Is a diagnosis helpful or does it cause too many problems?

Post Reply New Topic

Is a diagnosis (and I mean aspergers/high functioning autism) more crippling than the actual syndrome itself?

The reason I ask is because my son is being evaluated at the moment, and he clearly needs some help as he is struggling in several areas. But, I have been reading newspaper articles about adult aspies losing their jobs after their bosses learned about their diagnosis (one example was a train driver, 25 years of flawless work, and gets sacked when they find out). Another example are that aspies can be denied a drivers license.
Maybe this is something unique to my country (sweden)?

What are your thoughts on this - is it better to diagnose, get help but risk being "labelled" as unfit, or better to risk unhappiness due to no help being given, but no diagnosis causing problems?

In my case, getting a diagnosis was a huge help.

All through my childhood, my parents kept arguing with my teachers because my teachers didn't know how to teach me properly. It got them exactly nowhere.

Then, I got my diagnosis at age 15, and suddenly I had a legal right to what I needed. My mother had a lot more clout because she could threaten lawsuits if they didn't meet my needs.

Getting dx.
You can allways loose you lables again, even it it's not that easy sometimes.

There are laws in place to protect you. Also, I'm sure you can only be denied a driving licence if it's unsafe for you to drive, and not just because you now have a diagnosis.

ASD alone is not a reason why someone shouldn't be able to drive.

I only found out a couple of weeks ago, and I'm 45. At first I was happy to have an answer about why I felt I did not fit in, or 'what was wrong' with me. But I admit it is on mind all of the time, and now I worry about my job prospects when I graduate. I am already older than the other graduates.
I am hoping I am just 'digesting' the new information about myself, and will get used to the idea, and work out how to approach he rest of my life, telling or not telling people as I go.
Meanwhile, I still have not done my overdue assignment because I am so preoccupied with this.

I think a diagnosis is only needed if it can be beneficial. I've long suspected I have ASD and it's been suggested to me but until recently, I've not sought a diagnosis because there would be no point. Now though, I'm starting to realise that certain aspects of my life could be improved by a diagnosis. Nothing changes about you when you're diagnosed, simply the label with which you describe yourself.

Indeed, you don't even need to use that label unless you want to. So your doctor will know, but that's about it, unless you decide to tell people.

I'm not sure if there are any experts on Swedish law here.

It's been posted on WP that a DX is grounds for losing a flying license in the UK, and it's an official issue with entry into the US Armed Forces.

I am 30 and seeking diagnosis (in the UK) having realised that I am pretty much certainly on the spectrum and also realising just how much of my life this impacts and causes problems with. The primary reason I want a diagnosis it that it would answer deep questions I have had about myself since being a child. I am also trying to keep myself open to the possibility that a diagnosis might open up opportunities to improve the condition or at least how I deal with it. I hope to reattempt my degree at some point and being able to ask for accommodations would be of use for me I think. I have also found myself in hot water at work and a diagnosis would give me a little protection for those times when management fail to understand.

I am married and have quite a good full time job so I cannot claim to be anywhere near as impaired as many people on the spectrum but, regardless, now I understand AS it is something that affects my quality of life and that I struggle with every hour of every day in one way or another. There might be limitations as a result of gaining a diagnosis of an ASD but, I have no interest in flying (or joining the US army for that matter) and I actually am beginning to think that in my case, driving is not something I feel I might ever get the hang of doing safely. My biggest worry is actually being told that I do not have AS since I have been aware of this 'thing' whatever it was, for most of my life and this is the first and only time I have been able to think about it in a way that didn't scare the living daylights out of me. Trying to explain this thing to myself over the years has led me to some very disturbing conclusions and I worry that if they fling AS out of the window I am only left with that.

Turning into an incoherent rant at this point but my opinion is, yes - a diagnosis is a good thing compared to living your life not understanding what is 'wrong' with you.

I can relate to this, I too was diagnosed with HFA recently (although I'm only 21) and in the process of graduating, I too am uncertain now on who to tell and who not to. I also am second guessing everything I do and come across, thinking "how does my autism affect this?" and being very preoccupied by this, to the point of haven't done anything usefull for my graduation since my diagnosis.

I do think of my diagnosis as a positive thing however, as I now finally know why I was so "weird". I do hope this preocupation passes soon

To the OP: I think he should get the dx, if he is really struggling with it, his boss is going to find it out on it's own anyway. He may be able to remain more "hidden" if he gets some help. Also for some jobs an aspie may well be the better candidate

That depends on the situation. In my case, my mom specifically never told me I was an aspie in case I mentioned it to the wrong person and got it on my school records, in order to prevent my having problems with whatever career I chose because of the label. What she told me and others at the time was that I was ADD - it didn't have nearly the stigma associated with it, and is similar enough to help me to get a handle on things. I was also raised with the idea that being weird was a GOOD thing - my whole family consists of aspies (I know now), and we always considered being called 'normal' a worse insult than most cussing.

Turns out it's a good thing she did - I want to be a teacher of foreign languages, and I can readily see some idiot thinking that requires perfect social skills, when really in my experience it's the teachers with the passion for their subject who get it across to the students.

This is a really tough question, and there may not be an answer to fit all. There are certain benefits such as governmental financial aid for "the disabled", but as pointed out by the train operator getting fired on diagnosis, there are pitfalls too. There are also haters out there who persecute; especially in the wake of the Sandy Hook school incident, which was FALSELY blamed on autism/Asperger's as being a factor in the lunatic's actions (was actually IMHO due to personality disorders and NOT the Spectrum; whether or not he is on the spectrum in fact).

I'm formally diagnosed, but have never collected medical insurance or applied for any aid, etc., so there is no public record of my diagnosis. I plan to keep it that way, and I'm high-functioning to the point of being able to conduct a much more successful life than many NTs (and grateful for that).

Charles

Who would think that?

Most foreign language teachers I've had have been foreigners who struggle with our culture's social customs due to being foreign. I doubt anyone would notice if they were autistic as well - they'd just attribute it to being foreign.

I keep getting told that teachers need good social skills and have to be very good at communication. And I wouldn't have the advantage of being foreign - I just have a massive fascination with languages and as a result pick them up faster than I have any right to (so a classmate of mine once said...)


EDIT: Oh yes, and then there's the way they tried to tell my mom she couldn't teach because she had a learning disability.

No.

While I recently blew up at my parents for not recognizing I had it and getting it diagnosed, at this point there is no benefit and many potential drawbacks. I was even told this by a psychiatrist so I'm not just making it up. I would say for kids and teens it is worth it but as an adult it's pointless because any help I might need is simply not offered and even so called experts have ridiculous over the top stereotypes of us Aspies.

Nobody would fire someone based on a AS diagnosis, but they might suddenly see minor issues as major obstacles, same as how I suddenly went from 'handsome' to 'hideous' when I started getting bullied at school. There's also the risk of people labelled 'high risk' for insurance purposes too, however ridiculous that is in reality.