Hi everyone - similar to many on this board, it's been suggested to me that I have Aspergers, though I've never been tested.  Researching everywhere on the internet, I'm identifying with a lot of the symptoms and starting to believe.

I understand that adult diagnosis is a pretty involved process.  Frankly, I'm not looking for that.  I'm not content with just guessing that I have AS but I'm not looking for super-involved testing either.  I have no want for SSI, I'm self-employed and reasonably successful.  I'm more interested in a professional opinion, I guess.  I would be happy enough knowing that my difficulties don't come from personal weakness but from something else altogether. I think it would be somewhat of a relief.

The problem so far is that any practice that I call says "You need testing for a diagnosis," and explaining that I just want an opinion gets me nowhere and they're unwilling to proceed.  I've read that anyone from a Master's certified psychologist to a social worker can identify AS but so far, no luck.

Anyone else dealt with this?

A lot of DX involves observation along with questions galore

Since I wasnt there for a DX, I dont exactly know what they were looking for or what part of my visits determined it for them

I had an investment of 24 visits over about 90 days, before they clued me in.

Needless to say I was shocked. But later relieved when I became more educated on the subject

This post was last modified: 04-17-2012 08:39 PM by skyblue1 .

This is one of the few sites that has a generally positive attitude towards self diagnosis.

Personally I find that self diagnosis is a poor terminology, as it implies a disease or disorder. Whereas I view autism as a cognitive difference that carries certain advantages and deficits. I prefer self recognised to self diagnosed.

Self-identify?

That's probably a better way of putting it.

I'm not mentally ill and I am not disabled. It is really only about my own sense of identity and understanding myself better. Don't need a diagnosis for that.

I agree with self-identify vs. diagnosis and that diagnosis implies a negative condition.  Still, I'm looking for someone who is trained to confirm my suspicions for nothing more than peace of mind.

Yeah, it irritates me when my mother uses the word 'severe' or says that her fiance doesn't 'have it as bad' so much!

DX just implies Autism, that is not a negative. Because you dont have anything. You are Autist.

You dont have to reveal to anyone

Professional diagnosis is a good idea if you need it.

Self diagnosis is just a term that I have issues with.

You can be professionally dx'd and that does not change anything... the dx should be private (might be who knows really) I guess you want to make certain for yourself ? if you will only believe a professional - then do that- psychologists or psychiatrists or nuerologists dx... (in my area of the US).  Meanwhile so many on here have been, (mis) diagnosed over the years - adding and subtracting dx's... many times (I think) many do not believe the dx's...unless they find a doctor they actually trust.  It really means more (I think) many times when you self-identify (as only you, knows you for sure) by means more I mean - it can be helpful - understanding oneself can be a big help.

That said, Have you taken the online tests? I am bad at finding things on this site - but someone will post a link I am sure. I have yet to hear of anyone on here who said the test was wrong...

Thanks, yes, I've taken the tests.  They seem to confirm my suspicions.

There are online tests that are not so bad.  

If you know the issues that you would like to work on - just try to focus on them such as depression, eye contact, conversation, other social skills.  You might have to be aware that in therapy you might have to ask for an idea to be explained better or facial expressions not be to relied on as much.   After all you are a "consumer" and if you are paying for therapies why not get what you want.  I know that having face blindness made some problems for me and often I need other people to explain how most people think or react the way the do.  

There are several reasons why people should not seek official diagnosis unless they actually need it.  The problem is that the diagnosis stays in your records and might cause future problems for you.  Depends on where you live and the situation with insurance coverage.

I got myself dx'ed within a research project of the MPI. But it's not official as such, re. the insurances.

Eta: my son's got his dx, though. And all those nice little papers you need for school, disabled parking spaces, etc.

This post was last modified: 04-18-2012 09:52 PM by Shnoing.

I have just had an 'assessment' with a counsellor for short-term therapy for a specific issue (how I manage myself around my daughter's Aspie ways) but I won't be going ahead because she wouldn't take my self-dx/identification as an Aspie at face value (based on comparison/dialogue with my dx'd husband, Attwood, Simone and the AQ test/Aspie quiz). Luckily I can manage without counselling. She kept talking about "looking past the label/dx to see the person" by which I presume she meant "seeing the NT person who's hiding in there with some unexplored emotional issues about distancing herself from ppl." I told her she would have to respect my theories about myself, which are at the core of my sense of myself. But she just said 'Oh, this is a space that you can use to discuss anything you like.' Sure, within the parameters of her psychodynamic training which assumes that clear and well-attested statements of identity conceal defence structures that should be challenged. What if the defences are totally sane, given the person's life history? What if the person's theories about life are more important to them than their feelings? If I hadn't already had 10 years of analysis and part-way trained as a therapist myself, I could have signed up for a right hedf**k... So, as a wise woman once warned me: be careful who you play with.

It made me wonder if there are parallels with not taking someone's sexual orientation seriously. Maybe self-identification should be done in a similar manner to homosexuality: if a person says they are gay, why would they be lying about it? They will get access to a scene which supports and confirms them in their identity. Medicalisation seems inherently linked to government money, and therefore, control...

:ruru

I agree. I've seen a range of therapists and found that those who tend to be more psychoanalytic and try to pry into my 'feelings', I don't like them. Mainly because I turn to scripts to express myself, which isn't really expressing myself because its a script. I'm lucky that my therapist currently does not do that. I can actually talk about my special interests in therapy and he just keeps an open ear if I have something troubling to say. When I brought up that I believed I was an Aspie, he was hesitant and denied it first. But since then, he has come around and says that he agrees with the diagnosis. So, technically its official, even though I don't think he will put in on my "record" unless I ask him to. Even if he did, the records are private and cannot be accessed by anyone unless I need them to know about it (for assistance/benefits etc), which I don't foresee ever needing to do.