The value of a diagnosis.

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For a lot of people, a diagnosis of ASD can open doors to much needed support and services that they could not access before. This is not the case for me; even before the possibility of ASD was mentioned I had a personal assistant at uni, a disibility employment adviser, a work placement for people with disabilities, a CPN, regular scheduled activities, home visits, every treatment under the sun.
Therefore, I can't see what I stand to gain by persuing a diagnosis this far down the line. It was at school where I really needed the support (near the end I tried to kill myself because I was so nervous about an oral exam) but didn't get it. I can't help but feel it's too late. It's not like I can go back and retrospectively undo the trauma.

Any advice? I'm not really sure what to do.
It's somebody else who is contacting my GP on my behalf, BTW. I would never have initiated the process on my own.

Simply put, without a diagnosis, YOU DO NOT HAVE IT.

I chuckle EVERY time I see "self diagnosed"; that just don't work.

To me it's a lot like the addictions to substances....ya' know the first step in every 12-step program is to acknowledge the condition....the one problem with Autism/Aspergers is that an individual cannot diagnose him/herself. So, for us to "acknowledge" our condition is to get diagnosed.

so an alcoholic who hasn't gone to an AA meeting is not an alcoholic?

I find this a strange attitude from someone who themselves received a late in life diagnoses. I also find it a frustrating attitude as someone who has aspergers with a certainty just short of diagnoses due entirely to financial reasons. If I don't have aspergers, there is a little known condition out there that I have yet to hear of that is essentially exactly the same as aspergers except in some strange little way, but I can't afford to see someone who could diagnose me.

That said, it does add a degree of credibility to the claim, especially outside of the aspergers community. However, if you are living your life fine and happy without anything that having an official diagnoses would give you, and it means nothing to your peace of mind, and you're going to be staying out of the public eye, I guess it's really your choice. It could help you down the line to have official paperwork, though, especially if you ever have kids on the spectrum. It would be a valuable documentation in diagnosing your kids to get them the help you missed out on.

I thought it was how I was born. So you're saying that this time last year I wasn't autistic?

I was diagnosed Jan 2011 with a corroborative dx in April. The second more complete evaluation revealed additional dx I was not aware of. Even this late in life (41) I am glad I have accurate information. Knowing the facts is a the first step in any decision making process.
Many people who have had wrong dx receive wrong treatment and meds.
My life is far from perfect and the dx has not changed the circumstances I live with but having the facts makes things a little less confusing.
I have a better plan for dealing with my life now.

Obviously people suffer from Aspergers PRIOR to their diagnosis; just as a person with Cancer will.

My comments about "not having it until diagnosed by a doctor" goes to the fact that you really can't "treat" (not that there are any treatments) for Aspergers until diagnosed. Most social programs (ie: the "track programs" our school district has for Autistic kids) only apply to those children with a dr's diagnosis. Just like the Cancer, you can't go out & prescribe your own chemo or radiation therapy. Besides that, unfortunatly AS can be a difficult diagnosis for a doctor to make...for the patient to self diagnose is silly (unless that patient has a medical degree.)

You're applying your very narrow world view and coming up with generalisations which do not apply anywhere near as much as you think.

Where I come from the entire disability support system is based on need and not on diagnosis. It is entirely possible for someone to go through their whole lives, with full support in school, work, housing, benefits etc, without ever getting diagnosed. Having a diagnosis sometimes makes it a bit easier to access support, but it's not essential.