How is Autism Diagnosed?

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I've never been to a psychiartist, so I don't know how stuff like autism/aspergers is diagnosed. When I go in, do they just ask me a bunch of questions? If so, wouldn't I just be able to get a diagnosis online? So it must be more than that.

Would someone be able to fake a mental illness, or vise versa? It's possible that i have aspergers... Any way of lying to avoid getting diagnosed with it?

And how how would they tell the difference between autism and social anxiety? It seems like that must be misdiagnosed a lot

In the US, autism is diagnosed using the DSM-5. You should Google "DSM-5" to see the diagnostic criteria. It's not perfect, by any means--but it's what we have now.

Usually, one is given intelligence tests, autism screening tests, and various other tests which rule out other conditions, such as ADHD.

If you're a child, your behavior is observed for maybe an hour. If you're an adult, your "behavior" is observed within an interview with you.

You are given a questionnaire to fill out. Either your parent or a friend is also given a questionnaire to fill out. The questionnaire has to do with autism traits.

A person who has a doctorate in psychology could diagnose autism--as can a psychiatrist.

You should really try to seek out somebody who is an "autism specialist." Frankly, many clinicians are not knowledgeable about the latest trends in autism.

There is no shame in being diagnosed as autistic. Autism in 2014 is not the same as autism in 1980. The 2014 version of autism is a spectrum, ranging from Level 1 (relatively "high-functioning) to Level 3 (quite dependent upon caregivers).

Many people who are totally independent in all things have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

You don't have to reveal your diagnosis to employers. I doubt it very much that it's placed on any "permanent record" which employers could access--unless, possibly, you were hospitalized for psychiatric issues. You could get accommodations at school/college/university by making use of the diagnosis.

Kraftie gives an excellent description and you really should look up the diagnostic criteria as he suggests that will answer all your other questions.

Autism and social anxiety are extremely different and it would be very difficult for a decent psychologist to screw that one up. They may be co-morbid but they are extremely different when separate.

The diagnostic procedure varies considerably depending on the doctor you see, and the location in which you see them. Some peoples' diagnoses consisted of multiple days' worth of exstensive testing, others had a few hours' worth of interviewing and nothing else. Mine was a little of both; it started out with a standard interview, then the next three sessions consisted of and IQ test, an academic performance test, and the ADOS 2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, vol. 2).

As far as faking it, I think you'd have to have a pretty incompetent doctor, or be an expert in ASDs to pull it off, though I've never known anyone who tried. If you want to make it look to the doctor like you don't have it, I'm curious as to why you're getting a diagnosis in the first place.

The difference between autism and social anxiety is that those with SA have social skills, they're just uncomfortable using them, whereas those with ASD A) don't have the social skills, and B) demonstrate restricted and repetitive behaviours such as self-stimulation (odd motor mannerisms such as flapping, rocking, spinning, etc.), restricted interest in a single highly specific topic (such as dinosaurs, cars, a specific TV show, etc.) to the point that they are experts in them, and, generally speaking, a strong need for repetition and routine; they dislike sudden changes in schedule. I suppose if you were to hide any of the restricted or repetitive behaviours (the social skills are much harder to feign if you don't have them), you might get away with a diagnosis of SA, or of social communication disorder, which is like autism without the restricted or repetitive behaviours.

I worry that revealing the diagnosis causes distrust to my boss/teachers.

I don't advocate disclosing autism to employers.

I would advocate disclosing autism to obtain accommodations in school/college/university.

Teachers tend to be more tolerant of "differences" than employers. Teachers teach you; employers pay you.

I believe that different practices have different ways of coming up with a diagnosis. I think that most autism dxs are done on young children and young people, and that most psychologists and psychiatrists never have an adult show up in their office wanting to know if they are on the autism spectrum. Adults that present in a doctor's office usually are hurting and want relief... and that is where the dialog starts.

Sure people can fake mental illnesses. They just need to be well informed about the symptoms. And when you ask "is it possible that I have Asperger's... Any way of lying to avoid getting diagnosed with it?" I'm like... hmm?... Don't go to a doctor. Or if you must (?) go to a doctor, then never mention Asperger's.