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Reasons To Get A Diagnosis: Tips For Adults Who Think They “May” Have Aspergers

Aspergers is a high functioning form of autism that only became an "official" diagnosis in 1994. This means that many grown-ups with Aspergers have never been diagnosed.

Have you ever had the thought, “Hmm, I think I could have Aspergers – I have some of those darn traits”? If so, are you hesitating to find out, for sure, whether or not you have Aspergers?

Here are 15 reasons why you should consider getting out of your “comfort zone” and seek a diagnosis:

1. A diagnosis can provide a framework for labeling, understanding and learning about behavioral and emotional challenges that have been baffling up to this point.

2. A diagnosis helps others in your life to understand you and respond differently to your “odd” behavior.

3. A diagnosis is needed to request reasonable accommodations for employment under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

4. Getting a diagnosis removes the mystery and diminishes the shame associated with “being a bit weird,” which leads to a greater sense of community and begins the process of learning to live more adaptively with an Aspergers brain.

5. If you do have Aspergers, you may have encountered problems throughout your life. You may be isolated, low on funds, or even in need of better housing. A diagnosis of Aspergers can qualify you for a variety of federal services, accommodations and supports.

6. If you have Aspergers, you may be a visual thinker in a verbal world. With an Aspergers diagnosis, you can get the help and accommodations you need to complete courses, tests and interviews to get the work you want.

7. Official diagnosis is necessary if you want to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

8. Parties and social events are a great way to meet people, and they can be essential for business, dating, and even a happy marriage. But if you don't know where to stand, how to break into a conversation, what to wear or whether you're talking too loudly, you may need help and support to take part and have fun.

9. Someone you care about has suggested that you may have Aspergers, and they've pointed to certain behaviors that drive them crazy. They'd like you to get a professional opinion and, ideally, some help. Could they be right? Only an experienced professional can tell you if you have Aspergers.

10. You get easily overwhelmed anytime there's too much sensory input (e.g., at parties, the mall, grocery store, sporting event, etc.). And you'd very much like to be comfortable taking part in those ordinary activities. The problem could be Aspergers, and part of the solution could be getting that diagnosis.

11. You have a tough time making and/or keeping friends, and don't know why – or your friends are only interested in you when you're engaged in an activity you share, but you haven't built a personal relationship with anyone yet. The issue could be Aspergers-related.

12. You met someone special. You're interested in making a move. Now what? Dating is tough for anyone, but if you have Aspergers, it can be downright confusing. Need help? You might need to start with an Aspergers diagnosis.

13. You never seem to get a job that reflects your abilities, even though all your credentials are terrific on paper – or you're passed over for promotions regularly because you just don't get office politics. Could this be Aspergers?

14. You've been called "obsessive," but you feel you're just very interested in one incredibly interesting subject or activity. You'd like to figure out whether you're right or wrong, and make a good decision about whether to try to expand your interests. It would help to know whether or not you have Aspergers.

15. You've been feeling "different" your whole life. Now, you're hoping to find a community of individuals who get who you are, how you think, and even how you feel. A diagnosis of Aspergers may give you the push you need to get in touch with support groups and connect with that community.

It’s never too late to increase self-awareness in order to capitalize on strengths and work around areas of challenge. Knowing about Asperger gives you an explanation, not an excuse, for why your life has taken the twists and turns that it has.

==> Living With Aspergers: Help for Couples


•    Anonymous said... Autism, as it existed as a diagnosis in the 1950s, more closely resembled Aspergers Syndrome than classical Autism.
•    Anonymous said... I graduated high school in 1995, needless to say no one knew about this. I was diagnosed last year. I've had a few good jobs over the years, but could never stay for any longer than a year. Then I'd have major break downs, not realizing it was the AS that was causing this. Very frustrating. Now I can't find counseling from someone specializing with AS patients. Those resources are almost exclusively for children. Adults are being abandoned. I keep hearing people griping about their tax dollars paying for welfare. Well, some of us are on it because we don't the resources to help us. We don't want to be here. We want to have a job, pay taxes, provide for ourselves, and be productive members of society. However, society has decided it would rather ignore us and then chastise us and threaten to take away our only source of help from us, labeling us as lazy people. Nothing could be further from the truth.
•    Anonymous said... I was diagnosed around 5 years ago at the then age of 47..
•    Anonymous said... I was diagnosticed a couple months ago so is true for me
•    Anonymous said... my hubby and twin only diagnosed age 60,after our children were,
•    Anonymous said... Then they say get over it, we all have troubles. Yeah? Really? You don't tell someone with cancer to just get over it. You don't tell someone in a full body cast after a bad crash to just get over it. Some of us can't JUST get over it,we need the resources of professionals to help us so we can finally reach our goals. We have dreams and we have feelings. Sometimes I get so frustrated and angry I want to tell the world to kiss my ass, but that would not be an appropriate reaction.

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1 comment:

  1. The challenge I found is finding diagnosis resources. Every 'autism psychiatric' clinic in my area only deals with kids. And most of those are toted as 'we can cure your kid of autism' kind of places. As if. Where can adults go for a diagnosis?


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