Diagnosis Advice

[stimmy turner]

Hi All,

I knew I was different for the last four decades, but I learned that it was autism two weeks ago. I am wanting to get a diagnosis. The boutique affirming psychologists are thousands of dollars! I have insurance that covers it in network, but am worried that I will get a misdiagnosis from an inexpert person in the big box side of the medical system. I am wondering if anybody has any thoughts or experiences? Thanks!

- Stimmy

 

[Xinyta]

Welcome, @stimmy turner

Glad you found our happy little slice of heaven.

In regards to getting diagnosed. It's not entirely imperative, if you function well enough to get by in life. Though if you are truly consurned about it, then you can go for it. A daignosis for Autism is more for getting extra support. I personally cannot make any recommendations, since I am self-daignosed and not offical.

I hope you stick around and learn more. We have resources and plenty of friendly folks that can help answer questions you may have.

 

[stimmy turner]

Welcome, @stimmy turner

Glad you found our happy little slice of heaven.

In regards to getting diagnosed. It's not entirely imperative, if you function well enough to get by in life. Though if you are truly consurned about it, then you can go for it. A daignosis for Autism is more for getting extra support. I personally cannot make any recommendations, since I am self-daignosed and not offical.

I hope you stick around and learn more. We have resources and plenty of friendly folks that can help answer questions you may have.

Thanks! I know what I am and I can function. I already had a pretty good understanding of the characteristics, I just didn't know to put the label on it. Not that it isn't a breakthrough to have shared language and validation and a complete conceptual map and a neurodevelopmental theory. I need to get diagnosed for complicated personal reasons.

 

[Crossbreed]

I am wondering if anybody has any thoughts or experiences?

If you are in the US, see...

Finding Support Resources in the USA...

Many of us on the spectrum have poor work histories and lack the funds needed to pursue a diagnosis and pay for recurring services. If your...

autlanders.blogspot.com

Otherwise, which country are you in? (Someone here might be able to point you to more local resources.)

 

[kriss72]

Hi @stimmy turner , welcome to the forum I'm also late diagnosed so I know some of what you are going through.... what is the worst case scenario if you take the insurance route and get a false negative result? If you think the reasoning is invalid you could still go for the self payed option.

 

[Crossbreed]

...what is the worst case scenario if you take the insurance route and get a false negative result...?

Someone like the Autism Society (if he is in America) could point him to an autism-competent provider who takes his insurance. Win/win!

 

[kriss72]

Someone like the Autism Society (if he is in America) could point him to an autism-competent provider who takes his insurance. Win/win!

That is true, and there would still be the possibility for a second opinion. When I went in for my assessment results I was like, they better have a very good explanation for what is going on with me if it isn't asd & adhd, and I was prepared to get a second opinion from the public health system if I didn't agree.

 

[Rodafina]

Hello and welcome @stimmy turner.

Sometimes, hanging around this forum for awhile can help people solidify the idea of whether they are autistic or not. Stick around, read about the various experience that people have had and the different conversations about diagnostic processes. Hope this place is helpful to you.

 

[marc_101]

Welcome!

Either type of assessment you choose, check out their credentials and experience. You want somebody with experience in multiple diagnoses. Also, learn about others here -- try the search function; top right.

A diagnosis is a tricky thing. My suggestion is to not be too attached to it. A lot of conditions share autistic traits. If you convince yourself that you're autistic but are not, then you could miss the opportunity to figure out what is happening. That's the flip side of the concern you have.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Hi All,

I knew I was different for the last four decades, but I learned that it was autism two weeks ago. I am wanting to get a diagnosis. The boutique affirming psychologists are thousands of dollars! I have insurance that covers it in network, but am worried that I will get a misdiagnosis from an inexpert person in the big box side of the medical system. I am wondering if anybody has any thoughts or experiences? Thanks!

- Stimmy

Take your time to do some research on "adult autism testing" centers. Now, you may start with contacting an autism center that primarily deals with children, but I suspect these same people would be able to point you in the right direction towards psychologists and/or mental health facilities that specialize in adults. In my area, we have several centers for children, but I ended up at a local mental health campus, several buildings, but the receptionist at the main desk was able to help me. The psychologist I was able to connect with specialized in autism, which included a testing lab overseen by other mental health professionals. They ran me though a series of different cognitive performance tests, one to direct me through it all, another to observe and time me. My wife was interviewed by the psychologist while I was in the testing lab. Afterward, I had the interview with the psychologist who ran me through some other tests, as well. After that, I took the written tests. It took me about 3-4 hours. A month later, I returned, she had a 12-page report and my diagnosis.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Welcome. I don’t have any advice on getting tested, as I am self-identified. The best reason to get a diagnosis would be if that gives you access to needed services.

 

[grommet]

Hi All,

I knew I was different for the last four decades, but I learned that it was autism two weeks ago. I am wanting to get a diagnosis. The boutique affirming psychologists are thousands of dollars! I have insurance that covers it in network, but am worried that I will get a misdiagnosis from an inexpert person in the big box side of the medical system. I am wondering if anybody has any thoughts or experiences? Thanks!

- Stimmy

I was diagnosed by a neuropsychologist and it cost $400, insurance paid for it. It took three months with several meetings and lost of tests and examination.

I was surprised by how thorough it was and by how I reacted to some of the tests. I was very glad when it was through. I am also glad I got tested.

 

[VictorR]

Welcome. As others have noted, even when one gets a diagnosis, the reports that you're given can vary vastly - one dr might focus primarily on developmental history and what was reported by a family member or friend, another may focus more on the tests administered, etc. etc.

So you may wish to consider your reasons for pursuing a diagnosis, and even after finding someone you're comfortable in performing an assessment, to then determine whether the report that they would provide would meet your needs.

 

[Alexej]

I have insurance that covers it in network,

Sorry - A bit of a sideways step here, but I dont understand what you mean by covers it in network. (But I am not in the US - which might have something to do with it)

 

[marc_101]

@Alexej

In the US, private insurers contract with doctors to set reimbursement rates. Some health plans only cover the doctors they contracted with (in-network doctors). Other plans may cover both in-network and out-of-network doctors, but cost-sharing (the part the enrollee pays) can be very high. In some plans, no out-of-network doctor is covered. Assessments for autism in my area are about $2,000 to $4,000 without insurance.

Using that language, in the UK, all the NHS services are in-network and most private doctors would be out-of-network.

We have a crazy healthcare system in the US... It's a patchwork, almost literally.

 

[stimmy turner]

Welcome. As others have noted, even when one gets a diagnosis, the reports that you're given can vary vastly - one dr might focus primarily on developmental history and what was reported by a family member or friend, another may focus more on the tests administered, etc. etc.

So you may wish to consider your reasons for pursuing a diagnosis, and even after finding someone you're comfortable in performing an assessment, to then determine whether the report that they would provide would meet your needs.

Thanks, that's helpful. I'll ask about reports.

 

[ASD_Geek]

Sometimes it may help if you have something else like ADHD. I have that and do to insurance changes, I recently had to go to another mental health professional. I got to pick the person and looked specifically for one that also listed ASD as a specialty and one that was not affiliated with any large medical group.

Prior to the visit, I told them about my thoughts about my having autism and asked if they could test for it. I've had several appointments, including bringing my wife along to help answer some questions about me and fill in some of the gaps that I couldn't remember. I wrote out 6 pages of notes that I covered symptoms from my childhood up through present and sent that along prior to the assessment. We also did some emailing back and forth including taking several assessments, etc. Today, I was officially diagnosed after being self-diagnosed for years. I am still processing it, but it is possible if that it what you really want.

If you go see one specialist and they tell you that you are not on the spectrum, you can always seek out a second opinion. It's been said that if you've done the research and truly feel that you are autistic then you most certainly are. This is how I felt for many years, but I do understand the want for an official diagnosis for personal reassurance or accomodation.

Best of luck!

 

[jsilver256]

Hi All,

I knew I was different for the last four decades, but I learned that it was autism two weeks ago. I am wanting to get a diagnosis. The boutique affirming psychologists are thousands of dollars! I have insurance that covers it in network, but am worried that I will get a misdiagnosis from an inexpert person in the big box side of the medical system. I am wondering if anybody has any thoughts or experiences? Thanks!

- Stimmy

IMO, just go through the insured process and find a high-quality place that does thorough adult diagnoses. I know it's nerve-wrecking, but these "boutique affirming psychologists" might end up giving you imposter syndrome by virtue of being cash-only boutique mills. If you've got autism, you've got it.

 

[Crossbreed]

IMO, just go through the insured process and find a high-quality place that does thorough adult diagnoses. I know it's nerve-wrecking, but these "boutique affirming psychologists" might end up giving you imposter syndrome by virtue of being cash-only boutique mills. If you've got autism, you've got it.

If you are in the USA, the organizations cited below can recommend autism-competent service providers.

Finding Support Resources in the USA...

Many of us on the spectrum have poor work histories and lack the funds needed to pursue a diagnosis and pay for recurring services. If your...

autlanders.blogspot.com

 

[Hokulea]

Welcome, @stimmy turner.