Asperger's, OCD & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

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OK, so I first really started investigating Asperger's Syndrome because of OCD problems I was having, and went to my doctor primarily about the OCD for treatment. I mentioned that I thought I had AS, and she told me there was no way I'd be seeing an Autism Spectrum specialist in the next few years - here in New Mexico, there just aren't enough of them to go round, and the wait times are insane, so she said she'd send me to a behavioral therapist. I had thought that we'd agreed to go to one who had some experience working with Asperger's and ASD patients, but when I got there last week, it turns out the guy I'm seeing has no such experience, at all.
I don't really know what to make of this - I know that problems can come up if the OCD is treated as if an Asperger's patient was instead a NT, but I'm not clear on the potential problems, and I know that some form of behavioral therapy is usually the norm. Has anyone done Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and did it work out for you? Is it an appropriate treatment? It seems based around being aware of what you're doing, that what you're doing is irrational, and learning to stop it on that basis. I already know what I'm doing is stupid and pointless, I don't think I need a therapist to tell me that, but all I have so far is a one page "about" blurb that doesn't really answer many questions, also, the section on it marked

makes me uneasy, given that those with AS already think and communicate in a markedly different way to the general population.

So, any suggestions, folks? Is this the right thing for me? Has anyone been through it? Will it help, or hinder?

CBT works for OCD (a mental illness); it completely "cured" me of it (and medication therapy helped too), I had it quite severe too. The basis of it is to expose yourself to whatever causes you anxiety ("O"), and then refrain from doing the compulsion ("C"). It'll hurt...quite a bit at first, but each subsequent time you'll experience less and less anxiety if it's stepped accordingly.

It doesn't do anything for my development disorder (autistic disorder), I assume it'll be of a similar level of use for those with AS. My brain is wired too differently, with each exposure -- take minimal forced socialization for example, my anxiety level doesn't decrease nor do I find it any easier with each subsequent step.

I've been in CBT for about 9 months now. I went in for suspicion of depression or bipolar. It helped dramatically for the first 4 months but I've plateaued now and don't know what to do next.
It's great for coming with alternatives to negative behaviors. The psychologist won't be too interested in why you are doing something but how you will do something else.

The only problem I've had with the AS/NT issue is that "black and white" thinking is always seen as a negative behavior, there is an emphasis on a lot of talking when you might not be able to verbalize things. There's also a tendency to chat, if you have trouble sequencing events, you might not be able to explain something important or remember to discuss your main problems.

I think many people with AS have OCD like symptoms; I do, but with me at least it is not actual OCD.

From what I have learned about OCD people exhibit the behaviours because they feel something bad will happen the them or their friends, family if they don't. This compels them.

With me although the beahviours might look like OCD the cause is completely different. It's not negative, it's positive.

In other words I do these things because doing so relieves stress, orders my world, makes the patterns around me more pleasing; I don't necessarily feel compelled.

That's it.

However, OCD and bipolar [for example] are common comorbid disorders for those with AS/autism (it all adds to the fun).

This is more or less what I would say.

We must remember that NTs can think very irrationally and illogically. Though I am not completely like MR Spock. I often dispel irrational negative behavior quite well.

The other day, one of my workmates said why am I going to the Carnival when there are so much stabbings and shootings. The actual percentage of people getting kill this way don’t even account for 1%. Should 1% of all carnival goers eventually get killed in the carnival in their lifetime, the chances of you actually getting kill are still very low. You could bet that if this was case the news would over exaggerate the risks and the carnival would be closed for good.

Oh, I definitely stim, and I'm realising it's a distinct behavior - last night, I was OCDing about closing the fridge door, checking and rechecking it, and it was stressing me out, and I actually started stimming by flapping my hand (and I flap very, very rarely - rare enough that I'd actually forgotten I do it at all, but last night reminded me), so the stimming was a reaction to the stress that the OCD was causing me. It's funny, because they do seem connected, but they are distinct behaviors, similarly doing things in a certain order (not something I do too much, but with a few things I do).

Me too, the example I often use is that I used to smoke the occasional cigar because I enjoyed it, but afterwards I'd feel the nicotine, and quite irrationally want another one. I could tell that this was addictive behavior, and just ignore it. For whatever reason, I can't ignore the OCD, much as I'd like to.