Brother recently diagnosed with autism

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Yesterday my brother received an official diagnosis of Autistic Disorder and not Asperger's Syndrome. Now this makes three autistics in the house even though my dad was not officially diagnosed, it is very clear that he has at least Asperger's Syndrome maybe even Autistic Disorder. My mom is the only one that is not diagnosed as having an autism spectrum disorder. So, my brother has the same exact diagnosis as myself high functioning autism. Mine was diagnosed at age 5 and his was diagnosed at age 26. He can't get a job and can't really socialize without getting overly nervous. He would never be able to hold down a real job but he does have a company that is failing. Everything I am part of fails like a starving artist on the streets talking to rats. He is going to apply for SSI payments like I have. Mine isn't just the autism though that got me it but rather the extreme anxiety, schizoaffective disorder and severe depression. I know I have the bipolar type but my mania is not that bad. Very mild more like hypomania. It is interesting that he was diagnosed on Autism Awareness Month. I know its not the official day though which is April 2nd. In some ways my brother and dad is more autistic than me. It is because I love to socialize although I can improve on a lot of the skills because its hard to make small talk because I am more serious all the time. I have a family of 4 so out of the 4 there are 3 with a spectrum disorder. That is 75%! How hard is it to get SSI with a recent autism diagnosis? He did have the symptoms as a child but he just got diagnosed yesterday. Actually the testing was a few weeks ago we just got the results yesterday.

Trying to get SSI has been a never-ending pain in my ass. My official diagnosis, and letters from my psychologist insisting that I definitely have AS and can't work, have meant nothing to anyone in charge. Dozens upon dozens of receipts for weekly psychological counseling have meant nothing. The last time I met with a lawyer, he told me that the people in charge want to see proof that I've tried to work but couldn't. So in other words, they want proof that's impossible to provide.

My last psychologist was refreshingly honest with me, compared to the other ones I've had, and he said that who does and doesn't get approved is more or less random – he's seen people who were severely disabled, practically ret*d, who absolutely needed assistance, get turned down again and again (and again and again and again), and he's seen people who clearly had nothing wrong with them, people who were just looking for a handout, get approved on the first try. You just throw your dart at the board, hope it hits, and keep trying when it doesn't. To call it frustrating would be a huge understatement.

I am sorry about your experience. I know that there are many that get rejected over and over again even when they needed it. I think in a way I was lucky when I got it because the state doctor was understanding of my problems and said that there was no way that I would be able to hold down a job or get a job. My brother has tried to get jobs but on the interview he fails miserably. It is because of his social skills aren't there. My brother while in some ways is more autistic than I am but I am more disabled in other ways because of multiple disabilities. My mom is also my caregiver and gets paid for what she does to take care of me. I can't figure out simple tasks and get overwhelmed at simple tasks. Even going to the store is difficult for me (I HATE Walmart). The noise and crowds are too much for me and I shut down. I can't drive for multiple reasons. In that way my brother is much higher functioning than I am because he does drive his own car. More documentation the better for you to get SSI. I gave much proof to them that I am disabled. In fact I went to the mental hospital for the first time when I was just 15 years old even though I started having severe problems 12/13. In fact the panic attacks were so severe I truly thought they were heart attacks and I needed to go to the hospital a few times a week. The voices were bad as well. Everything was bad. I even had very, very early warning signs as early as 8 or earlier. I was never normal. For the depression I was always negative. My brother is the opposite of me by being overly unrealistically optimistic. Delusional.