Self diagnosed people here don't have aspergers

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Self-diagnosis is usually the only way people who are in small sub-population groups figure themselves out. As soon as I caught a news article on television in July, 2006, I knew it was about me. In the meantime, I have altered the way I conduct my life, and my wife says my behavior makes a lot more sense.
Last year, I did get an official diagnosis. Our therapist says that it was a tough call, and that he had to consult as lot of experts. Our therapist confirmed three points that I had already deduced:
…1. I do have “Asperger’s Syndrome”,
…2. I am transsexually oriented, and
...3. I should be living as a woman, which I am.

Some things have not been verified. I sense that transgendered Aspies have the highest percentage number who are married, but no one has been able to say one way or the other.

I have found that so-called Asperger experts do not want to consider that there might be a relationship between “Asperger’s Syndrome” and gender identity disorder. In fact, I have found that experts do not want to hear from me at all.
I think autism is an interface problem. Non-autistic people seem to be able to pick up a lot of subconscious information that can give them a helpful heads-up in life. However, non-autistic people often forge ahead using so much bad judgment that they destroy their advantage. Sometimes, as in the case of the financial collapse, they can destroy entire infra-structures.
I have been developing some of my own intuition, but my analysis of reality does not match any of the prevailing favorite best theories.

I've actually been asked all kinds of questions by researchers in the field because I know more about the variety of internal experiences of autism than they do and they've acknowledged this. I know these things not just from my own experience but the experiences of countless others. And I know about these experiences in their own right rather than in terms of one or another popular theory. This is what I've been told both by researchers and by clinicians. I don't know everything about autism by a longshot but this is one of my areas of interest and I have gone into quite a bit of depth there.

One thing I have maintained for quite awhile is that the amount of research that goes into self identification renders that self identification potentially more useful than official diagnosis. I am another one who did all this research after diagnosis. But until I did the research my diagnosis meant absolutely nothing to me. So it seems to make sense that if my official diagnosis meant nothing until I did the kind of research that goes into self diagnosis, then self diagnosis tends to be more useful for self understanding purposes than official diagnosis.

People who worry incessantly about the evils of self diagnosis... I just don't get it. There are way more important things to worry about. And I'd rather some nonautistic people think they're autistic than have some kind of autism border patrol that shuts out actual autistic people. (And good grief, "actual autistic people" itself is an artificial grouping of people. It's not some kind of exclusive organization where we all need to know the secret handshake to get in.)

I think self diagnosis is valid to a certain degree, particularly outside of work, school, or university.

Some reasons for self diagnosis:--
* Aid to self understanding, especially when considering "coming out" as Aspergers to friends and family
* Fear of discrimination if medically diagnosed (esp in middle age when it is harder to find work)
* First step towards medical diagnosis in the future
* Fear of being falsely diagnosed as having a mental disorder
* Fear of being labelled vunerable (esp if combined with another disability). This is in my case as a carer, I am afraid that if officially diagnosed, I would be considered incapable of looking after myself and my father.

A medical diagnosis is more of an advantage when one is still at school, one can be enrolled at an appropiate special school, or have other classes, etc.

Im sure there's alot of people here who dont have it.

My mother was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and my brother was ADHD. I think im just trying to identify with AS because it sounds much nicer than borderline.

Self diagnosing is tricky though. For every mental disorder there is a symptom list that you are supposed to identify with for a diagnosis. But I personally meet much of the criteria for not only aspergers and ADHD, but most of the personality disorders (histrionic, Borderline, Schitzotypal symptoms are all present in my personality). So either the current DSM V is extremely vague or there is just more to these disorders then shown in the guide and one needs a therapist to access such info.

I myself was completly unaware of being autistic when i was diagonised, i really did think i was normal, i went to a normal state comprehensive, didn;t have any real isusues woth pther students, was a hardcore gamer and a bit of a nerd, but i myself do agree that those who self diagonise need to go and get tested

Just "go and get tested" sounds so easy and it's repeated here over and over.

It's impossible to just "go and get tested".

When something is not possible, what then?

Why are you finding it so impossible to get tested?


Is it because these tests are cost-prohibitive for you?


Are you in the United States?


I've had five full neuropsychological evals in my adult life and three of them didn't cost me a dime. The other two only cost me $100.00. If you answer the two aforementioned questions, I will tell you how I went about it and then you can determine if these options would be viable for you.

If money is not the issue....then I can't be sure why you're finding it so difficult to go and get tested.


Almost any psychologist can administer a neuropsych evaluation.

No money - no insurance.

Yes I am in the US.

I'm currently on a year long waiting list at a college.

What did you do?

in the uk it really is that easy

They put you on a year-long waiting at a college JUST for neuropsychological testing?

That sounds unusual....it's never happened to me but I guess the college you're dealing with has it's reasons.

Did they offer to work with you on a sliding scale? Did you provide them with proof of income which would demonstrate your inability to afford the standard cost of a neuropsych eval? Are there any other colleges/universities in your area with a psychological services center? If so....you might want to contact them about all this. I was able to receive full neuropsych evals at two seperate universities in my area. Both of them offered me the test on a sliding scale and I was not put on any waiting lists. These tests are usually at least $1000.00, but I only paid $100.00 at both universities.


Also...you might want to apply for services at the OVR (Occupational-Vocational Rehab) offices in your area. Before you do that, you might want to try and talk to other people with AS/ASD in your area who have dealt with local OVR offices. They might be able to direct you to a particular office which was most helpful to them. Some staff/case-workers at certain OVR offices are substantially more AS/ASD-knowlegeable than others.

If you explain your situation and apply for services at OVR, they can send you to be tested at ENTIRELY their own expense. They likely won't place you on a waiting list for any diagnostic assessments themselves. They will send you for testing long before they make an actual determination as to whether you'd be eligible for services or not. If you are officially Dx-ed with an AS/ASD, there should be no reason why you wouldn't be eligible for OVR services.

OVR services include job placement assistance, access (often free...including meds) to psychological/psychiatric services, vocational assessments, financial assistance with educational costs, etc.....


OVR paid for all my college expenses (including books and parking stickers) that weren't covered by Pell grants.

Now OVR MIGHT put you on a waiting list if you are deemed eligible for services themselves. That all depends on what they determine in regards to the "significance of your disability".

Also....you might want to consider participating in an autism research study like this one:

http://www.wpic.pitt.edu/research/cefar ... autism.htm


Poster Kate123A already included this link in another thread, but I don't if you saw it or not.


I contacted the study and i'm waiting for a consent form to arrive in the mail. After they receive the completed form, they'll contact me for a 30 minute phone interview. This interview will probably determine whether i'd be an eligible participant or not.


Obviously this may not be your best option though if the travel expenses are cost-prohibitive for you.

Most of my immediate family lives in the Pittsburgh area so travel expenses (aside from airfare) wouldn't be a concern for me.

However...there may be other universities or teaching hospitals in your area which conducting autism research studies.


There may be other options available to you at little or no cost. If so...i'm really not familiar with them and maybe some other posters might have ideas for you.

At any rate....I hope this helps

No it's not. You have to get a referral. I know several people in the UK whose autism-ignorant doctors refuse to give referrals. Some of them have had other diagnoses that the doctor believes more, others the doctor just doesn't know what autism can look like.

You guys are crazy

Our Div of Vocational Rehabilitation has had big budget cuts and have a long waiting list, and then go by severity of situation. Mine is not going to look severe to them. I'm not desperate or looking for medication or for employment.

The University with the year long waiting list is Col State University.

I've gone over the whole state and made many calls and have been told either the program has been cut, or the cost is huge and they require insurance, or the above year long waiting list. There seem to be some programs available if you have a small child that you want tested, and if that child is enrolled in public school, but otherwise nothing.

Well....if you're not looking employment or vocational/academic training, then OVR isn't for you.


I mean technically speaking, you still could APPLY for services and i'm pretty sure they would send you to be tested within a few weeks or months at most.

But since the goal of OVR is to help people with physical/mental disabilities find and retain employment, it wouldn't exactly be ethical to apply under false pretenses if you're merely seeking free testing.

I've never encountered the sort of problems you mentioned with the universities around here. Then again, it's been nearly 10 years since I was last tested at a university psych services center. Maybe the ones around here have faced similar program cuts since and are now as restrictive as those in your state.

I honestly don't know what else to tell you then. You could continue to look for autism research studies in your area.

There are a few RS studies at the Uni of Colorado Denver seeking adult participants with autism, but I doubt any of these would be what you're looking for.


http://www.uchsc.edu/psychiatry/researc ... tudies.htm



Beyond that.....i'm personally at a loss here. Sorry.

I'm going to be up front. If and when I get a test done to really figure out my whole problem of do I have ADD or is it Aspergers no matter where I fall I can and do have far more respect for people with Autism and Asperger becasue I know the hell of trying to tell people about my so called ADD and Dyslexia. Only to here them say you may have it but ever one has problems reading.

Yeah so I really do have Dysleixa I know I do and I know it's hell and yeah I'm different because of that if some people at my place of work can't just accpect me for that then really I don't care. I don't question my Dysleixa.

But I do question and I'm starting to question between ADD and Asperger.

If I just have ADD and Dysleixa ok. Will I move on from here? No because I have found a place of better like minds then half the people out there. If I have Asperger and Dysleixa it would explain my whole hell of social interaction with people.

If I have all three then it would explain why the doctors said I was only boarder line ADD. I can't keep just going on with knowing half the problem and only fixing have the problem.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?di ... 0yu&page=1