Getting diagnosed with AS as an adult?

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If this is in the wrong forum, kindly move it if needed.

After 40 years of struggling to get by in life, I learned of AS and was shocked at how perfectly the symptoms match what I've struggled with for as long as I can remember.

Still, in spite of the struggle, I managed to teach myself to "fit in" fairly well, but my symptoms still pose a challenge to issues like relationships and employment because "faking it" only goes so far.

However, from what I can find, there are few people in the psychiatric profession who understand AS, and it's well-known that diagnosis in adults is harder because most adults with AS have learned to adapt and conceal their condition where it's easier to spot the symptoms in children.

So, if I want to have a diagnosis of my condition, how do I locate someone experienced with AS in adults who will not try to avoid making the diagnosis if indeed it is present? I hardly know where to start, but I figure other AS adults who have gotten diagnosed may have some helpful tips.

For what it's worth, I live in the Southwest Virginia/Northeast Tennessee region of the USA.

Hi zer0netgain - welcome to WP!

Check this list - http://www.aspergers.com/asplist.htm to see if there is a clinician nearby.

I just asked my GP to point me in the right direction & she found a local psychology clinic with a resident specialist in adults with AS. (It was also her considered opinion - and I think she's right - that AS needs to be evaluated by a psychologist, not a psychiatrist.)

I would suggest that you prepare yourself prior to going in for an evaluation - make notes about your past (they like to ask about your childhood.) And consider what you want out of the process - which aspects of AS are causing you problems, which aspects you think you can ignore & which aspects you view as positive traits. A good psychologist will work with you to try to solve your AS-related problems in the context of AS - and they won't try to mess with aspects that aren't a problem for you.

Thanks.

Just got a letter out to the one closest to me (over 2 hours away ). I'll see what she has to say.

I was diagnosed at 36. I brought my baby book in and a letter from my father, detailing my lifetime of autistic-like behavior. That helped tremendously.

Diagnosed at 41. Only validated what I already knew, but was still a good thing to do.

I wanted to add that I was diagnosed by two MD's. A psychologist assessed me at the same time. I paid for private diagnosis and got a public one at the same time with voc rehab. The MD's were specialists and they did fine.

As Zeichner mentioned, a psychologist is more likely to help you than a psychiatrist would. The reason for that is, psychiatrists typically refuse to recognise AS, and are more likely to label you with something unrelated, such as schizophrenia or general depression, because those have pharmaceutical treatments.

What will you do with the official diagnosis after you get it?

may i sugest u contact your local autism society for a qualified referal

Can totally relate^^

No doctors even mentioned ASD while growing up and yet I got misdiagnosed for everything else. The only person who knew me well was my therapist who happen to have a daughter who had just gotten diagnosed for it.

I can't tell you how hard I tried to fit in all my life and most people thought I was either faking it....whatever "it" was.

I think it's still not well known in parts of the U.S. Not many doctors know of it from where I live.

It's important you get a diagnosis and ask for a psychiatrist who speciallizes in ASD. My biggest problem was those who only worked with children. So it took a long time with trying to hook up with the right people.

Good luck.

good luck.
i was dx'ed at 46.
i am currently int he process of accepting the dx as a reality and i am really gutted and suicidal some days, and releived on other days.

but i am glad to know, and i understand the process of accepting the dx is part of what i need to do.

find a specialist in AS who can get your history.
take info from childhood and write up as much as you can.
get feedback and reports ( old school reports may show a spike in one area and a deficit in another - the unneven pattern of abilities can be indicative of AS, along with other traits and indicators.)
write what you can about your traits, if you feel you want to.
take along feedback or info from your family members if you can - people who can report a bit about how you were as a kid.. did you have special interests even then? what were they? how did you react in social situations etc etc.)



good luck on your journey and a warm welcome to WP.

/\ I think you've got a reasonable attitude about the Dx. Best of luck!

Have you taken the Aspie Quiz yet? - http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php - It will give you some idea of the types of questions you will probably be asked during your evaluation (and, I think, it's a fairly valid tool for self-evaluation.)

Yep after my son was diagnosed then it hit home with me as to why I had my issues and struggles especially during my childhood that I still deal with today. It is happening more and more that not only children are diagnosed but so are adults.. and many times that happens after their children receive the diagnosis.