So... I Have Aspergers.

[benjimanbreeg]

If they didn't test you or anything, then its not official. I had some doctor guy, that was through the job centre, that said I had aspergers. But then I had to wait like another year to get diagnosed.

 

[Chris]

The psychologist we both saw recently did test us, Willow was saying she had a **** experience with the NHS who previously diagnosed her with ASD... just incase you didn't pick up on that.

 

[Willow]

Yeah, it was an official diagnosis through the NHS from a psychiatrist, but they didn't test. I had it in writing that I had it, but there were no tests.

 

[benjimanbreeg]

Yeah, it was an official diagnosis through the NHS from a psychiatrist, but they didn't test. I had it in writing that I had it, but there were no tests.

How did you get to see a psychiatrist? Seems like your area gives appointments out like loans :lol:

 

[Kit]

How do you get diagnosed without any testing?

 

[benjimanbreeg]

How do you get diagnosed without any testing?

 

[Calvert]

Willow was saying she had a **** experience with the NHS who previously diagnosed her with ASD

Now correct me if i'm wrong (the whole Autism spectrum can get confusing at times) but isn't Aspergers Syndrome an ASD? Or are you saying that the diagnoses should have been specific as to what ASD it was?




I actually seen two different Psychologists who worked in the same place. I did some tests but can't remember what they were specifically. I remember one were I was given a sheet with four different objects on it and I had to spot the odd one out. That test was probably for the school (they sent me to get assessed) to see if I had any learning difficulty. Can't remember what the others were. I do recall doing a lot of talking and answering questions which the doctor kept taking notes on and such. In a way it was like being in a job interview.   :lol:

 

[Willow]

I got to see a psychiatrist because I'd been having a lot of problems and I'd been seeing my GP for a few years and he didn't know what was wrong. I've seen 2 psychiatrists.

I was diagnosed without testing for AS because the first one I saw asked me a million questions, none were proper AS tests, and he wrote up a report, the second one read through the report and said it sounded like I had an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Yes, Aspergers is part of the Autistic Spectrum, but the people who I've seen don't know **** and said that I HAD Autism Spectrum Disorder. They refused to specify where on the spectrum I was.

I am now paying to see someone who is doing all the proper testing. For a change. If I didn't have it, he wouldn't diagnose it. You don't get a diagnosis regardless just because you are paying.

 

[Calvert]

Yes, Aspergers is part of the Autistic Spectrum, but the people who I've seen don't know **** and said that I HAD Autism Spectrum Disorder. They refused to specify where on the spectrum I was. 

That's what I thought. Hopefully this person you are seeing will finally give you the proper diagnoses and put your mind at rest. 

 

[Chris]

@benj - Don't be a tit, it was the NHS that didn't test and diagnosed thus there was no involvement of money.

 

[mikkyh]

Erm. I've gone through the NHS before and they didn't test me for anything yet still arrived at a conclusion of Autism Spectrum Disorder. The person we saw/are seeing privately was recommended to us by the National Autistic Society, he's been through a lot of widely used tests with us and he is going to be writing up a report for Chris, and for me later as he is still testing me for some things.

Sounds like an unfortunate case on your part. Or unusual at least. The NHS took a lot of tests to diagnose me. They asked for ALL of my past medical records and school work, teacher reports and lots of other stuff.

 

[mikkyh]

You're all being very harsh here. I think you need to read all of the messages again from the first one because you're not reading what Willow is saying properly.

Benj, it's not at all about the money. That's stupid

She said that when she went through the NHS they didn't do any proper tests, and just stuck a label on here that stated she has "Autistic Spectrum Disorder" like it is, itself, a diagnosed. When autism and Asperger Syndrome are actually part of the autistic spectrum.

At least that's how I read it.

 

[benjimanbreeg]

I think people are looking WAY TOO much into it. So you're on the spectrum, its done. Now get on with life.

 

[gamers1700]

I was actually a very unique case. I had most of the traits, but my childhood doc didn't connect the dots until trouble arose in my late teen years. Some time after that he looked at the close correlation with turrets syndrome and Asperger's and went "I'll be damned". A letter later and I'm on ODSP with a diagnosis of Asperger's, as far as I can tell.

 

[Kit]

I got to see a psychiatrist because I'd been having a lot of problems and I'd been seeing my GP for a few years and he didn't know what was wrong. I've seen 2 psychiatrists.

I was diagnosed without testing for AS because the first one I saw asked me a million questions, none were proper AS tests, and he wrote up a report, the second one read through the report and said it sounded like I had an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Yes, Aspergers is part of the Autistic Spectrum, but the people who I've seen don't know **** and said that I HAD Autism Spectrum Disorder. They refused to specify where on the spectrum I was.

I am now paying to see someone who is doing all the proper testing. For a change. If I didn't have it, he wouldn't diagnose it. You don't get a diagnosis regardless just because you are paying.

Is that how Chris did it?

 

[benjimanbreeg]

No, he just payed.

 

[gamers1700]

Breeg, will you just stop? Honestly, what's your opinion compared to a professionals? Go somewhere where your opinion counts for something.

 

[krisi]

In my opinion, it's better to pay for a professional opinion than to simply stick with someone who may be unqualified. If you are seeing someone reccomended by the NAS, that person's opinion is very likely to be based on evidence from research, whereas another psychiatrist, from the state or private, may have specialized in a different area of study...say, Eating Disorders, and not have a clue about Autism Spectrum Disorders beyond formalized tests.

I also feel a little sketchy about formalized tests: they are very decontextualized, designed to elicit a specific response (or not), often ask leading questions, and are either objective yet unreliable (as far as I've seen for formalized tests for ASD's), or extremely subjective while only looking at one dimension of a person. (I just want to qualify here that in the US, a Speech-Language Pathologist--what I'm studying to become--can diagnose ASD's if they have had enough clinical experience with people on the spectrum. Thus, students like myself have to study some of the formalized tests that are availible.)

From what I can see, the best diagnosis for AS would come from an interview-style diagnostic session with the individual and at least one person who is significant in their life who can provide a more "objective" opinion. The psychiatrist giving the evaluation should have thoroughly researched Autism Spectrum disorders. This kind of 'holistic' approach takes quite a lot of time and effort, however, so I suppose it's not always feasible.

Hopefully that was a positive contribution to the discussion... :unsure:

 

[mikkyh]

In my opinion, it's better to pay for a professional opinion than to simply stick with someone who may be unqualified. If you are seeing someone reccomended by the NAS, that person's opinion is very likely to be based on evidence from research, whereas another psychiatrist, from the state or private, may have specialized in a different area of study...say, Eating Disorders, and not have a clue about Autism Spectrum Disorders beyond formalized tests.

I also feel a little sketchy about formalized tests: they are very decontextualized, designed to elicit a specific response (or not), often ask leading questions, and are either objective yet unreliable (as far as I've seen for formalized tests for ASD's), or extremely subjective while only looking at one dimension of a person. (I just want to qualify here that in the US, a Speech-Language Pathologist--what I'm studying to become--can diagnose ASD's if they have had enough clinical experience with people on the spectrum. Thus, students like myself have to study some of the formalized tests that are availible.)

From what I can see, the best diagnosis for AS would come from an interview-style diagnostic session with the individual and at least one person who is significant in their life who can provide a more "objective" opinion. The psychiatrist giving the evaluation should have thoroughly researched Autism Spectrum disorders. This kind of 'holistic' approach takes quite a lot of time and effort, however, so I suppose it's not always feasible.

Hopefully that was a positive contribution to the discussion... :unsure:

So you're saying that if you don't pay for a diagnoses the psychiatrist with a degree in mental health is inexperienced and therefore probably doesn't know as much ?

 

[krisi]

So you're saying that if you don't pay for a diagnoses the psychiatrist with a degree in mental health is inexperienced and therefore probably doesn't know as much ?

Sorry, I can see how what I said can be misinterpreted.

What I'm saying is that if you're seeing a psychiatrist who doesn't specialize in Autism Spectrum Disorders, they probably don't know as much. If you can find a psychiatrist who specializes in ASD whom you can see without paying for, great. I think I had a clause in there about "another psychiatrist, from the state or private..." in an attempt to imply that whether or not you had to pay for services, you can end up with a psychiatrist who doesn't know AS from Schizophrenia (I say this from some experience--though I've never been diagnosed with schizophrenia )

In short, what I'm trying to say is that the best services for someone with AS, and the best diagnosis for AS, will come from a psychiatrist who has done more extensive research in the area of autistic spectrum disorders, as opposed to, say, anxiety disorders. Also, more often than not, to find a psychiatrist like this, you will have to look outside what is provided by the government or even sometimes one's insurance (depending upon where you live).