Have an assesment for Asperger's - really worried

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Hello all.
I have to go for an assessment for Asperger's in June, and I'm really very worried about it. I was wondering if those who have had such an assessment could give me a clearer idea what it will be like. I'm especially unsure what it will be like for an adult (I'm 23), and for women, as I've been told symptoms may differ in girls. It's kind of scary, since I'm not sure what to expect.

The thing is, I really don't think I'm on the Autism Spectrum, and neither does my family. It was a huge shock when the psychologist I see for my (very severe) OCD and depression suddenly suggested Asperger's, and pretty much insisted on me going for this test. I have really very little faith in these mental health professionals, they haven't been very helpful, and I think basically they just really don't know how to cope with someone with severe OCD and so are trying to find other explanations rather than focusing on the issue they should be dealing with - my OCD (I'm not getting CBT, although NICE guidelines state I ought to be and I have repeatedly asked for it).
I am worried about having OCD skewing the results of any assessments made for Asperger's - will the assessor be fully aware of that and what it means and able to take it into account? A lot of the symptoms are going to overlap.
Maybe also my physical difficulties would affect it, I walk on my toes, have difficulty holding and using a pen, and may hold myself oddly because, following an operation on my spine, I have nerve damage which causes me a lot of pain, and also because I have and have always had weak connective tissue (resulting from Stickler's Syndrome). Those things might look like dyspraxia if you didn't know, and even if I explain, no one really seems to get what nerve damage is like, and most people understandably haven't heard of Stickler's since it's not that common. Maybe I'm worrying unnecessarily there, but, as I'm sure some of you have found, trying to explain things to mental health professionals who are already primed to interpret you a certain way can be like talking to a brick wall. I really don't want to be misdiagnosed with something I don't have, not when I already really do have other issues, it'd just take away I think from focusing on my OCD, which I truly do desperately need help with. For some people, of course a diagnosis of Asperger's is helpful, but for me it isn't one that seems to fit, so I'm really unsure. I'd like to know what you think, so I'll try and describe what I think fits and what doesn't, and please also feel free to ask me any questions.

My cousin has Asperger's (and dyspraxia), and I did voluntary work with children at varying places in the spectrum, so I have a little experience with the condition. I think I probably do have certain traits, which helps me understand where my cousin is coming from (we get on pretty well ), but to me they can be traced back either to my OCD or to just personality - I guess I'd call myself a geek, but by that I just mean I'm pretty shy, not the most social person, and I like video games. Um, since that kind of thing is one of those that often comes up as a 'special interest' for people with Asperger's, do you think if I say I like games, that will make them more inclined to think I have it? I'm just worried about them making assumptions (sorry, OCD - I worry, I can't help it), as my current psychologist didn't seem to understand. Other things I'm interested in:
Animals, especially chinchillas, I'm a member of the National Chinchilla Society. Yeah, that one's sure to earn some 'are you from another planet?' looks, especially when you explain how seriously some people take judging the qualities of little fluffy rodents. While it's a somewhat unusual interest, somehow I doubt that all the members of the Society are on the spectrum, but try telling that to a psychologist who seems convinced that all girls my age should be interested in is going out to parties, or there must be something diagnosable 'wrong' with them (yes, I'm fed up with my psychologist).
Literature (I have an Eng. Lit. degree, love medieval poetry and Victorian realist novels)
Japanese

The main thing that makes me think I don't have Asperger's is the social difficulties that some people with the condition can have, and which I've seen my cousin have, though of course the degree and type of issue can vary considerably. Looking around the forum, it seems a diagnosis came as a relief to a lot of people because it explained why they'd sometimes been having trouble with this. I've never actually had that kind of problem, though. I'm shy, yes, was very shy when I was younger, but as long as the other person initiates the conversation I'm totally fine, that's the bit I have difficulty with (and it's partly a self-esteem thing linked to depression - will that also complicate a diagnosis?). I can make small-talk, and can anticipate the other person's responses and what to expect from them in a conversation just fine. I would say I'm pretty good at 'reading' people, and others have agreed that I'm fine at this. I would always be the one my friends would come to with a problem, and people have told me I'm a good listener and diplomat. I'm sure some people with Asperger's can do that too, I know it varies, but a lot of the problems I've seen described don't sound like me at all. I'm not very social at all, but that's again because I'm shy, if I meet someone I do like and get on with it's fine. That's maybe a problem in determining a diagnosis - I get on best with people I share interests with, but is that because I have Asperger's and am someone who prefers to talk about interests and share information in a conversation, or because I have slightly atypical interests for someone my age and gender, so simply don't have much in common with most of my peer group and thus don't talk with them much? I can find small talk pretty boring and meaningless, but it depends - mostly I'd just rather a conversation was about something other than gossip, even if the alternative topic is something I don't I know much about. I'll happily talk to my mum about her gardening, but can zone out if she goes on about the latest thing our relatives (most of whom I dislike) are up to, particularly if -as it often is- it's some kind of squabble or conflict between them. Does that sound like Asperger's? I really don't know.
I don't have the same need for human interaction a lot of people do (and am asexual, incidentally), but I think I'm just introverted (argh, I wish most people weren't extroverts, they just do not understand that some might prefer a quieter life). Or maybe I'm an anti-social jerk, hah. Actually, that'd make more sense than Asperger's in my case...

One thing that really confused me was that they told me that the condition can manifest differently in girls. The type of thing described didn't sound like Asperger's to me, though, it sounded like the kind of thing that would be typical of a girl who is maybe just a bit shy. I don't get how it could differ so significantly between the sexes, if it did would a diagnoses of the same condition still be meaningful? I've only met very young girls with Autism/Asperger's, though, in them it was essentially showing itself in the same ways as in their male counterparts, but I don't know what it would be like in older women. Maybe fellow female members of the board can help me there.

I can post the results of various online tests if that might help get a clearer picture, too. Any advice appreciated, thanks, and again feel free to ask me any questions, worrying about this is driving me crazy(er).

Here's a short version to summarise, since that post was really long:
I was wondering if anyone can tell me what to expect from an assessment for Asperger's, what it will be like? I actually don't think I have it, since although I'm not social at all I don't really have difficulties in social situations, although I probably do have some traits (some of which are due to my severe OCD I think). I don't know, perhaps you could tell me what you think, if it sounds like I have it or not?
I'm really worried about it, so would really appreciate any advice, thank you.

better to get diagnosed one way or another than not do it.

just make sure whoever does it is good. a large % of autism people don't really know the condition that well. ask around, or on here for who is the best in your area.

I'm 24, and female, too. I'll tell you how I got diagnosed.

I'd been going to the same place for treatment since I was 17. They were had a hard time coming up with a diagnosis, nothing seemed to quite fit with me. I tried all kinds of medications, but they didn't help much.

At 22, I lost my insurance, so I had to deal with it alone. I got my insurance back this year, and called the same office and got an appointment with the shrink I'd seen before. I came in wanting help for my depression and sleep problems.

I talked to her a little and then she said she'd been looking through my file and she noticed that I seemed to have some trouble with relationships. She wanted me to take an assessment. So I did. It was three pages long and you had to choose something like "Most of the time," "Part of the time," or "Not at all" when it asked a statement about you.

It only took me a couple of minutes, it was no big deal. She gave it to someone to score, got it back a few minutes later, and she said that I was in the range for Asperger's.

That was it for me, it wasn't that bad, so you don't need to worry about it. Your assessment might be done differently than mine was, but I'd just answer the questions honestly. That's all you can do, really.

Yes, that is the bottom line. There is no point in trying to out-think the psychiatrist, and doing that might actually lead him or her off in a completely wrong direction. When I tried to do the diagnosing for a certain psychologist, he just ended up noting some kind of somatic fixation ...

So if asked, or even if not, just let him or her know you are skeptical of AS/HFA in your case ... and then just relax a bit and do your best at giving honest answers to his or her questions.

Hi, thanks for the replies.

Yeah, it may be best to just do it, since my psychologists want me to, thanks. I really don't want a diagnosis of Asperger's to distract from treating my OCD, though, and feel in a way that my psychologists are just trying to look for something else instead of focusing on the main issue.
The person who is doing it is a specialist in autism, and I think a main part of their job is carrying out these assessments, so I guess they should be Ok, hopefully. I'm just concerned that they may not know much about OCD, though when I saw my psychologists last week and asked about it, they said they'd ask the assessor about it for me, to make sure they were aware of the affects of OCD in my case.

Thanks for describing what the process was like for you, Eternity29. That kind of thing sounds simpler than I expected, so reassures me quite a bit. I think it may take longer for me, as I was told it may take several sessions, and I think the first one is supposed to be about an hour and a half. I don't know if they may want to ask my mum questions about my early development, she will not appreciate that as she hates talking to psychologists.



Oh, you're right that I don't want to be trying to out-think the psychologist, and just need to answer honestly. Will do my best to relax, thanks, I know there's no point getting anxious really. I think I probably do need to think about the relevance of my replies to questions a little though, due to the overlap between OCD symptoms and Asperger's, especially to any questions with only a few prescribed answers ie. yes/no, always/sometimes/occasionally/never. If, for instance, they ask me 'Do you have certain routines you need to follow?' I would have to answer honestly 'Yes/Always', which would be scored as contributing to a positive diagnosis of Asperger's. In fact, though, the reason I have certain routines I follow is due to my OCD, the rituals are purely due to that. That's just one question, but there may be quite a lot that will be affected by my OCD, which could lead to an incorrect diagnosis. So, I need to be aware of that possibility, so I can make sure the psychologist also is and is taking it fully into account. Your own experience shows that psychologists can become confused by information given to them.
I was indeed wondering if I should raise it with them that I'm sceptical about the idea, and what I should reply if they ask me 'How would you feel about a positive diagnosis?'. I think, though, I'll actually not tell them I'm sceptical, and, if asked about it, tell them that I just want them to tell me their own opinion, as I don't want them to be influenced by my own feelings about it, I just want their honest assessment.