taking the first step to getting a DX

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Hey.

I turn 19 in less than a week and I've decided to attempt to seek a diagnosis.

I've e-mailed the Asperger Society of Michigan about any psychiatrists or psychologists around my area that receive adult patients with ASD. I figure that's the best place to start.

I guess the next step is to see if my insurance covers the cost.

I'm going down the diagnosis path myself. I'm pretty sure I'm on the spectrum somewhere. I want to know either way. I've had a referral from my GP to a mental health centre to see if I can get a referral from there to an expert.

I got my diagnosis from a neurologist I used to see. I had been to a psychologist when I tried and failed to get Medicaid for epilepsy. In that interview he asked if I'd ever considered Asperger's. I called my neurologist and left a message asking about it and when she called back (leaving a message on the machine) she said she suspected it.

If she suspected it I wish she'd told me in her office.

I once broached the subject of seeking a Dx with a psychiatrist treating me for bipolar. He more or less said 'why bother' it wouldn't change anything. Another psychiatrist recently gave me the same impression, that an official diagnosis would be a moot point. Having thought about it for some time, and at 41, I have to agree. It won't change the past, and suspicion/self-diagnosis is all that's required to shed a new light on the past, and learn to deal with the present and try to shape the future. A doctor's imprimatur, well it makes me think of the axiom: careful what you wish for...

I can see the point of view that it might not make a difference, but for me, I need confirmation. I tend to be a bit paranoid and I want to be sure its AS and not something else.

Yes, I agree with you here. I also needed confirmation. I just had to know. I had already analyzed and analyzed, but the professional diagnosis I needed. And, even though it was no surprise, I felt really happy and relieved when I was told, "You have Asperger's...I diagnosed you using two seperate criteria...you met Asperger's on both criteria."

I walked out of the clinic feeling a fresh start on my life (last November right after my 44th birthday). I felt like I finally had a beginning of understanding and knowing myself better. It helped my family because I went through some therapy---coaching skills for being a better father and husband. My family came to understand me better.

How would you feel if the answer was no?

I would have felt frustrated and lost...because from all the things I had read about Asperger's---it was so much my whole life. When I showed Asperger's material to my wife she was like, "OMG, that's you."

I had lived 44 years thinking I was a freak of the human race. I truly had begun to think I was the only person like me. I found a lot of peace and comfort in finding out there were more like me. I have a need to belong too.

I had never thought about being on the autism spectrum---because I had only seen the stereotype RainMan characters. But after learning of AS, my world opened up...there were autistic people not only in my town, but in my family.

So...yes, I would have felt frustrated and probably a little more lost in life. But, I am a truth seeker, so I would have journeyed on in learning about myself.

this is how i feel. i strongly want to belong to the AS group, even though that may sound wierd.
also, it would be good to know i have an actual problem, and dont just fail as a human when it comes to others.

I made an enquiry about dx today.

I'm about half way through Tony Attwood's AS Guidebook.

Part of me want to finish it first and part of me wants to put the book down so that I don't go into the dx knowing too much and being too stressed out about whether I will 'overdo' my behaviour or keep my 'behaviour' in check!

I watched Mozart and the Whale today for the first time and really liked it.

Haven't seen 'Adam' yet.

Whoops, this is supposed to be a dx thread...............oh well at least I didnt give a speech about movies............

i want to see those really bad! dunno how ill explain the sudden AS interest to my parents, oh well. ill tell them its for sociology or something.....or just hide the dvds. XD



i am worried i would overdo any symptoms in a DX as well.

No need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. I am waiting to hear back from the Asperger Society of Michigan about any psychiatrists or psychologists around me that can evaluate me and then refer me or what ever they do.



Yeah, I know what you mean. I only found out about AS because I researched it and found the criteria and realized I fit it. Apparently, three years back, when I was living with my aunt, she began some research to figure out why I behaved the way I did. So, a portion of my family has had an idea for awhile. My counselor at my old high school said that when we had the first of our meetings she had a feeling/figured I was on the spectrum because of the way I acted, etc.

As you said above, earlier in this thread, I am just looking for conformation.

TheLilAsimov---I wish you all the best on your endeavor in finding out if you are on the spectrum. From my impression of you in what little time I have known you here---I would bet you do have AS. Whatever the diagnosis---you are embarking on a remarkable journey. If you find you have AS, you may feel like I did walking out of the clinic---like a new birth. Wow, it was refreshing. But the funny thing was, I was nearly 100% sure that I had AS---it was just the professional diagnosis/conformation that made it certain for me. Then...I researched and learned, and bought books, and joined the WrongPlanet and learned more. It was here that I unloaded frustrations into The Haven and pleaded for help. It was here that kind members helped me---and I helped them. Here at the WrongPlanet, I desire that all of us on the spectrum can learn to embrace our gifts and enjoy life. I enjoy my gifts, and I give thanks that I was made autistic. I would not have wanted it any other way.

I am all for people getting a diagnosis. So many people say they don't want a label. It's not a label, it's an explanation of why some things are harder for us.

I'm going to get an assessment very soon. The people at the mental health centre said a week ago that it would take 4 to 6 weeks to wait for the first appointment.

I'm 100 percent sure I would have been diagnosed as a child if I were born in Canada, since the shrinks in Russia didn't know about Asperger's at that time. My mom took me to various shrinks, and most of them said that I was "normal" while only one said that I'm mildly autistic, although no diagnosis was given due to a lack of speech delay.

Now that I'm going for diagnosis myself, it feels very awkward to have to call the clinic and my family doctor on my own. I've asked my school psychologist (she doesn't want to assess me because she mostly works with younger kids) if there's any way I can avoid making these calls, and she says, "well, you're an adult now, you have to be responsible". Honestly, it feels like I'm begging for a diagnosis. I'd love it if my parents could make the calls, but I'd rather not deal with all the fuss they would make if I bring up the subject.

I really want to get diagnosed before I enter university, because I don't know whether I'll be able to cope. High school alone is extremely stressful for me.
I wonder if they say it's AS or PDDNOS, too. The difference between the two still baffles me. Can't wait.
And if I end up neurotypical... I'll laugh, get on with life, and be myself. Why do I need a label, anyway? It'll still be a worthwhile experience.

Last edited by MathGirl on 20 Oct 2009, 9:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.