wrongly diagnosed? can you change it?

[chris haz]

I have beaten aspergus because I was diagnosed when I was 13. Im now 28 with a family and a stressful job that needs alot of common sense. I still have the "label" how do I get rid of it because I was one of the first and through life I have proven it was wrong.

 

[Judge]

What exactly makes you feel that you were wrongly diagnosed? You can't "beat" or cure Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can make improvements in your life based on self-awareness, but you still either have it or you don't.

Probably best then to seek a second opinion from an MD/psychiatrist to ascertain if you are in fact Neurotypical.

I had a stressful complex job requiring lots of common sense as well, for nearly two decades. However I never perceived that as a reason to disqualify me from being on the spectrum. No family though. Just a string of failed relationships with NT women.

 

[zurb]

I have beaten aspergus because I was diagnosed when I was 13. Im now 28 with a family and a stressful job that needs alot of common sense. I still have the "label" how do I get rid of it because I was one of the first and through life I have proven it was wrong.

Welcome to AC. Interesting question, which raises a whole host of other questions.

Getting 'undiagnosed' would obviously require a new evaluation, which you'd arrange through your GP.

It is possible you were wrongly diagnosed, but obviously the doctors saw something. From the little you have told us, it sounds to me like rejection of the diagnosis (a natural initial response) that has persisted.

Are you sure you are not simply an aspie who has worked hard to hide the symptoms and be successful? If so, congratulations. Embrace your successes, but also your weaknesses.

Either way, being aspie or NT is OK.

 

[Ste11aeres]

Could you clarify why you desire for the diagnosis to be taken away? Does the presence of a diagnosis cause other people to treat you differently, or does it make you feel weird, or is it some other reason?

 

[AsheSkyler]

I'm also curious as to how you could be disqualifed. I'm 25, married with a kid, and have a rather interesting job of my own, but there's no denying a genuine need for down time to recharge my batteries and those sensory issues are in a league all to their own that I could never begin to pretend are normal. I don't feel I've proven it wrong so much as I've proven some misguided assumptions wrong and learned how to roll with it rather than work against it.

 

[Harrison]

I have beaten aspergus because I was diagnosed when I was 13. Im now 28 with a family and a stressful job that needs alot of common sense. I still have the "label" how do I get rid of it because I was one of the first and through life I have proven it was wrong.

I'm interested to know what you proved wrong as there seems to be 'type' that you are measuring yourself against.

I spent the best part of my life self-employed, built up a multinational company and ran it efficiently. I'm an aspie through and through.

As has been mentioned, perhaps you were misdiagnosed?

 

[Suzanne]

Mmm you cannot beat aspergers, but you can learn to adapt in life and so, that is what you have done.

As far as my study of aspergers goes, one is never misdiagnosed WITH IT but wrongly diagnosed with something else.

I have lived my life as an NT, when I found out what was wrong.

 

[Progster]

Common sense is really just a form of logic, and people with AS have plenty of logic. Having AS and having common sense aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[zurb]

Common sense is really just a form of logic

Not quite. Common sense is culturally acquired (inculturated), which is where the 'common' comes from (as in 'in common' not frequent). It feels instinctive, is done without thinking.
Logic takes longer as it requires thought. However, I think most aspies confuse the two, and equate logical with common sense (especially as we're not so good at this inculturation business!). The two can be functionally the same.

 

[Progster]

Not quite. Common sense is culturally acquired (inculturated), which is where the 'common' comes from (as in 'in common' not frequent). It feels instinctive, is done without thinking.
Logic takes longer as it requires thought. However, I think most aspies confuse the two, and equate logical with common sense (especially as we're not so good at this inculturation business!). The two can be functionally the same.

Oh, perhaps I am confusing them, because I always thought common sense was things like "don't put your hand over the candle flame because you will burn yourself".

 

[zurb]

Oh, perhaps I am confusing them, because I always thought common sense was things like "don't put your hand over the candle flame because you will burn yourself".

Actually, maybe I should have checked a dictionary first. Seems there are as many definitions as there are web pages about it.
I was actually quoting something I read somewhere recently. I should learn my own advice of not spouting off without checking it out first .
On reconsideration, I think some things are simply logical/sensible things to do. Other things we may consider logical, but are actually culturally learned and may not be appropriate in another context.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Oh, perhaps I am confusing them, because I always thought common sense was things like "don't put your hand over the candle flame because you will burn yourself".

I would say that's general common sense, however redundant that may sound.

Not quite. Common sense is culturally acquired (inculturated), which is where the 'common' comes from (as in 'in common' not frequent). It feels instinctive, is done without thinking.
Logic takes longer as it requires thought. However, I think most aspies confuse the two, and equate logical with common sense (especially as we're not so good at this inculturation business!). The two can be functionally the same.

Cultural common sense: be careful who you show bull-horns/ward-off-evil to because you may imply their wife is cheating on them.