I want to get diagnosed...

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I want to get diagnosed, but I got a bit of a problem and some questions to ask bout it. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum or if it's too big of a post.

I recently talked to someone over spring-break who was a psychologist of some sort, and she told me that "Pervasive Developmental Disorder" (which is a very old word for Autism) was an outdated word and recommended me to find a psychologist for diagnosis and also mentioned that I could get benefits from being diagnosed. So then this morning, I read an article on this website called "Dear Aspie: Should I Get a Diagnosis? " as I've been curious about diagnoses for a little while now. So now that I've read that article, I'm really itching to get a diagnosis, but like I said, there's a personal problem to it.


To give you an idea of what's going on, I'm 21 and I'm also living with my father who is a big control freak who thinks I really do have asperger's syndrome without being diagnosed officially yet. Around my preschool years, my father was told from some doctors that I was supposedly "diagnosed" with PDD, but he wasn't told what spectrum it was, not even PDD-NOS. On top of that, I don't have any official documentation or medical records or whatever paper showing my diagnosis of PDD. I don't even know if I even have one. Otherwise, I would've been forced to show my employer my records of me being diagnosed with PDD . my father can easily see the symptoms in me and yet he never got me diagnosed EVER, even after he found out that I was supposedly "diagnosed" with PDD or aspergers. I never asked him about why he never diagnosed me, but my step-mother told me that he's worried that it might affect me in the long run...as in, I might get fired or not be able to get a job because of my diagnosis. However, the article that I linked above clearly states that "If you inform your employer that you have a disability and ask for accommodation, and the employer fires you or refuses to accommodate your request, you have grounds for a damaging and embarrassing lawsuit."

In short, my father is gonna push and shove me to NOT get a diagnosis because of his paranoia of "BUT SON YOU WON'T GET A JOB!" and I'm too afraid to stand up to him to have a diagnosis because he gets CRAZY when I argue with him.

What should I do about it? should I get a diagnosis without him knowing about it? should I confront him about having a diagnosis? Also, what are the benefits to having a diagnosis? are there any disadvantages?

With employers (assuming you live in the U.S) you do not have to tell them anything regarding your status. If you need some reasonable accommodation, like a quiet place to have your desk in an office, then you should tell them and have an official diagnosis to back it up.

That's the advantage and (in my opinion) the only reason to get an 'official' diagnosis as an adult: for the extra help entitled to you for work and life. So you really need to look at your situation and decide if you need a leg up, and if this would help you get it.

If you do decide to get it, do your research. Just cause someone has Dr. in front of his name does NOT mean he's qualified to determine if you're on the spectrum or not. Particularly with adults, you really need someone who knows autism and Asperger's very well, because we present our symptoms differently than a child does. Whatever you do, good luck.

How odd! Pervasive Developmental Disorder is not outdated at all. It's the general category for autism in the DSM-IV.

You're afraid to stand up to your dad--are you able to live on your own at this point? It's easier to stand up to parents when there is some distance between you.

well, what I heard from her was that it was not commonly mentioned or, rather, the term is not used as much anymore. I just figured it was outdated, that's all.

i've been meaning to live on my own, but I'm afraid not. The only distance that I "might" have is that I have a job at a pizza hut. Even then, he still gets on case every so often. I might move down my mother, but I would rather finish my degree first due to transfer fee's. other than that, I'm not sure how else I'll be able to get some more distance from my father.



like I said, I work at a pizza hut in America, so i'm not sure if a diagnosis is going to affect my current job.

also, I'm mostly hoping for a diagnosis because I want to know for sure entirely that I am inflicted with such thing. I just hate not being sure of who I really am, that's all. The way things are now are okay for me for the most part, but what's really getting me down is the ability to make friends and to have a girlfriend. On the other hand, I don't expect the diagnosis to help me make friends. If I can make friends without a diagnosis, all the better.

Also, what do you mean by " the extra help entitled to you for work and life" ?

If you were fired from a job for your diagnosis, that is illegal, and not a reason to avoid an official diagnosis. I am becoming a teacher and talked to my sisters friend who is an educational lawyer for a school district, and was greatly reassured that the accommodations I am seeking are fine, and if I was fired it would have to be for reasons other than my AS (such as doing my job poorly) and I could not be denied my accommodations (as they are reasonable etc).

The biggest reason to have an official diagnosis is to seek accommodations or to have that option if the situation arises in the future. But I would look and call around for someone who is qualified or specialized to make a diagnosis of the Autism spectrum in an adult (ask the psychiatrist or psychologist to see if they do that before making the appointment).

Good luck and reassure your dad that a diagnosis will not hinder you and may even protect you on a job.

I'm not sure where you live, but I live in Kentucky, and Kentucky is a "hire/fire at-will" state. Your employer can fire you for any reason they wish, and proving it was discriminatory is very difficult. They are smart enough to make the official reason something else. I would be very careful about disclosing your diagnosis to employers; some might be great and willing to accomodate you but others will doubt your abilities and try to get rid of you at the soonest opportunity. Often, " the employee did not fit with the rest of the team" is all the reason they need.