What do you do if you think you have Asperger's as an adult?

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What do you do if you believe Asperger's runs in your family, but it is undiagnosed? Recently a doctor told me my child has a "autism spectrum disorder" or "asperger's". I think quite a few immediate family members and other family members of mine all have the same symptoms, just some are more pronounced in others (especially boys). What good would it do to be diagnosed? What is some advice for those who have been diagnosed as child and as an adult? What about those that were undiagnosed? Are there other causes that mimic autism that are genetic?

In my experience finding out about aspergers has been more of a realization, it's not something I can fix/change it's something I have to strategize. I have been able to make better strategies to improve my life and make it run more efficiently. I don't believe a diagnosis as an adult is very helpful, unless you are 30+ and unable to survive in society. Realizing and restructuring have been the keys in my experience.

As for children being diagnosed..it might be a good idea....but it also might not be- they might think of themselves as disabled/crippled and decrease their self confidence (Though those around them will probably do that already)

Most important thing I think would be for parents to encourage suspected kids and foster their unique abilities. Also teach them coping strategies, such as getting them into music and buying them an MP3 player to block sounds out.

It is generally accepted that Autism is genetically passed on, with some environmental influences. There are other conditions that may show symptoms that present similarly but have different origins, reasons, underlying causes and need to be handled in different manners.

I'm an adult, seeking a formal diagnosis at the moment, but have no doubts that I have Asperger's. Self diagnosed this year, though I'd never really heard much about autism spectrum before, the signs and interactions other people on this site have experienced let me see my 34 years of life experience in a totally new light. I now understand that much of the trouble I've had in my life was due to misunderstandings / differences of mind rather than people purposely trying to be jerks (though I'm sure some were just that).

The reason I am seeking diagnosis? It's been suggested that there is assistance in learning life skills and seeking appropriate jobs if I wind up with a diagnosis. Either way, I see my discovery of Asperger's as a guiding light for my future interactions and endeavors in the world outside my door.

When we find out we are on the spectrum, we begin to 1) understand why and 2) learn how to cope.
I found out when I was an adult, now I know why life seemed like I was out of sync with it.

Like I always struck out, even though I thought I hit the ball. now I know why I missed - I never had a clue.

I wish I had known sooner. Now I can deal with the rest of my life, and try to cope using some skills I learn here and from other sources.

If I had known sooner, my life would have perhaps been better than it was.

So the sooner you can get a diagnosis, the earlier you get a jump on this thing.

rob

And also, what I try to preach, it's amazing how good you can get at a skill even if it doesn't come "naturally." For example, I did rock climbing and it helped with balance and physical presence.

And something I haven't done, if I were to learn, say Swahili, if I were to spend 5 hours a day, six months (which someone told me is the way for an adult to learn a language), even though I might not speak as well as a native, I still might get really pretty doggone good at it.