Worth dr. diagnosis?

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Have been working 20 yrs in IT, have some social dyslexia, flap a lot, tune out,
gp tells me I am too well adjusted to test. Test high on Simon Baron Cohen test.
Should I ask for a referral anyway?

It depends on how much you expect to gain from an official diagnosis. I was diagnosed with AS as an adult, am extremely high
functioning, well adjusted and do not have much difficulty fitting in with "normal" individuals. There isn't much support offered
for adults with AS...but, that will change as so many children with Autism and AS reach adulthood.

My official diagnosis in adulthood simply gave me relief in finally knowing why I had so much difficulty meeting the challenges in life head on...but, it never stopped me from giving up on life.

It depends on what you expect to get from it and why you want it. Do you need any type of assistance? There isn't much anyway. Are you going to value it from a Psychiatrist or Psychologist rather than a Neurologist? Can you deal with it basically being a subjective view of what you are? Do you just need someone with a title to validate your understanding? Do you need that for other people?

Like I said, depends on what you expect to get from it and why you want it. For me, I wasn't going to pay over a thousand dollars out of pocket when I didn't put any value in the opinion of a Psychiatrist or Psychologist anyway (at least not more than I value my own opinion on it). It wouldn't get me anything. My husband has known for 26 years that it was my brain and not made up or something else. As a matter of fact, most people I've met realize that after awhile. So for me, I didn't put any value in it and I wouldn't get anything out of it. But, that's me. Each person has to make that choice for themselves, I think, because we are all coming from different perspectives, feelings and desires. We all have different challenges because of it.

I might not want it, but I would fully support anyone who did.

I asked my insurer re: this and was referred to "Behavioral Medicine" which was a generic list -- none of the COSEC-listed diagnosticians seem to be listed there and the one that I contacted said he doesn't do insurance. Is the diagnosis process an observation and checklist or a medical brain-scan? : ) Am interested in something that fits in the insured co-pay world -- What is the status of high-functioning Asperger diagnosis as far as health insurance?

A psychologist or psychiatrist is good enough for me -- what do they do as opposed to a neurologist, what does a neurologist do?

The neurologist will generally do a neurological workup, which may include tests of eye-hand coordination, an EEG, and an MRI.

A Neurologist is only interested in brains and how they function. They don't get involved in trying to make you believe you have all of this emotional crap they can feed you drugs to treat or "talk" you out of. I'm only talking to someone who can actually look at a brain scan and say this is what your brain is doing. The rest of it to me is nothing but a subjective guess and it's based on a NT observing you whose agenda is to give you drugs and "talk" to you so you feel better.

But that's me. Everyone needs to do their own research about what each profession does and reach their own comfort level. It doesn't matter what I think or anyone else thinks. It's your brain.

Typically, I believe, a person wanting a diagnosis for Asperger's would initially see a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. Then, if the psychiatrist or clinical psychologist believes that a neurological evaluation is appropriate, she or he will send the person to a neurologist.

Which is exactly why I won't do it. I have no respect for the subjective opinion of someone who cannot tell me how my brain is really operating and is only guessing as to what my behavior means. It's like saying you have a complex fracture instead of a simple break without an x-ray or a medical license.

This is exactly what has lead to the nonsense of Asperger's is a mental illness. Hacks. The lot of them. No Psychiatrist or Psychologist has any basis to decide if you need a Neurologist that you can't decide on your own. Frankly, if we don't demand they turn it over to Neurology, then we deserve all the mistreatment we're getting from them.

I was seeing a Therapist for awhile, and one day mentioned that I might like to get a proper DX for Aspergers. She dropped her teeth!! Aspergers, you think you have Aspergers!! ! Turns out she never suspected, and frankly knew very little about it. She took some authority book off her shelf and started reading off "Do you ever ..." questions. It was silly. Like she was reading me the criteria questions for being an alcoholic ! !! Taught me a lesson that if you really want any help with a DX, you have to seek a specialist.

There is a lot of subjectivity involved. However, there is no way, at least not yet, for Asperger's to be diagnosed neurologically.

I noticed none of the COSAC-recommended diagnostic providers in my area seem to be a provider with my insurance co. Is there an issue with Asperger's and insurance? Do they consider the non-severe version to be lightweight and bogus?

I was diagnosed three times. First time by a M.D., 2nd time by a neurologist who remarked it was "damn obvious you have Aspergers the minute you stepped in room". But I got in a Voc Rehab program and they did not think it was an "official" enough diagnosis for Aspergers and they didn't believe neurologists should be diagnosing AS. I disagree with that one. But they sent me to a neuropsychologist who also diagnosed me with it plus several other developmental disorders, including "mathematics disorder" which I find totally hilarious. I laughed in her face over the math diagnosis and really pissed her off. I am now seeing a 2nd psychologist who admits I have AS but says she is not going to put it in my official record because it will not benefit me.

I personally see no benefit to getting an adult diagnosis, though I have one, except if you are wanting to prove it to someone else or validate it for yourself. The diagnosis itself will get you nothing if you are only mildly AS. If anything else you will see that the psychologist will suddenly treat you like a ret*d 5 year old if she discovers you have AS. My neuropsych eval was shared with my occupational therapist and now she pats me on the shoulder like I was a small child. And yeah I'm getting OT but its because of brain injury diagnosis from repeated concussions and lightning strike plus the ADD dx they gave me. The AS I was told by itself would not get me help.

My psychiatrist, who diagnosed me with Asperger's, treats me as a colleague.

This is puzzling

Since you are doing well for you maybe it would be just piece of mind. For me though it keeps me off the streets and probably saved my life. I have help from DDS, public housing, voc. rehab, and more.

I wasn't diagnosed till I was 20. Though I had previous been diagnosed a multitude of things including ADHD before AS was as dx'ed as it is now.