What type of specialist to go to for testing?

Post Reply New Topic

Hi,

could someone please tell me the name of the type of specialist i need to go to in order to get testing for aspergers or high functioning autism? and what the names of the tests are that i would need to take?

i've been going to a clinical psychologist and brought up my concern about aspergers to her and she has not taken it seriously or investigated further. i have many problems with my thinking so this is very frustrating to me. (my half-sister by my mother was diagnosed with aspergers at age 10 and my male cousin by my paternal uncle has autism, diagnosed at age 1/2 (they're both 16 now), and my other family members probably have some variation but they're older and undiagnosed, or have died. i am 28, female, so missed the boat of diagnosis). my psychologist is just not understanding me and i feel like i'm trying to convince her, i need someone who can pull it out of me by asking the right questions.

Thank you : )

Last edited by tyliseea on 16 Nov 2010, 7:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

tyliseea, which country are you in?

I'm from Australia, and in my state (Victoria), there's a list of Psychologists specializing in ASDs who you contact for a diagnosis. The number of Psychologists that perform child (<18 years old) ASD diagnosis far outnumbers the ones that can perform adult ASD diagnosis though.

Alternatively, you could also see a Psychiatrist, but unless you meet a Psychiatrist that has significant experience with ASD individuals, it'll be hard to get an AS/HFA diagnosis as he may mistake you for having Bipolar/Depression/GAD/SAD/Personality Disorder etc etc.

i'm in the US. i'm sure it's much better there in Australia. i know i've at least come across Tony Attwood.
i'm guessing in Australia you have a better healthcare system?

so, it would be psychologists and not neurologists?
do you happen to know the names of tests that are done?


i've just begun meeting with an MFT (marriage-family therapist) who is an educational psychologist with experience working with people with aspergers and autism, and i'm HOPING she can recognize it in me, and/or my son, who i'm concerned has the same problems too. we're able to SEEM that we're normal, and able to perform at school bc of rote and intellect i guess, but not fully understanding what we're learning or where to apply the knowledge, where to put it into context. of course there are more issues.

that's great you mentioned the misdiagnosis! lol! indeed, i did go to a psychiatrist, and was diagnosed bipolar II. i've been telling people i don't think it was a comprehensive or accurate evaluation, i don't feel he took the time to understand me. (it was a low-quality medication clinic, not ASD specialist, it's what my medicaid would pay for). it's possible it may be co-morbid too, it's very complicated.
i bought up my concern of aspergers to him and he told me to request full psychological testing (whatever that is).
i felt stereotyped. he judged me because my parents had addiction problems, one died by suicide by prescription medication and the other by drug overdose of heroin. you have to see the larger picture and context and details/subtleties, to determine was the real issues were (brain or environmental, etc).
as well, the MFT seemed to peg me as borderline personality disorder because of past trauma, because she was mentioning dialectical behavioral therapy and Marsha Linehan. but that was only on the 1st meeting.

oh yes, i've come across all the different things that can be mistaken in misdiagnosis. what a headache.

it's been like pulling teeth to try to get this recognized/figured out. but to me it's something i NEED to get figured out. nobody else has helped me or understands the problems i have, even those closest to me. it's like i have to keep digging and digging.

thank you : )

Last edited by tyliseea on 16 Nov 2010, 8:18 am, edited 1 time in total.

oh yeah, my psychologist told me by my personality test that it points to me having a "thought" disorder. i've read that a thought disorder could indicate an autism spectrum disorder. to me it makes sense, hits the nail on the head. but she doesn't see it that way, or isn't connecting those together. she thinks it's "organic", as in biological, that i have some chemical imbalance. i think these "professionals" just don't know anything, to be polite.

she's diagnosed me with a preliminary "adjustment" disorder, and the first psychiatrist i went to earlier this year said that i may have an adjustment disorder as well, which i've read are indicators. yes, i am having major difficulty handling the problems in my life, to say the least - abusive ex, legal divorce/custody (which i have to do on my own), PTSD, controlling family members, difficulty getting out of this to support myself, etc.

i've also scored high on spatial parts of IQ tests (160), and low processing speed, which i read is an indicator.

does anyone know how to tell the difference between schizophrenia and ASD?

I'm an adult in the U.S., too, and I've found it very difficult to be heard on this by "normal" psychiatrists and therapists. "Normal" here = not autism spectrum specialists. Although I can't say, "call this guy, he'll fix you up," I can at least share my experience. It might help -- not sure.

I first took my AQ Test results to my psychiatrist, who dismissed the whole thing before we had even started discussing it. "These Internet quizzes are a joke, no self-administered test can reveal anything significant about you, the *real* tests doctors use would never be available to the public this way." And then I gave him the academic article that was released with the AQ Test, and he saw who had designed it. Pretty much a conversation-stopper. Example of someone who had no idea what he was talking about just purely speculating.

At least my therapist was willing to look at the questions (or I should say, "statements"). Her reaction wasn't any more helpful. "Well, a lot of people do this and they don't have AS, a lot of people do this and they don't have AS, a lot of people do this and they don't have AS, a lot of people do this and they don't have AS..." over and over. I asked her, "well, what about people who do ALL of those things, what do they have?" Another conversation-stopper. And another example of someone who had no idea what she was talking about just purely speculating.

These people (like your psychologist) have reputations and egos to protect. They've been medicating me and asking me a bazillion questions about my relationship with my mother for years. The prospect that they could have missed something like AS is too much. It sounds like you may be in a similar situation?

Look, I don't want to give you the impression that I'm desperately searching out a doctor to give me an AS positive diagnosis. Quite to the contrary, actually. I would *love* someone whom I trust to come along and say, "hell no, it's not AS. Just take this pill and all these symptoms will go away. You'll feel totally normal." And I *hate* being put in a defensive position about this. It sucks, actually, because it makes me feel like an Internet troll who's dreamt up some weird and rare disease to have which you get only by being bitten by a mosquito in the Congo. I'm about the furthest thing from a hypochondriac there is, and I'm being made to feel like one.

Bottom line: we both need specialists. Doctors who see AS and other spectrum disorders all the time. The problem is that these specialists call themselves by different names -- because there are a number of paths that lead into this professional specialty. It could be a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a neurologist, or something else. Just start googling, and something will come. You may have to make some phone calls for referrals, because a lot of the places you'll come across will treat only kids. I finally found someone in NYC (which you wouldn't think would be all that challenging) to see me. I'm filling out reams of forms and will see her in the next week or two.

If you're anywhere near NYC, I can help further. Good luck!

Damn. Objective data can sure be pesky.



That's the way to do it. Don't relent because the therapist is 'the expert'. Relent only when your questions are satisfied, not when the therapists believes they have satisfied them.




Ironic. They are all we have, gods in their own eyes, and often wholly insufficient.

I got a referral through and autistic services agency. They would be more likely to know specialists in the field.

I talked to my GP, who was skeptical because I understand sarcasm and make decent eye contact. But (mostly because I also wanted treatment for my anxiety) he recommened a local psychologist who specializes in autism spectrum disorders. I made an appointment with her and ended up getting my diagnosis.

In Australia, there's great awareness of ASDs in Paediatricians and Special Ed with screening programs and lots of early intervention support. However for ASD adults, the support plummets to a miniscule fraction of the support given to <18 year olds. There's a subtle impression among the public that ASDs are something that affect children more, and they don't seem to think of it in adults, which pisses me off. They, along with standard Psychiatrists haven't heard about it much, and if they do, it's based on stereotypes or rigid clinical descriptions. I'm glad that the Media have shown some fictitious characters with ASDs which to a degree increases awareness of ASDs, but they're incredibly stereotyped, it's bloody obvious that the producers of the show just read the DSM-IV and ticked every single symptom to its extreme, and didn't actually meet any REAL people with AS. Example includes the Cardiologist Dr. Dixon in Grey's Anatomy.

Neurologists in theory can diagnose ASDs, but the amount of tests that are done for neurological assessment is HUGE and it'd cost a fortune. And research is still being conducted into the neurological basis of ASDs.

I'd suggest you see a Psychologist that has extensive experience with ASDs, hopefully somebody in America will be like that...

The Psychologist that specialized in ASDs which I saw for diagnosis, she made me do the ASD Quotient Test, the Ritvo ASD Test, and she made me look at a bunch of pictures with eyes and asked me to identify the emotions (in which I failed by getting 18/40). She asked me and my mum about my childhood and behaviours.

Yes, Tony Attwood is one of the ASD gurus, he stays in Brisbane, Queensland. I think he was originally from the UK, it's just that he lives in Australia. He has a great book called "The Complete Guide to Asperger Syndrome".

Australia has both public and private healthcare system. Taxpayers pay a Medicare Levy of 1.5% of their income, which is basically the public health insurance fee. Many general clinics are bulk-billed, so visits are either "free" or heavily discounted. For hospital admissions though, Public system has a very long waiting list, especially for surgeries. This is why lots of Middle and Upper class families purchase Private Health Insurance too, which can cost about $1000/person/year or even more I think...



It appears that there are lots of incompetent Psychiatrists in America too. These Psychiatrists are like a "Jack of all trades", they know about lots of conditions from the DSM-IV, but they don't know any of the conditions in depth, and they don't realize that within each diagnosis has great heterogeneity in presentations and severity. Please stop seeing these Psychiatrists, they can cause a lot of harm to you if they prescribe you medications for the wrong conditions, in particular the antipsychotics (with lots of negative side effects) which you and your son DON'T NEED.

I repeat, please ditch your current Psychiatrist, he's wasting your time, and he's not judging you on an individual basis, instead looking at your parent's history and applying that onto you. Funny that he called you Bipolar II instead of PTSD!

For your son, I suggest you see a Paediatrician. Paediatricians are more likely to have lots of experience with ASD kids. Hopefully this Paediatrician may give you recommendations for better Psychiatrists/Psychologists that can give you an AS diagnosis.

When I tried to get a repeat AS diagnosis from my 1st Psychiatrist at Uni, he claimed that I couldn't have AS coz I had 3 Special Interests, and not 1, and so he diagnosed me with SAD (Social Anxiety Disorder) instead. I was quite pissed off at his shallowness, seeing that it's perfectly possible to satisfy the minimum amount of symptoms for AS and have more than 1 Special Interest. I ditched him and saw the other (2nd) Psychiatrist at Uni, who after very heavy interrogation, properly diagnosed me with AS!

my gosh, i almost feel hopeless to get a diagnosis. i think i DO have "aspergers" (which is, after all, just a name to group together and describe the REAL characteristics at hand), alot of the things i've come across in reading i go "ah-ha!", and it helps me feel better and that helps. but i guess it's bc i can come off as "normal". i guess that means that i've picked up enough coping mechanisms over the years, but i still have problems! i don't see why they don't see that!
"well you take your son to school right? that's functioning". LOL - NO IT'S NOT!! ! that's the lowest functioning!
and i have a difficult time describing myself to them! i get frustrated!! !! i feel like i'm trying to convince them.

i remember from when i was younger, i dont' remember having eye contact with my parents.
i threw fits bc my clothes bothered me, too scratchy, and i had to have the tags cut off.
i lined up dominos, drove cars, and drew my own roads and drove cars on roads i saw in my blanket.
in 1st/2nd grade i was labeled as "shy" and i didn't understand what that meant.
i didn't understand things in school, i had no context and did not understand the things i was memorizing.
i would look at things instead of people, and i think i probably did do that parallel play.
when going to people's houses, for some reason i was fascinated by their family photos and i did have the staring problem looking at things and pictures, and people.
in 4th grade i was still looking at picture books, when other kids were looking at mystery books (why on EARTH i wasn't picked up for that one i DON'T KNOW!)
i had to go to speech class, yet i was invited to the gifted program, which i quit wanting to go to bc i didn't understand the purpose of it.
i didn't have many friends.
i think i was always stuck in the details and really had no clue about anything going on around me. i was always scared and nervous. some of that may have been ptsd.
i got teased in junior high (just bc of my name, and then by boys about sex), but i ignored it, because i didn't really understand it, so i guess i didn't really feel hurt by it.
my world was very small, i had no context.
i didn't pickup the names of things, i still don't, i've always been a very visual person, and so would refer to alot of things as "things"..."can you hand me that thing", etc.
i didn't know there was a larger picture to life until i was 24!
i didn't even know of the idea of CONCEPTS until i was 25!
and didn't really understand "meaning" in life until i was 26, and still necessarily don't.
it took me about one year of ALOT of work to develop a better understanding of words and working at articulating myself in words, which i still have trouble getting across what i need to, and trouble organizing the larger picture of what i am trying to convey. (yet, i can imagine things beyond what i think other people think of)
it took me two years of digging ONLINE to develop a cognitive framework for myself, and i'm still having trouble seeing how things fit together and connect together! (it's more like i developed a worldview than a cognitive framework)
i feel like my mind is blank alot, and i have to make an EFFORT to have the cognition of things, besides within the things that i dig deeply into (i suppose those would be my OBSESSIONS)
still right now, i do have anxiety in social situations, i am not sure what to do, i feel helpless/worthless bc i don't know how to help even though i want to. i am not good at small talk, and i'm sure alot of people aren't very interested in or have knowledge of the things i do.
i still have the weird staring problem i wish i wouldn't - looking at people's body parts or around instead of at their faces. i have too much trouble processing what someone is saying and processing their face at the same time - so i just listen to tone of voice so i just look elsewhere when someone is talking in order to comprehend what they're saying.

multiple IQ tests - high spatial IQ, low processing time

i would almost say i have HFA, not aspergers, bc of my lack of language development and cognitive problems. either that or i have schizophrenia, i really have no idea (i have trouble telling the difference between things)

i have an appointment with a learning disability psychologist soon, another clinical psychologist, hopefully HE can help me!! !! !

no way i will not be taking medications, and definitely not for my son, either.
he was not picked up for autism or aspergers either. the thing is, i may have not been able to recognize it in him, bc those things are just "normal" to me, and bc i had no awareness or cognition of what "normal" development is. i accepted him as he was.
i think it can be easy to miss.
i just started meeting with an MFT who at least has SOME experience in aspergers/autism as an educational psychologist, so hopefully SHE can see it in my son. bc i'm thinking he may be having the same learning problems that i did - able to do the work, but not really understanding it or putting it into context.

i can't believe the "professionals" don't see it. i was told it sounded like i had SAD (social anxiety disorder) when i was a teen in high school. i was too old and "missed" by the time aspergers was a diagnosis, in 1994, i was 12, and people weren't educated about it anyway. it's obviously been a difference for a time in human history.

i feel trapped inside of myself, like nobody understands. but at least i think i find understanding in this community, and want to check out a local support group.

and how stupid that the professionals don't even understand it - as in the rigid adherence to the DSM. and i get told that i have "grandiose" thinking just because i can be up to par if not more than professionals. they seem to be very narrow-minded.
i think it is sorely misunderstood. i am VERY empathetic, i have compassion, i have a sense of humor.
i think they just don't understand another way of thinking.

gahQ@#$%^&