Diagnostic Coming Up

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On the 3rd May I have my diagnosis for AS and I'm quite worried about it - if I get a negative diagnosis then nothing makes sense and I'll be in limbo, if I get positive diagnosis then I can move on and possibly learn more coping strategies but I'll have an official label as disabled. That's lose-lose.

I'm worried about the diagnostic procedure as well. I'm in my late 30's and learned a lot of coping strategies which may obsuscate the diagnostic process.
Also, I am aware of some possible diagnostic questions, like asking about friendships and their purpose et cetera - a question I can barely understand let alone answer in any coherent fashion.

I'm worried I might exagerate symptoms as well to get the point across...eg, my eye contact is abominable, but will I avoid ALL eye contact? I'm liable to feel under scrutiny and thus in an artificial setting, which is a nightmare for me so all my behaviours will be heightened...will it look fake?

I live in England just now. Anyone have any experience of the diagnostic process and have anything to say about it?

Last edited by Astilius on 29 Apr 2008, 9:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

just relax and be yourself. :D if you have AS then that's cool, and if you don't it's cool. Words are just words. They want to find a word to better help you through life, that's all. If you have AS or are NT, it doesn't change who you are already.

I wish you good luck though :D

Good luck.

I hope you are satisfied with your results, either way.

If they end up saying that you are NT (which from your descriptions of yourself, I would say you aren't), and you don't agree with them, you can always stay here and we can help "educate" you on being a good little aspie.

I am going through the diagnostic process right now. I too have had some of the same concerns. Luckily, a lot of my fears were solved when I saw that the pre-appointment paperwork gave me great opportunities to explain exactly how I feel and exactly what my problems are. I ended up writing a gigantic personal history (which was asked for, although I probably exceeded the recommended word count by at least an order of magnitude). I am being diagnosed by an expert in the field, and I am very confident in her ability to assess my situation. I, too, was worried about answering open-ended questions in a way that properly describes my life. However, she is clearly taken a holistic approach to my diagnosis, and she hasn't jumped to any conclusions. She has giving me a "working diagnosis" of AS and wants to meet with me another time or two before she makes a final decision.

My only real concern at this point is that she has basically admitted that I have an autistic brain... She said that my 17 page personal narrative was practically diagnostic by itself, not due to the content but due to its overly-detailed nature. However, she thinks that my main problem is with anxiety, not AS and/or social difficulties. Of course, my anxiety stems from my AS brain, but basically she isn't sure that I meet the AS criteria even though it is clear that I'm not NT, if that makes any sense. Keep in my that psychologists are required to use strict diagnostic criteria as set forth in the DSM-IV. It might be as plain as day that I have an autistic brain - I might be sitting there rocking and rambling on about my "special interest" - but if I don't meet two of the four bullet points that fall under the "marked social impairment" category of the AS diagnostic criteria, I'm not going to be diagnosed with AS. It's a little frustrating that things have to be so cut and dry like that with these rigid diagnostic criteria, but I understand that's the way the system works, and whether or not she decides to label me with AS, she has made it clear that I wasn't crazy for seeking an AS diagnosis and that I share many strengths and weaknesses of those with AS, and that is what is really important.

A few more direct responses to your post - if you are seeking an expert's opinion, he or she will understand that you will have undoubtedly learned many coping mechanisms by your age, so I wouldn't worry about that. And I, too, was worried about consciously or subconsciously downplaying or playing up my AS body language and mannerisms, but once I got into the office, that was the last thing on my mind, as I was focused totally on what she had to say and answering her questions as accurately and fully as possible. You will probably have the same experience.

thanks for your post....I understand your concern abouit not being diagnosed.......a couple of weeks ago, I told my therapist that I believed I had AS.......deep down, as I was telling her, I knew that I would very soon be on the defensive with her and would have to "offer proof" of my AS....sure enough, she listended for a bit, then remarked, "The reason I don't think yo have AS is becasue you have been able in your life to recognize people's facial cues." Unfortunately, I put a lot of weight in what she thinks.....I'm thinking of changing that!! For her to so casually dismiss my feelings about this really sucked. Then I began thinking, does theis one person's opinion affect who I am and what I am like? No. What counts is that when I read stuff about AS (as at this site) I resonate with the feelings expressed. No one (even a therapist!) can tell me about myself as well as I can.....I understand how getting a diganosis would be validating......but DEEP DOWN, I'm the one who really knows......

It is tricky diagnosing some adults because they have learned to adapt.

However, experienced psychologists can see past this.

I think someone like Dr Tony Attwood could probably tell if someone is Aspie within a few minute of talking to them!

Good luck.

Be yourself.

If you don't believe the psychologist is listening to you, seek another opinion.

Sigh .... doesn't sound like she has good working knowledge of Asperger's.

I have 2 sons diagnosed with Asperger's, and they are very different to each other.

One can recognize facial expressions, the other doesn't have a clue.

The one who can recognize facial expressions, is hopeless with tone of voice. His brother who can't recognize facial expressions is good at picking up tone of voice.

And so on. I could write for pages about the differences between them.

Experienced psychologists will understand that each individual with Asperger's .... is an individual. Different strengths. Different difficulties.

Helen

I hope you are being seen by someone who knows something about ASDs.

I believe that anyone who really knows about autism will be able to see autistic traits even if you don't have all of them, as Smelena says, her two boys are both aspies but are very unalike!

It doesn't matter how much you can fake it as an adult, they should be looking at your childhood and measuring you against the DSM or other criteria based on childhood more than how you have adapted in adulthood. You might be able to do things like eye contact or have other adaptations as a grown up, but you cannot change your childhood.

I hope you get one of the questionnaires to consider before the final analysis. If you haven't done so already, I would start making notes about your earlier years which should jog your memory as to the kinds of play you enjoyed, any special fixations or interests, anything people said that about you that you remember etc etc.

I have an autistic friend, he does neurotypical so well and yet because his diagnostician was so experienced, she saw through it in a very short time; that is how good a proper autism specialist can be, so lets hope you get someone experienced.

Whilst in most cases we are not supposed to be able to recognise facial cues, I do think that we are very conscious of change.

If someone is looking at you, or talking to you and their facial expression changes you notice this. What our problem is most of the time is that we often don't know what this facial expression change means, though through seeing different and many changes we develop patterns of thought and so eventually it may appear as though we read facial cues, but we are really just noticing change and applying past experience to the recognition of change to conclude what the facial expression means.

Obviously, some AS people may inherantly be able to recognise these expressions, but I think as AS is a neurological syndrome most of us can't instictively read these cues at all, and the above coping mechanism is the way in which most of us adapt and become almost neurotypical in that we can recognise facial cues but the process that we go through to reach a conclusion is drastically different to someone else.

For example, we might have seen every facial expression under the sun and developed a recognition of these to an extent where it isn't a problem, but if someone throws out something random or spontaneous that we haven't seen before or contradicts the context of the situation then we have no idea. Wheras a neurotypical would be able to interpret the cues and body language instinctively.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, I did kind of run with it. hehe

Julie Fox picked it up within...a few minutes in me (she diagnosed your sons, didn't she?).

Cheers, folks.

Well, Saturday is almost here and I'm getting more worried about it.
I think my main worry is that I just don't get a true diagnosis and I'm left thinking, "they've gotten this wrong. Nothing else fits the symptoms".

I suppose it's a matter of waiting and seeing.
I'll let you all know what happens in the end.

I am in the same boat, except that I've already started the process. Don't be surprised if you have to come back for more appointments to get the diagnosis - that is the case with me. I think she is probably deciding between giving me the AS label or the PDD-NOS label. I just hope to come away with something. A huge percent of my life has been filled with anxiety, obsession, social failures, and quite simply a lot of it has NOT MADE SENSE... and I was/am really hoping for a better understanding of that. But hey, if I don't get any diagnosis at all, at least I will get some good therapy (which I definitely need, no matter what the diagnosis) and also I can stop worrying about my social skills so much, which I can admit has probably done me as much harm due to lack of confidence as good since I first learned about AS.

Good Luck with getting a diagnosis.

I've just had my diagnosis and I have been diagnosed as having AS.

*Phew* Everything makes sense now.
It was at my house and the person doing the diagnosis said that when I opened the door they knew I was AS right away and then everything after that just kept reinforcing this.

*Phew*
Now I can get on with life and stop wondering and being in a black hole of "what if".

I'd also just like to say thanks to everyone who replied here.
I'm glad the whole thing went far more smoothly than I was anticipating. I now have to tell the DVLA and that's a worry but my diagnostician said that she'd fight my corner if they "get on their hind legs" about the whole thing.

Still feels weird to be officially "disabled", though.

wow- how could they know you have a/s by the way you open the door??? freakish!! ! pleased for you- it must be a relief to know... err... congrats?

i too am also in the uk, awaiting diagnosis, so i have been intrested in your posts..
personally having a diagnosis will be positive because it will mean that im not being 'feeble' by being kind of useless and weird- that it really is PHYSICALLY the way im made- not some kind of 'lazy defective behaviour pattern', as i have previously been told.
though i dont want to be ill at all, either with a brain difference or however one terms autism, Or with a psyciatric problem, it will at least prove to me, and dr.s etc, that im not making it up- things really are just IMPOSSIBLE sometimes.
im worried that they wont think i have a/s as i can communicate really well and am quite smiley and engaging at times. i tend to exhibit weird behaviour when i am alone; if im weird and have to go out, i just dont... or im moody and more typically autistic.
my main probs are sensory, being near other people, routine behaiour and thinking in patterns- none of which will come across in an interview- im paranoid they will think im making the rest of it up...

are you getting any folow up care??? where do you live? my apt will be at the peckwater centre in london...