Misdiagnosis

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I would rather be viewed as the one who is autistic and those stereotypes than the one who has the popular diagnosis that is always misrepresented. autism is only misrepresented because of people who should not have the AS diagnosis and should instead have the autism diagnosis. I do not want to misrepresent a disorder. Yes I am currently getting the services I know I need, and the biggest reason I want a reassessment is to really now for sure... I am also getting a copy of my diagnosis to read over, so that I can see if some stuff on my parents part was accidently left out that would sway it either way, or if I was a "pity" diagnosis made to make me seem on the functioning level I am by connecting it to a diagnosis that is really reservered for the highest functioning on the spectrum, which I am not quite there, even though I am close. I am slowly finding out more and more... and I definitly look more and more like an autie the more I look at my records from when I was young (and some of that stuff is pretty ugly looking on my part, and I really hope noone else ever has to read those documents... I mean, I know that is who I am and all, but really...). I have made absolutly massive progression since I was young. I may be high functioning now, but I was an extremely intelligent person who would have been moderatly autistic as a child, but definitly not high functioning. I never had a speech delay, in fact I spoke sooner than most people, but I was still not a high functioning individual... Looking back I wonder why my mother never allowed my father to get me diagnosed, my dad suspected something was wrong before age 3, and knew 100% that something was wrong by age 4, but my mother would not let himget a diagnosis on me. My step mom finally got me a diagnosis when I was 13. That diagnosis helped me progress a lot, even though I fought tooth and nail to convince people I was normal. My parents just started treating me different and raising me different, and I started responding to it and made progression, but had I have noticed that they were treating me differently because of my diagnosis, I would have fought that too. Basicly, I slowly improved around that time, partially due to different treatment, partially due to other things.

Knowing my past, now that I have seen briefly some documents on me, I am really really extremely confused as to why I had the AS diagnosis. I was pretty far off from AS as a child, and the only thing I had going for me were the other social outcasts, and the fact that I was extremely intelligent in my early years. I am definitly not as intelligent as I was, specifically because of having very narrow interests, as a kid I soaked up all knowledge, and my special interest was to know everything. I knew basic molecular chemistry by age 7 because I heard about it and wanted to know. I knew square roots of some numbers by age 8... But other than my knowledge, I was pretty bad off... And I don't want to get into me then...

My high intelligence somewhat masked the severity of everything else though... And the one thing I will mention is that on some of my documents it was listed that I could not tell the difference between real and fantasy, I was aware I had problems there as a kid... I just didn't know how bad those problems were for me.

Hold off awhile and wait for the new DSM. One of two things might happen. You are HFA or 'Normal'. I'm not sure which case is worse. It depends on your particular mindset.

I do need the services I get, so being normal by diagnosis would not be a good thing for me.

Interesting thread. The conflict you're having now is one professionals are arguing and with the next DSM, there is debate as to whether or not Aspergers should be listed seperate from autism spectrum disorders. So, it would be classified as a social disability rather than an ASD.

I think expectations of "aspies" are high despite the impairments. Maybe this is what you're encountering. Aspies might have high IQ's sometimes impressively high, and they speak smartly, but they have issues that make it difficult to function, organize and socialize. It's not that they don't want to, but it comes out wrong. You would not be more autistic based on the way you describe your desire to be with people and connect. This is one distinguishing feature of Aspergers, that the indivdual desires to connect with others but it is often awkward or superficially received. Someone with autism, on the other hand, is more aloof and feels less need to connect to other people.

Sorry to diappoint you, but you sound like an aspie. Even your rejection of a stereotypical understanding of you is more aligned with an aspies single-mindedness.

I think you should bank on your gifts and talents and go for whatever you are most interested inpurusing. If it's not technology, so be it.

best,

equinn

My social interaction really isn't different from the autie next door. I seek intellectual exchange from people, not social exchange, and all my conversations reflect that.

i actually know somebody who has asperger's that think they might be high functioning autisic its funny i thought they were both the same thing so i was confused how somebody could misdiagnose you.