Female AS resources

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I know of one website with a list of female AS characteristics, etc... but i am wondering about any other resourses out there that are especially good? It's been so many years and I'm still not sure if I totally fall into this category... I'm on a search for what was/is wrong with me and the source of my awfully severe differences. My current doc will only tell me "aggitation".

Use Google, look up some psychologist directories for your area, find their numbers and just start cold calling them, one by one. Ask each one if they specialize in assessing female adults for autism spectrum disorder. If their answer is no, or anything but yes, ask them if they know someone who does specialize in that area that they could recommend you to. I think that will be your best bet. Don't rely on your current healthcare team to find you one as they clearly have been stuck in a pattern of ignoring you for what appears to be a long time from your posts. Make sure the psychologist who you finally settle for, that that is ALL they do. That is solely their area of specialty. Not just assessing adults with autism, but have specific experience in with adult females on the autism spectrum as they present differently than males.

There is this documentary

This is an awfully high bar. I think Angnix should be good with someone who has this experience, but it doesn't have to be the only thing they do.

Where I live, there is no one who only treats adult autism. Forget just treating women only.

My area has exactly one decent PhD psychologist who does gold standard testing for adults. There may be three others who sort of half ass the testing. None take insurance.

I guess if you live on the coasts, you may have a person who only does females with ASD. Here in the midwest, forget it. You will be lucky to find anyone who deals with a person with ASD as an adult, who isn't really really low.

I agree with Bea. If the person has a clue it's better than nothing.

This is one of my favorite blogs by an autistic woman and it's pretty new so it doesn't take too long to read all the posts: https://autnot.wordpress.com

This is another that I've found to be helpful: https://musingsofanaspie.com/adult-diagnosis/

I'd be happy to find someone with experience in treating adults with AS, of any gender. Everybody I've talked to either doesn't take my insurance or they are booked for months, or they don't take adults. I've met other autistic people through Meetup, and you can always start your own group.

I've also heard of people getting therapy via Skype if there are no specialists in their area. I'm not sure how you would set that up with your insurance, but I think you could make a case for it.

In the United States, you can search for therapists by speciality and location here: https://therapists.psychologytoday.com/

and there are resources for autism spectrum disorder here: http://www.autismsource.org. Click http://209.200.89.252/search_site/search.cfm to search the database. If you are wanting a diagnosis, look for a clinical psychologist who specializes in testing ASD. If you just want a therapist who knows about ASD without going through the testing, look for an LCSW or psychiatric nurse. Note, if you want workplace accommodations or are applying for disability, you'll need a diagnosis. It's not required for therapy.

There is an Autism Society of Michigan: https://www.autism-mi.org if you are still located in Michigan.

I've tried emailing autism society of Michigan before with no luck. My former doc said im not diagnosed because it would not change my treatment plan.
Now when they thought DBT would be beneficial, they had to diagnose me with Borderline for insurance reasons, which was what I was first told, but now the doc is trying to convince me I really have it.
It's seems it's a huge insurance game and frustraiting for someone that wants answers.

I've had only two docs ever to look at some of my old childhood records. One said Childhood Bipolar. Another doc I met inpatient said Childhood Bipolar and Aspergers. Childhood Bipolar is probably correct and i even have the type of adult BP that supports that. But other stuff more like AS.

ASocMich is a joke. I called and could not get ANY helpful information.

My person wasn't a cute kid with loaded parents. Sucks to be me.

(prove me wrong ASocMich. You do NOTHING for adults on the upper end of the spectrum. Useful as a bra for a bird)

Anyway, I give you this suggestion because this is how I found the guy that tested my husband.

Go to the Psychology Today Web site. Put in your zip code. Refine search to Aspergers or Autism (try both and see what comes up). Start cold calling.

Now, you may get lucky like me. The called therapist didn't handle testing/therapy but he knew the guy we saw. Our PhD was not listed in the search. It's like playing Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

I get what they are saying about testing. I think you have the right to know, but I understand mental health services don't get covered under the ICD for autism. It's always has to be depression, OCD or whatever.

I live in Metro Detroit. There are basically no services for people not diagnosed as children. Even the therapist who say they "treat" aren't doing anything different than a general psychiatrist. We couldn't get PT, OT or speech services. My husband could really use all of that. No providers.

I think you live west of me. Everyone around Muskegon area and above that either goes to Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor or Chicago if they really need something specialized.

Do you have Medicare A/B or just Medicaid?

Do you have anyone who could drive a little distance to a provider?

[quote="MusicMama"]This is one of my favorite blogs by an autistic woman and it's pretty new so it doesn't take too long to read all the posts: https://autnot.wordpress.com

Thank you! What a great little blog that is.

I live kind of close to Ann Arbor, but not in the metro area. Ann Arbor is where a couple of my husband's specialists are and insurance pays a cab to go there, but I have medicaid... I mean I can't even find anyone except my local CMH to treat me.

There are something like 2 doctors in the world who focus on autism in women alone. But you should be able to find someone who is capible of diagnosing it in women. You can help the process by researching the official criteria (not the hippy dippy Rudy Simone type stuff, but the DSM V stuff) and making a list of ways that your behavior matches or dosen't match it.

I'm going to PM you something else.

For s**ts and giggles, I dug around the Psychology Today find a therapist search. I put in medicaid, Autism, Aspergers and Ann Arbor proper.

Three names pulled up and one looked promising. I mean, I would give that guy a whirl with my husband. He is a PhD (who could do testing).

When people say "find a specialist", remember I searched Ann Arbor, Michigan. There was maybe 7 who said they handle ASD clients. Those office charges were $80-$250/per session. One therapist MAY fit OP's criteria of taking medicaid. This Ann Arbor...University of Michigan. Only one therapist for an adult? There maybe others, but those are probably private pay only.

U of M has their own ASD clinic that handles children. What surprised me is what limit insurance they accepted, and yes, no medicaid.

I'm familiar with the area outside of Ann Arbor. Not many specialists outside of the city proper.

Will medicaid actually pay for ASD adult testing?

One last Hail Mary pass...

U of M has an outpatient psychiatry department. They have an Autistic Spectrum Disorders Clinic. It is almost all geared to children, but it did say they occasionally test adults.

Do you have anyone who can advocate for you so the clinic might do the testing,(hopefully for a reduced cost)? You may get blown off if you call, but having a doctor or social worker plead your case might be enough for them to consider it.

I'm sure the clinic doesn't take medicaid. I wonder were parents go if that is their primary insurance? Almost no one who works with autistic clients accepts medicaid in Ann Arbor.

My local Community Mental Health (CMH) is suppose to handle autism too. And U of M psychaitry is way backed up, ive called them before.

The last time I dealt with this, a couple of therapists that were suppose to put me in a DBT group, without me suggesting anything, felt I had AS and decided that I should have autism therapy instead... CMH didn't like this and convinced me to join another DBT group. Months later I tried to go back to the therapists... but they were gone out of town.