Diagnosis? (As an adult)

[Hel]

:bye1:

Hi! my name is Helen and I'm new here...well the forum is pretty new by the looks of it so I guess that's ok huh?

I've been browsing the 'net an awful lot recently in search of a place to post this message..the thing is I think that there is a very real possibility that I may have this thing they call asperger's..

My quest for info began about six months ago when a friend of mine committed suicide..don't mean to depress anyone but it's crucial to the story

Anyway shortly before he died my other friends had commented that they thought he might be autistic. I'm not really sure exactly what triggered my own quest for info on the subject but I suddenly had this strong urge to find out more about autism. So I read books and went on the internet a lot and I realised that, while I knew that I definitely don't have full-blown autism, I was identifying with much of what I read regarding A.S. (as well as some of the behaviour of my dearly-departed friend).
So what? you might be thinking...the really interesting part is that, after I began to suspect I might have asperger's and was wondering how the heck to bring up the subject to my best friend, she playfully suggested that I might be aspergic during an unrelated conversation and without any help from me. Apparently she had figured it out a year earlier and I'm really glad she didn't mention it sooner 'cos i would have taken it really personally if she had.

What i really would like to know is what would be the best way to go about getting diagnosed? (I am 25 years old).

[Gareth Roberts]

I'll post some stuff up in the next few days! ;-)

[ljay]

Hi Helen, there is a website where you can fill in a questionaire to see if you are likely to have A.S. If your score rates that you may have AS it might be worth getting a diagnosis if it is going to affect your working life. In the U.K. it is very difficult to get a diagnosis as an adult without going private. You could contact the NAS to find out the best route to take. You can access the AS Quiz here: http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php


Good Luck! ljay

Hel Wrote::bye1:

Hi! my name is Helen and I'm new here...well the forum is pretty new by the looks of it so I guess that's ok huh?

I've been browsing the 'net an awful lot recently in search of a place to post this message..the thing is I think that there is a very real possibility that I may have this thing they call asperger's..

My quest for info began about six months ago when a friend of mine committed suicide..don't mean to depress anyone but it's crucial to the story

Anyway shortly before he died my other friends had commented that they thought he might be autistic. I'm not really sure exactly what triggered my own quest for info on the subject but I suddenly had this strong urge to find out more about autism. So I read books and went on the internet a lot and I realised that, while I knew that I definitely don't have full-blown autism, I was identifying with much of what I read regarding A.S. (as well as some of the behaviour of my dearly-departed friend).
So what? you might be thinking...the really interesting part is that, after I began to suspect I might have asperger's and was wondering how the heck to bring up the subject to my best friend, she playfully suggested that I might be aspergic during an unrelated conversation and without any help from me. Apparently she had figured it out a year earlier and I'm really glad she didn't mention it sooner 'cos i would have taken it really personally if she had.

What i really would like to know is what would be the best way to go about getting diagnosed? (I am 25 years old).

  

[Hel]

Thanks for your help, I just took the test and scored 167, which means I am "very likely an aspie", apparently.

I don't know whether to get diagnosed or not, in terms of my working life, I can hold down mundane jobs. It is just I am having trouble working out what to do as a career really.

[Gareth Roberts]

I have the same problem, I am half and half with University or Job...

[sarahponari]

hi im sarah, im 22 and also looking for a diagnosis but dont know how to go about it, we have tried through the gp and got intouch with autism west midlands but we have come to a dead end, we dont know what else we can do to get a diagnosis for me and i really need one as i have heard of a company that helps you get jobs when you have aspergers but only if you have been diagnosed and i really need that help, its really frustrating!!!

[ljay]

Hi sarah, getting a diagnosis can be difficult as an adult. You might wish to go private but it is expensive. I think you might be best seeing your GP again. Make a list of all the things you want to mention so that you dont miss anything. Also there is an asperger quiz which may help you determine if you should push ahead for a diagnosis. http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php


Regards Ljay

sarahponari Wrote:hi im sarah, im 22 and also looking for a diagnosis but dont know how to go about it, we have tried through the gp and got intouch with autism west midlands but we have come to a dead end, we dont know what else we can do to get a diagnosis for me and i really need one as i have heard of a company that helps you get jobs when you have aspergers but only if you have been diagnosed and i really need that help, its really frustrating!!!

[pete seaton]

I self diagnosed myself after i saw a programme on a/s which was on late one night. it made me realise what was wrong for so long. watching it made me cry, not an unhappy cry, but a "happy" one, as I was so frustrated not knowing what was wrong for so long. and at last I knew,  I recorded the show, and played it back to my other half, who agreed with me.

I spoke to my doctor, who was satisfied with my "research"

just did the test and i was 184 out of 200

[OrangeClawHammer]

Hi, I'm Jez.

I'm wondering if an AS diagnosis is the be-all-end-all or just another addition to the long chain of labels that have been attached to me over the years - the truth is, looking back on my life now I'm now 37 and a dad, I've always struggled with employment, drink and drug use, self-esteem & self-confidence and my occasionally somewhat bizzare behaviour both in relationships and social situations.

My partner was watching 'Embarrassing Bodies' when there was a feature on AS/HFA and the Autism Spectrum Quotient test, which I duly took - the results put me well into the autism spectrum, which was quite a shock even though I was half-expecting it.

The question for me is do I take the next step toward diagnosis or turn my back on it and get on with my life.

I took the test and scored 141.