Who actually made the diagnosis of AS???

Post Reply New Topic

Was it a developmental pediatrican, pyschtratrist, or psychologist? Or were they diagnosed from the public school? I am trying to wade througth the waters of specialists and jsut wondering who and at what age your child was diagnosed officially. Thanks, LUcy (Sorry my spelling stinks!)

It was "discovered" by Hans Asperger in 1944 and became an official dignosis in 1994 i think.

son's pediatrician thought he had social anxiety disorder. the psych confirmed this & added a dx of major depressive disorder.our son was finally dxed with AS by a neuropsych.
hubby was dxed by a specialist in ASD's ..
daughter was dxed with ADHD by a psych. we're taking her for a second opinion by a specialist in ASD's at the end of the month

Maternal and child health nurse suggested problems at 18mths.

Psych team at LaTrobe Uni did the assessment at 2.5yo and diagnosed HFA.

Two pediatricians and speech therapist since then have confirmed the diagnosis.

The IEP team (school psychologist, in particular) at my son's school gave him a tentative / school use diagnosis when he was 7, at the start of 2nd grade. We were supposed to follow up with a medical diagnosis but haven't bothered. It fits completely and the place we need services is at school.

In my opinion, the diagnosis should really be made by a clinical/developmental psychologist or a similar professional preferably one that has relevant specialized training. In my experience, school district psychologists and IEP team people are often astoundingly clueless about AS. More than once I've had to explain very basic features of AS to them:

Me: "My five year old son doesn't need practice labeling pictures of farm animals. He doesn't have a language delay".

District Psychologist: "But...he's AUTISTIC".

Me: "Yes, but he has Asperger syndrome -- by definition that means he doesn't have delays in basic expressive or receptive language."

District psychologist: [Blank stare]

Don't get me wrong -- there are some wonderful, highly qualified people employed by school districts and there are some unqualified PhD clinical psychologists. However, your odds are much better if you go with an independent, clinical psychologist with relevant specialized training.

My son and I were both diagnosed at Chapel Hill TEACCH which is a center that specializes in autism spectrum disorders.

My son was diagnosed with global delays at 15 months old but the diagnosis of "mild autism" didn't come until he was 3 years old.

I was diagnosed in 1990 at the age of 30 by a clinical psychologist. I went because of depression and a general feeling that I simply didn't belong...anywhere. I had no clique, no niche, nothing...no fiance, no prospects, no friends. I told him that I wanted and needed a mate.
The clinician was very careful when he made the diagnosis. He steared me away from support groups for fear that predators might take advantage of the situation. He began talking about all the famous eccentrics first and then said I was like them. He used a term "crypto-sensitive". Because not so much was known about this as is now, I couldn't find that term in any book. I never went back because I was tired of giving him $30.00 per hour(...in 1990 don't forget...plus a sliding scale payment method) instead of living a full life in any way that I could. Sometimes living a full life requires spending money. So, I took a vacation to Florida instead of vegetating in that darned office "even though that clinician helped me considerably." He gave definition to how I felt since I was a small child. So it wasn't a waste of time but I still wish I could have that money back or that he could've defined it in one or two sessions. I prayed to God for help because all I wanted was to get married to a decent guy. I finally met "another aspie" and got married. I could NEVER survive a neurotypical mate and practically didn't in the past. We've been together for 17 years and I still find him irresistable. Most people are generally unkind to us because we are a mixed race couple but who cares? One needs to be around one's own kind and this has nothing to do with race or religion. We both were never part of the big picture anyway! BUT we have each other and our beautiful, irresistable child who is just like us. I now read every book under the sun about Aspergers to stear my child away from the pain of lonliness that I had to endure for 30 years. The more I find more aspies, the happier I get! Sometimes a label is all you need!! !!