Im pretty sure I have aspergers, Should i get a diagnosis?

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Tennant
Emu Egg
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16 Oct 2011, 1:25 am

Ive always been pretty socially akward, and incredibly clumsy, but i never thought there was a name for it. I daydream constantly about an incredibly narrow interest. Mine is divisibility of numbers - I can find the prime factorization [prime numbers that factor into a larger number, EG prime factorization of 676 is 2^2 * 13^2) of almost any number in under 10 seconds in my head. I tend to interpret things literally, Someone once asked me what shape my glasses were in, and my answer was oval. All of these things I have read are tell tale signs of AS.
I am 19 years old, Live at home with my parents, and go to College. I have no problem at all in my life, ive tried to overcome my social akwardness as best I can. I first heard about Aspergers in a psych class, and its seems to fit the things ive noticed about myself. How would I go about being diagnosed? how could I explain what im thinking to my parents in a way that doesnt seem like im putting myself down?



jinto1986
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16 Oct 2011, 1:56 am

Okay be careful about diagnosing yourself with stuff you hear about in psych class, it is a common known fact (hence probably assumption based on some truth) that there are a lot of first year psych students who become hypochondriacs (did I spell that remotely corrently? lol). With that being said, the main question to ask IMO is, "What would I use the diagnoses for?" If you don't want services or anything like that, at your age there really is no point IMO.



9of47
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16 Oct 2011, 3:05 am

I suggest further objective research on the issue. Should you still be certain that you have it, get a diagnosis to know for sure. Getting a diagnosis isn't always about getting services.

Despite getting a ton of academic adjustments (extensions, rest breaks, extra access to lecturers to clarify concepts and questions, special exam arrangements) I haven't used most of them. The only things I used was special exam arrangements and while I got the different exam venue (which is easier to get to than the normal off campus venue) I didn't always use the rest breaks. In fact I decided to go with the normal exam arrangements for one of my subjects this semester as it's only a two hour exam, and on campus with just the people in my subject.

The only real benefit of getting my diagnosis is for it to help me accept that I can't be held up to the same type of standards as a neurotypical and to get my family and friends to accept that. My friends have accepted but unfortunately my immediate family is pretty slow on the uptake. Another benefit I have found is that when it comes to situations where having Aspergers makes it more difficult, being able to confidently say that you have it and what help you need is quite valuable. For example I had a part time position this year and being able to say I had it to a full timer in the office meant that if I ever needed an extra break or if I did something weird, there was a reason for it. Of course you can say you have it without a diagnosis but if proof is needed, you won't have it.