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Hi from 53 year-old in Brisbane Australia

arthurfakaya

arthurfakaya

Well-Known Member
Hi, I'm new to this forum/community and I guess I'm just looking for a place to connect with other members of my "family" if you like. At this point I am purely self-diagnosed, which I find unsatisfactory, and I hope this doesn't prejudice me in any way.

I get annoyed by the attitude of some health care professionals, who when you express your desire for an official diagnosis, write down in their notes things like "thinks he is Aspergers after reading about it / watching a program on it / surfing the Web." You figure they've got you earmarked as a hypochondriac identifying with the latest illness or disorder they've read about, or yet another patient trying to tell them how to do their job, another time-waster.

I know that self-diagnosis can be tricky and subjective, but when you think about it, a sufferer isn't necessarily less expert at identifying the symptoms than a medical professional who has only known a handful of patients with the condition, or who has only studied it in textbooks. This is further complicated by the fact that no two sufferers of a condition will share exactly the same symptoms. A doctor might only recognise as Aspergers those people who fit the profile of patients that he/she has previously diagnosed as Aspergers.

Because of the fact that Aspergers is at the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, there are undoubtedly many sufferers who simply slip through the cracks and do not get diagnosed. They may not have noticeable behavioural problems, or be unduly disabled by the condition, but they will still suffer considerable disadvantage throughout their lives compared to the general population, not the least of which is the difficulty of finding and keeping a job.

Furthermore, it appears that the difficulties for those with Aspergers is about to intensify when the revisions to the current DSM manual remove the diagnosis of Aspergers altogether. Is anyone aware of any heralded benefits that could follow from Asperger Syndrome becoming "high-functioning autistic"?

I know that putting medical labels on people isn't necessarily a good idea, but it can assist individuals learn who they are. An analogy is an individual who knows he is adopted meeting with his biological parents after many years. When he does so, he recognises aspects of himself in their character traits and enters into a deeper insight into who he is and why he is like that. Just as when he first learns he is adopted, he understands why he feels like an alien in his adopted family.

I'd be interested to hear if others have had similar experiences or thoughts.
 
Hello arthurfayaka. I understand what you are saying. It took me a few years of increasingly recognizing myself in news articles, etc. before I actually jumped into trying to learn everything I could about it, and before seeking a diagnosis (which I still do not have). Even without the diagnosis it is the only explanation for my life that rings true. Are you considering pursuing an official diagnosis?
 
You are ideally placed to get advice, living in Brisbane. Minds and Hearts, West End Brisbane, Dr. Tony Attwood is a leading world authority on Aspergers and it is his clinic. Check out the website, helpful information.Best of luck.
 
Have recently been diagnosed and am older than you. it was such a relief to know who I am, as you say. I have worked very hard all my life to appear normal, whatever that is, and it was so wonderful to find the answer I was constantly seeking. Older folks, especially females have quite often learned to crack the social code so will not show up on tests unless they answer as they were as children, and a full life history is done.My psychologist thought on first meeting that I was too sociable to be an Aspie, as I have always had friends. It is not always known how hard we have to work at it, and the energy it takes.
 
Hello to you as well, kookaburra! I agree that girls learn to compensate at an earlier age. There is much greater pressure put on girls to be social, I believe. There certainly was when I was growing up in the 60s and70s. Unsocial or antisocial just isn't an option.
 
Thanks for the tip. I have heard of Dr Attwood, but I had no idea he was based locally. I will definitely look up his clinic. It must be just down the road if it's in West End. Thanks again.
 
I can relate to what you're saying. Women in general are indeed more sociable than men because they innately gravitate to other women for support, so this would tend to assist female aspies. I have social anxiety and introversion that ramps up according to the number of people present and the newness of the situation, but I also know extroverted male aspies who are borderline charismatic. I have managed to learn many coping strategies to "blend in" and appear "normal" over my 53 years, but it seems my social anxiety / phobia keeps intensifying as time goes by. I really don't want to rely on medication, because I know my problems won't be conquered if I simply mask them with medication. But it's also possible that my extreme anxiety is caused by other (comorbid) conditions.

I looked at some of those online tests and had a similar problem with answering some of the questions; I had to think back to how I was at an earlier point in time, because some of those behaviours I have learned to overcome or compensate for.

On the Aspie Quiz I got an Aspie Score of 145/200 and a NT Score of 53/200. It said "You are very likely an aspie".

Tell me, was getting diagnosed a lengthy process?
 
I had to wait six weeks to get a two hour interview, then another four weeks for the actual tests. The tests themselves took four hours straight, no breaks. To get the results, I have to wait another three to four weeks. From what I understand, that isn't unusual here in the States. Perhaps Gomendosi can speak to the Aussie experience.
 
Welcome to AC arthur :)

My diagnosis was very quick once I got to the right people. I saw my doctor and said I wanted to be referred, he sent me initially to the mental health team (in particular to a 'gateway worker' who completely belittled me and Asperger's). I went back to him and demanded to be sent to the specialists, he referred me and I waited about 4 weeks to get a response from them. I had to fill out a form and do an autism quotient test and empathising quotient test, my mother had to fill in a childhood autism spectrum test. Sent all of that back to them, they said an appointment could take up to 3 months to get but they had a cancellation and I went on Monday for a 2 hour appointment, they spoke to my mother for about an hour and I was diagnosed there and then. In total from that first appointment with the GP it took about 4 months.

I'm in the UK so as Bay pointed out it would be best to get advice about it from someone in your country, good luck with getting your diagnosis :)
 
Thanks Bay and Kelly for your experience with getting assessed. So far, all my attempts to be referred for assessment have been dismissed as insignificant or pointless. Well to me / us it can be an extremely important assessment/diagnosis. It seems to me that when doctors suspect Aspergers (or any condition) they are quick to refer to show off their diagnostic prowess, but when the patient suspects Aspergers doctors don't want to know because it makes them look bad if the diagnosis isn't made. We're just the patient, what would we:wacko: know?
 
arthurfakaya indeed, sorry I missed your arrival, I’ve been moving house, welcome to aspiescentral.com.
It's good to see another Aussie larrikin here if you don’t mind the suggestion.

Bay thought I may have an insight into how they do things around here but despite living only a stones throw from Brisbane, I actually have no clue.
I had a quite bad accident and they cat scanned my head but found nothing untoward (no brain), so they did some psych tests and the physiatrist said yeah, Aspergers mate.
Then, he sent me to the hospital to see a specialist and after a 2-3 hour session he confirmed it is without a doubt, Aspergers.
 
Gomendosi said:
they did some psych tests and the physiatrist said yeah, Aspergers mate.
Then, he sent me to the hospital to see a specialist and after a 2-3 hour session he confirmed it is without a doubt, Aspergers.
Click to expand...

I hope my getting diagnosed it is as straight forward as it seems to have been for you.
 
I should clarify that I don?t know how long the psych test lasted nor indeed, how long I was with the psychiatrist the first time, things were a bit hectic then.
There were probably about six months between the first and second consultations and the second bloke already had all the information from the first guy.

Oh, and my GP made me do some tests before all this process started and despite the tests being aimed at children she too was concerned.

If I am honest, I wasn't really in the right frame of mind to remember much at the time.
 
I called Minds and Hearts first. Tony Attwood only sees a small selection of old patients these days.But there are other psychologists.First up you are sent the Aspergers test you mentioned to fill in. I answered it as if I were still a child and said that many of the answers would not now apply. You then need to get someone close to you to write a letter explaining some of the communication/social difficulties you may still have,or other traits of Aspergers. It was easy for me as my daughter is married to an Aspie and so is familiar with things like giving too much info, missing the point sometimes etc. I had an initial two hours and one hour every two weeks for about six weeks. To get refunds from my healthcare I needed a reference from my G.P. The male doctor I went to at the time was a bit sarcastic but put it under an anxiety disorder, so i got the referral. I now have a female doctor who is quite savvy, as she believes her husband is an Aspie. She gave me a further referral for more counselling when I wanted it. As I said earlier, most older folk learn to cope over time, but it was nice to process my past and thus establish a much stronger sense of self. I am a much happier person these days.
 
Thanks Kookaburra, I've looked up the Minds and Hearts clinic website and I doubt I could afford their prices. Perhaps I can get it done on Medicare or something once referred by my GP. I know what you mean about psychs and others being negative unless they've had some personal experience/connection with Aspergers. I guess as a syndrome it's still a new kid on the block and the medical professionals just need more experience with it. I suffer badly from anxiety and social anxiety and it will be a relief for me if I can officially put a name to my condition beyond Social Anxiety (which is nothing more than a symptom, really). I can't begin to develop strategies for dealing with it until I know what's behind it / causing it.

And thank's Becky, good to see more representation from down under!
 
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