Who diagnosed you?

[kimical]

Hello. I am 99.9% sure I have Aspergers and I am sure some of you are in my situation. I am afraid to mention this to my therapist but I will anyway. Some of the things I have heard from people have shocked me.

Such as:

Psychiatrist said only kids can have it.
Psychiatrist didn't know much about it.
Psychiatrist said they couldn't have it because they speak well.

I'm afraid my therapist will tell me I don't have it because I have OCD and that makes me prone to thinking I have certain illnesses and disorders and I want to know how people have overcome this.

This is why I think I have it:

I never look people in the eyes.
I never initiate conversations.
I don't know what to do with my arms when speaking.
I hate pants that have certain seams and are made out of certain materials.
I hate tags in clothes.
I can't stand loud noises and base in music.
I only talk about subjects I am interested in.
When I do I can't shut up.
I don't know when to stop talking, or start talking.
I don't know how to express emotion on my face.
When I do I have to think about which muscles to move in order to achieve the right look.
I hate flashing lights, they give me migraines.
I don't know when I am talking too loud.
I seem "aloof" people frequently ask me if I am okay.
I hate being hugged, or touched.
I offend people sometimes.
I don't know how to give compliments.
I have the same routine every morning and I go nuts when it is interrupted.
I don't like it when people watch me do things.
I have never really had friends.
All the friends I've had have thought I was weird and stopped talking to me,
or I've stopped talking to them because we don't share the same interests anymore.
I am always obsessed with something, such as video games, photoshop, science, art.
I do well in school when I am interested in what I am learning.
I don't know how to behave in a group situation.
I made all As on my tests in biology but I failed the labs because the people who were supposed to be in my group refused to work with me.
I ended up making a B.

I am going to have an IQ test, my therapist thinks I have high intelligence. I just can't really talk to people and I am nervous talking to her.

 

[LittlePuff]

OCD is a common type of symptom of Aspergers. Not like washing hands fifty times a day, but maybe a few topics that you are "obsessed" with. Do you stim? That's a little more specific. Read up and find the signs that aren't covered by OCD and are way more typical of Aspergers. If this one wont consider it, go to another one.

 

[kimical]

I just looked up what that means and I'm not sure if these are stimming: I bite my nails and lean back in my chair. I bite and lick my lips (which I was unaware of until I saw myself doing it in a home movie). I mess with my hair a lot. I do a lot of weird things because my mind races a lot. I've noticed my sisters do some of these things as well. They pick at their skin, which I do a little of, not as bad as they do.

 

[LittlePuff]

Does it calm and/ or comfort you?

Do you have meltdowns? That's another one.

After re-reading your post, they sound like stims.

Go to the private discussion, under serious. There are a few test links in some of the posts you can take. Like the Aspie quiz.

I just saw your post in the Introduction section. Just take that info with you.

 

[kimical]

thank you very much

 

[Dusty285]

I diagnosed myself. I am old and grey. Nobody ever said a word but obviously most people always considered that I was strange or worse than strange and avoided me. In early summer 2012 I was reading a guest entry in a formal blog. The guest was "an Aspie." Recognition was like being hit with a baseball bat along with the movie screenwriters big flash of light. Then I found and took the Aspie quiz: twice, 100 days apart. I took the quiz each time as rapidly and as honestly as I could manage. I got the same result each time and have confidence in the result.

Is nail biting a stim? I bit my nails until I was about 30. Then managed to break the habit. I am not sure what replaced the nail biting. Maybe I don't really want to know.

 

[Dragon's Tooth]

I self diagnosed at first from reading up on the condition. it took me five years to get the courage to get an official diagnosis. I got that about six months ago now.

Asperger's only occurs in children ... I found that one very funny.

If your really worried then find a good psychologist and ask them about it. You might have to shop around. Not a lot of them are clued up on aspergers. My psychologist admitted she didn't know much about aspergers but she has a number of aspergers patients so was familiar with the manorisms. and I fitted all but one item on the check list so that made life easier for us.

 

[redleave]

Hi.
I'm on the same boat.
I'm self diagnosed with online asperger's test's. I have also OCD, and suffer from panick attack and ansiety. OCD are common in people with Asperger.
My psychiatrist also said only the child can have AS! :banghead:
Next week I'll go in a specialistic centre for autism, who diagnose also adult.
I think 'normal' psy doesn't know a lot about asperger's.
You should go to a specialized center for autism.

 

[Artistocat]

Hello.

I was diagnosed with Asperger's at Navy bootcamp. Very long story to follow. At first, it appeared that the therapist who diagnosed me did not believe me. He said that because I was doing fine, I seemed too intelligent to have it. But it was only after I told him my history that he said I had it. After I came back home, I went to another therapist and they said that the description accurately fits me. I guess its not always apparent that something is wrong with someone on the surface.

Also, more males than females are diagnosed with Asperger's disorder so that may be another reason that your therapist does not believe you. Asperger's is not always apparent in females. And many people with the condition may be perceived as more intelligent. Many people assume that I'm to smart to have anything wrong with me.

I think that you definitely fit the criteria for the condition.

Also, I would suggest trying another therapist.

 

[total-recoil]

Hello. I am 99.9% sure I have Aspergers and I am sure some of you are in my situation. I am afraid to mention this to my therapist but I will anyway. Some of the things I have heard from people have shocked me.

Such as:

Psychiatrist said only kids can have it.
Psychiatrist didn't know much about it.
Psychiatrist said they couldn't have it because they speak well.

I'm afraid my therapist will tell me I don't have it because I have OCD and that makes me prone to thinking I have certain illnesses and disorders and I want to know how people have overcome this.

This is why I think I have it:

I never look people in the eyes.
I never initiate conversations.
I don't know what to do with my arms when speaking.
I hate pants that have certain seams and are made out of certain materials.
I hate tags in clothes.
I can't stand loud noises and base in music.
I only talk about subjects I am interested in.
When I do I can't shut up.
I don't know when to stop talking, or start talking.
I don't know how to express emotion on my face.
When I do I have to think about which muscles to move in order to achieve the right look.
I hate flashing lights, they give me migraines.
I don't know when I am talking too loud.
I seem "aloof" people frequently ask me if I am okay.
I hate being hugged, or touched.
I offend people sometimes.
I don't know how to give compliments.
I have the same routine every morning and I go nuts when it is interrupted.
I don't like it when people watch me do things.
I have never really had friends.
All the friends I've had have thought I was weird and stopped talking to me,
or I've stopped talking to them because we don't share the same interests anymore.
I am always obsessed with something, such as video games, photoshop, science, art.
I do well in school when I am interested in what I am learning.
I don't know how to behave in a group situation.
I made all As on my tests in biology but I failed the labs because the people who were supposed to be in my group refused to work with me.
I ended up making a B.

I am going to have an IQ test, my therapist thinks I have high intelligence. I just can't really talk to people and I am nervous talking to her.

Careful with the IQ test. In my opinion the I.Q test does not demonstrate either genious or high levels of intelligence. It may just indicate you're either good or bad at doing an I.Q. test. Intelligence I think is a very broad spectrum that involves verbal, numerical, musical, logical, even intuitive reasoning. Added to that, in actual fact, a lot of very high-performing auties haven't ever particularly shone in classes, universities or schools and tend to approach subject matter differently. Thus, I'm saying the fact you may have aspergers isn't going to go hand-in-hand with a high I.Q. test result (as if the I.Q. test is somehow perfected).

 

[total-recoil]

I just looked up what that means and I'm not sure if these are stimming: I bite my nails and lean back in my chair. I bite and lick my lips (which I was unaware of until I saw myself doing it in a home movie). I mess with my hair a lot. I do a lot of weird things because my mind races a lot. I've noticed my sisters do some of these things as well. They pick at their skin, which I do a little of, not as bad as they do.

In didn't think I stimmed when I self-diagnosed so I was confused. Then, one day, while talking to someone with a can of beer in my hand, I was shocked to notice I was flapping one of my arms. It was like trying to verbalise with my hands but I was really freaked out. However, my main stim is to turn my back on someone when talking and be pacing about in circles which is considered very odd. I can't keep still. And, yes, I messed with my hair too but even more so my glasses.

 

[kimical]

I talked to my therapist today and she told me she didn't rule out aspergers and was aware that I might have it. She said their office doesn't test for it and no where in our area tests for it that will accept my insurance. She said she will keep looking though and get back to me.

I don't really think IQ tests are great either, I just assumed they would be an indicator of certain conditions.

 

[supernova]

I am also 'old and grey'. I first heard about AS in females in a magazine article. It didn't tell you why each of them was the way they were but as I read it I kept thinking "Hey, I'm like that!" and at the finish it said they had AS. As a result I wrote to the National Autistic Society and got a lot of useful information, including the test and advice on how to approach a GP. Her initial response was disbelief that I was on the spectrum and I was then told that there was no money available in my region to test adults for autistism/AS. However, I persevered and she agreed to try her best and - eventually - I was seen by a psychiatrist and she confirmed the diagnosis of AS.

So my advice is stand firm and push for a diagnosis. I found it an enormous relief to finally know why I am the way I am and that there are a lot of others like me.

 

[kimical]

Did any of you have to travel to get a diagnosis?

 

[Yoshi08]

hi kimical.
i was officially diagnosed by a dr in 2001.. then went to a lot of therapy and so on.
it was in a local town where i am so no travelling. thankfully.

any luck with your therapist getting back to you about a diagnosis? i hope you can get an official one someday soon. that would be great

take care.

 

[ravendragonwing]

Hi Kimical,
Are you in the US? No one in my area, that diagnosed adults, took my insurance, so I called my insurance and they called around for me and got one of them to take my insurance and I got my diagnosis.
What can I say? When I want something, I will do everything I can to get it and not let anyone tell me no. LOL

 

[kimical]

My insurance has something on their website that finds places that take their insurance, the closest place is over 50 miles away. My insurance sucks, I just found out they haven't been paying for my therapy (which they said they would) and now I have a huge bill. I have literally no money so I have no clue what to do.

 

[alien girl]

type in the search engine, am i an aspie. i found two tests there and they both said i'm very likely an aspie. try those.

 

[shinyedge]

My insurance has something on their website that finds places that take their insurance, the closest place is over 50 miles away. My insurance sucks, I just found out they haven't been paying for my therapy (which they said they would) and now I have a huge bill. I have literally no money so I have no clue what to do.

Did they say why they weren't paying? A lot of times it means that there is a procedure for filing claims that the doctor hasn't followed to the letter. Most of the time the therapist can re-submit the claims or contest a decision. If the insurance company said your therapy was covered, I wouldn't pay a cent until I got a satisfactory answer. Don't give up.

It seems that there are not many people who are qualified to make an AS diagnosis, especially for an adult. I am lucky enough to live just a few miles from the Cleveland Clinic. I asked my general doctor if he knew anything about Asperger's, and he gave me the phone number for the department to call. I haven't followed through with it yet, though. I understand it is an expensive and lengthy process to get evaluated--although my insurance should cover most of it--but I worry that I will go through all of that only to be told that I am not really on the spectrum after all.

 

[Undiagnosed]

I will have to travel to get a diagnosis. I am from a small town rural area. No specialists here. I will be traveling 2 hours to have my son evaluated, not for aspurgers specificly but since starting the process of getting him in for an evaluation I have learned about aspurgers and beleive with all certaintly that he has it. I also want a diagnosis for myself and will certainly travel for that too. I WILL Not go to a local general therapist. I understand your worries . I saw a therapist around here when I was convinced I had Borderline Personality Disorder and at first she didn't seem to think I had it,,,, then on occassion when I would be explaining something to her she would refer to how that could happen in Borderline Personality Disorder. But she would never tell me if she diagnosed me with it or not..... I really think if she would have been a specialist in the area she would have seen that I do have it. Anyway when I go for a diagnosis for Aspurgers I am going to try (somehow) to find the most imformed specialist I can........... good luck

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