Why be diagnosed?

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I'm 14 year old, diagnosed with Aspergers many years ago, and I'm wondering why any one would want to be diagnosed.
Only thing that has came from it has been negative. I get this title, forced to take special classes, no one can take me seriously in school and I don't have any opinion.
Outside of school I have friends and behave completely normal, and my Aspergers is not visible at all.
The only thing that isolates me from others is the title 'Aspergers'.
They might as well force me to wear a cap that says "ret*d" and make me walk down the halls with it on, with all these special classes and support.

Ever since I was diagnosed, I was indirectly told by everyone that I didn't have to do anything.
I didn't do anything in school up until this year.
I got everything handed to me from a young age, which confused me (it would confuse any one else Aspie or NT), which made me completely lazy, and now its being blamed on the 'Aspergers'.
I only started trying earlier this year and I am perfectly capable of being 100% independent, but no one gives me a chance.

If I didn't get diagnosed, I would of probably been told to "Deal with it." and I would of ended up the same as everyone else.
I believe I got diagnosed because I was a hyper 5 year old who was not aware of his surroundings.
Now I see no noticeable difference in me, other than working habits(read paragraph 2 for explanation).

I have friends with Aspergers who are completely oblivious to their surroundings, talk a bit too much, and are not able to read body language that well. I always have to say "Stop bumping into people in the halls" and "Don't say that, its rude"
I feel like an outcast among the outcasts(Ignorant NTs who don't know anything about people with Aspergers).

I'm just warning anyone who wants to be diagnosed about some of the negative effects.

it sounds like you need to do some serious talking to your parents.
it sounds like you should not be in the current program that you are in.
it can't be good for you to be surrounded by people who arn't challenging and articulate.
most people from where i come from dont know what aspergers is and wouldnt care to know, and i have no problem in their not knowing, i think its a personal decision if you are lucky enough to get along in the world without too much difficulty then why should you be help back?

it has taken me a long time to come to terms with a diagnosis, i think i am better to forget the diagnosis most of the time until i come into difficulty and i am lucky enough that i can come to a forum or read books that will have very specific answers to my questions, otherwise who gives a f**k?

Feeling like the outcast among the outcasts is pretty funny. You sound like a fairly typical adolescent, but one with Aspergers.
I found your post interesting, because my son, at nine, wants OUT of special ed and does not want to be treated special. I trust him and do feel that he is allowed to slide a bit too often. They handle him too carefully. He knows it and I think this bothers him. At home, I notice he is more lazy the older he gets. He expects everything to be done FOR him. He has a 1:1 aide and this doesn't help. I think this was the worst thing to happen because his aide is attached to his hip. He is very smart and I believe he could do more than he they expect from him. Thankfully, he's had a 2nd evaluation and the report will make strong recommendations pushing for more independence and self-monitoring.
I guess I agree with much of what you're saying. On the other hand, my son could not function in school without special ed services. I had no choice but to get him the label and get him some help. You sound like you have learned quite a bit on your own and this is agood sign that you will, most likely, succeed. Don't worry so much about the label. You are you before a label. This got you some help in school. Once you go to college, you will have more choice in the matter. Maybe you will be proud to be an aspie. Maybe not. It's all part of the process of self-identification.
: )

I personally wanted to be diagnosed because I wanted answers and I wanted to know why I was so socially impaired.

Just sucks how people have to assume things on people who have conditions. They think they don't know any better and stuff or they are incapable of learning things or doing things.

You are more mature now and you don't think the way you did a couple of years ago. People change very quickly at your age. It sounds like it's past time for a major change. You have a right to be involved in your review meetings.

If the teachers were willing to do whatever you want, are you sure enough of what you want? What are your good/bad subjects? What specific kind of support is helpful and what is holding you back?

You might tell them that you want to get serious, and remind them that what you do in high school will matter when you apply for college. That you can handle certain subjects with no support at all, other subjects with less support...

Maybe if you write it all down first, using a lot of phrases like "independence and self-monitoring." Go over it with your parents so that you are sure that you understand each other, then demand a review meeting.

I don't know how assertive I would have been at 14. But if you can handle it, go for it.

I got diagnosed because I suck at relationships, never had a job, I'm very unorganised and have poor social skills.

I'm kind of the opposite to you.
For one get out of those special classes if you don't need them. I was in a remedial class that just made me even more behind, because the teacher was teaching us at an even slower pace.
Tell your parents/teachers that you are capable of doing things on your own. My mum would tell me when I didn't understand things that I did. It was frustrating. Now she treats me like I haven't got AS, which is kind of hurtful, but it's better than being treated like I'm an idiot.
Could you get re-evaluated? You may not even have AS. A hyper 5 year old sounds more like ADHD.

Just hang in there and you don't belong in the special education.

Actually, I just asked my mom, and was diagnosed because I was really stubborn in school in my first few years.
But now, I do everything the teacher tells me to do, just have trouble organizing it and handing it in.

Yeah, I would get out of special ed ASAP. I don't know about BC specifically, but in Manitoba, if you have modified courses on your high school record, you can't go to College/University until you re-take the regular ed versions of them. If you don't ensure that you're taking the standard versions right now, it could take years to go back and finish a "real" high school diploma.

Why would you be put into special ed anyway? There's a guy at my school who is very autistic (higher on the spectrum than AS), and it's a regular school. And he's got the highest average over all grade 12s!

I dont have a diagnosis, but since I can generally function on a high level I dont really need one. some people genuinely require a diagnosis and help though. People need varying degrees of assistance if they have AS and some nothing at all.

Before I started school, or maybe I was in Kindergarden, I was diagnosed with ADD (this was in the late 80s). I was put on Ritalin, and was on that until I graduated high school. I was in various advanced placement courses since they started them (in my school system, some of the programs started half way through 3rd grade, based on tests taken at the end of 2nd.) I have been diagnosed relatively recently, and wish that the criteria that exist today had been there when i was a kid. That may have prevented me getting the drugs that I am still dealing with after-effects of the side effects (mostly appetite based now), and would have helped me with the courses I struggled in in school. I always had dificulties with writing. I never knew where or how to get started. If I had the diagnosis, I could have been in the advanced placement classes that I needed for most things, (regular classes progressed too slowly for me) and had accomodations made for the things I had dificulty with.

It seemed like the only treatment they had for what I was diagnosed with at the time was Ritalin. No behavior or social classes, or anything like that. Honestly, looking back, if those had been available, I can see that those would have been much more beneficial than the drug. Also could have recieved things to help with my sensory issues that I still struggle with today.

I'm wondering this exact same thing!



Funny that isn't it?
As soon as people aren't aware of the label they treat you like a normal human being. In short they treat you like a different person depending on whether you're in school or out.

That's the real insanity.



Story of my life.

All negativity when labeled.
Negative reinforcement and a vicious bullying circle.
People actually avoided me because I was labeled, this meant that I couldn't socialise effectively, so I was called "unsociable" by the teachers.

As any good sports coach knows, to help people improve, you give them positive reinforcement and realistic goals.

I was respected and given positive encouragement when the label was removed. At my new school, they didn't believe in labels, so never mentioned them. Learning support wasn't "ghettoised" or called "special", and was open to everyone regardless of ability. People who were receiving support were encouraged to have responsible and independent roles in the school community.

Utterly bizarre.
I was still the same person, I was just a bit more organised and people's attitudes had changed, that was all.



I relate to this.

Without a label of course, I still have the same social difficulties as I did when I was labeled, it's just that people seem to treat me with far less fear and condescension if they are not aware of the AS label. It makes me very angry that some people with the label would be treated in such a callous and unethical way: they deserve respect like any other decent human being. I was also able to hold positions of responsibility without people holding me back.

I appreciate that others may be far more severely affected than I am, it's just this painting everyone with the same tar brush that I can't understand.

Different people have different strengths and weaknesses, and therefore require different kinds of help.

there's a lot of reasons to needing special education class or special school than difficulty in learning,and AS and classic autism are unique-every one person is affected differently and have very different needs-there's many issues that can mean mainstream is unsuitable, sometimes it's for the student,sometimes it's for the safety and learning of other students and teachers,sometimes its a mix of all.

there's different forms of special classes and schools as well-not just for learning disabilities.
-am lfa and went to a EBD x LD special school,it did not specialise in autism but had progressed there more than have ever done at any other time in life,for some they make a huge difference.Some special schools are for severe/profound learning disabilities,they often have their own hydrotherapy pools and sensory rooms,some are for people with physical disabilities that are too profound or complex needs for mainstream.

The common shared reasons why aspies and auties often end up in special ed [either a class,unit, or as a school itself] are challenging behavior and complex needs,those who just have LDs and Lds can often be dealt with in mainstream with a SA or SP/ED class or unit,unless very severe.
that is why more and more people with disabilities are now being included in mainstream,
in the nineties and earlier they would have had no choice.
/sorry...night meds..long post complete.