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arozent
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09 Jan 2017, 8:28 pm

I'll try to make this as brief as possible but I'm quite a verbose person.
So I recently enlisted to serve my nation and this led to exposure of my social inadequacies, I was referred to an expert in ASD.
However, he immediately said I do not have aspergers and attributed my self diagnosis to information I read on the internet. He also suggested I was getting a diagnosis to get an easier life in my enlistment.
Despite my parents pulling out the fact that my cousin was diagnosed as an Aspie many years ago, many of the visible symptoms I see in me as well the irreconcilable fact that I always view myself as an alien, the doctor insisted he was the expert and all the symptoms I experienced were just normal and that someone on the spectrum wouldn't even be going out and having friends. I told him I struggle to keep these friends and I go out even though it's uncomfortable to do so for fear of being lonely. He said it's Normal in teenagers. For the record, I'm 21 this year and was 20 when I sought his help last year. He also cited my Normal speech development at an early age indicating I wasn't on the spectrum and the fact that I had friends as a kid. This, I interjected, was because I was protected when I was young and many of these friends left me soon after As well. I've been reading forums online and I admit I've been a bit influenced by them but I still believe I'm on the spectrum due to the wide disarray of social issues I face on a day to day even functional basis. Any insights here would be really great as I'm a very confused man right now. Thanks.



kraftiekortie
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09 Jan 2017, 9:09 pm

Normal speech development is actually something that is found in Asperger's Syndrome, and not in most other forms of autism.

How were your social inadequacies "exposed?" It seems to me that the army doctor noticed something, and that you didn't "self-diagnose." The doctor felt that you should be assessed for Asperger's.

It sounds like you want to serve your country, since you volunteered for the military. Why would they think you're "making excuses?"

Saying all this, we, on this Forum, are not qualified to state whether you have Asperger's or you don't have Asperger's. A person would have to meet you in person, and observe you over a good deal of time, before the person could have any idea as to whether you're on the Spectrum.

Even if it turns out that you are not on the Spectrum, you're still welcome on this Site.

Are you planning on going to University?



arozent
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09 Jan 2017, 9:34 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
Normal speech development is actually something that is found in Asperger's Syndrome, and not in most other forms of autism.

How were your social inadequacies "exposed?" It seems to me that the army doctor noticed something, and that you didn't "self-diagnose." The doctor felt that you should be assessed for Asperger's.

It sounds like you want to serve your country, since you volunteered for the military. Why would they think you're "making excuses?"

Saying all this, we, on this Forum, are not qualified to state whether you have Asperger's or you don't have Asperger's. A person would have to meet you in person, and observe you over a good deal of time, before the person could have any idea as to whether you're on the Spectrum.

Even if it turns out that you are not on the Spectrum, you're still welcome on this Site.

Are you planning on going to University?


Ah, thanks for the response. Eventually I should, but right now I'm deliberating if I want to study locally when I don't feel like I fit in with such a society. I've heard people overseas are more accepting of individuals like me and I might be happier off elsewhere.

To clarify, military service is compulsory in my country. Many men fake illnesses and conditions so as to have a better life, hence many specialists are wary in giving a diagnosis as it may tarnish their own name if they were to hand out excuse sheets that easily. I was referred to a specialist for adjustment disorder and I requested for an ASD checkup which the doctor then allowed and followed up with this ANSD doctor. A few officers have suggested I may be on the spectrum as well prior. Thing is, I've really felt like an alien most of my life, and even though I'm able to put on a mask in some social situations deep down I always feel misunderstood and isolated. I got the harder end of the stick when I was in training camp, right now I'm still serving my nation but under a uniformed Organisation rather than the military. Thanks.



redrobin62
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arozent
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09 Jan 2017, 10:41 pm

redrobin62 wrote:
What is your score on these online tests?


154/200 ND
60/200 NT

36/50

There may be some bias though, when the doctor did the test for me he didn't believe a lot of my answers and said I was exaggerating to get a diagnosis.



redrobin62
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10 Jan 2017, 11:23 am

Too bad. Your doctor probably wanted to see something more dramatic in your life. To wit:

- You can't keep a job
- You have no friends
- You're homeless in the street
- You shun from society
- You're asexual
- You have a collection of things no one cares about
- You have a fascination with a subject no one cares about

I'm all of those things, so it made my diagnosis easy, as far as one clinical psychologist was concerned.