Reasons why wary of pressing for an assessment

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(a) Fear of a negative assessment due to people covering their backs ie " We never got it wrong" when it’s obvious to any honest and intelligent person that they did. (b) If the assessment does happen to be done in an honest manner and they still say it’s not autism that other possibilities as to neurodiversity won’t be explored. I know there are extremely few resources for NVLD which is an alternative possibility.

Both concerns are valid as professional egos and lack of experience can run rampant. But, what it takes to get a diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) expects just a few things. Primarily: 1) Evidence of beginning in childhood, and 2) Evidence characterized by marked impairments in social interaction and communication accompanied by a pattern of repetitive, stereotyped behaviors and activities.

Having these conditions essentially excludes most differential diagnoses, which sometimes appear similar to a diagnosis of ASD, usually leaving ASD as the only likely diagnosis.

1) Childhood-certainly social interaction difficulties. Hardly any friends. Not sure about the rest that much as autobiographical memory is patchy. Was very much a loner and into solitary activities. Can't remember much imaginative play.

2) Definite problems with social interaction- small talk,initiating conversations. Described as having very poor social skills. Not sure about stereotyped behaviours- not really sure what they entail. Not a wide range of interests -90% waking time on internet. 80% of that mental health and genealogy forums, checking rss feeds and twitter for information to post on forums.

You could be describing much of my own life, especially the genealogy. As far as your brief description is concerned, it seems you meet the current diagnostic criteria (but I amn't a clinician, so don't go by me). Stereotypy or self-stimulatory behavior refers to repetitive body movements or repetitive movement of objects. This behavior is common in many individuals with developmental disabilities; however, it appears to be more common in autism.