This is getting annoying, really annoying.

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^Every one of your posts made valid points, I doubt offense was taken from any of them. The opening post is what many here have found abrasive.

Agreed

Let's be honest. Most doctors know dick all about AS.

Even most psychologists wouldn't know how to diagnose it in adults if they're life depended on it (except in the most severe cases, the kind where you can observe a person for 15 seconds, and tell that there is something "wrong" with them). I've read enough horror stories on here to know that seeking an official diagnosis in my situation would be a waste of time.

The majority of psychologists already have a certain "profile" of what they think a person with AS looks like, and behaves like, independant of the actual DSM criteria. Generally, they're thinking of a male child with anger issues, learning disabilities and frequent meltdowns. I fit none of those criteria.

If I fit even two or three, it would make diagnosis much easier for me. But I'm so radically different from the type of people that they're USED to diagnosing, that I wouldn't have a shot in hell with the majority of the psychologist/psychiatrist community.

There is no 'master list' of doctors who diagnose ASD's in my city. So, it's essentially taking a stab in the dark. I do that, and there's a very good chance that the first 10 names I pick will be the exact same type of people that I described above. Even if I ask for referalls, they're probably just going to forward me to their associates who have the exact same client base as them, and therefore, the same opinions.

And then there's the whole "Well, I TOLD you that you don't have it...WHY are you asking for a second opinion? Are you some kind of psychological hypochondriac or something?" routine. Then they'll NEVER take you seriously. Not like they took you seriously before, though.

I would much rather skip that mess entirely. I know my own childhood behaviours, I know my current difficulties and strengths, and I know that I don't fit any other disorder that has been described to me. So WHY would I spend $100 per session, just so that some "expert" can tell me that I'm lying about my own childhood? That I don't have AS because I'm female/I've had two relationships/I've been able to hold a job for 4.5 years/I'm in University?

The funny thing is, I wouldn't even know what to do with an official diagnosis if I got one. I don't want accomodations. I don't want services. I just want to be given the same rights and responsibilities as 'regular' people. So for now, the only thing I can do is be happy with my self-diagnose, and not tell every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the vicinity about my AS. Because the last thing I need is some layperson trying to tell me how 'easy' it is to get diagnosed, and how I "must be faking for sympathy" IN REAL LIFE.

I think you are making assumptions about what someone else thinks.

It's not clear to me that Meowpurr was referring to out there in the world (where it might be misleading as far as what Asperger's is) rather than people here on this message board (where not really an issue). I took Meowpurr to be referring to posts on this message board. Yeah, I could be wrong. But you could be wrong too. We really don't know until when and if Meowpurr herself comes and clarifies.

I think it's really funny that we put so much faith in what psychiatrists and psychologists think. Yes, they are incredibly valuable; in fact I'm trying to become one. But honestly, the feeling I got when I was officially dx'd was, "Shouldn't you have been a little more in-depth?"

They saw me stimming, heard me talk about my social issues, saw that I couldn't maintain eye contact, and looked over my sensory integration disorder. And that was basically it.

I have no doubt I'm AS, though some people cast doubt upon it.

Last edited by Aurore on 02 Oct 2008, 4:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

You're probably right. Though there is no word either way, RL or internet.

That is exactly what I meant. Thank you for understanding and getting it!

Also, I am not good at making a point in a way that everyone likes. Sorry if it upsets others.

I'm curious what the evidence is that some folks do go out blabbing to the world that they have Asperger's when not diagnosed. Just because they say it here doesn't mean the go saying it to the world in general.

Absolutely. It is not wise to do so.

Last edited by Jenk on 02 Oct 2008, 6:15 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Before I was diagnosed with AS, I was misdiagnosed with many things throughout childhood. Including:

OCD (which I laugh at, because I'm so opposite of OCD. And this was some very highly regarded place that diagnosed me with this too. )
tourrete syndrome
ADD
ADHD
delayed gross motor skills

It wasn't until my mom told the doctors she suspected AS, that the doctors were like "Oh that makes sense" and then officially diagnosed me. I have little trust in a doctors diagnosis anymore. I'm still not 100% positive I have AS, I suspect possibly just having PDD-NOS, because some of my traits are not typical AS at all, but with a lot of them they are spot on. So, I really don't know what I have, but I think it's safe to assume that I have some form of autism, and AS is the only thing that really makes sense to me, so that's what I go with, and that's what I'm diagnosed with.

You tube. I am not going to post specific examples because it could be they really do think that they have aspergers. Someone brought this to my attention yesterday after they learned that I have aspergers and then the person proceeded to make some rude comments after watching examples on you tube about how it isn't really on the autism spectrum if all the people deal with are just social akwardness and the example the person showed me was of a self diagnosed person who only had social akwardness and was apparent to me did not really have aspergers and admitted to being self diagnosed.

The person on you tube was not very convincing to say the least and I know this is a politically incorrect topic considering this forum in general thrives on the undiagnosed population to get more people here.

Sorry but it is true, is it not?

When someone has it in their head a belief that they have aspergers, once that belief sets in, the truth no longer matters.

There seems to also be some bitterness with those who remain undiagnosed who talk down to those who are diagnosed as well in an attempt to make it appear that perhaps they weren't diagnosed correctly vs. their lack of diagnosis which gives the impression that this site is more friendly towards those who are self diagnosed and will come up with any reason to remain that way.

It gives an impression of insincerity.

There are valid reasons that diagnosis does not occur.

1. You find out that your psychiatrist really doesn't know much about autism and uses Rainman as their way to diagnose. In such cases, seek someone else.

2. You can't afford it and are not on insurance.

3. You are above the age of 50 and don't see the point.


I'm sure there are alot of cases like that here. The girl for example that was "too pretty" to have autism. She went to the wrong person.

In such cases I am sympathetic but for the love of GOD, if you feel the need for attention and are promoting yourself as aspergers but it's just a hunch, please spare me of any projectile vomiting and do not go attempting to educate the masses on something you aren't really sure you are.

You are misleading the public.

Actual professionals are lay-persons outside their areas of competency. Someone who lacks expertise in autistic spectrum disorders and/or in the diagnosis of such, who happens to be a health professional, yet is unprofessional enough to offer their lay-opinion (about ASDs) in a clinical setting (as though their lay-opinion were a professional opinion), is not a credible source of information.

If someone is getting their opinion from a suitably qualified practitioner, who can give a clear argument that explains the symptoms better (or as well as) AS, then there is good cause to be credulous, but there are often instances where if the facts described are accurate, the reasons given for dismissing an ASD are asinine and not consistent with evidence-based standards of practice. Whether the answer given is right or wrong in such cases is entirely independent of any professional expertise and 100% chance.


I used my knowledge about my AS to compensate for issues.

It's actually very traumatic and potentially injurious to get caught up with professionals too unprofessional to refer on cases where they lack expertise and so can only ever be giving a lay opinion. For some reason, ASDs seem to be particularly singled out as some 'field day' where any 'ol who-how with related knowledge thinks they can act on their lay opinions clinically.

For instance would you believe some tosser who emphatically stated they had clinical expertise in area X but would not recount a single cause for such a claim beyond their job description as being a member of a profession in which most practitioners lack clinical expertise in area X? If so, would you also entrust your money to a stock-broker who claimed incredible rates of pay-off but refused to give you any information other than he's a stock broker and the investment is of a type that you know has been proven to be rarely profitable?

Some practitioners are shady mo-foes, and are capable of the most under-handed, intellectually lame, unprofessional/unethical and even unlawful shinanagins, while remaining endowed with their own righteous sense of do-gooding and superior insight. It's not a professional opinion when it's not backed by an adequate level of relevant expertise, regardless of the practitioner's job-title.

Last edited by pandd on 02 Oct 2008, 7:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The rest of it was too long to quote, so I figured I'd take the summary to respond to. I hope you don't mind too horribly much.

I definitely agree that professionals who do not have experience in ASD should not be giving away non-diagnoses. After years of going to professionals, and getting one diagnosis after another, I am sure that most of those people are rarely qualified for anything out of their area of interest. One doctor said General Anxiety Disorder, Major Depression and possibly secondary Bipolar disorder. Another psychologist said GAD, Panic Disorder and OCD. Yet another person said Major Depression with Anxiety.

Well, that's all well and good. And I didn't hop around between these professionals for an AS diagnosis. I was just trying to get help. Fast forward to where I'm at now. I have two children, both on the spectrum. I go to a psychiatrist regularly who doesn't treat disorders, he treats symptoms. I go to a therapist who acknowledges she doesn't have enough experience to say yes or no to AS, but again, she's not treating disorders, she's treating symptoms.

Now through an unrelated matter, though I have suspected for a few months now, I happen to get a psych eval from someone who has enough knowledge in ASDs to diagnose. She said, without me even uttering the words, that I have AS.

Professionals see what they are used to treating. Just because someone hasn't been diagnosed as AS doesn't mean they aren't. And honestly, if people are going around getting a barrage of diagnoses from different professionals, what's the likeliness that they have ALL those disorders, or one disorder that explains them all? From what I can tell, most people who are self-diagnosed are only self-diagnosed after searching for what all the other diagnoses did not explain. They discovered that AS explained those unknowns AND the symptoms those other diagnoses encompassed.

I had a run in with such a shrink. I believe he cheated his way through college to get his degree. I caught him red-handed when he tried to diagnose my daughter's emotional disorders & he couldn't read the DSM IV. He has to conveniently give it too a colleague! There are good doctors out there, but there are also many who have no business presiding over physical or emotional health because the degree they received isn't worth the paper its printed on.

I've tried not to actually say I HAVE it, but I feel I am MORE likely to have it than some of the DIAGNOSED people I have seen. As for social problems? I actually DID go to BOTH a psychologist and a Psychiatrist. The Psychiatrist put me through tests I have heard are the ones you would go through for AS. Is it MY fault that that was almost TWENTY years before it was a recognized problem, and over a DECADE before it was even KNOWN about anywhere in the US!? BTW That was BEFORE I was 7, and at the request of my school. I couldn't make that stuff up.

And OK, so I am verbal, can be in society, do things for myself, have a gainful job, etc..... SOME claim that means I can't have AS. To THEM, I say LOOK AT THE DSM!

So HEY, if I am to be viewed as a second class citizen, let's be HONEST and say others should be also.