Psychologist said it didn't seem I have Aspergers because...

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The psychologist told me that he didn't think I have Asperger's Syndrome. Amongst the examples he cited that according to him supported his belief that I didn't have Asperger's was my answer to his question about why I didn't converse with people. When he asked me that question, I thoughtlessly answered that I didn't talk to people because I didn't have anything to say (which is not untrue, just not entirely accurate). According to the psychologist, that answer suggests I don't have Asperger's Syndrome.

So, what would have been an answer to his question that would have supported the Asperger's hypothesis?

Would a more idiosyncratic answer such as "I have a hard time following the rhythm of a conversation" have kept me in the running? How about, "I don't see the point of sharing my ideas with others"? Or, "talking feels unnatural to me"? Or, "I have a hard time articulating grammatically correct sentences and telling stories"?

As a matter of fact, those answers apply to me to some extent. I just answered what I answered because I was put on the spot and didn't want to appear like an idiot if I spent too much time thinking about my answer.

Last edited by Mw99 on 21 Apr 2008, 8:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Why are you so eager to be diagnosed with something?

I didn't say I am eager. If anything, I am curious to know whether I have Asperger's or not.

I kind of got the impression that you were looking for the "right answer" to make him think you had Asperger's. Are you just a little bit disappointed that he doesn't seem to think you do?

Im not familiar with how psychiatrists really evaluate you to figure out if you have AS or not. I will admit to that from my personal p.o.v i do think him basing his entire evaluation on one thing you said (if thats what he did) and ignoring all other signs (if there are, i dont really know you so i cant tell) i think hes pretty lame. However, if he did give you multiple reasons for you not having aspergers i guess maybe you dont?

Don't be like that. It is frustrating to go through life feeling that you're not like everyone else, that you're different in so many ways. Then one day you discover that there are other people like you and there's a name for your condition. So who do you have to talk to about it? A NT doctor. Frustrating.

Why isn't that something an AS person would say?

I didnt really get that either to be honest. Its like i said, if he says you dont have aspergers he should have had more reasons than that alone. Are there other things he said that made him think you didnt have it?

I thought you already been tested for it and they said you didn't have it and you have a personality disorder instead.

I know this frustration. I just don't see the point in all the "AS/NT" labeling.

It looked more to me like "Well I gave one of five answers that I could've given with partial accuracy (in itself a common autistic communication problem on several levels), and that answer is one he claims didn't fit AS, so would the rest of my valid answers be considered AS by him?"

I don't respond well to novel questions either, and I hate being judged for my responses, especially under time pressure, to questions, when the real responses given enough time (which admittedly is sometimes years) would be very different.

I doubly hate being judged for having that particular communication problem to begin with, when most people seem to think that words-to-thought and thought-to-words are both rapid things and that therefore they can judge my most accurate communications as inaccurate and my most inaccurate ones as accurate, which ends up (especially after explanations on my part) convincing me they don't want me to communicate with them.

You could always seek a second opinion. There are no right or wrong answers where such things are concerned, and any respectable psychologist or psychiatrist would not have based their decision on a single answer.

Have you told him the other reasons for not talking to people much and explained that the reason you gave was not the whole reason, and that it was the only response you could think of then? That may help.

If multiple answers applied you probably should have said all of them.

Oh, and if your seeking a diagnoses, it's best you find someone who is considered a specialist on the autistic spectrum. Otherwise you risk going to someone who really knows less then you do.

Exactly. One problem I have a lot is that people want an answer NOW. Just today, I called my dd's school and the secretary laughed and hung up. I called back and asked her why she hung up on me and would she please give the phone to an adult. She said, "Well, you didn't say anything!" I was about to! I didn't think the pause was exceptionally long. She didn't get my humor, either.

Sometimes just talking to people on the phone is exhausting. And I do have several possible answers on the tip of my tongue, as you said, and I need to know why they're asking so that I can know which answer to give them. And they get impatient.

It's not always possible to do that. In a situation where you are being asked novel questions and being asked to "perform" (i.e. hold a conversation), you can have problems with

* Thinking of all that you need to say.

* Being able to say it.