Is there a benefit to getting diagnosed officially?

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Seeing as there is no cure for AS, is there any kind of benefit to getting an official diagnosis? My wife seems quite insistent that I should get an official diagnosis, that it could be good for learning ways to deal with it, and that sort of thing. But I see it as being largely a waste of time and money since there's no cure and I really don't want to be medicated at all. I do have health insurance that would (or at least should) cover it, but I'm just wondering from those who have more experience with it, is it worth doing?

you can be taken seriously by real aspies.... really though i can call myself parapalegic if i want but that doesn't make it so.

you get a happy face sticker.

Of course... people will believe u. Otherwise people just think u are weird and want some label.

Is there a benefit to getting diagnosed officially?

Yes.

1. You can get PROPER treatment for the comorbids.

2. Some governments count AS as a disability, and have laws against discrimination due to AS.

3. If instead you have another condition that mimics some of the symptoms of AS, you can get proper treatment for those, as well.

4. And of course, those of us who have received official diagnoses won't brush you off as a whining wannabe or poseur.

I only found a benefit in the neuro pshyc test.

It gives you a look at how you are different than others and helps understand better.
The AS or HFA label in my t shirts just itches.

it helps you
1. treat comorbids
2. Get relationship counseling that actually works
3 communicate better with your spouse
husband asks me if x or y overwhelms me do I need a break and I feel like we are more of a team. It can give your wife a place to stand my husband was about to divorce me at the time of my diagnosis.

It does sound like a waste of time and money doesn't it? But the truth is, at least if you have a diagnosis of AS or something similar (for example I have PDD-NOS), you actually have on paper that you have the disorder and getting treatment for it will improve your life! Also, the reason why there's no cure for any of the Autism Spectrum Disorders is because it's a neurological dysfunction, it's nothing like depression and anxiety which you can learn to cope with and it'll all disappear! You do live with it your whole life, but the important thing to remember is that your quality of life is what matters.

Also, if your wife says so, I'd say that you should probably do it. Women are right most of the time, especially if she's the love of your life.

i haven't bothered. after my nephew was diagnosed, i read up on AS and found myself described. i was 55. AS had radically affected my romantic life and professional life, but i had learned from it all. i learned small talk after age 50. it rarely becomes an issue, but when i must disclose, i just disclose the bits that affect the situation. i recently got criticized in choir practice for not showing enough facial expression. privately i let the director know that i have a learning disability that makes it hard for me to show expression. he doesn't need to know i'm on the autism spectrum

knowing i have AS has made more sense of things that have happened in my life. i have read some books about living with AS, but most of the stuff in them i have already figured out along the way.

i started a new career at 51, and married at 52. things are going well. i know who i am. if things change, i'd consider getting diagnosed, but for now i'm happy with unofficially having AS.

first and foremost, screw a cure. Thats neurotypical supremacists speaking.

as for benefits of diagnosis-

*access to welfare money depending where you live and sometimes the extent of your autism
*access to interventional therapy/treatment (again depending where you live)
*margin to ask for reasonable changes at your workplace
*if someone harrasses you cause of your autistic traits at work you can claim discrimination
*extra assistance at college/ university or school if applicable.
*if you live in the UK or country with socialised housing having a diagnosis with a recognised disability can improve your chances of getting social or council housing faster.
*help with understanding NT spouses, partners or relatives at home. This can diffuse domestic tension.

you speak as if it is definite that you have aspergers... this makes you sound foolish. i am not saying that you don't, i have never met you, nor would i be the one to make that call. however aspergers is a very trendy disorder and the symptoms affect most people at some point in life, leading to mass self diagnosis. some days i am happier than others. some days i am sadder than others. this does not mean that i have bipolar disorder. (which if you recall was all the rage not too long ago)

Meh, I was faced with your situation to a certain extent, OP and I decided to go through with assessment. Honestly, there wasn't even an option for me; if your life is as negatively affected by the disorder (or perceived disorder; I haven't been diagnosed yet) as mine is, the money and time is absolutely nothing in light of the potential understanding (both of yourself and others of you), psychological help (how can you ask a psychologist to treat you for a neurological disorder you're not diagnosed with) and probably a few things I'm forgetting. It opens doors for people who feel trapped, I think. If your life is relatively pleasant, your symptoms aren't costing you employment, education and relationships, you're probably justified in not wanting to seek assessment because it'd offer very little benefit. Note: None of this is to say you don't have an ASD; you could be one of the lucky people who learned how to cope.

I wonder if this is a moot point now that there will be no more such-a-thing as Aspergers (at least over here in the U.S.)

I think it helps people to come to terms with what they have suffered for years without knowing what is wrong with them.
i think it can be useful to know that you have a condition..and the doctors can then get you the help you need in the right way ..also it helps others understand that you have a spectrum disorder...and not just weird.

Well, you do get a membership card with unique benefits.

Benefits like, absolute social retardation and an obsession that makes a heroin addiction blush.

So knowledgeable and only 19 Seriously, though, why is your wife so insistent? Will it help her deal with your quirks? Maybe that's what she's looking for.

Obviously there's no cure, but there's no cure for a lot of stuff out there, and it doesn't mean the only option is to stick your head in the sand.

And besides - like others have said, how can you be sure it's AS? After 4 years of suspecting so I finally got an official diagnosis and my entire outlook changed. It really enabled me to (a) understand myself better and (b) deal with the stuff that was bugging me and those close to me.

If you don't want an official Dx, then fine, don't get one. But it seems like at least one half of your relationship thinks that it might be a good idea - I'd want to know why.