for asperger's?

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The only reason I needed a diagnosis at one point was that we wanted to go to a certain special school that required it. But if I think about it, if I didn't want to go to that school, there wouldn't have been much of a point to getting a diagnosis. So why would you actually want to get diagnosed? Like, you know you have asperger's....and now?
I'm wondering the same thing about social anxiety. I think I might have a light case of it(I used not to), but what would change if I ever got a diagnosis for it? is it the certainty?

Also, how does a diagnosis work with people that are a lot older? When I was young, I was autistic as f**k. But as I'm getting older I'm adapting more and more. At the special school with a lot of other kids with autism, I see that happen to them too. Some traits I had are gone or a lot less(it also had a bit to do with how my mother raised me but I digress). Doesn't that make the process of diagnosis a lot harder on older people?

And then there's the people my school that have a diagnosis for something they don't really have at all, misdiagnosis does seem to happen, so how do you make sure you got an accurate diagnosis?

dylstew2,
you've already mentioned it: in some cases somebody may require a diagnosis, like for the school you wanted to attend. Then it is _useful_ to have one.
It may also be easier to get along if you have an explanation for your condition. If you are waking up with a big hangover and wonder why and somebody tells you that this is a consequence of drinking too much this is helpful. This is a bad example, because it is so obvious, but imagine it wouldn't. With AS it is different, because to avoid a hangover you just need to stop drinking too much while you can't decide stopping being AS.

Thus it is useful that there is a label / diagnosis such as AS that might serve as an explanation.

Now comes your question: Why positively try to get this label attached to you. I can only guess. In my own case I haven't felt the need to get a diagnosis. The label "AS" is helpful to me as it explains some part of my own life and personal history (probably being what you refer to as being "much older" ) It is helpful to me, regardless if a diagnosis would tell, that I don't score high enough being diagnosed as AS or I'm of a different flavour of autism or not autistic at all but something different or maybe just "strange". To me it is helpful to see that other people share some of my problems and that I'm not alone with this. This is what counts to me.

My guess why peoply are so keen on having a diagnosis is, that my impression is that many Aspies favour strict rules in their lives. This I-always-park-at-parking-lot-434-and-if-it's-occupied-this-will-be-a-bad-day thing. My "use it if it helps" approach might be too sloppy then. Either you are AS or not. It's binary. In case of AS I don't think this is the case. AS is just a partly random label to help classifying, but this might be hard to accept for the people that fit this partly random classification.

To make a long story short my explanation would be that the point of diagnosing is that the people diagnosed typically have strong preferences for order in this issue. And of course, there are "frills" (I'm not sure if that term is 100% fitting) of being AS, like the school you wanted attend and you need the diagnosis to access these frills.

I hope this helps
Wonz

I wasn't diagnosed until I was 40 years old. I'm super glad I did it. For me, it was a huge relief--finally, I started to make sense to myself. As I learned more about AS, it gave me some perspective on my life.

I didn't get a diagnosis in order to get into a special school or to get accommodations. I got a diagnosis because I was tired of feeling like I never fit in and like I was an alien on this planet. I got a diagnosis in order to finally figure out who my people are and where I belong.

Both of these reasons apply to me, as well. The relief and discovery of my "peeps" were both awesome! I don't interact much and have pretty much withdrawn from society, overall, since my diagnosis but just knowing that I have peeps was a huge thing for me.

Services, medication, support, etc. If you can function just fine and are happy with your life then no there probably isn't a ton of reason to get an official diagnosis but unfortunately we don't all have that luxury and life can be a real struggle. Also, some people just want the peace of mind and I can't fault them for that.

closure

I was 35 and in counseling for my third go-round with major depression when I was diagnosed. The insight into why my childhood was such a frightening nightmare, and getting medications that help with anxiety and depression were key in helping me navigate life better. The past 10 years of my life have been so much better for me because I know there is a reason I am the way I am. I won't say medication is 100% of the answer (I take Prozac for depression and Catapres for anxiety,) but the meds help keep me focused, and help keep me from freaking out over every little thing. It is worth it to find out even if you are diagnosed in middle age.

Thanks for the replies. Just to clarify, I didn't have the intention to offend anyone, I was just wondering.

My initial reason for getting diagnosed was as Wonz said: I hated the "fluidity" of not knowing, of switching between "yes I have it" and "no I don't" all the time. The diagnosis enabled me to firmly categorise myself as "person with AS" which brought great peace of mind and lowered my anxiety and frustration levels considerably.

A side benefit of my diagnosis was the ability to get accommodations in school (I'd be failing my stats class right now without them) and to get special consideration at work for the kinds of jobs I am and am not suited to (they avoided putting me on a cash register after I told them I wouldn't be able to handle the sensory overload and perpetual close contact with people).

If a person sees no need for a diagnosis (i.e, doesn't need special services, isn't struggling in any discernible way, etc.), my guess is they either wouldn't be diagnosed (because the disorder has to cause "substantial problems with daily living" to be diagnosable), or they're mild enough that any problems they used to have, they've since outgrown or learned to adapt to in such a way as to make them unnoticeable any longer.

For me, school and work accommodations.

Same experience for me. I turned 48 earlier this week and wasn't diagnosed until this past April. Most of my life I have known that I was "different" from other people. This really helped me to make sense of my past relationship problems-mostly not having one. It also puts many other oddities in me into context. I sure wish I would have been diagnosed as a kid so maybe I could have received some help, but the diagnosis wasn't around back then. I guess they just figured I was screwed up.

because I need accommodations and benefits.



Yes, but not everyone gets better with age. Some get worse.


There's no way to be 100% certain because the condition and diagnostic process are subjective. There are, however, things to do what will make the diagnosis more accurate than it might otherwise be, such as spending an adequate amount of time interacting with the diagnosing clinician, being tested for similar conditions, being assessed by multiple clinicians, getting a childhood history from family, honest introspection, etc.

The need for validation and benefits have been mentioned. But even if you do not need a pro to tell you that you are autistic and your life is going well, it is still worth considering as an insurance policy if affordable. You never know if sometime if the future your mind will give in from acting NT all the time. It can be a very lengthy process to find the right psychologist are most are not trained in adult autism. The older you are the more difficult it is to go back and get the necessary information from childhood. It better to have the diagnosse then to first start the process during a crises.

I needed it to get through school so I could get the education I needed and it supposedly kept me out of that behavior program my school wanted to put me in. My mom told me the DX gave her and dad power to keep me out of that class. That makes me wonder if schools really can put kids in those classes and parents have no say in it and can't do anything about it. My parents had to go to a lawyer and she gave them advice about what to do. Now I use the diagnoses to get benefits and employment so I can live through life as normal.


Before AS was suspected, everything was ruled out first and then I was taken to a psychiatrist who knew a lot about autism and ASDs and it took a little while for him to give me the diagnoses.

Sorry, just for clarification:

When you say 'diagnosis', do you mean medical diagnosis?

The term 'diagnosis' is used on WP in multiple contexts, I'm confused by the context in which you are using it, and in which it can be interpreted.