Getting Diagnosed / Assessed - DON'T

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muff
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29 Mar 2013, 11:05 pm

PM wrote:

muff wrote:

PM wrote:

I was officially diagnosed seven years before I was told that I had AS, but considering what happened in December, I fear the repercussions of having a professional diagnosis on paper anywhere.

In essence, I fear that inquiring about AS to a GP or mental health professional will lead to being blacklisted as a sociopath.

i understand the feeling behind your fear, but not the logic. sociopathy is a separate diagnosis and is a personality disorder, rather than a development disorder.

The general public does not know the difference.

the 'general public' will hit us in the head with rocks eventually for one revelation of another (speaking, now, of platos cave).

the 'general public' is in a very sad state of affairs.

Verdandi
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29 Mar 2013, 11:08 pm

DVCal wrote:

I would agree that those on the spectrum are more likely to have lower academic abilities, and are more likely to need accommodations, but their are still many of us on the spectrum who are able to do well without any help.

That's why I said it's not true for everyone. It is true for enough of us that it is a statistical likelihood. No one should ever claim it is an absolute.

briankelley
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29 Mar 2013, 11:10 pm

DVCal wrote:

Quote:

Everyone is different, not all of us on the spectrum had those same problems.

I never had problems in Academics and was never placed in any special education program. I was able to graduate from a top university without any major problems. Academic issues and Autism do not go hand in hand.

I agree with you 100%. My history isn't any kind of archetype. That's why the symbol for autism is puzzle pieces. But it does show that there was obviously something quite wrong with me from the get go. And the final diagnosis was autism.

But you see, based on a lot of testimonies I've read, if my parents had come blazing in telling whoever they thought I was autistic and that I should be tested for that specific thing... they might have run into a lot of opposition.

In the beginning, no one knew for sure what was wrong. They just knew something was wrong and tested me until they nailed it as autism.

Anyways, I'm just giving my 2 cents worth. I could be completely wrong. Wouldn't be the first time I shot myself in the foot.

goldfish21
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30 Mar 2013, 12:23 am

DVCal wrote:

briankelley wrote:

goldfish21 wrote:

I had a lifetime history of evidence to prove my claims.

There you go. You have something more substantial than a suspicion based on something you just learned about online. I'm not saying online revaluations aren't legitimate. But I do think if that's all someone has, it might be better to have the doctor tell that person they have it, than that person trying to tell the doctor what they think they have.

With you and me it's a no brainer. It's obvious.

Here's a sample of my history starting at age 5:

K: Dramatic, immature. Needs to learn to listen. Academic level is extremely low. Needs to work on eliminating aggressive behavior. Keeps to self does not interact well. Inattentive. Wanders off.

1: Requires close supervision on playground, wanders off assigned areas. Has improved somewhat in controlling temper. Must not be pushed. Needs constant reinforcement.
Still applies as above.
Responds to quiet talk and sympathy when he explodes. Does not participate well with others. Isolates self and is standoffish. Excellent verbalization stills but has poor social skills. Accident prone; poor motor skills. Perceptual difficulties.
Behavior problems.

2: Has been segregated from classmates and given remedial assignments. Is still very far behind academically despite excellent verbalization skills. Still unable to read beyond sounding out basic words. Inattentive. Hyperactive, has difficulty staying still. Spins back and forth in chair and fidgets. Sketches and scribbles instead of performing assigned tasks. Is working hard at improving academically and has made progress, but is still far behind. Seems to learn better on own than within classroom participation. Has difficulty conceptualizing. Motor skills have improved somewhat but still uncoordinated. Requires constant supervision. Does not interact well. Becomes easily frustrated and loses temper quickly.

B2 Has difficulty paying attention, mind wanders considerably. Does not maintain eye contact. Daydreams. Just sits and stares. Wanders off. Truant. Expresses high intelligence when communicating verbally but academically and socially inept.

Children's Hospital: Rosenbloom.

Perceptual and cognitive - Below average.

Academic - Below average.

EEG - Anomalous.

Motor skill - dysfunctional.

PDD-NOS. ASD. [Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. Autism Spectrum Disorder]

Assigned to EH [Educationally Handicapped]

6: Placed back in mainstream educational system. Only able to handle 1/3 workload. Behavior difficulties. Difficulty focusing on assignments. Poor participation. Absent a lot.

B6 Reassigned to EH

7: Oak Hill Private School for Developmentally Disabled.

(http://theoakhillschool.org/)

This. While I have a lifetime history of evidence, it's behavioural & covers many ADHD/AS traits, not so much any real problems with academic record. I went through the public school system & graduated high school just fine. I then attended business school at a technical institute and studied business/industrial engineering concepts and graduated just fine - although it was more stressful than it needed to be due to not knowing my diagnoses back then.

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btbnnyr
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30 Mar 2013, 12:40 am

I was very good academically and very autistic at the same time.

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matt
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30 Mar 2013, 1:16 am

If you go to a psych****ist and read them a list of Asperger's symptoms, they may think you're a hypochondriac, but if you go to them and explain your symptoms and act as if you don't know what you're describing, you're being deceptive, and they may realize that and consider it against the diagnosis, since deception requires higher theory of mind.

It's also worth considering that it's possible if someone is familiar with diagnostic criteria that they may be able to misrepresent their symptoms and their ignorance and convince the psych****ist to diagnose them with many other things that are not autism.

Verdandi
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30 Mar 2013, 1:49 am

Also, I did go to a psych and I did describe my symptoms, and I was diagnosed that same visit.

When I read the the psych's report, she described me doing several things I wasn't even aware of doing at the time.

briankelley
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30 Mar 2013, 4:40 am

That was just my general overview in my board of education growth and development records. The actual diagnosis was by way of conducting numerous extensive medical and psychological tests and evaluations. That stuff is harder to transcribe because most of it is in nonsensical looking code and scantron dots and stuff like that.

briankelley
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30 Mar 2013, 4:48 am

Verdandi wrote:

A good shrink should be able to spot AS, Bi-Polar, OCD, whatever by the patient describing behavior traits, reading facial expressions and body language and asking a standard battery of questions. If someone really has it, it should be easy for someone who knows what they're doing to initially nail it fairly quickly.

Verdandi
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30 Mar 2013, 5:57 am

briankelley wrote:

Verdandi wrote:

This is my point. Saying, "I believe I have this" won't necessarily lead professionals to thinking you're a hypochondriac, especially if they can easily observe your behavior. I did say that I believed was autistic and presented a lot of information to attest to it, but I think the fact that I did not understand her jokes, that I never made eye contact, that I was constantly stimming, and that I showed minimal facial expression demonstrated that there was more to it than simply being a hypochondriac.

Sieanna
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30 Mar 2013, 6:11 am

Quote "I have a somewhat similar history from school, although things took a different turn than they did with you (I didn't end up near special education until the 5th grade and almost through high school), but my parents interfered directly in terms of interventions, diagnoses, and accommodations, because they believed I was "too intelligent" to be developmentally or learning disabled."

Their are people with official diagnose of learning disability that are intellingent. Their IQ are above average yet they rely on disability benefits because of thier learning problems.
Only bright people succeed. Only bright people go to UNI. IQ can play little part if some one has a disability.

People are put into catergories of gifted, bright, average and slow. IQ corresponds to the abilities of a person is an illusion.

whirlingmind
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30 Mar 2013, 6:57 am

goldfish21 wrote:

Disagree.

Research and be prepared with diagnostic evidence that supports what you know to be true.

I did my own ADHD diagnosis 2 1/2 years ago & brought a stack of evidence to the doc. I can speak to medical doctors in their lingo with proper terminology and knowledge to support what I say. I had a lifetime history of evidence to prove my claims. I also prescribed my own meds & dose based on a lot of research as well. I knew I'd have to go for an EKG first, spelled it all out for my doc.. he just had to cross reference my info & confirm it, send me for an EKG & write a 'scrip. He thanked me for teaching him about the Amen Test for ADD/ADHD and now uses it to help diagnose other patients.

I have a lifetime worth of evidence that completely confirms AS, too, and I intend to take it and be prepared for an eval. When I first told my GP about it, after a few mins he said I knew a lot more about it than he did - and told me to find a local Psychiatrist that specializes in diagnosing it in adults & he'll make the referral no problem. He's not one to waste medical system resources, either.

Hang onto that doctor, he is like gold dust. To find a doctor who has enough humility to accept superior knowledge and to even thank you for it is wonderful. Most of them seem to cut you off when you start informing them of evidence and are way too superior to acknowledge the validity of your evidence. This is where OP is coming from.

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DX AS & both daughters on the autistic spectrum

whirlingmind
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30 Mar 2013, 7:04 am

briankelley wrote:

You know, when I was a kid, they all said "this kid has some serious problems" and gave me batteries of tests (all at the US government's expense) and then yanked me out of the public school system and placed me in with developmentally disabled children. If you don't have that kind of a background, you may not have autism. You just may be socially awkward and somewhat OCD or whatever. So don't go in announcing "I have Aspergers". I certainly don't have to. All I have to do is show them my documented history of behavior, diagnosis and treatment.

I agree with Verdandi. There are a variety of presentations of AS, what you have said is wrong. Look up the four sub-types of Asperger's (Lorna Wing) and research the differences in females, to name only two aspects that cause different presentations.

You are suffering from tunnel vision based on your own experience.

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DX AS & both daughters on the autistic spectrum

jamieevren1210
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30 Mar 2013, 10:15 am

I'm autistic. I don't care now about AS or HFA or Bipolar or ADHD and all that crap. I know who I am and what makes me me and I don't feel the need to look for another official opinion like I did before.
I have a diagnosis from a psychiatrist but it is not on a piece of paper. I have confirmation from what I read off the Internet and it felt quite literally like a slamming train of realization when I first heard about AS. So yeah.

I'm autistic and I'll live my life just as passionately as any NT, if not more so.

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Rattus
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30 Mar 2013, 10:34 am

I had to get a diagnosis, not just for myself but because it was the only chance of living my life the way that was tolerable for me. I needed the validation that I wasn't a horrible evil child, that I had been telling the truth all along and that I might finally get the help that I believe is right for me.
Getting the diagnosis from a psychiatrist on the NHS means that we have a chance to fight for more suitable accomodation. At the moment I live in a grotty shared house with people with amongst other things drug induced schizophrenia. I have a right now to apply for support in further education so I have a chance of succeeding instead of failing yet again because I can't cope with the more AS difficulties.
It also means that for the first time ever, I have the right to put boundaries in with my family to help me to be more stable instead of constantly having to do things and meltdowns occuring and then making everyone mad with me.
It may be stupid but I don't regret waiting 14 months to see a specialist for an assessment on the NHS. The confirmation that this was Asperger's meant that I was right and that I was right about who I was all along. That the vile untrue things that psychiatrists who had met me for 5 minutes and written about me wasn't true and that I was telling the truth all along. The last 25 years have been increasingly horrid and painful. This helped to heal some of those wounds.

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nuttyengineer
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30 Mar 2013, 10:41 am

This is all very interesting as I have an appointment with a psych on Monday and I'm not really sure how to approach them.

My mom described me to a social worker over the phone a few days ago and the social worker pretty much said "Yeah, she's probably autistic. Some of the things you've described are classic." But I don't know if I should bring it up directly in my appointment. Unfortunately, I don't know that I will even be able to speak clearly enough to describe it properly.

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