Poll for the self-diagnosed

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How did you conclude that you have AS (or whatever ASD you think you have)?

Is it a poll for the self-diagnosed or for everyone?

It's primarily for the self-diagnosed, but anyone can contribute, hence why I put the last three options.

I'd edit the poll if you can, it's quite confusing.

What is confusing about it?

I did my own research and then got myself professionally diagnosed.

By avoiding wikipedia like the plauge and doing actual research on websites that actually pertain to mental disorders and psychology. I also got reading material from a therapist I was going to and he and I went over the DSM criteria to see how well it fit me, I had more than enough symptoms to be diagnosed with it. It serves its purpose because now I have a bit of a better understanding of myself.....though I still am open to the fact I could be wrong if professionals can be wrong I can certainly be wrong.

I was professionally diagnosed in 1996 or 1997 at the age of two. I always felt different from the other kids in my early childhood, but my parents explained to me about my Aspergers and what it was when I was 9 years old. Knowing that I had AS gave me a lot more understanding about my life.

I do not refer to myself as "self-diagnosed", but I'm fairly confident in my belief that I have Asperger's. I have done extensive research over the last year and a half using a variety of resources including the internet (scholarly peer reviewed articles, reviews of research, websites of prominent autism organizations, and forums and blogs written by or submitted by autistic people) books, psychological journals and magazines, and autistic people and their parents. Basically, every resource I can study, I have. I feel I know myself very well, have a great memory of my behaviors and thoughts back to about age 3, and have no motive for wanting to claim autism than other wanting to truly understand myself and try to learn to improve my life. I have also consulted professionals. Most of them have been clueless about autism in adults, especially women. I have been "provisionally" diagnosed by one professional; he wants me to undergo more testing before my dx is made official but I cannot currently afford any more psychological care expenditures. I have been diagnosed ADHD-NOS by one professional; I think that a combination of ADHD and AS is a possibility but I think that the real reason he gave me this diagnosis is that he didn't know enough about the differences in autistic children and adults to give me the correct diagnosis; I also think that he may have believed that he was doing me a favour by diagnosing me with ADHD and not autism as ADHD can be medicated, doesn't hold the same stigma as autism, and because he could not understand how it would help me to receive a diagnosis of autism as an adult. Mostly though, I think he had no idea how to evaluate an adult woman. He also commented that I was "too smart" to have autism and that there was no way that I would be able to function at the level that I do if I had autism. How he could judge so much about my functioning in a testing session that he vehemently declared "was not therapy" and he" was not interested in hearing about my life experiences" is beyond me.

Other. I do see myself as on the broader spectrum, but that's different than self diagnosed.

Not from anything as simple as reading an article on line, or taking a quiz. Reading various things (including books) about autism, seeing things I related to, and, along with it, learning more about the autistic spectrum, the variety of traits and severity.

I haven't concluded that I have AS, it is still under my consideration.

I realized I had ADHD after I read a magazine article. It was written by a woman who had been diagnosed as an adult and talked about her experiences. When I read it, I was floored because it sounded so much like me. That was the only information I had access to at that point. I did not have internet access to be able to research it more fully. I told my doctor I thought I had it, and he prescribed Ritalin. About 7 months later I got a professional diagnosis. So I diagnosed myself, correctly, on the basis of one magazine article.

I've read many books of varying levels. I've read anything I could find on the net. I exhausted my public library and quite a lot of my local bookstore. I know how much reading is actually done on any particular subject to get a license in social work and such. I've exceeded it.

For those here who are insisting the only valid diagnosis is a professional one...

How do you feel about the implications of the above statement? Professionals rule out autism in those who are self-diagnosing because they think those individuals are "too smart". So in comparison, does getting a professional diagnosis mean you are less smart?

Pardon me Rhiannon for quoting your experience as an example. From what I've read here it seems to be a common experience.

I was professionally diagnosed LFA at first around 3, then upgraded to HFA.

But since the unwritten laws of interwebs apply, I'm of course, faking, and being an attention whore and there's no way in hell I'm posting sensitive medical documents to prove otherwise.

If a professional says something blatantly incorrect about autism or autistic people, then I would correct them at length in minute detail. Tell them that their statements are highly inaccurate and why.

When my son first started seeing doc's my husband and I looked at each other and said "When we find out what he has, we'll know what I have."

My son is clearly an Aspie and diagnosed. He definately got many of his traits from me, the apple is close to the tree. So that's when I decided that I'm not crazy, I'm just like my son and most likely on the spectrum right along with him.