Age and the practicality of seeking an assessment/dx?

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firemonkey
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23 Dec 2017, 10:30 am

I am 60. At what ages does there cease to be any practical point in seeking an assessment/dx? It's not as though I'm going to be able to reverse the damage of 4 decades of mistreatment is it?



ABZ
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23 Dec 2017, 6:22 pm

I'm in my late 40's and am sure I have Asperger's. That realisation has only come to me in the last couple of years. As I'm fairly high functioning, I just don't see the point of trying to get any sort of assesment. What possible use could it be?



Alexanderplatz
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23 Dec 2017, 6:27 pm

I was diagnosed at 58 and have found that it was a very good thing, cleared up lots of mysteries and helps me cope.



SaveFerris
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23 Dec 2017, 6:37 pm

I think it's too early to tell what effect my Dx will have but like Alexanderplatz coping has become a little bit easier for me but I'm a label man , I need labels , I wouldn't feel the same with a self Dx.
I don't think getting a Dx of ASD is going to reverse 4 decades of mistreatment , only therapy might do that. A Dx might only explain the mistreatment.


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BTDT
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23 Dec 2017, 8:02 pm

I think the realization that you are different is useful to a lot of people if they don't already know that.
You can then visit forums like this to make adaptations to make life easier. On the other hand, putting a name on something like Aspergers isn't that useful in that there really isn't a "cure" to take. Or even an easy way to tell the average person what you have. Its not like Downs syndrome in which you can just say that and assume that the other person has a good idea on what your disabilities are. If you just happen to be like a fictional character it is better to say that and not involve some sort of diagnoses.

People have trouble dealing with disabilities they can't actually see. It is much easier for someone to recognize that someone in a wheelchair has a disability.



ASPartOfMe
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24 Dec 2017, 2:20 am

firemonkey wrote:
I am 60. At what ages does there cease to be any practical point in seeking an assessment/dx? It's not as though I'm going to be able to reverse the damage of 4 decades of mistreatment is it?

One is never too old, but it depends on the person. Anthony Hopkins got diagnosed in his '70s

For me, it is important that when I die I will do so knowing who I am.


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bunnyb
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24 Dec 2017, 2:51 am

I never felt it was important. I knew and that was enough for me. I didn't tell people. There was no need so proof was meaningless. That was until I had a serious accident and had to go to Hospital and Rehab and nobody understood that I can't handle noise and lights and all the sensory things that come with being dependent on other people for care. I was labelled as difficult and brain damaged. I was diagnosed with a personality disorder, I was said to have behavioural problems. I was even diagnosed with anorexia nervosa because I couldn't handle the crowded, noisy communal dining area and avoided it like I would avoid Ebola. My Husband got into trouble for bring meals in for me to eat in my room. When he tried to explain that I'm autistic he was told that without evidence, whatever he said meant absolutely nothing. The whole experience was incredibly traumatic. So now I have my identity papers.
I would honestly rather die than go to hospital or rehab again but if I had an accident and was taken there against my will, I now have proof that I have autism.


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