Wednesday, November 11, 2009

למה שמבוגר ילך לאבחון אספרגר

Why get a diagnosis at all?
  • You're curious
  • You want validation for your limitations that are due to AS
  • You want professional validation
  • You want a professional's diagnosis to show to your loved ones or manager at work
  • You want to request accomodations at work for the limitations that AS/Autism pose in your specific work life
  • You're not able to find and/or keep a job due to some of your AS traits and you need Social Security to help you survive.
Why NOT get a diagnosis?
  • At least in my case, I "knew" I was the AS type the moment I read the list of traits of AS in the DSM-4 (the book that lists the psychiatric disorders and syndromes).  I also knew, later on, that I'm an NLD type of AS.  I fit all the NLD traits to a T.  Some say NLD is a common presentation of AS in women and girls.  Just like everything else, this is not scientifically or statistically proven to any satisfactory degree.  So this is one reason I didn't need a diagnosis.  I felt I knew myself better than any professional could assess in the much shorter time they have to get to know me than the time I've known myself.
  • A diagnosis is an expensive, stressing and sometimes painful process.  It's also risky: you could be misdiagnosed with AS, with something else, or with nothing.  Especially in the case of women, where AS presents in ways that make many experts rule out AS.
  • There are not many knowledgeable, reliable experts out there in the field of AS, and those who diagnose adults can be counted with the fingers of one hand, are very hard to find and have a long waiting list.
Whether to go for diagnosis will depend largely on your personal circumstances, but it's important to make an educated decision, and not one based on false information, unfounded fears, ignorance of what there is to expect.  So I'll share my process to diagnosis with you in the next post.

Daphna

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