I suspect I have ASD - would love input

[Oda]

I have no idea if you have ASD. But I just wanted to chime in that I self-diagnosed during grad school myself. I realized that my own traits and experiences were in line with our clients rather than with the presumed non-ASD students. Even some of the auditory tests didn't "work" on me, as I also identified what may be an auditory processing disorder, too. I think you should keep doing your research - we can offer some advice, but I say go on youtube and the blogosphere, find adult Aspie females who are vlogging and blogging about their own experience - I was shocked by how much I identified with them, it was like we could be our own sub-species of humans. Everything I had heard about ASD previously better described males, I hadn't realized that it could manifest differently in females - and basically explained my life.

Do you work in healthcare?
I have the same regarding some auditory tests, and visual illusions, that worked on other people but not on me (I later read that that is a common thing for people with ASD).
I've done a lot of youtube watching, which was very helpful. Some of these girls made me fell like I'd found a soulmate.

 

[Oda]

I find interesting that you are a medical student, but you are not looking for an official diagnosis. Why is that?

In any case, you seem very aspie to me.

Thanks for your reply.
I'm not sure if I understand your question. Do you mean that a diagnosis would be more accessible to a medical student?

There are several reasons why I would not seek a diagnosis immediately.

1. I wanted to get more information before I waste several days of my life on a neuropsychological assessment. And even if I'm very sure, right now I work 100+ hours a week, so I have very limited time.

2. It is definitely not easier for medical students to get diagnoses, as you don't want any doctors you work with to diagnose you (for bias and confidentiality reasons).

3. A diagnosis could potentially get in the way of my education, as my university (and most universities in general) has a clause that permits them to kick me out and ban me from continuing my education at a different institution, if I'm deemed mentally unfit to treat patients. They're especially strict when it comes to psychologists and psychiatrists, as people with those professions should be fairly mentally stable. It doesn't matter so much for me, cause I want to work in research and not clinically, but the university could ban me from finishing regardless, as after this masters I could potentially work with parents if I wanted to.
So if I'll ever seek a diagnosis it will be after I'm done with my education.

 

[Sabrina]

Thanks for your reply.
I'm not sure if I understand your question. Do you mean that a diagnosis would be more accessible to a medical student?

There are several reasons why I would not seek a diagnosis immediately.

1. I wanted to get more information before I waste several days of my life on a neuropsychological assessment. And even if I'm very sure, right now I work 100+ hours a week, so I have very limited time.

2. It is definitely not easier for medical students to get diagnoses, as you don't want any doctors you work with to diagnose you (for bias and confidentiality reasons).

3. A diagnosis could potentially get in the way of my education, as my university (and most universities in general) has a clause that permits them from kicking me out and banning me from continuing my education at a different institution, if I'm deemed mentally unfit to treat patients. They're especially strict when it comes to psychologists and psychiatrists, as people with those professions should be fairly mentally stable. It doesn't matter so much for me, cause I want to work in research and not clinically, but the university could ban me from finishing regardless, as after this masters I could potentially work with parents if I wanted to.
So if I'll ever seek a diagnosis it will be after I'm done with my education.

Yes, that clears it up . I’m self diagnosed, in case you’re curious.
Welcome to the club .

 

[WereBear]

I got a formal diagnosis in the US. It turned out to be something my insurance encouraged me to get and then refused to cover. I don't have any workplace protections because of it. And since they know so little about adult HFA I didn't get much in the way of official medical help, either.

And it wasn't until I had a mid-life meltdown and was desperately searching for a way to help myself out of this pit of fatigue and weird symptoms that I even suspected, and the people around me suspected it even less.

Had I known during my young adulthood, I would have:

• avoided lots of stranger interactions (a job promotion with such probably pushed me over the edge)
• shaped my downtime in different ways (yes, other people relax by going out & doing fun things; I need to relax at home in a room by myself)
• paid more attention to eating in a way that supports my health (Atkins helped my hormones, which are disordered from the constant stress)
• mindfully pursued career strategies that would let me work at home or restrict my travel and hours
• realized my efforts to Fake It are stellar, but they can take a tremendous toll

So it really is a blessing that you can explore this on your own. mindful of what works for you.

I am currently working on a small business I hope to make into my retirement, which is pretty close. I lucked into a job with some flexibility, as I am currently working at home two days a week which helps tremendously. Once I am no longer dependent on others for a living, I would be a better position to go public, should I choose.

You are at the beginning of your career, and I strongly support your keeping this quiet until your accomplishments speak for themselves.

 

[Judge]

Thanks. I usually like "dry medical data", because it's more easily quantifiable which I find easier to understand than qualitative data. But since many of the topics discussed here are not represented in the literature I have found, it has been extremely helpful to better understand what is unique to me, and what I share with other people on the spectrum.

This is what gives this place so much value. The chance to interact with others to discover that any number of obscure traits and behaviors you may have may also be shared by so many others. Yet the sort of things that for whatever reasons just don't make it into formal medical journals.

Not to mention though that quite often the professional medical establishment appears to "not be on the same page" on so many facets of the spectrum of autism.

For as alone as so many of us may feel, the reality is that we are not alone at all.