I don't know if I have this disorder or not

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I don't have insurance of any kind nor a doctor I could see. I was wondering if I do have aspergers. Could I get on any kind of dissability?



Adam

Yes you could get disability if you had Asperger's. Welcome to WrongPlanet.net Adam!!

welcome to wrong planet, BTW. If you have no insurance, in most states you can go to the state run "mental health" folks. that is risky b/c you arent in control of who you see and they may not know anything about your condition. Your state, if you're in the states, should have an autism awareness group that might beable to help. My state, SC, hasnt been helpful. but I know that others are. Another option is the free clinic in your town. The dr's there could help. But you have to be savy about your income, even with out insurance and a "below poverty" income, you might not qualify for free help. I didnt when I was in that boat. And most states have some sort of "vocational rehab" that is for folks that are disabled in some fashion. they might be able to help you with testing, it depends on the state. I know for a FACT that applying for federal dissibility takes a lawyer and a couple trys. Most lawyers will do it for a percentage of what ever your first payment is. And again, there you may have the option of legal aid.

ada, you could get on disability but many times getting onto disability can be very hard. You'd need the diagnosis or at least see a professional who can get you the diagnosis.

Do you have any income? If it's low enough, you may be eligible for Medicaid if you're in the US. And then with Medicaid you could get the process of diagnosis and disability started. It would probably also be good to get a social worker/community support worker to help with all this stuff since it can be a difficult process. But first you'd need some kind of verifiable diagnosis.

Income, Yes I work under the table, and don't report taxes, according to the state, I do not work, but I have very little income coming in.

I think I would have to go to the social security office. I've tried to get diagnosed, to see what I have before and got no where. I know I have speech problems, and A.D.D real bad, and it's also hard at times to carry on a conversation because, I have to ask to repeat what someone says. Also I have very bad mood swings, I could be in a very bad mood like most of the time, and think of something I like and snap out of it for a few minutes. Also, Obsessive behavior, especially when it comes to collecting things, I want to keep and never get rid of things, (Pack Rat)...I don't know if those all are symptoms of aspergers or not...


Let me know.....Adam

Medicaid is just based on a poverty level, even though most people on Disability get Medicaid because Disability pays at the poverty level. And you'd certainly qualify if the money you do get is under the table. Yes, try the Social Security Office and ask how to apply for Medicaid. That would be your best first step. And provided you get Medicaid, then you can try to find a psychiatrist who accepts Medicaid and who is experienced with adult Aspergers (other psychiatrists might not be experienced enough to give you the accurate diagnosis of AS since most of the professional world is sadly lacking in knowledge of anything more than a stereotype of AS ). Once you have your diagnosis, you can perhaps get into some kind of Community Support Program and get your own social worker who can then check up on you and help you with any Disability stuff, like applying. Even if you don't think you need a social worker, they're a lot more helpful than most people think. They know the ins and outs of Disability and state and federal insurances and can work wonders to help you save money and get all the perks available.

Hope that helps, ada.

We're glad to have you here regardless.

Thankyou...


I'll have to check all that out.......

You are welcome.

Since you seem to be in the "states" I would recommend that you look in the blue pages of your local phone book for your local "rehabilitation commission". If there is no such listing, (it's a state office) check with your medicaid office. You can get rehab and vocational services as well as diagnostic services through the rehab commission. If you qualify for medicaid you can get a diagnosis but again as someone else said the quality of the doctors you can see may be lacking - depending on where you live. If you are in a major city, or close to one - like Philadelphia, Baltimore, Dallas, etc, then you can probably get seen at a large teaching hospital and get good results. Smaller areas you may be relegated to a local clinic who deal in "visible" issues and "dangerous" behaviors, for the most part.

As for the social security, here's the low down. There are two kinds of money you can get from them and you can get one or both, depending. One is SSI. This is money for those who are disabled and low income, and if you are over 18 and have no work history. Since you work under the table, unless you previously have a work history, this is you. Typically the payments you receive from this are under $750 a month, however you automatically qualify for medicaid and usually food stamps as well. You are required to account for how you spend this money however.

The second kind of social security is SSDI. You must be disabled (by the SSA standards) and have a work history to collect this money. It is more than SSI, because it is based on your prior income. If you receive SSDI alone, then the waiting period to receive medicaid is 2 years.

If your SSDI is low enough, you may collect SSI with it, making you automatically eligible for medicaid.

You do not need to hire an attorney at the outset. You can file for yourself, and SSA may send you to doctors of their choosing as well.

While many people are denied the first time around, what most people don't realize is that it is due to failure of those parties to provide necessary documentation or show up for appointments. It can however take some time for a decision, it just depends.

We received a positive SSI decision for our son in 10 days. I think that was probably a record. We had only one document, the original report diagnosing him. However, how you answer the seemingly innocent questions they ask at the interview is as important as anything your doctor may have to say.