04 Nov 2011, 3:03 pm
04 Nov 2011, 3:35 pm
04 Nov 2011, 4:15 pm
Chronos wrote:
Certain schizophrenia spectrum disorders, social anxiety/avoidant disorders...though they aren't really similar, some people have difficulty telling the difference between AS, ADHD, ADD, ODD, and so on. A lot of women with AS get misdiagnoised with bi-polar disorder though they aren't similar.....that is just perceptual gender bias at work.
Some people acquire social problems later in life and think they have AS, but social problems associated with AS becomes apparent from a very young age, not because they develop, but because children without AS continue to develop socially while children with AS do not.
And then there are just people who were not treated well growing up or who did not fit in with the available social circle, or maybe are admittedly quirky, but don't actually have AS....some of them might have PDD-NOS or HFA though.
Last there is NVLD, non-verbal learning disorder. The distinction between this and AS is not clear, or agreed on. Most of Hans Aspergers subjects seem to meet the criteria for NVLD and early learning assessments on those with AS typically produce an NVLD scatter pattern. However NVLD entails motor coordination issues, which though observed by Hans Asperger, was not included as part of the diagnostic criteria for AS in the DSM-IV.
This caused a shift in the learning profiles of those being diagnosed with AS over time, and so now while most people with NVLD probably have AS, and many people with AS have NVLD, not all people with AS have NVLD.
I don't seem to really meet any of the criteria for any of the former disorders you mentioned, but NVLD sounds like a possibility. Though, as you mentioned, it does sound confusingly similar to AS. The more information I read, the more I'm fairly certain I have AS.
Thanks!
04 Nov 2011, 5:06 pm
04 Nov 2011, 9:16 pm
04 Nov 2011, 11:35 pm
Sharkgirl wrote:
I think you should definately see a psychologist who is trainied and expereinced in the area of ASD diagnosis.
It would not be considered rude if you question their qualifications and experience.
Its just the same if you were buying a pair of shoes - you would make sure they fit properly, instead of just picking out a style and buying them.
Or if you were signing a mobile phone contract - you would make sure the plan suited your needs and compare other plans from other companies.
It is really quite unethical for a psychologist to misrepresent their capabilities. All psychologists must be aware of their level of competance with different clients and refer on if anything is beyond their professional competance or experience.
If you see this psychologist you could easily be mmisdiagnosed and you will not be confident in the diagnosis that you are given.
It is your decision ultimately but I think you are wasting your money and should go through the proper process even if it takes a while longer.
It would not be considered rude if you question their qualifications and experience.
Its just the same if you were buying a pair of shoes - you would make sure they fit properly, instead of just picking out a style and buying them.
Or if you were signing a mobile phone contract - you would make sure the plan suited your needs and compare other plans from other companies.
It is really quite unethical for a psychologist to misrepresent their capabilities. All psychologists must be aware of their level of competance with different clients and refer on if anything is beyond their professional competance or experience.
If you see this psychologist you could easily be mmisdiagnosed and you will not be confident in the diagnosis that you are given.
It is your decision ultimately but I think you are wasting your money and should go through the proper process even if it takes a while longer.
Thanks sharkgirl. I think I'm probably going to see someone else. As exciting as the prospect of a diagnosis is, as you said, I also want to have confidence in said diagnosis. Even if she were to say that I have AS, I probably wouldn't fully trust in that diagnosis, simply due to the fact that I don't know if I fully trust in her expertise. I will just make another appointment with a different doctor, have to wait a while and travel a bit. I think it will definitely be much more worth it to get an opinion I trust, rather than an opinion I've just been waiting to hear.
04 Nov 2011, 11:44 pm
AdamDZ wrote:
I've gone through 2h+ pre-test evaluation and the psychologist said I have AS, she had little doubt. My first part of the test is December 13th. It'll take three visits. I am very anxious because I think it matters. I'm 44 years old and I've been struggling all of my life with personal, relationship, school and work issues, but things got a lot worse when I took my current job in my early 30s. I've been seeing a psychiatrist for several years now. He said anxiety, social phobia, obsessive personality, at one point he suspected bipolar, but nothing he did helped me. Then I started seeing a psychologist for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and he hinted AS after seeing me twice. The psychiatrist didn't agree at first. I saw another psychiatrist, he also didn't agree. So I found an autism center that does testing and they had little doubts. Then my psychiatrist admitted he never worked with people with AS an he knew whatever he learned in college.
So yeah, I simply want to know what's wrong with me but I realized that getting the correct diagnosis is difficult. There aren't many people who are very familiar with AS. The way I see it you can either be easily over-diagnosed if you have some other disorders that together mimic AS or the other way around: totally under-diagnosed with other disorders that together mimic AS.
The problem with AS is that it has so many symptoms, and no two people with AS are the same. You really need someone highly qualified to diagnose you.
If I really have AS I will have some options opened, I can ask for some accommodations at work to lower my work-related problems which are overwhelming right now.
Here is my story in case you curious:
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt178560.html
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp4129942.html
So yeah, I simply want to know what's wrong with me but I realized that getting the correct diagnosis is difficult. There aren't many people who are very familiar with AS. The way I see it you can either be easily over-diagnosed if you have some other disorders that together mimic AS or the other way around: totally under-diagnosed with other disorders that together mimic AS.
The problem with AS is that it has so many symptoms, and no two people with AS are the same. You really need someone highly qualified to diagnose you.
If I really have AS I will have some options opened, I can ask for some accommodations at work to lower my work-related problems which are overwhelming right now.
Here is my story in case you curious:
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt178560.html
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp4129942.html
Thanks
I definitely agree, there are a lot of symptoms between AS and other diagnoses that can overlap and it's quite confusing. So, I really do want to take the time to see someone with expertise. I guess I kind of jumped the gun with this lady. I had contacted everyone in this town and the next closest town and all of them had said that they didn't do that type of evaluation and couldn't help me. I was happy with their honesty, yet frustrated at the thought of not being able to find anyone who could help me. Then, I found this lady and she said she could provide a diagnosis and I said okay without really thinking, because I was so relieved to hear the words "I can help you." But, if I'm not confident in her diagnosis, it's not going to get me any satisfaction anyway, so I may as well just make an appointment with someone farther away and more reputable and wait it out. I hope we both find answers to our questions.
05 Nov 2011, 5:14 am
05 Nov 2011, 7:35 am
Good decision and good luck with it. 
05 Nov 2011, 9:03 am
05 Nov 2011, 9:03 am
Sharkgirl wrote:
Good decision and good luck with it.
Thanks!
