Just got my official report in the mail

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I just got my official diagnosis report in the mail yesterday. It's a pretty overwhelming experience to read about myself in this report. They gave me a total of 13 diagnostic tests and the results of each were explained in detail. It was fascinating to see how I did. I had no idea about some of the things they said. They also gave me about ten copies of a letter that I can use if I need a letter for a situation explaining that I would need special accommodations in a situation like school or a job. So this was great. I still need to get with them to talk about the report. There were a couple of errors, basically very minor typos and one thing which I need explained. They put me down as a level three severity where I am pretty sure they should have meant level 1. I imagine it was a transcription error that will be corrected as soon as I point it out to them.

But I am so glad to have this document in my hands now. It is powerful and surreal and overwhelming all at the same time.

I also have a new understanding of opinions towards the self diagnosed. I was never self diagnosed, just unofficially diagnosed because my Autism was originally pointed out to me by a friend who is an expert in the field. It was just done in an unofficial non clinical capacity. Once he told me, I did 18 months of intense research and learned about ASDs and Misophonia, both of which I have but had known nothing about. I only knew that I suffered but never knew why or that my suffering had names and could be diagnosed. It was during that 18 months of research that I discovered and joined WP. Then on October 14 I was able to get tested, I got a verbal diagnosis three weeks later and then got the report in the mail yesterday.

But as I read the report and saw how detailed it was and how much was tested, it occurred to me that in my own knowledge of myself there are things that were impossible for me to know or understand that could only be understood through these tests and through expert observation.

But here is what I do believe about the self diagnosed. I believe that you can know yourself well enough and do enough research and educate yourself so that you can know pretty accurately for the most part if you are on the Spectrum or not. I know that that is not 100% and there are some people who will get it wrong but I think that if you are severe enough in how you suffer, you can pretty much identify the symptoms in yourself well enough to at least know that you are most likely on the Spectrum. But after reading this report, I know that it is impossible for us to have enough self knowledge to be able to look at each individual aspect of what is tested and to have an accurate picture of that. What I found for myself is that I am actually more severely affected in Autistic ways than I had realized. There were things that they found in the tests that I had no idea I even struggled with and now that I see it in writing, more things are making sense to me about why I have had certain struggles.

So as far as the self diagnosed are concerned, if someone can't afford to get a diagnosis or does not feel that it will benefit him or her to get one, I will continue to completely respect that person's decision like I always have. Like I have always also said, I think it is very important to say whether you are self diagnosed if that is what you are. I have always said that I was unofficially diagnosed until now, and I think that that honesty is very important. Now, I just say, "I am Autistic or I have HFA/Asperger's." But I also think that if one can afford a diagnosis and has no reason not to get one, than that person should get one. But I have nothing whatsoever against anyone who for whatever reason is unable to get one or chooses not to get one. To me the important thing is that you are honest when speaking about your situation if you are self diagnosed or even unofficially diagnosed like I was, that you are willing to say that and be honest about it when the situation calls for it.

You have turned into such a self righteous jerk now, skibum, and fck your "respect" -- you're full of it since you got your diagnosis.

From which telescope? I would guess the Mt Palomar telescope?

My diagnosis involved simply filling out a few questionnaires, a long psychiatric history and a rather brief clinical interview with specific questions asked pertaining to my childhood and adulthood issues. I must admit, I have since been questioning how valid the diagnosis is, and am rather tempted to try and get referred to another team I found locally based with the university who do the full assessment that takes up to 5 hours for one part of it... however, I would be hard pushed to coax a parent to act as the evidence of my developmental history as neither have much patience with the diagnosis.

The main plus, I suppose, is that the guy who diagnosed me, has spoken at conferences on Autism.

My diagnosis involved simply filling out a few questionnaires, a long psychiatric history and a rather brief clinical interview with specific questions asked pertaining to my childhood and adulthood issues. I must admit, I have since been questioning how valid the diagnosis is, and am rather tempted to try and get referred to another team I found locally based with the university who do the full assessment that takes up to 5 hours for one part of it... however, I would be hard pushed to coax a parent to act as the evidence of my developmental history as neither have much patience with the diagnosis.

The main plus, I suppose, is that the guy who diagnosed me, has spoken at conferences on Autism.

I disagree about the overkill. Often to make an accurate diagnosis many other possible conditions must be ruled in or out.