Are most self-diagnoses correct?

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I'm wondering if there has been any research done (or if any of you have heard from doctors or psychologists) on the percentage of adults who pursue a disgnosis of autism being positively diagnosed. I am just starting out on the process of getting a full diagnostic assessment done (the shorter session I did at an autism clinic was inconclusive), and although I know that each case is different, I'm curious if people who suspect they are autistic are generally proved correct.

Thanks!

A majority of them are correct. but there not official. Self and on-line diagnoses should give you a lead on whether or not you should get an official one.

People can have traits but that doesn't make them autistic. Someone can be nerdy and not be very social and still not be autistic because even though they may not be social butterflies, at least they can function socially somewhat. I often question if some of these self-diagnosed people really have autism.


People with autism come in all different levels of severity and also personality traits and problems are unique but the universal trait that all people with autism have is social skills deficits. Among those with high-functioning autism, the severity can also depend on personality. Those who are more friendly and adaptable will have an easier time then those who are unfriendly and unadaptable. Because being friendly and not too out of the blue can mask some of your social skills deficits while being adaptable enables you to adapt once you get out into the real world when mommy and daddy are no longer around.

There is literally no way to determine if a self-diagnosis is "correct" in comparison with a professional diagnosis. This is because the process that leads up to a self-diagnosis is typically quite different, sometimes WILDLY different, than the process involved in a professional diagnosis. A diagnosis of any kind is more than simply an answer to the question, "does this person have this condition or not?"; it also consists of an assessment process and a weighing of evidence, and this is where self-diagnoses and professional diagnoses differ.

As an extreme example, someone could decide that she is autistic simply because she liked lining up her toys as a child. This person might later get a positive professional diagnosis, but it would be absurd to consider her self-diagnosis correct simply because she and the diagnosing professional came to the same conclusion. The faulty reasoning process would render the self-diagnosis invalid, regardless of the results of the professional diagnosis.

There can be little meaningful comparison made between, for a more typical example, a self-diagnosis made up of introspection, some online tests, and talking to other autistic people, and a professional diagnosis that consists of an IQ test, review of school records, parent or partner questionnaires, and a diagnostic decision based on formal training and experience.

I remember a Wrong Planet topic or post that quoted a study which showed that certain online screening tests for ASDs perform almost as accurately as diagnoses. But, after the last half hour searching for it, I couldn't find evidence of it here or elsewhere.

I know the RAADS-R has a comparison of how those with "suspected ASD" (Which you could interpret as self DX'd) compare with neurotypicals and those diagnosed with ASD. See the plot at the bottom of this page.

Edit: the data for the chart appears to come from this study.

Personally, I think there are some flaws with doing a self diagnosis. But there are also flaws with the professional diagnosis path. Ultimately I think they work best as complements to each other rather than replacements.

In my opinion, no one knows their body and mind better than themselves so I'd say most who self diagnose will be correct. I self diagnosed myself with AS after 2 years of researching and I am currently in the process of trying to get an official diagnosis (which takes a very long time/and is very difficult to get where I live). My GP agrees with me that I should seek a diagnosis because he could tell within 10 minutes that I showed many signs.