Another question if I may? I am sorry.

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Hello. How are you?
The thread "Possibility of having AS. How to proceed?" made me wonder something. I have seen a psychiatrist in the summer, but can't now because of my school, no time or money. Before we stopped going she told my mother that it was a yes on Asperger's Syndrome. Is that considered an official diagnosis or should I get a certificate? I don't know this, since I have not been diagnosed with anything more serious than strep throat before and they always write a prescription for that.

I really don't know what to think of this, so perhaps someone has ideas. I am sorry for asking many questions.

You should get it in writing. You are diagnosed, but if you need to prove it to anyone, it needs to be in writing.

Trust me, I had a problem with this once. A psychiatrist did a bunch of stuff and told my mother I was autistic. (I was unaware of this.)

Then he waited awhile and finally wrote on paper that I had PDD-NOS. I understand why he did it at the time: I had an awful insurance company that would have either refused to give services at all because autistic people are hopeless, or institutionalize me indefinitely because autistic people are hopeless. (They tried to do this anyway.)

But, these days, if I tell people I was diagnosed with autism back then, but they see the diagnosis of PDD-NOS, they go "Oh that's not autism." Then they claim that I was only diagnosed with autism later on when it was safe to change the diagnosis to autistic disorder.

(I do happen to think that PDD-NOS is a way to say autism without saying it most of the time. But a lot of people think otherwise.)

So, when it comes to other people, you'll need the diagnosis to be on paper before they believe you. Oral diagnoses might as well not exist even though they're just as real when stated with certainty. And even if you don't need it on paper right now, you might need it later. Additionally, I did not need another paid session with my psychiatrist when I needed to have a copy of a paper diagnosis. I would just call him and then have him fax it to a fax machine. (I didn't have one, but I would go somewhere that had one.) He didn't charge for this.

Thank you very much. I will be sure to do this. Unfortunately I will probably have to go and visit her. We just ran out of money for it. I think 100 dollars a visit is too much.

We answer a lot of questions! Never fear!

Quite honestly, I think asking questions is the one thing one should never, ever, EVER stop doing - don't think for a moment you have to apologise!! The only way this world advances is through people asking things. The moment they're too scared to ask is the moment the war is lost.

So fire away without fear...