does any one care to comment on this experience?

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i am frustrated with the psychiatrist with whom i recently met with (first visit regarding my suspicions that i am on the spectrum). i tried to explain to him just how difficult it has always been for me to participate in conversations, and that when i do make an attempt the other conversants employ the ole terminology such as "you're weird," etc. the psychiatrist asked me, "well, how are we communicating right now?" upon which i answered, "ok." he seemed to agree and began to use our conversation as an example that suggests i am capable of participating in a functional conversation.
i tried to explain that the conversation between a psychiatrist and a client is a highly structured one and that the expectations and roles are clearly defined and that it is absolutely clear what we expect from one another. additionally i wanted to suggest that he was givin me an opportunity to speak at great length about my own narrowly defined interest as of late: autism (which i'be been researching for several hours per day for the last three months or so)
anyhow the entire conversation seemed unstructured as if he was unaware of the reason i sought his attention. i became determined to explain my interests in the symmetry of man-hole covers, the geography of freight trains and associated mechanical devices, my construction of elaborate wooden devices along the shore of the reservoir, the odd manners in which i tapped my front teeth with my finger's nail, staring at blue lights, lining up my trucks as a child, rocked in my chair for hours while workin on academic papers, and how pleased i am with the aesthetics of radio towers and clearly defined lines. but alas the meeting ends and i think, "do i know more about autism than he (does)." or am i imagining that i'm on the spectrum?
so, does anyone in this forum have any advice regarding how to identify someone in the mental health world that is familiar with asd? or i am i lacking patience, or not seeing something in the intricate ways of a psychiatrist?
also, please pardon any of those little mis-spelled words...

Its well known that we often manage better in structured environments where we can pretty much predict and plan for what will happen.

One to one situations often give us more time, which we often need and that kind of thing so I am not that impressed with his observations or his lack of knowledge about ASDs.

Find someone else.

i'm in the process of finding a dr to get a dx one way or the other for my own peace of mind. i will not go to just any dr. i've been to therapy three times in my life and honestly, it's failed me three times.

once when i was a teen and seemed just generally unhappy to my mother. i talked and after everything i said she would say, "and how did that make you feel" ?? that went no where.

then when my marriage was falling apart and the Christian therapist told me to tell myself that i loved my husband and it would eventually be true. then he told me how much men like touching women .. i can't remember anything else about that .. but i'm divorced.

and when my world fell apart 8 years ago, he asked me about my childhood a lot and gave me antidepressants. i stopped going when he got too expensive (single mom)

so now, i'm not messing around with untrained gurus. i want an expert. maybe you should try to get a 2nd opinion.

I was able to find a good psychiatrist when my GP who happened to have an autistic kid was able to recommend someone. Probably the best way to find someone good is through recommendations from others who've been to someone good in your area. So post your whereabouts and ask for names here and anywhere else where you might be able to get local recommendations.

You know more than him. It's not worth your time to try and educate him. There is no reason to believe you are "imagining" being on the spectrum. Try and find someone else. It's hard, but they're out there. I saw a guy who had no prior knowledge of AS but was very open and a great match for me. I've seen people who claimed to have experience with the spectrum but were tragically wrong in their information.

Yes, you do know more than he does about autism. You've been researching hours a day and he's been making a living.
I like manhole covers too, but not near as much as you.
The real question is: you know what you've got. What's next? Is there a particular reason you are trying to get an official diagnosis?

Did you mention autism or Asperger's? Not good to mention autism, as you probably don't have it how a psychiatrist knows it.

You're correct in that we can interact in a mechanical setting with a professional on a set topic, especially those with adequate speech. Of note, a person with autism usually cannot speak adequately, i.e., "normally", even to a professional without prompting for responses.

When I approached my GP DR, who I probably had seen 5 times in 2 years, I asked her if she knew what Aspergers was and she said that she did and I didn't have it because I could talk. Which was ironic,because at the time, I was crying so hard I literally could not speak. I stopped seeing her,not because I disagreed with her assessment but because she had misrepresented her knowledge(stating I couldn't be AS because I could talk) and because she stormed out of the room when I asked for a refer to someone who was a specialist to get their opinion....very unprofessional and I think I sign of her own emotional immaturity...I had hurt her "ego".

Point being...it's an aspergers trait NOT to trust someone just because they have a particular "title" if their behavior does not appear to demonstrate intelligence,maturity,compassion.

I found the individual who was "experienced" in recognizing aspergers in adults through my local aspergers support group. You can try and goggle a group in your area and ask for suggestions.
There are not many of them,so it can take awhile to get an appointment for an assessment but I think it is the only way to get an "informed" opinion. I don't think someone just reading a few articles is qualified to make such a assessment and even someone experienced with children may have difficulty accessing adults. If possible, while waiting for your appointment, you can talk with family members about their memories of your behavior when you were a child as this is important for the assessment.

Useful articles Belfast.

I am glad you posted those since I couldn't find what I had read when I posted a similar response.

Addendum: I had an autism "expert" say that I'm ok at socializing for I could talk to her in a clinical setting about myself and my troubles.

All I know is, if I'm ok at such [for someone with an ASD], I'd like to see what most people they see are like.

I went to a psychiatrist many years ago for depression - his advice to me: "You need to get laid." I thought that was kind of unprofessional and missing the point of my depression. One of his first questions to me was, "So how do you feel about your father." The psychiatrist seemed to be a Freudianist, and that is not helpful for understanding neurological disorders.

I currently see a psychotherapist who is well-versed in Aspergers Syndrome and we work on getting my oversensitive nervous system to calm down. I work on physical things as much as cognitive, and that is great for dealing with AS. My current "Psychowoman" has never once asked me how I feel about my father, because my relationship with my father did not bring on Aspergers - genetic inheritance did.

I'd suggest that you change psychiatrists. Try finding a different one, or a psychologist or psychotherapist who is knowledgeable in Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Z