Time For A Second Opinion?

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I was diagnosed with Asperger's by a licensed clinical psychologist 2 years ago. Lately, I've been thinking of getting a second diagnosis from the Univ. of Washington Adult Autism Clinic. Why?

1. I went to see a psychologist a few days ago about starting therapy. During the intake she diagnosed me with depression and PTSD. I told her about the Asperger's. She doubts I have it because I can make eye contact and also because a lot of my traits may actually be related to depression and PTSD and not autism.

2. I am able to make eye contact. If lights are bright they still make my eyes water, though.

3. I can control my stims in public. Normally I'd be shaking my legs and rocking like there's no tomorrow.

4. I've "softened" my idiosyncratic speech. In the past I'd say "Robin is going to the store" or "the old man is going to the store." Now I'll just say "I'm going to the store."

5. I haven't had social contact with anyone in years so it's hard to ascertain if I still make those same faux pas like I did that cost me friendships.

6. I'm not pursuing any special interests at the moment but this may be related more to depression than anything else.

The person who said "I don't think you're on the spectrum"...

Autism expert, or generalist?

By all means get a second opinion if you feel the need, but don't let an unqualified person contradict the diagnosis of someone who knows what they're talking about, including having a grasp of the variations possible amongst people on the spectrum.

After all, you were diagnosed as having AS for a reason, and I doubt it was done lightly.

If you're really wishing to get a second opinion, go for it. Has this psychologist (the one who brought up PTSD) worked with a lot of people on the spectrum before? If they haven't I'd take what they say with a grain of salt. PTSD and depression are co-morbid conditions of Asperger's. I would say that all people on the spectrum have experienced trauma due to their vulnerabilities and over-sensory issues. You might not meet the diagnostic criteria for intervention, but that doesn't mean you don't have an Asperger brain. You might fall under the 'residual' category - having learned enough to pass as NT and learned enough self-management techniques to have a better handle on stress and over-sensory issues.

I can actually relate to your list. I can keep good eye contact, but it's still not a natural process. I have to think about moving my eye movements otherwise I will quite happily stare the other person down. I can control my stims in public, it's called self-regulation. I'm not really pursuing interests intensely at the moment either because I am kind of tired. And I am in the process of renovating my home and doing other stuff.

I would refuse to see a counselor who did not take my condition seriously. You don't need a second opinion, you need someone who isn't arrogantly convinced they can evaluate you in the space of an intake interview.

My intake appointment didn't take a long time, maybe 30 or 40 minutes. I did talk about my history but my focus was on my relationship with my abusive father. The way she zeroed in on PTSD, much to my surprise, tells me that that is her area of expertise and not autism. Part of me don't really take her seriously because it wasn't an autism screening and she's not licensed in that area. The reason it's been on my mind is because she is a psychologist.

By all means go to the experts at University of Washington Adult Autism Center. You can have depression and Autism. It is a common commorbity.

Rant
With the exception of the the specialists it is a f*****g shame we not only have to deal with the outside world who understandably does not understand us but it seems majority of the psychological profession who because of lack of information or a preconceived notion that this does not exist or is over hyped. People on the spectrum tend to need categorization so professionals getting even the basics wrong is particularly damaging to us I think. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I fell so bad for you all.