Difficult to find anyone to diagnose me.

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I've been trying to get diagnosed for a few years now and I can't seem to find anyone credible. I found one guy who speicalizes in Autism etc. He took me in even though he only evaluates children. He wasn't much help ended up spending a bunch of money on him only for him to give us the run around and not give me a diagnoses. He kept asking me "Are you sure you can pay for this, your insurance doesn't cover it." Over and over again, I'm tired of Doctors asking me for money straight off, most of the time isn't not even worth it.... I always pay. And yes I guess the test wouldn't be the same as a child for an adult.

I'm not sure who else to go to, there's no one in my area and I can't afford to travel.

How did you get get diagnosed? Because it seems impossible to find anyone who diagnoses adults.

I see that your location is "Earth." That's jolly good, because it's known that all existing autism professionals live on Earth.

If you could give us a little more information, we could narrow down our recommendations. Give as much info as you are comfortable doing. It could be anything from "small village in northern England" all the way down to "suburb of Melbourne, Australia" or "Brooklyn, New York." Also, what is your age?

This is a real problem all over, even once you find one expect a several month wait.

OK. Finding someone qualified to diagnose an adult with autism is tricky, but it can be done. The guy you saw didn't act very professional, taking your money and leaving you without a result. Or did he say you didn't quite meet the criteria for diagnosis? He should at least have given you a written report stating his conclusions based on whatever testing he used.

You can try a university psychology or educational psychology clinic, the type where psychologists are trained. You can also look for an autism center that treats children and adolescents, and ask what they can do or what they recommend. You might also try contacting neuropsychologists.

We have a very nice sociologist who sometimes participates here, SocOfAutism. She lives in Virginia. I'm going to PM her and ask if she can contact you.

Are you working? If you are not, look for the office of vocational rehabilitation in your area. They paid for my diagnosis. Are you close to the DC line? You might have a good chance of finding a good OVR office there. Also the National Autism society has headquarters in Bethesda MD. They might be able to help you as well.

Hi, unrealnorthmoon. I contacted SocOfAutism for you. She asked where in VA you are, and added:

"In SW VA I would contact the Virginia Tech Autism Center. In fact, they might also have a list for other areas of VA.

"However, tell her to keep in mind that the VTAC are not about autism strength and empowerment. They are about diagnoses, treatment, and future cures."

I hope this helps!