Ten years ago I got fed up with constantly arguing with my wife about things she had supposedly told me, and then not knowing anything about it the next time she brought it up. I figured one of us was losing our memory, so I went to get some diagnostics done. The diagnosis wasn't for Asperger's, and I didn't know about Asperger's until recently. This guy probably doesn't diagnose adult Asperger's anyway.
I just ran across my diagnosis and was reading through it. It looks like I had to get referred by my primary to get tested for ADD for insurance to pay for it. I don't agree with his opinion about what causes my memory problem, because I was only having issues with one person. It reads like I was having memory problems with other people, but I don't recall that, so maybe he's right. He says I have "..a very introverted nature and with little understanding of that before I suspected that something was wrong with me". Not sure what he means by that? I have a good awareness of my introverted nature since I've been living with it my whole life. Then he says do exposure therapy for your social issues. I'm curious what the outcome would be if I went back and discussed Asperger's with him now.
Here's the diagnosis printout. See what you think:
The evaluation was completed in order to address memory, attention, and distractibility concerns noticed in particular over the past few years. His family physician prompted an assessment for a possible Attention Deficit Disorder. A historical perspective indicated that he has always wished to be more comfortable in social situations and worked through some social anxiety difficulties about fourteen years ago. He indicated that he tends to forget things very quickly and easily and often needs to ask others to repeat their statements.
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - III, Category Test, Trail Making Tests A & B, Tower of London Test, and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory - III were completed. The various tests of cognitive processing, intellectual ability, problem solving, memory, and attention did not indicate any concerns. The results reflect well above average intellectual ability, strong analytical skills, and a preference for a diligent scrutinizing approach to tasks. The Millon personality assessment indicated an introverted, socially avoidant preference, a presence of some suspiciousness, and indicated that he is easily cognitively distracted due to the ongoing social situations that life presents. Considering the level of intellectual ability and the personality profile, he is hypersensitive when in an interpersonal situation and gets preoccupied with intrusive random thoughts analyzing what is said, why, and how to proceed as he wishes to proceed well and with acceptance. It is this processing that impacts attention and subsequently what is retained and what is not.
Overall, there is not an Attention Deficit Disorder evident. Anxiety in social situations brings about some of the difficulty and is compounded by his keen analytical nature and lifelong difficulties with interpersonal situations. Very simply, he is not a socially gregarious individual and is part of a minority of individuals with a very introverted nature and with little understanding of that before he suspected that something was wrong with him. If he was to frequently engage in more socially demanding situations his anxiousness, distractibility, and comfort level would change and he would have an easier time.
Sometimes life does not present those opportunities and so anxiety will still surface at times and some cognitive impact (memory, attention) will be evident. It may help if he reminds himself to listen attentively without automatically being analytical, which would certainly take ongoing effort and with practice he could lessen the impact in social situations. Again, there is nothing wrong, the assessment just showed how unique individual personalities can be and how interactions impact others.
I just ran across my diagnosis and was reading through it. It looks like I had to get referred by my primary to get tested for ADD for insurance to pay for it. I don't agree with his opinion about what causes my memory problem, because I was only having issues with one person. It reads like I was having memory problems with other people, but I don't recall that, so maybe he's right. He says I have "..a very introverted nature and with little understanding of that before I suspected that something was wrong with me". Not sure what he means by that? I have a good awareness of my introverted nature since I've been living with it my whole life. Then he says do exposure therapy for your social issues. I'm curious what the outcome would be if I went back and discussed Asperger's with him now.
Here's the diagnosis printout. See what you think:
The evaluation was completed in order to address memory, attention, and distractibility concerns noticed in particular over the past few years. His family physician prompted an assessment for a possible Attention Deficit Disorder. A historical perspective indicated that he has always wished to be more comfortable in social situations and worked through some social anxiety difficulties about fourteen years ago. He indicated that he tends to forget things very quickly and easily and often needs to ask others to repeat their statements.
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - III, Category Test, Trail Making Tests A & B, Tower of London Test, and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory - III were completed. The various tests of cognitive processing, intellectual ability, problem solving, memory, and attention did not indicate any concerns. The results reflect well above average intellectual ability, strong analytical skills, and a preference for a diligent scrutinizing approach to tasks. The Millon personality assessment indicated an introverted, socially avoidant preference, a presence of some suspiciousness, and indicated that he is easily cognitively distracted due to the ongoing social situations that life presents. Considering the level of intellectual ability and the personality profile, he is hypersensitive when in an interpersonal situation and gets preoccupied with intrusive random thoughts analyzing what is said, why, and how to proceed as he wishes to proceed well and with acceptance. It is this processing that impacts attention and subsequently what is retained and what is not.
Overall, there is not an Attention Deficit Disorder evident. Anxiety in social situations brings about some of the difficulty and is compounded by his keen analytical nature and lifelong difficulties with interpersonal situations. Very simply, he is not a socially gregarious individual and is part of a minority of individuals with a very introverted nature and with little understanding of that before he suspected that something was wrong with him. If he was to frequently engage in more socially demanding situations his anxiousness, distractibility, and comfort level would change and he would have an easier time.
Sometimes life does not present those opportunities and so anxiety will still surface at times and some cognitive impact (memory, attention) will be evident. It may help if he reminds himself to listen attentively without automatically being analytical, which would certainly take ongoing effort and with practice he could lessen the impact in social situations. Again, there is nothing wrong, the assessment just showed how unique individual personalities can be and how interactions impact others.
