More about diagnoses

[teamnoir]

I'm curious. How many folks here have a formal diagnosis of AS?

Of those who do, how has it been useful for you to have such a diagnosis? Has the diagnosis itself been problematical in any way?

And how did you come to have one?

Comments

[kangetsuhime]

I do now. I'm hoping it will be good for letting people at any colleges I go to know what issues I have, and what support I might need.

It had been suggested to me many years ago when I was seeing a nurse therapist. I dismissed it. Over time I realised it might be right. Without prompting, my (semi) current psychiatrist also suggested it, and had me be evaluated.

[kippurbird]

I have a formal diagnosis. I got it when I was about fifteen, sixteen. It's been helpful for services that I needed in the past. And just for being able to know that yes, this is why this shit happens to me.

[rainbow_goddess]

I have a formal diagnosis of both AS and NLD. I got it a couple of years ago through an employment program I was going through. They offered various kinds of assessments for learning disabilities, including a full neuropsych workup, so that was how I got the diagnosis.

Making a difference? At my job we get what are called "360-degree evaluations" which means that we are evaluated not only on our actual work but also on things like social skills, do we work and play well with others, do we arrive on time, are we prompt to respond to emails sent from our supervisors and goddess knows what else. I told my employer that I have Asperger's and that it could very well affect my social skills and to keep that in mind when doing my evaluation.

[ialeaf]

The "360-degree evaluation" sounds like the "third degree". Programs like this become fads that are widely adopted until the next great thing comes along. If this gains wide adoption, those on the autistic spectrum can forget about working for the corporations

[rainbow_goddess]

It's not something I'd tell a potential employer, though if I ever got a new job I'd probably tell the employer after I'd been working for them for awhile. I do plan to tell job counsellors about it, though, (because I am looking for a new job) so that when they're trying to come up with potential jobs for me it's something they can take into account and don't try to put me in jobs where I'd be dealing with people all the time, such as retail or sales (shudder.)

[rainbow_goddess]

Oh, and I've never needed acommodation for my AS at any job I've ever had, and I don't think I'd need it at any job I get in the future. But there are laws in place about acommodating persons with disabilities in the workplace.

[tabbiecat]

I have a dx. It makes me feel vindicated for all the crap I took growing up in school and stuff. I don't need one for any other reason, it just makes me feel better.

[akura_no_oka]

I was diagnosed with PDD-NOS after I started hiding under my desk and rocking, hitting myself in the head, and refusing to talk in class in the second grade. The only reason why I do not have an 'official' AS diagnosis is because this was 3 years before Asperger's became a separate diagnosis in the DSM. So yeah...missed the boat there. ^_^;;;

My parents hid my diagnosis from me until I was 14. After that, I never 'used' it. (In terms of seeking services, mainly because I was obsessed with being as 'normal' as possible.) So I guess it hasn't been a help or a hinderance, just something I learned to live with long before I even knew it existed.