Unsure About Things Pretaining to ASD and Myself

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Hello.

I've been looking at this forum for a while now, and I've finally worked up the courage to sign up.

I won't pretend that I am certain about Autism, or rather that I'm certain that I have it, or a variant of it; I've left my status to reflect that out of respect for those who have an official diagnosis.

I will attempt to keep this brief:

I have been researching the subject of Asperger's syndrome for 4 years now in an attempt to obtain an answer for my eccentricities. However, my resources at this time limit me from pursuing a formal diagnosis.

My question is: What are the moral implications for self-diagnosis, and what would be the purpose of a formal diagnosis?

Thank you for your time.

Hello and welcome to the forum Eriatarka

I'm currently self diagnosed seeking official diagnosis. I desperately want to get a diagnosis because of the reactions and lack of awareness of my family. I'm sick of being told I don't have ASD because somebody else has it and I'm not like them or because I used to enjoy going to rock clubs etc etc whatever else I can do that clashes with their ill informed ideas of what a person with Aspergers is like. My mother in law even referred to it as "Aspergers disease" at her last lecture about me not having it and how I need to pull myself together yeah like I'm going to take advice from someone who doesn't know the difference between a syndrome and a disease

So anyway the main reason I want a diagnosis is so I can tell her I'm not interested in her advice and would rather take advice from a qualified doctor with understanding of my condition and also because it would feel like the whole thing was finalised, I would know for sure and would feel I was able to be more open about my condition when I needed to be, such as when seeking employment.

I don't think there are any moral implications for me but a formal diagnosis may cause problems when seeking life insurance and it may cause some employers to reject someone who is diagnosed. I'm not bothered about those things but they certainly should be considered before seeking formal diagnosis.

ElsaFlowers, I can identify with a lot of what you said, I have an aunt who called Asperger's a "disease". It is hurtful to be misunderstood and/or not believed. But I thought it was illegal to deny someone employment because of a condition like ASD? Or is that only in certain countries?

I am not sure about getting a formal diagnosis. It would be nice to have "proof" for people who don't believe you. But I have been diagnosed incorrectly so many times, and I don't know that I trust psych doctors enough to diagnose correctly. Especially because many are doubtful of girls/women being ASD.

Welcome Eriatarka.

The more you do your own research on the autism spectrum the more you'll know whether or not you belong there.

In time, you may chose to pursue a formal evaluation / diagnosis. I did, because I wanted to know for sure if my belief about myself was correct.

You will know in your own heart the best path for you to follow.

Welcome to WP Eriatarka

I was self-diagnosed for two years before finally finding a reduced-cost way of getting diagnosed (through my university: if there is one in your area whose psych office sees non-students as mine does, that may be a cost-effective way of getting diagnosed). I don't believe there are any moral implications to being self-diagnosed: you can't get disability or other assistance without proper documentation, so people who would want to cheat the system would be unable to without a proper diagnosis. I did feel a little uncertain telling people I had AS before I was certain, but no one (except one of my friends, who thought I was just highly sensitive) ever questioned it.

The benefits of a formal diagnosis can range from merely having the personal satisfaction of knowing you were right in your suspicions, to being able to get accommodations at work if needed, to being able to apply for disability if keeping work is challenging. If you ever need therapy (mental, physical, occupational, etc.) telling the doctor you have autism is a good way to speed up the process to find out what you need specifically, and ensures that if any modifications to the standard program need to be made, that they are made right away, to ensure that you get the most effective treatment. If you are in school, or decide to go, you will be entitled to request disability services to get help where you need it for tests, homework, scheduling, even things like seating and being allowed to use a computer in classes where they would otherwise be prohibited. Less formally, you will be able to tell those around you about your condition more confidently, knowing you have the paperwork to back it up if they doubt you, which will hopefully lead to increased understanding and acceptance of your condition and its traits.

As for the risks, there is the possibility that employers will refuse to hire you (not letting on that autism was the reason why of course) but the trick is to not disclose (as is your right) until you are employed, at which point they are required (at least in the US) to provide you with accommodations to help you do your job. Under the ADA, they are not allowed to fire you because of a disability. (That said, I still haven't told my employers just in case they decide to find a non-autism-related reason to fire me for my disability).

With regard to insurance, Obamacare has made it illegal for insurance companies to drop or refuse to take you on based on a pre-existing condition, so you are safe in that regard as well.

Thank you everyone for answering my question and welcoming me to the forum; I really appreciate it!