How Did You Become Diagnosed?

[TotodilePika]

I was diagnosed when I was in kindergarten.

 

[Pinky]

my parents noticed there was something wrong with me when i was really little, and this is how I got diagnosed. i didnt find out till i was 9.

 

[landlubber]

I was in my cubicle at work and someone came in and said I should do the wired test as they thought it fitted me. I scored very high and found a child expert in Miami who tested me over a couple of days.

 

[Kodak]

My parents had always known that something was not ''quite right'' with me when I was younger, however, they were unable to get a diagnosis, perhaps my mother thought that I would grow out of it or something. However, as I went through various school systems, I often had problems that was finally diagnosed when I was sixteen. When I was informed I was rather depressed because I felt that I would never be normal, fit in etc. I now realise that I was wrong in that regard as you can't actually define ''normal''.

 

[IContainMultitudes]

I'm 30 years old and only recently managed to get an official diagnosis (or as close as I'm likely to get) after being in the self-diagnosed/unsure category for a while. When I was younger, I was identified as having ADD. One person I talked to said that if I had been born about 20 years later, I probably would have received an Asperger's diagnosis at a much younger age.

I considered my diagnosis good news since I feel like it at least provides an explanation for a lot of things. The psychiatrist I saw said that the diagnosis is something I can "take or leave": in other words, embrace it if it's useful and throw it out if it's not (I'm still a little unsure about which of those I'll end up doing in the long run, but for now, it's something I'm embracing.)

Anyone else have a similar experience?

 

[Heritor]

I was diagnosed when I was twenty-one, and it all began when I was six. No, that isn?t a typo. Allow me to explain myself. When I was six, there was a sleepover going on with several of the boys from school. My memory isn?t clear enough to recall exactly how my mother got me invited, but in any case, I spent the night with some boys I had class with. Even so young, I felt a vast loneliness, a lack of connection to the world. I didn?t have a close friend, or a friend at all for that matter. I spent my time alone, playing video games, and not saying much. Anyway, at the sleepover, a movie was played called ?The Land Before Time.? That event started an unforgettable chain reaction.

I loved it. It became my favorite movie for a long time. I was fascinated at the deep portrayal of friendship between the five main characters. I never experienced relationships like that personally, so it was quite a refreshing movie to watch. I eventually came to own a copy, and for a long time, I would imagine myself in their world as one of their friends. More movies came out about them, and I diligently bought them, ready to see those dinosaurs persevere through thick and thin as usual. I discovered a forum for the first time, joined, but didn?t like it. I later decided to see if there was a TLBT one, and low and behold, I stumbled onto ?The Gang of Five? forum. It wasn?t too long before I became a member, and things went well.

I used to check out the new member threads often, as they were an easy way to make new acquaintances. I was reading the welcoming thread of a new member one day, and I was captivated by the writing style. It?s hard to describe, she just wrote so amazingly. The style, choice of words, and so on, were really something. She mentioned in her thread that she had something called Asperger Syndrome. I was already very interested in the person, but I wanted to learn more. Therefore, I looked it up on wikipedia. I have been diagnosed with many things in my life, though they didn?t seem to fit very well. I was shocked to see that this Asperger Syndrome thing described me in its entirety. I called my father, who was equally moved, and an appointment was set up for testing.

That was the day I learned what I was, and I am proud to be an aspie. The girl responsible for my knowledge became one of my best friends, and my life took a turn for the better. I was now able to fully understand why I was so different, and knowing one?s self, after so long, is like breathing in a rain forest after living in a cellar your whole life. I was able to get proper help with my schooling, and my medications were finally adjusted to meet my needs. My whole life had finally begun to make sense. It all started with a movie at a sleep over. It ended the day I finally knew myself.

 

[Simba]

I was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome in early last September. My mom knew that I wasn't acting like a normal kid. When someone would talk to me, usually a kid would say hi back, not growl at them and hide behind their mothers. I was very shy when I was little, but I think that was just part of my Aspergers. My mom took me to a thearpist, and she had said to my mother that she thought I had mild austim. My mom denied that, she didn't think that anything was wrong with me at all, and that I was just shy. Well here we are, I am at another specialist, and I am diagnosed with it. She had told us that some with Aspergers had repetitive behaviors with one specific thing, mine being The Lion King.

At first I thought nothing was wrong with me either. I thought it was normal, until I looked up the signs and thought "Hey, that's just like me!" So I decided to just accept what I had. I thought no different of myself, I know that I am a unique person, and anyone with Aspergers and any form of autism is. We just have a different way of acting and thinking. ^^

 

[Droopy]

At first I thought nothing was wrong with me either. I thought it was normal, until I looked up the signs and thought "Hey, that's just like me!" So I decided to just accept what I had.

The same is true for me.

I thought no different of myself, I know that I am a unique person, and anyone with Aspergers and any form of autism is. We just have a different way of acting and thinking. ^^

I agree completely.

 

[klaatu]

i spent a lifetime being out of time and place. seriously lost. i was helping out at an animal sanctuary when a veterinarian said to me...'have you heard of aspergers syndrome.' she had just read....the curious incident of the dog in the night time.....and thought, wow, that's him. so i look it up and literally cry. my social skills were non-existant and now i knew why. next time i went to see a doctor, i asked about it and they agreed. why didn't anyone say so in the past? all those years of not knowing. but....now i do. would not want to be nt. no way.

 

[xxjoleenxx]

(sorry I tend to ramble)

I haven't been officially diagnosed, but I am pretty positive I have it and am working on getting a official diagnosis. My son Jack has AS, I suspected it as well as his family doctor. His appointment for an early childhood psychologist and testing is in a few weeks, and I am positive that is what they will diagnose him with. I have several close family members that have AS(officially diagnosed) or some form. I got sick of people telling me there wasn't anything wrong with my son. I know what it feels like to know something is not right and no one believes you.

I only found out that I have AS by chance. Since there is a genetic link, I thought my son may have inherited it from his dad, because he has a lot of the same characteristics as AS. I also had misconceptions because all my family that has AS are male. I knew the most obvious characteristics from reading some articles about children. I started researching women with AS for the hell of it. I came across this article geared towards adults with AS [1]. When I got to the part about women, I related to pretty much all of it. I realized all my behavior similar with my son, and my own behaviors was probably a good indicator I have AS ; not just because he is my mini me. I was shocked, cried in relief, and wondered why didn't anyone ever notice.

All my life, I felt like I was screaming for help on the inside but wasn't able to tell anyone. When I was 16, I tried to commit suicide because I couldn't handle being rejected, feeling different, being depressed, unable to communicate and not knowing how to deal with emotions. I don't know how that wasn't an indicator something was wrong. When they asked me why I didn't even know how to explain, so I lied, went home and pretended I was normal.

As an adult I make it, my family helps me quite a bit. I haven't been able to form any long term friendships or relationships. I may have a few friends, but I am bad about communicating. I have only had one serious relationship and that was my son's father, it didn't work. I tried college a few times, but quit. I have always done well at jobs, but end up quitting because I feel rejected by co-workers or do not feel fairly treated. I have an associative personality. I love the fact I can remember distinct facts. I love medical science, and researching it, and don't mind my quirks. I have told two people I thought would understand. They refuse to believe it could be possible, and ridiculed me. When I told my mother and showed her the article I read, she said it explained a lot about me growing up.

So all that concludes how I was "self diagnosed" until I can get one officially.

[1] (here is the link to the article geared towards adults with AS) http://www.aspires-relationships.com/Asperger_Syndrome_Grows_Up.pdf

 

[Balamvucub]

I'm 30 years old and only recently managed to get an official diagnosis (or as close as I'm likely to get) after being in the self-diagnosed/unsure category for a while. When I was younger, I was identified as having ADD. One person I talked to said that if I had been born about 20 years later, I probably would have received an Asperger's diagnosis at a much younger age.

I considered my diagnosis good news since I feel like it at least provides an explanation for a lot of things. The psychiatrist I saw said that the diagnosis is something I can "take or leave": in other words, embrace it if it's useful and throw it out if it's not (I'm still a little unsure about which of those I'll end up doing in the long run, but for now, it's something I'm embracing.)

Anyone else have a similar experience?

Yea,I do. I had been diagnosed with 'A.H.D.D.' a couple of years back locally,meantime a friend of mine who knows a couple of specialists in this field said that more than likely I had this. The first time I heard the word 'Aspergers', I had thought that this was in reference to a certain part of my body,so I dropped what I was doing at the time,ran into the bathroom,and checked. Then said 'I don't see any thing that lookes like hamberger on me,so I can't have this!' I discovered that was what was ment by 'taking things literally' and I had thought this was spelled with a 'B' not a 'P' so had mistook what was said at the time. Now recently,about three,four months now, I had been diagnosed by a woman in Washington who tould me after watching me,and asking questiones that I have aspergers,and when I call her,or she calls me and I have something to ask her about,she says 'Well,get used to it,it's apart of your aspergers.' So Iv'e been diagnosed,am recieving help in College,but outside of this,I am pretty much winging it figuring out things as I go along. Do I tell others outside a few select friends,and people who must know,no, I dislike being cut fun of so it's better to say nothing.

 

[oskarandri]

I got diagnosed when i was 2 ys. old, I lacked social skills a my playschool, i didn't make eye contact. and i was sent to a clinic for testing and i was positive for asperger's syndrome. I've lacked social skills all my life and have had it pretty rough and not an easy life.

 

[Droopy]

I got diagnosed when i was 2 ys. old

I think it's best to find out at an early age. I've heard of people only being diagnosed at around 50, having spent most of their life not knowing why they were different or couldn't make friends.

I notice you are new here. Welcome to the forums.

 

[becca]

hello, everyone! i diagnosed myself around this time last year as having mild asperger's syndrome. the chain of events that lead to this began go all the way back to this time 3 years ago but long story short, after reading mozart and the whale and feeling so strongly familiar to it i wondered if it were possible that i could have a more mild form of asperger's, did some online searching, took took the AQ test and sure enough...

:edit: i was 21 when i found out i had it...

 

[WildCat]

I was diagnosed twice...

...first time at age 3, I just echoed whatever was said to me and did some weird crap as a toddler including, but not limited to, looking at my hands and staring at ceiling fans. Fortunately I did very well in elementary, had this knack for reading at an early age so everyone just mistook it as "giftedness". I started to slip in middle school, had to be taken out of a "gifted" program because the work was just too hard at the time, depression kicked in, social skills started falling behind, blah blah blah

...diagnosed again at 17, my mother began noticing that something just wasn't right. I had this overwhelming anxiety and this fear of socialization, next thing you know I'm getting tossed around from one clinic to the next. First psych and my mother agreed that it was "Asperger's" due to my "high intelligence" and "social deficits", the second one said it was "HFA" due to the language problems, another sheet has "PDDNOS" on it. All of them agreed that it wasn't a nightmare case - I didn't flap my hands back and forth or self injure, I was verbal (somewhat), and I didn't need any additional educational support (was back in advanced classes at the time and did OK, not the best in the class but I got by).

That's 3 labels given to me, yeah, but in the end I'm autistic. Well, mildly autistic - from what I was told it could have been worse. Only now do I finally accept my diagnosis and the fact that it's not likely to change, and instead of fighting it I'm learning more about it. I believe that the more you know about yourself, the better able you are to minimize deficits while building upon the strengths. I have my flaws and talents - who doesn't - it's just that mine are skewed to a greater degree than the average individual.

 

[142857]

When I was a teenager I saw a documentary about profoundly autistic children, and they sure as hell reminded me of what I was like as a little kid. I asked my mother if maybe I had had mild autism when I was a kid and she was horrified at the suggestion (she had worked as a nurse in asylums when she was younger and had probably seen plenty of institutionalised autistic people). So I put it to the back of my mind and never mentioned it or thought of it again for another 25+ years.

I saw a long trailer for the movie "Adam" between programs on cable TV just over a year ago, at the age of 44. My wife had thought there was something strange about our son, but he seemed perfectly normal to me... but our second child was just so different from him that it got me thinking. So I started doing some research on Aspergers and most of what I read about it really clicked. For myself, for my youngest brother, and for my son. Eventually I figured out that, with the speech delays I had had as a kid, I was technically HFA rather than aspergers. I always felt like an outsider, so figuring out that I was on the spectrum meant going from feeling like I was part of a minority of 1 to being aware of broader minority group.

I have no need or desire to get an official diagnosis. I may get one for my son if I feel that it would be helpful (he is almost 6 years old now).

 

[Droopy]

I always felt like an outsider, so figuring out that I was on the spectrum meant going from feeling like I was part of a minority of 1 to being aware of broader minority group.

I had always felt like an outsider too. Like I was different from everybody else but wasn't sure how. A diagnosis made me realize that there were others just like me and that I wasn't alone - which is a comfort.

 

[oskarandri]

I got diagnosed when i was 3 ys. old, i was socially isolated, I had a very low intelligence quotient (IQ), I was very strict on routine, I was severely repetitive, I always woke up early in the mornings, i had poor sensory integration and motorcoordination, lacked severely on eye contact and my symptoms were recognized by my playschool's psychologist and they took me to a neurodevelopmental diagnostics clinic and i was diagnosed with asperger's syndrome and later i was diagnosed with tourette syndrome. I got alot of help in my playschool like help with routine in the playschool, many hours of one to one teaching everyday , then my IQ started to improve and if i hadn't got my one to one teaching or help i would have not been successful today, then i'd be much dumber and very little developed. I loads of reading and speech therapies before i went to school, believe me i was still dumb to be a 5 yr. old but i was lucky to get in.

 

[usa1981]

I was being tested for learning differances. I had been in Special Day/Special education and Resource most of my school life from k-12.

 

[TETSUO]

At the moment i am still @ the self diagnosed state, however i am in the process of getting a full diagnosis.

From what i have read on this tread, i was the same as some of you, i didnt do well in school, as i just was not interested and even for a short while i just stopped going.

I was very lucky with friends as i have always managed to find people who like the same things i do, so when i was younger ihad not shortage of friends who would look out for me, i never got bullied but i did have a few bad social experiances that caused me to lock myself away for 6 months at a time... not even leaving the house once.

But as i have mentioned in some of my erlier posts, it was the constant bombarment from my wife and close family to get a diagnosis as my eldest son has already received an official diagnosis @ the age of 4... (His diagnosis to us 2 years).

I have been on the diagnosis trail now for about 7 months but i have had alot of problems with ignorance from local GP's who refuse to accept Aspies as a real problem, this caused no end of frstration and confusion as i felt like i have been going mad for years anyway.

But thanks to my persistance i have found a GP who accepts, understands and agrees with me, i have also spoken with several specialist in autsim who have all agreed that i need the diagnosis.

I am 28 but dont expect to get any close on this till atleast 29/30