Confused about "diagnosis"

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Hi all, hope you are having a good day. This is my first post here. I'll get straight to the point.

I had been experiencing a lot of extra stress and social anxiety the last couple of years after becoming a new parent and moving in with my partner. I always had a hunch that something was different with me and so did my parents but 25 years ago, there was basically no knowledge of aspergers and definitely not much support in Ireland. After finding life a bit more than I could handle, I decided to seek out a diagnosis and lay my suspicions to rest.

I saw a leading professional on autism last July and after my mother was asked a few obscure seeming questions, I was told that I meet the criteria for aspergers, Adult ADD and generalised anxiety disorder. The way I understand it, there is no specific test that can confirm a person has autism and this is the best you can get but I was hoping someone here might be able to clarify this?

Thanks.

I don't necessarily doubt the diagnosis. I went for an assessment with a specialist because autism was the most likely explanation for my problems. I'm just confused as to whether being told "you meet the criteria for this condition" is the same thing as being told "you HAVE this condition". Do I take this as an official diagnosis?

The professor who told me that I met the criteria, recommended therapists, numerous materials to read and even this website. I don't even know where to begin to be honest.

I would be confused with such wording too but I just remembered my official diagnosis papers stated the same
N fr my severe ASD son it said that too (meets the criteria fr level 3 ASD)
N today my younger got his diagnosis papers n it said the same thing (meets the criteria)

Perhaps it is legally necessary so they dont commit in case later diagnosis changes

Rare genetic disorders often get misdiagnosed as something more common, like MS, because their rarity means the practitioner has never seen that before. The correct diagnosis often requires seeing a specialist who has studied a particular rare disorder. This may require travel to the one or two people who know about the rare disorder. MS is easier to diagnose than autism because you can do nerve conduction studies and brain scans to prove there is a disorder. Sometimes the distinction is important, as Social Security will "fast track" your case if you have ALS. But, there is no test for ALS.

The specialist I met was Professor Michael Fitzgerald. I don't know if anyone here has heard of him but he seems to be a big enough deal. He didn't ask to see me again and charged me 350 for a 30 minute consultation. He also did not ask to see me again. I had kind of assumed this was a diagnosis considering his knowledge and the fact that he gave me info of therapists to see and even recommended a prescription to my doctor. Sounds like more than a hunch

"You meet the criteria" is synonymous to "the evidence shows you have it".
There is no lab test for autism to confirm it.
If the treatment he recommended works for you, then you get the right help and this is the best any mental health specialist can give you.
If it doesn't work, search on.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Fitzgerald_(psychiatrist)