If you could ask a registered psychologist...

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If you had the opportunity to sit down with a registered psychologist who is very experienced with ASDs for a few hours and talk about anything, what kinds of questions would you bring to the table? Let's assume that the question of "do I have an ASD?" has already been answered. What other things would you want to find out? This can include not just personal questions about yourself, but also general autism knowledge questions that someone with a lot of real experience may be able to give some good insight into.

Here is a sample of the things I want to ask:

1. Do I have co-morbid conditions (suspected possibilities: nonverbal learning disorder, sensory processing disorder, general anxiety, OCD)? If so, are they and how are they functionally separate from Aspergers? If I want help for them, do I need more official diagnoses?

2. How much should I try to change about myself, and how much should I accept? Where should I draw the line on certain behaviours?

3. Tell me about right-brain/left-brain discrepancies in relation to ASDs. Is it possible to improve your brain functioning by working on your non-dominant side (e.g. right-handed person switching to left)? With any of my specific issues, are there any simple at-home exercises I can do to improve my mental functioning?

4. In your career, have you noticed that children on the spectrum react differently to psychiatric medications than neurotypical children?

5. What is the relationship between prospopagnosia and spacial reasoning? What is the relationship between spacial reasoning and sensory issues - how can you distinguish what exactly causes sensorimotor difficulties, and does that cause detract from other areas of mental functioning?

I think many of these questions are more neuroscience than psychology. And I think the question for how much you should/could change for others can only be answered by you.

I would ask questions about isolating. I've always done it, but I wonder how much of that is training because of my whacked out childhood and how much is actually part of me.

I know enough about my traits & coexisting diagnoses etc so I don't think I'd bother asking about them at all, especially if the good doctor is just going to repeat the same info I've managed to learn from books and the internet.

I'd ask them if they're aware of specific coexisting conditions being common among us & what their treatment options are. Chances are they wouldn't have a clue and I'd end up educating them about a few things. No, not to let the potential Aspie trait of being a "know-it-all little professor," run it's course, but rather because I highly suspect that most professionals dealing with ASD & other mental afflictions are completely unaware of some of the things I've managed to learn myself, and so if I can educate them they'll be better able to help others.