Trying to get diagnosed

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Hi, I'm 18 and live in west Wales. After hearing about Aspergers on TV I researched it and I'm sure I have it. On the 20th I'll be going to the doctor's to get a referral to try and get a proffesional diagnosis. If anybody has any advice about getting the diagnosis I'd really appreciate it.

Hi, I'm 42 and discovered AS a year ago. I was just formally diagnosed last month. It took several months. I saw a child and adolescent psychiatrist who didn't feel he had the experience to diagnose me, but he referred me to a psychiatrist who specializes in ASD. It took several months to finally see the specialist, but I'm glad I waited. He really knew what he was doing. He chatted with me for about 40 minutes, was very sympathetic, and gave me my diagnosis.

My advice would be to make sure that the person who does the diagnosis has a lot of experience with people on the spectrum.

I would also advise you to consider the differences between a psychologist and a psychiatrist. The former will try and diagnose and then offer helpful advice, the latter will diagnose and then offer mind numbing pills. Sorry, that sounds a bit biased but that's what I happen to think, from personal experience that is.

The National Autistic Society may be able to help you. They have a telephone helpline, and there is also a lot of information on their website. It might be a good idea to find a list of symptoms of Asperger Syndrome, and highlight the ones which apply to you. The doctor will be able to help you more if you can present them with more information.

I'm 54, and don't see any way I could ever be accurately diagnosed as having AS. I would *LOVE* to be diagnosed with something just so that I might understand myself, others and my sometimes hellish-life, on a level basis. Instead, I just try to categorize everyone and everything in my life into comforable little cubby holes that I have created in my mind, stuff everyone/everything into theirs, and deal with them in whatever way I have taught myself to deal with that category. Or at least that's what I used to do quite regularly until it became boring. Now I mostly just fantasize about everyone being what/who I want them to be.

If I was to sit down with someone that could give me some sort of diagnosis, I think I have read, watched, listened to, and researched so much on AS, that I could say all of the right things to get a positive diagnosis. But would that be a true diagnosis, or just something I made them agree with me on? I sat down with a Dr. at the VA, (Veteran's Affairs) Hospital and when I mentioned AS, he quick looked into some little paperback about the size of a pocket dictionary, read something, told me "no, that's something that only kids have," and said I just needed to grow up. (That was about 4 years ago.)

Sounds like what happened to me. I'm 42, discovered AS a year ago, brought it up to my then-shrink, and he actually laughed at me. He said "They would have noticed something was wrong when you were in school". That's what made me realize the guy didn't know s**t about AS. I was in school in the sixties and seventies and they didn't know about AS then. So I figured if he didn't know what he was talking about, I'd find somebody who did.

I moved, found a new shrink, mentioned it to him one day, casually, and since he is a child/adolescent psychiatrist, he actually knew a little bit about it. He said he would refer me to a specialist for his opinion.

I had no idea how the evaluation would go, but basically I ended up seeing the one doctor in our state who is on the OASIS list of AS docs. He just talked with me, very casually and in a very understanding way. I spoke as if I were confident I had AS, and he spoke throughout as if I did too. At the end, he said I had AS. I was surprised there were no tests involved and he didn't ask questions as if he were running down the DSM criteria either. He said there were a few things I'd mentioned that were like benchmarks for diagnosis.

So my point is, even though we're older, and even though we both "know" AS, it's still possible to get a diagnosis. I believe the key is who you see in terms of how familiar they are with AS.

I am pro-diagnosis, as I think the more of us who get diagnosed, the more society will realize we are out there and the less we will be swept under the table.


Sorry that's been your experience. I don't think it's fair to bash all psychiatrists.

my word, everything is so similar to my situation... i got a referral, waiting for a diag, maybe can talk my way through a dX my gosh!! !! i feel the same, my psychiatrist didn't know how to do it, but he doubted i had it (he specialized in only ADD) so WOW I FEEL LIKE OTHER PEOPLE MORE NOW!! !! im only 13!! ! its funny, really.

also, another thing is I am also pro-diag, cause understanding and obsession is the key to life... lolololol