Anyone diagnosed as an adult?

It's been proposed to me that diagnosing adults can be quite complex given the array of many well known disorders that spawn symptoms similar to traits found within the ASD spectrum.  The longer the life lived the more tainted the process can be.  Myself having what is termed a 'prejudicial childhood' (damaging) has given way to a previous diagnoses of chronic (long term/permanency) complex (self explanatory) PTSD with social phobia (now agoraphobia)  and having been previous labeled with clinical depression + Bi-Polar tendencies; the latter having been dismissed with a focus now an ADD/ADHD ... which is even more problematic when compared to ASD ... yadda yadda and so on.  That's just my story.  It's different for different folk. 

Now whilst that may be considered on the extreme side of things, even the most benign background in adult diagnosis is still going to be more complex than a child's.  I highly recommend learning as much as you can before being diagnosed.  However, that in itself comes with risks.  Self diagnosing can also taint. More so the process in which confused individuals desire to identify with this or that diagnosis.  That said, if your objective enough and aware of the self diagnosis trap, and genuinely identify with various traits back in your childhood, that note it down.   Just be sure the behaviors, symptoms and traits are not  tainted with environmental trauma or unrelated PTSD events. 

You see, it's not just about acknowledging the learning difficulties and breaking those down from reading, comprehension and so on - In an adult diagnosis it's important that you yourself can 'define the difference between events/life progression' that might mask/taint  X, Y and Z ASD traits.  The staring into space, stuttering, not following along, attachment & detachment issues on and on.  

Forgive me.  I seem to the only one going on and on here. 
_______________

YES - I was diagnosed as an adult.  I just wanted to give you something more than just a yes is all.  Sorry I am doing this all back to front.  Something else worth considering:

It's not uncommon for undiagnosed ASD adults to of had a traumatic upbringing.  The challengers themselves often make for ASD kids to be ridiculed and picked on in school by both students and teachers. (discounting challenger in the home and socio economics) -  My grandson is Level 2 Diagnosed.  My wife and I now having a better knowledge of ASD enabled us to pick it up early with my grandson.  So I did a bit of researching and found out statistically speaking that ASD children are at 80% risk of being bullied.  This concerns me greatly and thankfully have a good relation with the special ed department.  The teacher issue I think more present in high school.  That said back in the 70's for me my teacher use to grab a hand full of hair holding the back of my head slamming it into my table repeating whatever it was the I either did not understand or what she told me to do.  Again the point here is ASD kids don't have to come from a troubled home to be victims of their own challengers.

The above paragraph is but just one example of drawing a distinction between what one individual may determine as X.Y and Z ASD traits and resulting PTSD from whatever event at whatever times.   My ASD traits as I understand them now often saw me wind up with PTSD events. Again it's more about having to draw those distinctions during the diagnosis process.  It's a tact in the remembering that helped me define between resulting anxiety and the actually preexisting traits that led me to such unfortunate events. ← such remembering from ongoing therapy but context here is to understand the important of filtering out the traits from so far back.  I suggest therapy before actual diagnosis would make the process much easier.  Just saying is all.  

I'll try to surmise and make this the last paragraph.  Apologies for wall of text.  Let's just call that one of my one track traits.  The thing is just going to a GP will not be enough.  I sense you already know that.  A referral to a phycologist was a good start for me and it was in fact a therapists that brought it up where eventually I ended up seeing a physiatrist.  I'm pretty sure a clinical psychologist could to the diagnosis as at the moment I've downgraded to a registered psychologist who is looking at upscaling my current Mild ASD to Level 2 due to X,Y & Z.  The thing to ask yourself has anyone in your past ever approached you with concerns regarding yourself having some kind of difficulties?  As an adult I my kids school social workers approached me with concerns regarding myself showing traits of aspergers.  This was like 12 to 15 years before I ended up with a DX of ASD.  The approached concerns could be anything though.  It's with ongoing therapy that recollections take place and having a little knowledge when either in disagreement or just not gelling with previous DX/diagnosis don't fit or you feel you simply don't fit either the boxes of both society or tick and flicks that you join the dots to something ... hmmm ... more appropriate; as was my case.  

At any rate - one DX does not fit all.  I feel we all have strains of many and that is exactly why the spectrum was introduced.  That's what I am saying at any rate. 

Adult ASD diagnoses is not easy, but having a good understanding of how these things work can greatly assist your endeavors to get to find appropriate supports.  For me ASD fits the bill quite well although I am careful not to identify as my labels. 

I too am new here. I wish you all the best where ever you go or whatever you do.

I really don't know.  Still finding my own way.  I just wanted to help.  Good luck!  
______________________

PS - I was diagnosed around 50?  My memory is also shot.  But that sounds about right.  Had many other labels before that and still do. ;) 

It's been proposed to me that diagnosing adults can be quite complex given the array of many well known disorders that spawn symptoms similar to traits found within the ASD spectrum.  The longer the life lived the more tainted the process can be.  Myself having what is termed a 'prejudicial childhood' (damaging) has given way to a previous diagnoses of chronic (long term/permanency) complex (self explanatory) PTSD with social phobia (now agoraphobia)  and having been previous labeled with clinical depression + Bi-Polar tendencies; the latter having been dismissed with a focus now an ADD/ADHD ... which is even more problematic when compared to ASD ... yadda yadda and so on.  That's just my story.  It's different for different folk. 

Now whilst that may be considered on the extreme side of things, even the most benign background in adult diagnosis is still going to be more complex than a child's.  I highly recommend learning as much as you can before being diagnosed.  However, that in itself comes with risks.  Self diagnosing can also taint. More so the process in which confused individuals desire to identify with this or that diagnosis.  That said, if your objective enough and aware of the self diagnosis trap, and genuinely identify with various traits back in your childhood, that note it down.   Just be sure the behaviors, symptoms and traits are not  tainted with environmental trauma or unrelated PTSD events. 

You see, it's not just about acknowledging the learning difficulties and breaking those down from reading, comprehension and so on - In an adult diagnosis it's important that you yourself can 'define the difference between events/life progression' that might mask/taint  X, Y and Z ASD traits.  The staring into space, stuttering, not following along, attachment & detachment issues on and on.  

Forgive me.  I seem to the only one going on and on here. 
_______________

YES - I was diagnosed as an adult.  I just wanted to give you something more than just a yes is all.  Sorry I am doing this all back to front.  Something else worth considering:

It's not uncommon for undiagnosed ASD adults to of had a traumatic upbringing.  The challengers themselves often make for ASD kids to be ridiculed and picked on in school by both students and teachers. (discounting challenger in the home and socio economics) -  My grandson is Level 2 Diagnosed.  My wife and I now having a better knowledge of ASD enabled us to pick it up early with my grandson.  So I did a bit of researching and found out statistically speaking that ASD children are at 80% risk of being bullied.  This concerns me greatly and thankfully have a good relation with the special ed department.  The teacher issue I think more present in high school.  That said back in the 70's for me my teacher use to grab a hand full of hair holding the back of my head slamming it into my table repeating whatever it was the I either did not understand or what she told me to do.  Again the point here is ASD kids don't have to come from a troubled home to be victims of their own challengers.

The above paragraph is but just one example of drawing a distinction between what one individual may determine as X.Y and Z ASD traits and resulting PTSD from whatever event at whatever times.   My ASD traits as I understand them now often saw me wind up with PTSD events. Again it's more about having to draw those distinctions during the diagnosis process.  It's a tact in the remembering that helped me define between resulting anxiety and the actually preexisting traits that led me to such unfortunate events. ← such remembering from ongoing therapy but context here is to understand the important of filtering out the traits from so far back.  I suggest therapy before actual diagnosis would make the process much easier.  Just saying is all.  

I'll try to surmise and make this the last paragraph.  Apologies for wall of text.  Let's just call that one of my one track traits.  The thing is just going to a GP will not be enough.  I sense you already know that.  A referral to a phycologist was a good start for me and it was in fact a therapists that brought it up where eventually I ended up seeing a physiatrist.  I'm pretty sure a clinical psychologist could to the diagnosis as at the moment I've downgraded to a registered psychologist who is looking at upscaling my current Mild ASD to Level 2 due to X,Y & Z.  The thing to ask yourself has anyone in your past ever approached you with concerns regarding yourself having some kind of difficulties?  As an adult I my kids school social workers approached me with concerns regarding myself showing traits of aspergers.  This was like 12 to 15 years before I ended up with a DX of ASD.  The approached concerns could be anything though.  It's with ongoing therapy that recollections take place and having a little knowledge when either in disagreement or just not gelling with previous DX/diagnosis don't fit or you feel you simply don't fit either the boxes of both society or tick and flicks that you join the dots to something ... hmmm ... more appropriate; as was my case.  

At any rate - one DX does not fit all.  I feel we all have strains of many and that is exactly why the spectrum was introduced.  That's what I am saying at any rate. 

Adult ASD diagnoses is not easy, but having a good understanding of how these things work can greatly assist your endeavors to get to find appropriate supports.  For me ASD fits the bill quite well although I am careful not to identify as my labels. 

I too am new here. I wish you all the best where ever you go or whatever you do.

I really don't know.  Still finding my own way.  I just wanted to help.  Good luck!  
______________________

PS - I was diagnosed around 50?  My memory is also shot.  But that sounds about right.  Had many other labels before that and still do. ;)