I'm 34 and I was recently seeing a counsellor for PTSD and anxiety, who told me that she thought I may be on the autism spectrum. I'd never considered this before and went away to read about autism etc.
Finally, things seemed to make some sense, so I went to see my doctor and informed her what my counsellor had said. I was given a questionnaire to complete and return, which I did. Going through the results, she said I was clearly "in the range", yet she wouldn't refer me for a diagnosis because there was no previous evidence or record of the symptoms - doctor's appointments, school reports etc. - which would all be paper based.
When I asked my parents and my wife whether they had considered I could be autistic every one of them said no, paused for a second and then started listing off "strange" things (like being unable to settle on holidays, being a loner as a child, crying when an old car was taken away for scrap, keeping to rigid routines etc.). So, it's pretty clear it never occurred to my parents.
So, how do I get proof? Do I even need something like that, or is the doctor unwilling to refer me because "there's no cure" and I'm managed to mask everything up to now?
I'd really like to seek a diagnosis if only for my own peace of mind. Could anybody help?