I want to get rid of my diagnosis, but how?

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Just as well you don't consider yourself to be afflicted by aspergers since I'd imagine that joining the military would be just about the ultimate nightmare for someone who did. I'd be reduced to a gibbering wreck within days. It really must be the most unsuitable career choice.

I'm not going to discourage you, or open an line of argument with you, but I would suggest you re-read the abstract you linked. In all research articles researchers must operationalize their terms, and these researchers defined "recovery" in some pretty interesting ways. Here's some more from your abstract:


Also, between 3-25%? That's a 22% difference! The explanation is simple: "lose their ASD diagnosis": "lose" was loosely defined.

Just some stuff to think about, in any event. I don't like to discourage people from joining the service; it's an amazing experience! If you're able to have your diagnosis removed, that will be interesting, and I'm sure there are others here that would benefit from your experience that have wanted to have the diagnosis removed as well! Good luck on your future ventures.

_Bloom

Depends on the job, but certain autistic traits would be quite sought after by the military...I'd think. But then military intelligence has been said to be a tautology

Like analysis

I think most autistic people would do better as a civilian contractor than a member of the military proper. Then again, some people really want structured environments (I'm a fan, myself), making the military a good choice. It all comes down to the individual--as usual, I suppose. It's a shame that if you have a diagnosis of autism, the individual tends to be overlooked.

While discussing the merits of enlisting in the military is pretty interesting, I'm still kind of looking for information on the subject at hand, undiagnosis. In lieu of personal experience, a place to get more information on it would be a good start.

(As for the abstract I linked, in truth I didn't read much further than the words "lose their ASD diagnosis" to prove the concept exists. Reading further, it sounds like a paper I'd be critical of---but that's besides the point.)

just let it go

It would be a matter of re-evaluation by someone who knows enough about autism to tell whether or not you still meet the criteria. If you don't, then your report will say "no diagnosis" or "subclinical" or something along those lines, and you stick that in your medical records and say, "Yeah, I used to be diagnosable as a kid, but I grew out of it."

If it turns out the diagnosis sticks, though, don't give up on joining the military. I don't think that autism is an absolute bar to joining. The question is: Can you do the job? And if you can, they should allow you to join. You may have to advocate for yourself rather strongly, but in an ideal situation, they would hire the most competent people for the job, autistic or not.

Hm, then I suppose I'll have to find myself a psychologist. I think I should easily meet the concept of "subclinical"; it's never really been all that clinical in the first place. Thanks a lot for the advice.

As for the military, I've found that the rules are rarely the way they would be in an ideal situation. But I'm certainly going to exhaust all possible options to enlist. Wish me luck.

Yes, you just need to be reevaluated for the same condition; if it's deemed that it's in remission with little to no chance of coming back, I think you should be ok in regards to the military. They might even think you were misdiagnosed in the first place.

The one thing to think about is if there's a possibility for it to come back due to a life stressor. This is a real possibility for people who seem to "grow out of" an ASD (or are too mild to be picked up when young until something sets it all off).

Referring to kids losing their diagnosis only seems to mean they would no longer meet the criteria to be diagnosed with an ASD... If they hadn't previously been diagnosed and went to be diagnosed at that time. I'm pretty sure they remain labelled as far as their medical records are concerned

Why? The military has plenty of attributes that might suit an aspie. Clear reporting lines, structure and routine.

Not all military jobs are wandering through the desert with a machete between your teeth. My ex-boss (somewhere on the spectrum fathered a classic and an an aspie), worked in signals in the RAF for a while and loved it.

Jason