Anyone got DX without childhood info?

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I'm interested to know, if any of you diagnosed with AS got a DX without there being access to information on your childhood. (I'm aware that some clinicians will not DX without childhood information.)

This could be because parents are deceased, parents unreliable due to mental health issues, estrangement from parents and there being no-one else who knew you in childhood.

With regard to the four sub-types of AS, ( http://www.awares.org/static_docs/about ... cSection=3) I have read that the "passive" and "stilted" presentations are more likely to go undiagnosed, and it could be that for people with these presentations nothing as obvious as the other types being displayed, meant that no 'alarm bells' rang for parents so nothing of note was recorded for childhood behaviour and therefore for this reason there is not much helpful information gained for clinicians.

I do remember reading at least one person's post on WP that despite there being no childhood information, the clinician decided there was if not overwhelming evidence, at least strong enough evidence from the traits displayed that warranted a DX.

If this is the case with anyone, or you have a relevant experience, please could you post what your clinician said in regard to this.

I am definitely in the stilted group now but was in the aloof group as a child. My clinician spoke to my mother on the phone but said this information was helpful but not necessary for a DX. My current symptoms are not particularly severe as to my functionality, except that I still have several minor problems with my speech.

Definitely Stilted here as well. For my diagnosis, the psychologist sent home two very long forms for my Mom to fill out about my childhood; one was a several page questionnaire and the other was a several page, essay question and response on my behavior. It was really interesting seeing how my Mom had perceived my childhood. I think, for my diagnosis, my childhood information was relatively important because I didn't have a legitimate social or functional breakdown due to AS until I dropped out of college; before then, I'd almost managed decently.

I have never spoken to my parents about autism (they live hundreds of miles away). My Mum in particular freaks out when I discuss problems.

I have collected many stories from childhood and have submitted extensive written documentation of my experiences to the psychiatrist who confirmed the preliminary diagnosis from a neurologist. A friend who works with autistics is adamant I am on the Spectrum, but the omission of childhood documentation makes me doubt my diagnosis.

Yes, I was diagnosed as an adult without direct corroboration of childhood behaviour from my parents. The reason for that is twofold:

1. My father would not be a reliable source of information due to his own mental illness (GAD, Panic disorder, Agoraphobia)
2. While I offered that my mother would likely be willing to fill in any gaps over the phone, the clinical psychologist who conducted my assessment did not believe it was necessary in my case due to her impressions from me and my testing results. I presume that was mostly to do with the consistency of my answers during testing and lack of doubt on the psychologist's part about appropriate diagnosis.

I was diagnosed as an adult without much childhood information. All I was really able to tell them was that my parents told me that I had no delay's. My mother is mentally ill though so I don't know if I can trust her, and my father was an alcoholic who probably didn't know anything about childhood development at all, so he's not a very reliable source. My mother told me that she asked my aunt if I had a mental problem because I was a little "too" involved with my imaginary friends. And when I was 6 or 7 my teacher recommended that I be tested for ADHD.

That's really all I was able to tell them and they still diagnosed me with AS.

I don't remember giving childhood information, although technically I was still a child (15) when I got diagnosed. So maybe they just assumed it wasn't some adult-onset thing because I was still not quite an adult. (Although schizophrenia, one of the big things autism can be confused with in adulthood, isn't that unusual in teenagers as well as adults.)

Thanks guys. Really useful to know. More replies still welcome.

When I was in my twenties I was lucky that my late mother did the legwork to collect medical records and school records from my childhood before they were lost or destroyed. Not to say that I wouldn't have eventually gotten a correct diagnosis anyway, but some of the symptoms were much more obvious when I was a boy. High-functioning autism and Aspergers were not recognized in the USA until I was in my thirties. I wasn't diagnosed until I was in my forties. I didn't start getting some real help from the local Brokerage until I was in my fifties. OMG I'm old!

idk, I remembered my childhood, and my speech delays in having to go to a speech therapist, and getting made fun of for the way I talked. Plus had some issues in school, where I failed classes, and I don't forget that. I just told my therapist about everything but then again I'm still fairly young.

a little bump as more replies would be useful.

Nope

General psychic needed to see my mother, as did the AS specialist at an AS clinic.

I guess they want this to determine whether it's AS or Schizoid PD (age of onset being one of the biggest differences). I can't say I'd provide an accurate picture as a child (I just don't know most of the early stuff).

No. For two reasons:
-The first time I was diagnosed DURING childhood;
-Even when I was re-diagnosed during adolescence (and maybe when I'll be during adulthood) psychiatrists had to ask me questions about my childhood, or the diagnosis couldn't be reliable, since AS is a PDD.

Just to clarify, I'm looking for affirmative answers to the thread only please: in other words please only reply if it does apply to you.

Many thanks.

I was diagnosed as an adult. The individual originally wanted a little parental input but decided it was not needed after most of the testing was completed. I would probably classify as passive with some instances of aloof. I am not prone to typical symptoms and I have a strong feeling that my socioeconomic class and religious upbringing also had a hand in causing my behavior to not come under extreme scrutiny.

Nope--my psych refused to diagnose me without it.