Diagnosed as NT

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Has this doctor even met anyone with AS before? It seems to me like he doesn't know what he's talking about. I agree with everyone else who's said this, you should try and find someone else instead.

impeachgod,

Actually, 2 is about the age when most people start to talk so that would be considered normal development.

It kind of depends on what he means by "talk". At certain stages an infant and toddler is supposed to make certain sounds or try to imitate sounds or have one word attempts. My daughter was about 2 1/2 when she was tested and considered in speech to be very far behind. And it did effect her behavior as she would be very frustrated. So it depends on if any attempts at comminication were being made and what types of sounds. I do think however that alot of people get unduly upset if their kids speech is not perfectly on schedule. I think some CAN just be late talkers and that has no real signifigance.

Your Doctor should be struck off.

If you want a refferal for diagnosis you must insist on this. Go armed boht back to your Doctor and to anyone you are refferd to with a list of traits and other things that point towards possible Asperger's.

You also need to give some informative information to your Doctor and / or ask them to back up their statement with information on Asperger's that say what they claim. You won't be speaking out of turn to them, they are there to serve you.


It seems your Doctor also needs educating in the Social Model of Disability

Debra

my doctor referred me to a psycholigist when i asked him to.
i akways had a small problem with my speech. its hard to xplain... it feels almost like sometimes my tongue sticks to the top of my mouth and y words dont come out correctly, people often tell me i 'mumble' which annoys me much

He could have confused Asperger syndrome with you being an Autistic savant. As a docter that is still pretty bad.

After reading past reports, it is said that I had a slight speech delay, because I didn't speak fully until I was 3. I spoke in some sort of utterances before that. Whether or not this means anything, I don't know.

- Ray M -

quote: I think he's got some mental retardation, he should go and shoot himself.

That's a little severe, but he should be re-educated. I personally would not go back to a doctor that does not know or have some experience with the issues that concern me. Find a different one.
My son has AS and he has slightly lower IQ and speech problems (of every kind). I was told that he couldn't have AS because he should be very verbal and have a higher IQ by one professional! Go figure!

"Aspies show signs of mental retardation"? He's got Aspereger's mixed up with something else... or he's insane, or relying on incorrect documentations.

I'm extremely sure that I have Aspereger's Syndrome, but I'm definetely not ret*d or have significant speech problems. Several classmates at my school call me a genius (of course that's mainly because I'm the one always raising my hand or frequently the only one to be able to answer a question, but that means I'm at least not "showing signs of mental retardation" ).

But something I've been wondering - is there any real advantage in being formally diagnosed?

In my opinion, only if you need special help or accommodations for work or scholastic purposes and if you think you may be discriminated against because of traits that you cannot control. But if you are functioning at a good level then I don't see why you need a label or formal diagnosis.

As I mentioned in another thread, getting a Dx can be considered a form of insurance. You may not need special assistance or scholastic accomodation now, but there's no guarantee you will be independent forever. It's easier (and quicker) to get a Dx when you're young. If you wait until you're older and find you need help, you could be faced with extremely long delays (i.e. 6 months to 2 years) when you can least afford to wait. Adults are harder to diagnose, are more likely to be diagnosed incorrectly, and are generally a low priority on any waiting list.

If you get a Dx now, you don't have to tell anyone. It's between you and your doc. You don't have to worry about being stuck with a label unless you voluntarily share that information with others.

Aspergers is a milder form of autism.
FHI, I'm a diagnosed Aspie and am in Intervention (smart) programme at my school.

Jetson wrote: Adults are harder to diagnose, are more likely to be diagnosed incorrectly

This is a good point. I have been told by professionals that work with my AS son that there is "no way" that I could be AS. Most would never think so, but they do not know how I percieve the world because I have learned (the painful way) how to "act" and disguise the real me. If I didn't, I would not be as functional in society as I am now. I had many strange traits as a child:

hated physical touch since infancy
preferred solitude above all else
"zoned out" alot
had no emotional reactions or attatchments until later elementary
did not understand sarcasm or humor
had no idea what was expected of me in social settings
extremely literalistic
extremely rigid
did not feel physical pain unless intense
very robotic is actions and behavior (systematic)
extremely bright
huge vocabulary at a young age
read encyclopedias for fun when very young
did not make friends but would "play" with those who forced me to
physically ungraceful; unable to play games (did not understand rules)
did not play with toys
had sensitivity to light, heat and noise
obsessive thought patterns

Today, these qualities still exist but some to a very low degree and others are masked appropriately so as to appear fairly normal.
One thing I have noticed is that the older, more tired I get, the less I can keep up the "act" and the more I feel that I am reverting to the "old ways". Who knows what I'll be like when I'm 60 or 70!

This guy sounds like a real quack. I would def go see another doctor, and good luck.

I'd make sure you find a new doctor, and while in the process of doing so, make sure you give your doctor some articles on AS and let him know you're finding a new doctor because he is incompetant and you find his general lack of knowledge in the areas concerning you bothersome, to say the least. That should drive the point home to him.

I agree with everyone else, I would definitely look for a new DR. if I was you. We are having a similar problem at my son's school. When they did his Eval., they said he had all the behavioral characteristics of Asperger, but that his speech was too high. (He understood the basic idioms they gave him - raining cats and dogs.) However, when I told him the other day that I was going to "throw some ideas out at him" he put his hands up to his face and said, "Don't throw things at me!".

It is unfortunate that there are so many supposed "professionals" that don't have a clue!