diagnosis... I know this question is asked a lot.

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If anyone can send me any type of information or advice, I'd appreciate it a whole lot.
I am desperately trying to find help for my husband who is self diagnosed with AS. He has seemed to given up all hope on himself.

he is 25 and has been in and out of therapy since he was a boy. he and I are both 100% sure he has AS. After I self diagnosed him, he found out his 16 year old first cousin (mom's sister's son) is officially diagnosed with aspergers. This kid is a rich spoiled brat who goes to private school and gets any accommodation you can imagine. as well as a SSI check that he gets to blow on whatever he wants. my poor husband, on the other hand, dropped out of high school because he had such a hard time, was on his own, got his GED, and now finds it nearly impossible to work. he has such a hard time in life and it just breaks my heart

my question is, should i try to get him diagnosed officially? Would it be worth it to try to get gov assistant since he cant hold a job (he's had tons). sometimes with my several jobs, we barely make it. we found a doctor in the area that would charge $250 for the screening. Is this legit? How likely is it that he will get financial assistance? Any other benefits of being diagnosed?

I dont think things could get much worse for him than they are now. I'm actively looking for something to get him out of the house, even if its to make a few bucks.

typo... i meant $350

well you might get ssi for him. Also there is vocational rehab.

If the govt is going to give him money for being ASD then get diagnosed for sure. This especially applies if work and cash flow is becoming uncertain. I would do it for definate

Getting a diagnosis might also boost his self image. Not all his mistakes are due to his own actions. As long as he keeps the image of his cousin in mind and realizes that a diagnosis will not fix everything, I think it might be a good idea.

Where (approx) do you live & what are the advantages of an official diagnosis there?

Tax benefits? Workplace accommodations? Some sort of social assistance $? Other external reason? Other personal reason?

What will an official diagnosis change for you or him? In terms of money, you need to find out what your local rules/regs/laws/tax laws etc are with regards to an official diagnosis to know whether anything would change at all.

As for costs of an official diagnosis - who is it that does so for $350? Do they specialize in this? Are they a Doctor or have other credentials recognized by your state/gov't so their diagnosis carries legal legitimacy for any potential benefits of it?

Where I live, I have to find a Psychiatrist that specializes in AS in order to get a referral from my GP and have an official diagnosis done for free (Taxpayer funded via our socialized healthcare.), whereas if I go see a Psychologist that specializes in AS public healthcare doesn't cover the expense and it would cost me approx $2000. I've yet to do that, but it's on my to-do list.. because it's worth a ~$9K/year tax write off for life for me here.

It sounds like he's experiencing difficulties that accomodations could help with. I'd say get him diagnosed.