Adult Diagnosis

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After two decades of feeling like I didn't fit in the world despite knowing my own potential, I landed in a job working with the exceptional children's program at a public school. During this time I noticed a lot of similarities with the some of the children with autism. By the time I had the courage to say that outloud our autism specialist and a class room teacher agreed that over the previous six months they had seen indicators as well. When I brought it up with my wife who is a regular ed teacher she said shes thought the same for 10 years but didn't know how to bring it up to me.

For the last three weeks I have been trying to seek out official opinion but cant even get a psychologist or psychiatrist to call me back. Anyone have any pointers for seeking professional help?

Anyone in North Carolina and know any specialists in the Charlotte Metro area?

Any advice at all is appreciated!

I am going through a very similar situation. I would start with your primary care physician to inquire about referrals; be as open as possible and do not touch on other subjects -- because the doctor may not cover what you went for initially. Apparently, you may start with a therapist before moving up the chain (like I am).

I went to see the doctor the other day and will see a therapist this Tuesday. I have been aware of my condition for years, but notice it's harder for me to conceal my tendencies from others...

Best wishes on this.

I was referred to a doctor who did adult autism assessments through a psychiatric program I was a part of, where a doctor who had done work with the autism specialist had noticed signs of it in me. I had had a psychiatrist bring it up before but he had never diagnosed me or referred me onwards.

It seems like usually autism specialists who are willing to or have the expertise to do adult assessments are few and far between. I would start with getting an appointment with a GP or psychiatrist, but the problem is that they may not even know who to pass you on to for referral.

Psychiatrists and psychologists often have long wait lists, so make sure you don't fall through the cracks in contacting them. If you can contact a larger clinic (such as one associated with a university or a community health center) it may be easier to get an appointment since there will be many specialists there. The likelihood of them being connected to and knowing about autism services for adults is also higher.

I would also do a google search for autism services in North Carolina and consider contacting some of those groups. While most are usually parent-child oriented, they will probably know who the autism evaluators in your area are and possibly who would deal with an adult.

A brief google shows me that there is autism stuff associated with the UNC system-- you may find luck there. http://teacch.com/clinical-services