self-dx v. professional dx

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I self dxed after studying not only AS but other possibilities like Social Anxiety.What left me
in no doubt wasn't just the basic criteria of AS but all the obscure secondary traits that can sometimes occur such as having an unusual walk during childhood (e.g. without swinging the arms ) and having Synaesthesia (seeing numbers etc as different colours).As I'm in my 40s
an official dx isn't really practical or worthwhile.

Self-dx'd in October 2004, officially diagnosed Spring 2005 with Aspergers and diagnosed additionally with ADHD in Summer 2006.

Well, I tend to fall into a slightly different category. I was actually diagnosed with something else, and I came to realize that the diagnosis was incorrect. Now I'm a self-DXed Aspie, and you couldn't pay me enough to go out looking for a professional diagnosis. I'm wholly convinced that psychiatrists are lazy, useless twits. Sorry, but that's the perception of them that I've gotten.

Well asked, Sophist.

I am self-diagnosed, but as I have often written here and elsewhere, it is the result of having two sons who are diagnosed as autistic. Researching autism so that I may best support them, I learned about AS. It caught my attention and so I read extensively about it, including the
Tony Attwood books and adult autobiographical sketches.

And, I came to realize that, in so many cases, I was reading the nightmare that had been my youth and young adulthood.

I know that my sons' autism is a genetic crapshoot between my wife and me, but it is obvious to me that much of it comes from me.

I have discussed all of this in detail at other times on this forum and elsewhere.

At age 57, as a well-paid tenured senior faculty member of a college, it would serve me no real function to get a formal dx, and might interfere with some aspects of my life. And, I certianly would not want some idiot to think that I was now not competent to be a parent.

So, things will remain as they are.

Back when I was a pre-schooler in the 80's, a neurologists said that he thought that I might have Tourette Syndrome. But now I think that I have A.S. with Chronic Vocal Tic Disorder as a comorbid.

I hate using the words "official" or "officially" in referring to an ASD dx. It make it sound like only those with an "official" dxs have the right to proclaim they have it, and the rest are imposters or something, as if the dx make you ASD or not, not the condition itself. I think that's the flawed logic behind a lot of this heehawing over dx's by many people here - they are passively and unwittingly making that fallacious assumption (having an ASD may make you annoyingly fussy about what *you* presume is right or logical, but it doesn't necessarily make you smart or self-aware). This isn't some elitist game about who's legitimately ASD or not, and those people who do this probably do this in order to overcompensate for some feeling of inadequency on their part. [Damn fools - *this* is why people don't like you, and not becaue you're "different." I hope you know that.]

I prefer the word "formally," because it strikes me as less contentious. To me that just means "I have been formally recognized by the psychological community as having this condition," and not whether someone actually has it or not.

Anyhow, I've rattled off my story several times before. I'm not formally dx'd with AS, but with depression triggered by AS and PTSD. I was dx'd by a psychiatrist and not a psychologist or neurologist. While some snobs would easily sniff at that, at least I can readily say that I have been thoroughly evaluated for other possible psychiatric conditions and know what it is *not* (i.e., personality disorder, pyschosis, etc.). I did tentatively self-dx myself with "some form of autism" as early as 1996, but was never quite sure if I was or not, until I discussed it with my psychiatrist around 1999-2000. Since then, I have never really doubted that I have AS (and specifically AS, and not some other ASD). And if anyone here wishes to doubt that I have AS, they are free to do so, and all the same they can shove it. Afterall, I have AS - as a norm, I don't give a f*** what anyone else thinks.

Well said, Cade...couldn't have put it better!

I think when it comes to self diagnosis there is only one question necessary to decide its validity: did you have a complete list of the symptoms before or after finding out about the condition? If it wasn't till afterwards you noticed anything then it might be suspect.

I don't think many of us were exactly surprised since its as obvious to the one having the difficulties as a missing arm your hiding with long sleeves.

Self.

Ater decades of: "What am I?" I found AS and noted:

1. Excepting a couple of questionable traits (lack of sense of humor, inability to use metaphors) I had about all of it.

2. I can find no personality traits within me that are not AS explicable.

3. Suddenly the random unassembled jigsaw puzzle that was my life organizes around the "strange attractor" of AS. Not a pretty picture - but a system.

4. I am not looking for any d advantages.

5. I am a tad paranoid about potential of being forcably medicated in future of US police state.

I will remain sans formal dx. Glad as aguppy to know whar I am!

Not self diagnosed, but I'm positive I have an ASD. It is probably likely AS too, but I guess I'll never be 100% sure unless I got an official diagnosis.

Right now I'm not looking for anything official. I think I'm high functioning enough that AS doesn't give me much trouble. However, I'm still living at home and I've never had a job. Things could change for me once I go for a job and move out, and I'm pretty resistant to change. So, I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens.

If I do have significant trouble becoming independent, I'll probably start looking into a diagnosis because it might help. Right now, it would just serve as a confirmation for me, which would be nice but not necessary. Also I think it's pretty expensive and time consuming to get a diagnosis. Then there's the fact that I'm a female. It might be hard to convince doctors just because of that and I appear pretty normal, and just shy, so I don't know if doctors would believe me anyway.

When I was a kid I was tested by some doctors because of my coordination problems, and from what I have learned they thought I may have been "slightly autistic." The doctors never looked further into it, so I don't know if that counts as a diagnosis or not. Also my mom thought I might have mild tourettes, but now I know that what I was doing was not tics, but stims.