Getting diagnosed at 20 yrs old

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I'm 20 yrs old, and I'm almost positive I have aspie's. I was never diagnosed as a child.

Now I'm wondering if I should get diagnosed. I'm wondering if it might affect my career/life, like if the information about my diagnosis will somehow be accessible. I wouldn't want it to get out to anyone without my consent (I'm a little paranoid about it). Does anyone else feel this way? Has anyone gotten a late diagnosis and regretted it or were glad you went through with it?

I'm trying to view pros vs cons. I would also like to know if it costs anything for a simple diagnosis (Canadian).

Meh i got mine around your age, maybe a little earlier (18 ). It didn't cost me much, or at least i didn't know about it since my parents were handling the papers... (and still are) I wasn't really paranoid more than that though, i'm rather carefree except when it comes to survival matters. Just try not to think about it too much and you'll see that whatever occupation you're doing, it isn't different from any other human would do (in essence, anyways).

I didn't really notice any plus or cons.

Simple question: Do you have problems that you need outside help to solve? (That includes, by the way, having to spend ridiculous amounts of effort on things, not just being completely unable to do them.)

If you do have problems that you need help with, then a diagnosis would be useful. You may be diagnosed with autism; you may end up with a similar diagnosis. The important thing is that you get the necessary support for whatever issues you're dealing with; and a diagnosis is a label that can help you get that.

If you don't have problems that you need help with, chances are you don't need (nor could you get) a diagnosis; psychological diagnoses can't be given if the symptoms aren't causing some kind of problem that needs to be addressed. That's only logical; otherwise, all the eccentrics of the world would have to be diagnosed with something, even though they're functioning perfectly well!

I got DXed at 20. For me it was a great thing. I was able to make sense of a lot of my childhood. The social isolation, the I.E.P group I was in, the special high school I went to. When I was a kid I was DXed with Dyslexia, but when my sister was DXed with moderate Autism we realized I had more then Dyslexia. Before I knew I was Autistic I was having trouble holding jobs and looking after myself. I blamed it all on my Dyslexia. It's strange but the AS DX changed all that. I was actually able to get why I was so different from my peers and able to except it. So I suggest if you're having trouble with live and fitting in to see someone for a diagnosis.

If you've managed without a diagnosis so far, getting one isn't a must. I got mine just this year at 19, and the way I see it, it was definitely not tragic [as portrayed in the media]. It explained a lot. I always say that Aspergers was simply a name for what I'd already known I was. Diagnosis or not, you are who you are. Many aspies have said this; I concur that if I had to explain Aspergers, I would say that its simply Me.

I'm not a success story by any stretch of the imagination, but I attribute where I've gotten thus far partially to the fact that I wasn't pinned down by the stigma of a medical diagnosis. Before the diagnosis, I knew myself and my difficulties/strengths and I went from there- without having to refer to the status quo or the general consensus of whether or not I could change or improve on 'this' or 'that'.

But if you're interested, then why not? Sometimes knowing the symptoms and pitfalls can help you better understand how you can improve [if that's your aim]. That was the case for me atleast. I still have many aspie-like idiosyncrasies which I do unconsciously. But hey, the same can be said for an NT and their habits. We are what we are, regardless of a diagnosis.

Thanks for the replies guys.

My AS got in the way of my life something fierce when I was a kid (many trips to the counselor, no social life, all that stuff), but now that I know what's going on in my life, it's mostly under control. The main reason I'd want a DX is for telling my close relatives and family friends, and having proof of it. I'm afraid they'll call BS if I don't have any proof.

I've finished high school by pretty much sleeping through and not paying attention to anything, and still getting by with B's in most classes, and I've gone to a community college and did something that I actually enjoy. I got course averages of 89-98% with relative ease. Thinking of going to uni for electrical engineering soon.

My parents will not pay for anything of that sort, so I'm on my own there (It's not like they don't care, but they have 4 kids and have it a little rough to support all of us, so I understand).

My biggest problems are appearing to be socially ret*d according to NT's, and people are worried about my isolation from the world and why I constantly push people away. I have the determination of making it on my own, I can somewhat hold conversations with NT's until the social pressure is turned on and I freeze and stutter something different than what I wanted to say. All in all, I probably won't go for a DX as I know what I am already, and I can work on my social interactions on my own.