Pursuing an Adult Diagnosis

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Hello! This is a topic I've wanted to discuss with others for a long time, but have never been able to do so. I've suspected that I may be autistic since I was very young, around 10 or 11, but my parents did not support the idea of me seeing a psychologist for fear of it harming my chances of getting into college if anyone found out (I know, very misguided, but I could not change their opinions).

I am now 19, almost 20, and am worrying that my time to be evaluated is running out since all places offering evaluations relatively nearby seem to have a cut-off at 21. I assume that I would more likely fit under the PDD-NOS or Asperger's label since I am a girl and did not have speech delays growing up/do not currently have trouble with speech, but I know that the DSM-5 has changed to become much more strict about diagnosis criteria. Do most psychologists in the US exclusively work by the DSM-5 or are international manuals used as well?

Basically, I'm unsure whether or not I should pursue a diagnosis, and if so, how to go about this. I do not know for certain whether or not I am autistic and don't know what consequences/benefits the label of a diagnosis would have for me. I would really like to know as closure for myself since I've felt so torn about this for nearly a decade now and just feel so confused about who I am, but I am unsure about whether it could possibly limit my career options in the future as well.

I am also worried that I will just be turned away for an evaluation right away since I am older, am a girl and am a student at one of the US's top colleges. I don't think that I would fit under the classical autism criteria, but the Asperger's/PDD-NOS criteria seem like very close fits. I've also found conflicting data on whether adult evaluations usually involve a full test setting including an IQ test etc. or are just evaluative interviews. Is there a certain way to find out which places might be more open to talking with me and which may not? Or if I'm already doing decently well in college with my academic subjects is it just not worth pursuing a diagnosis?

Thank you in advance for any advice! (I also apologize if there are already existing threads on this topic where I should have directed this post!)

Congratulations on being accepted to one of America's top colleges and welcome to wrong planet.

If you seek an evaluation you should go to the place where students go for psychological help at your college. As a top college, resources including up to date knowledge about autism are probably there. They are not likely to dismiss you like your parents did because they are legally required to accommodate autistic students and they do not want to be sued. If you go to ask for an evaluation go with the goal of finding out what is impairing you not getting an Autism diagnosis per se. Tell them what is impairing you now and during childhood and of your anxiety about incorrectly judged as not being "autistic enough" because you are female.

A diagnosis usually greatly eases a lot the doubts and confusion of "am I Autistic" or "am I excuses making bad person". That allows one to more forward and cope more effectively.

Colleges are legally required to provide supports and accommodations to autistic students. That could mean giving you a quieter area for test taking. Because autistics often have trouble multitasking I have read about note takers being provided so the student does not have to try and concentrate on the lecture while taking notes. I am not saying you will need those particular supports or any supports just that accommodations are a benefit of being diagnosed.

If you are not satisfied with how you are treated there are people hired to advocate for students and sometimes disability advocates.

There is also the idea of using a diagnosis as an insurance policy. While things may going well now who knows what the future will bring. Later on, if things go bad it could a lot more difficult to first start the evaluation process when you are desperate, and maybe have a family to support and you have to seek help without advocates.

Thank you for the advice! I'm a little hesitant to reach out to my own school for a couple reasons. I have been in classes taught by some individuals in the department that deals with autism diagnoses (the Child Study Center) and may do research with individuals in psychology oriented departments in the future, so I am worried about receiving prejudice from them whether or not I'm given a diagnosis. I also don't know if I would have to state what college I'm attending whether I got an evaluation here or somewhere else, but some of the professors here do not believe that autistic individuals could be accepted here (or else that it would be so rare that anyone here is extremely unlikely to be autistic) and have a lot of prejudices regarding that. The school is certainly prestigious in the field on paper, but does not seem very accepting in person.

I am a little iffy on the information regarding when insurance will pay for evaluations (I've read that insurance will only pay if you are, in fact, diagnosed and I'm not even sure if this is true), but my college charges the most without insurance in the entire state at $5,500 (at least according to a report from one site) which is a lot to pay for anything, especially when other places have evaluations offered for under a fifth of that. I am under a health plan from the school, but I'm under the cheaper/more limited one since I have regular health insurance on top of that, so I'm not sure if my school health plan would be any help.

I'm alright with note-taking personally (at least with being able to write and listen since we're given slides after class); I take notes by hand since it helps me remember better and while my handwriting is pretty bad/messy, I can usually read it well enough when studying. I have enough time to get my work done at the moment for the most part, but I am a little concerned about what I would do if I wanted to get an internship alongside classes because I currently don't have any extracurricular activities or anything like that. I would like to be guaranteed a single for rooming in the future since I'm not very comfortable with having another person in the same room as me all the time, but at the moment, I think a diagnosis (or the lack thereof) would more just be a sort of closure for myself. (I am very slow to understand anything involving math and usually cannot finish any sort of timed exam with mathematical questions on it, but I think I've found courses to fulfill my quantitative reasoning credits that avoid this issue for the most part.)

I guess I feel like I'm not ready to decide whether or not I should pursue a diagnosis, but I only have a year and a half to make up mind which worries me.

Of course you know your college situation better than I ever could.

Your regular insurance plan probably does pay for an evaluation at your age but probably will not as you get older.

That "experts" have such prejudices does not surprise me but angers me. I guess the obvious advice is to try and avoid the prejudiced professors. And because they are experts you do need to be concerned about your traits being picked up, but then if they are so convinced autistics are incapable they might miss them.

Another option although controversial is self diagnosis or self identifying as autistic or being highly suspicious you are autistic. That allows you to move forward. Whatever you are dealing with there are plenty of people on Wrong Planet whom are going through the same or similar things. The downside is not being eligible for help, possible confirmation bias, and more temptation to get stuck because of doubt.

Since for your whole life from your parents to your current academic world you have been exposed to autism through the prism of people who are not autistic I would advise if you have not done this to read blogs both written and video by autistic people. I would recommend Musings of an Aspie particularly the I think might be an Aspie series, The Ask an Autistic Youtube channal, The Autism Women's Network

The website, videos by, and the book "The Complete Guide to Aspergers Syndrome" from Dr. Tony Attwood is also recommended.

Hello! This is a topic I've wanted to discuss with others for a long time, but have never been able to do so. I've suspected that I may be autistic since I was very young, around 10 or 11, but my parents did not support the idea of me seeing a psychologist for fear of it harming my chances of getting into college if anyone found out (I know, very misguided, but I could not change their opinions).

I am now 19, almost 20, and am worrying that my time to be evaluated is running out since all places offering evaluations relatively nearby seem to have a cut-off at 21. I assume that I would more likely fit under the PDD-NOS or Asperger's label since I am a girl and did not have speech delays growing up/do not currently have trouble with speech, but I know that the DSM-5 has changed to become much more strict about diagnosis criteria. Do most psychologists in the US exclusively work by the DSM-5 or are international manuals used as well?

Basically, I'm unsure whether or not I should pursue a diagnosis, and if so, how to go about this. I do not know for certain whether or not I am autistic and don't know what consequences/benefits the label of a diagnosis would have for me. I would really like to know as closure for myself since I've felt so torn about this for nearly a decade now and just feel so confused about who I am, but I am unsure about whether it could possibly limit my career options in the future as well.

I am also worried that I will just be turned away for an evaluation right away since I am older, am a girl and am a student at one of the US's top colleges. I don't think that I would fit under the classical autism criteria, but the Asperger's/PDD-NOS criteria seem like very close fits. I've also found conflicting data on whether adult evaluations usually involve a full test setting including an IQ test etc. or are just evaluative interviews. Is there a certain way to find out which places might be more open to talking with me and which may not? Or if I'm already doing decently well in college with my academic subjects is it just not worth pursuing a diagnosis?

Thank you in advance for any advice! (I also apologize if there are already existing threads on this topic where I should have directed this post!)

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"my parents did not support the idea of me seeing a psychologist for fear of it harming my chances of getting into college if anyone found out". if you were to have gotten diagnosed at that time, you could have qualified for testing accommodations at school and on the SATs. in the united states, the Regional Center offers services only to clients that got diagnosed before age 18. if you get a diagnosis at age 20, you no longer qualify for those services.

when i got a diagnosis, i was 21. thus far, after a lot of research, i have yet to find any services that i qualify for, with the exception of Department of Rehab, and getting a disabled bus pass. and getting exemption from jury duty. likewise, currently, the united states military 4f's applicants with autism diagnoses. however, the military only takes volunteers right now, so whatever.

the school that i went to did not bother arranging testing accommodations for me.

if you get a diagnosis and disclose to the school, you might successfully get testing accommodations. the school might make it hard for you, though. the director of the disabled students department called me into her office and told me that she did not have a copy of the diagnosis report that i turned in. and then i saw that the report was on her desk. and then she told me off and she had the nerve to ask, why, at age 21 and 3rd year of undergrad, did i suddenly get a diagnosis.

but minors under 18 do not have a legal right to get medial or psychiatric treatment without guardian consent. it's like insult to injury.

but that was uc san diego, 2004. that was a long time ago. every school is different.

"I assume that I would more likely fit under the PDD-NOS or Asperger's label since I am a girl and did not have speech delays growing up/do not currently have trouble with speech,"

even though some sources claim 90% of autistics are male, that does not follow that females do not get diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. at the time of the diagnosis, the neuropsychiatrist called me "she", even though i presented as male. i am trans.

"Basically, I'm unsure whether or not I should pursue a diagnosis, and if so, how to go about this. I do not know for certain whether or not I am autistic and don't know what consequences/benefits the label of a diagnosis would have for me. I would really like to know as closure for myself since I've felt so torn about this for nearly a decade now and just feel so confused about who I am, but I am unsure about whether it could possibly limit my career options in the future as well."

if you choose to pursue a diagnosis, go to your school's disabled students department, and find out what standards they have for which professionals they accept reports from. at my alma mater, at that time, the disabled students department did not take diagnostic reports from professionals (psychologists) from the school or from my then insurance plan Kaiser. the disabled students department told me it only took diagnostic reports from psychologists that had specific specializations. then look up what psychologists offer it, in the phone book.

even if you pursue a diagnosis, and someone gives you a diagnosis or does not give you a diagnosis, you are still not completely certain you are autistic. sometimes psychologists misdiagnose clients.

one of the criteria for an Aspergers diagnosis was being good at Rote Memory. the neuropsychiatrist told me to recite back the 10 digits he told me. however, the first three digits were all San Diego area codes, thus making it easier for me to correctly recite them back.

on the essay portion, he gave me a full score.

he wrote that i made very little eye contact.

in the above three paragraphs (marked with skulls), he administered/graded the tests, in ways that made it easier for me to fit the diagnostic criteria for Aspergers.

quite frankly, i could not imagine that a getting an autism spectrum diagnosis could limit your career prospects. in the united states, the American Disabilities Act guarantees "reasonable accommodations". likewise, there is no law that says that you have to disclose your diagnosis to employers.

having said that, autism symptoms severely limit career prospects. for example, i am socially awkward and plenty of precious little "people" feel "uncomfortable" around me. customers, hiring managers, coworkers. that makes it less likely for them to make the mistake of hiring my worthless corpse.

however, whether or not you get a diagnosis, it does not affect your symptoms. if you have symptoms, and get a diagnosis, you still have symptoms.

"I am also worried that I will just be turned away for an evaluation right away since I am older, am a girl and am a student at one of the US's top colleges."

some psychologists might do that. but you just have to find one psychologist that does not turn you away.

the neuropsychiatrist that diagnosed me did a phone consultation. he asked me questions and i answered them.

then when i got there, he administered the WAIS and Wescheler IQ tests.

however, i do not know if there was some law or protocol that said he had to do that. or maybe there was a law, and it was just in that city, in that year. and different laws might apply in your situation.

I got diagnosed this year at age 19... And I am in a top program in a top university in Canada so I don't think being in a good college will affect your chance of getting diagnosed. The testing was consisted of written tests and interviews about my childhood and school years.

I did not seek a diagnosis though, in fact I had no idea Asperger's/HFA existed. I went to a psychologist for depression related issues, and that psychologist I initially contacted with referred me to her colleague who specializes in ASD because she suspected me having ASD during our phone interview. Then the person who she referred me to (my current psychologist) actually diagnosed me with ASD during the comprehensive psychological evaluation she gave me, it did not involve IQ test though. I am still arguing with my current psychologist regarding my ASD diagnosis because I feel so different from other people on the spectrum who seem to be really disabled and I still doubt I have ASD or not. I mean I could just have a nerdy personality!